I Drive One & Love It--Its Fun

I gave up my BMW 3-series for this, and I have no regrets.

I was attracted to the Insight because it is a technological marvel. But, the best thing about it is that it's a blast to toss around in on a windy road.

The Insight runs on a 1.5 ltr 3 cylinder engine. It has a sophisticated "Integrated Motor Assist" (IMA) system that turns on the electric motor when needed. The degree to which the electric motor is used depends upon how much it is needed. What's truly amazing about the IMA system is that the Insight drives like a normal car. The only way of knowing that the electric motor is engaged is the high-tech instrumentation. So, it's an incredibly seamless and invisible crossover. The IMA system provides plenty of power for getting on the freeway, and just for stepping on it on a country road. 0-60 is rated at 10.6 seconds.

The IMA also actually shuts off the gasoline engine when the car stops at a stoplight. This happens when the gearbox is put in neutral. When you want to move again, you simply put the car in first gear, and the gas engine fires right up (very quitely, and without vibration).

Although the Insight does have an electric motor, it is significantly more convenient than cars that are exclusively electric. You don't have to hassle with plugging it in at night for charging. It charges its own batteries with the excess energy that is created while driving and braking. Additionally, in contrast to electric cars, which are currently limited to an impractical 100 miles of total range, the Insight can go over 700 miles on its 10.9 gallon tank. It uses normal unleaded gasoline.

The worst thing about the Insight is the factory-installed speakers (My wife even said "The speakers suck"). But, this is an easy fix.

There are only three colors available. I got silver, and it looks great. The red looks OK but the only other available color is a really ugly green. It's admittedly fun to get lots of stares and thumbs up from other drivers. Because of its styling, this car is hard to miss.

The Insight is only available with a 5-speed manual transmission. And its only a two seater. So, the Insight won't work for some people. But, for 90% of the driving that I do (commuting, getting take-out sushi, blah, blah) the Insight is perfect.

Safety-wise, the Insight has dual air bags, seat belt pre-tensioners, side door beams and it meets the federal head impact standards coming into force in 2003. There's also plenty of room. I'm 6'5" (a real disadvantage for fitting in cars), and I have more head and leg room than in my BMW. The seats provide excellent lateral support and really hold you in when cornering.

The Insight comes with a remote keyless-entry system. The instrumentation is pretty cool--both the tach and the speedometer are digital. Numerous other high-tech gauges are on the dash. Light alloy wheels are also standard.

There are, of course, real environmental benefits of driving this car. It has an entirely new catalytic converter, which when combined with the IMA and the very high mpg, makes it one of the "greenest" cars you can drive.