Review: 2010 Honda Insight Achieves Nearly 70 MPG

By Eric Loveday, Author, March 26th, 2009 Eric Loveday March 26th, 2009

2008 Paris auto show

During a recent test drive of the all new 2010 Honda Insight hybrid, several reviewers were able to obtain close to 70 mpg. Pretty impressive numbers for a car with an EPA rating of 40 city and 43 highway mpg.

Reviewers set out to a site in Arizona and were presented with the Insight for a test drive. This test drive had one goal in mind. To achieve maximum fuel economy. The test drive was referred to as the MPG Challenge and all reviewers were to drive in a manner that would maximize fuel efficiency. In order to increase fuel efficiency, the Insight was driven in eco-mode which is designed to use gas sparingly and instead rely on electrical power as much as possible.

The test drive consisted of a 16 mile loop in the suburban area of Pheonix, Arizona. Drivers had to complete the loop and their mileage was recorded. During the course of driving, many drivers practiced a form of driving referred to as hypermilling. Hypermilling is the process of driving in a style that returns great fuel economy by doing things such as coasting for long distances to a stop, accelerating from a stop at a snails pace, sometimes drafting behind other vehicles, and often driving under the speed limit. Hypermillers sometimes appear to be driving a vehicle that has stalled as passerbys in other vehicles fly be the hypermillers at rate that make the hypermiller appear to be motionless.

Hypermilling aside, the journalist who took part in the test drives acheived great fuel economy numbers. All of the journalists that took part in the MPG Challenge acheived at least 60 mpg and the winner of the challenge posted numbers of 68.8 mpg. The 68.8 mpg acheived by the Insight drivers still falls short of the 70 plus mpg acheieved during recent drives of the new 2010 Prius. Link to 2010 Prius review http://www.allcarselectric.com/review/1019660_review-2010-toyota-prius-gets-70-mpg

2008 Paris auto showEnlarge Photo During a recent test drive of the all new 2010 Honda Insight hybrid, several reviewers were able to obtain close to 70 mpg. Pretty impressive numbers for a car with an EPA rating of 40 city and 43 highway mpg. Reviewers set out to a site in Arizona and were presented with the Insight for a test drive. This test drive had one goal in mind. To achieve maximum fuel economy. The test drive was referred to as the MPG Challenge and all reviewers were to drive in a manner that would maximize fuel efficiency. In order to increase fuel efficiency, the Insight was driven in eco-mode which is designed to use gas sparingly and instead rely on electrical power as much as possible. The test drive consisted of a 16 mile loop in the suburban area of Pheonix, Arizona. Drivers had to complete the loop and their mileage was recorded. During the course of driving, many drivers practiced a form of driving referred to as hypermilling. Hypermilling is the process of driving in a style that returns great fuel economy by doing things such as coasting for long distances to a stop, accelerating from a stop at a snails pace, sometimes drafting behind other vehicles, and often driving under the speed limit. Hypermillers sometimes appear to be driving a vehicle that has stalled as passerbys in other vehicles fly be the hypermillers at rate that make the hypermiller appear to be motionless. Hypermilling aside, the journalist who took part in the test drives acheived great fuel economy numbers. All of the journalists that took part in the MPG Challenge acheived at least 60 mpg and the winner of the challenge posted numbers of 68.8 mpg. The 68.8 mpg acheived by the Insight drivers still falls short of the 70 plus mpg acheieved during recent drives of the new 2010 Prius. Link to 2010 Prius review http://www.allcarselectric.com/review/1019660_review-2010-toyota-prius-gets-70-mpg

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By Danny #1, Posted: 3/26/2009

"Let's make it fair..."

Now allow people to drive the 2010 Prius on the EXACT SAME COURSE and make them drive the Prius in ONLY eco mode and let's see what the numbers are. You cannot compare numbers when one car is driven on a certain course for only 16 miles where the drivers are given strict critera to follow such as only drive for the best mileage and only use eco mode whereas the other is driven much further and the drivers were not made to only use eco mode and drive a certain way.
By Eric #2, Posted: 3/26/2009

"Response"

As the author, I will point out that a course as described in the article only refers to a set couse of public roads and a route that must be take. This is not done on a test track. Drivers for both the Insight and the Prius articles were given intstructions that they were trying to drive for maximum mileage. If you look at the Prius results, they actually do surpass the numbers for the Insight. But it is close competition.