I normally agree with Dallas Morning Snooze auto writer Terry Box about once in a brilliant Republican idea, especially because he seems to have a quasi-paranoid animus against hybrids, but, his Honda Insight 2.0 review looks like it’s dead on the money.
In exchange for making the new version of the Insight cheaper than the Prius 2.0, let alone the Prius 3.0 that’s on its way to the U.S. after a smash opening in Japan, Honda did a couple of things. One, they used a simplified, even dumbed-down version of the full-blown hybrid drive that something like a Prius has. In pre-release hype, Honda claimed it was still something competitive with the Prius in this area. Wrong.
The fact that the Insight 2.0 gets better highway than city gas mileage makes clear this baby isn’t a “full” hybrid at all. Plus, and even worse from a marketing standpoint, Box says from a dead stop, the hybrid system is rough to engage.
And, it gets much of its gas mileage from being more underpowered than the Prius 2.0, let alone the 3.0. Read the full review for details; when it’s time to buy my next vehicle, I’ll look for a used late-generation Prius 2.0 over this.
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