Best hybrid: Prius or Insight
When people think hybrid, they think Toyota Prius. This iconic car popularized hybrid powertrains more than any other model. This week, the newest version, the 2010 Toyota Prius, starts to show up at dealers. Although not a radical update, the 2010 Prius gets more power and improved fuel economy over the previous model, a double-win by any measure.
But Honda attempted to usurp the Prius' place as premier hybrid earlier this year by letting loose the 2010 Honda Insight. Although coming in 8 mpg lower in fuel economy than the 2010 Prius, the new Insight undercuts its price by $2,200, leading Honda to advertise the Insight as a hybrid for everyone.
The Prius comes with baggage, and not the kind you put your golf clubs in. Celebrities and environmentalists endorsed the car, leading to backlash, such as a South Park episode claiming the Prius had excessive smug emissions. Although Honda had an earlier car called the Insight, a long break in production lets the 2010 Insight enter the fray with a clean slate.
Of course, there are other excellent hybrids, such as the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Lexus RX 450h, and Nissan Altima Hybrid. But these aren't dedicated hybrids, having gasoline equivalents. None go head-to-head with the Prius as much as the Insight.
Check out the cars and tell us which most embodies the hybrid ideal.
Then again, i also thought the Pontiac Aztec was decent looking, and its generally considered to be one of the ugliest cars in recent memory ;-)
And I have to admit, its extremely practical: low drag coefficient (probably the original reason it was designed that way), all four doors are easy to get in and out of with leg and headroom for even very tall people (front and back seats), and of course the hatchback design (which I don't think I need to explain the advantages of)
(I also didn't think the Aztek was all that bad. I'd rather have Azteks on the street instead of all the other boring SUVs that are there now.)
Fusion Hybrid: (41/36)
Insight: (40/43)
Prius: (51/48)
(city/highway)
The fusion hybrid is a good car, but don't mar its good name by making up stuff about it.
That's the MPG for the non hybrid Fusion.
Ironically, with Toyota's own hybrid technology the Fusion Hybrid gets better fuel economy than the Camry Hybrid (33/34).
Of course I'm certainly not knocking the Insight. It's pretty impressive that they pulled that kind of mileage out with thier more simple "electric assist" type hybrid system (GM could barely manage an extra 5 mpg on thier cars with that type of system). And of course it's quite a bit cheaper ($20k to $24k) than the prius, making a good option for someone who still wanted a 40mpg+ car at $20k. I've read that it's a bit funner to drive too, though I doubt many people buy hybrids for their driving dynamics.
Overall the are both great hybrids, and the direct comparison seems a little unfair, considering their price differences (which puts them at different levels), but I'm going to have to vote for the prius, even if it has the unfair advantage of costing more.
BTW, the original insight got such amazing mieage because of its micro-car size and 3 cylinder engine.
http://www.hybridcars.com/gas-mileage/honda-60-mpg-surprise-25564.html
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/01/11/abg-first-drive-2009-honda-insight-63-4-mpg/
Personally, I think the new Prius is a tad nicer looking--though neither is going to shake off that cliche 'hybrid greenmobile' look--and according to Automobile Magazine it drives more like a "driver's car" than the previous Prius...or the new Honda Insight. Frankly, I'm surprised how 'invisible' the current Prius has become to my eyes; I never liked the look of the car, but with the thousands and thousands of these things on the road they just seem to fade into the background; the 21st century version of the '70s Ford Squaremont...er, I mean....Fairmont.
On the other hand, the Fusion is in the slightly larger class of midsize sedans. While many may may find themselves cross-shopping the midsized Fusion Hybrid against the compact Prius, it would actually be better compared to the Toyota Camry Hybrid and the Nissan Altima Hybrid.
In the interest of fairness, we have to compare apples to apples.
A $32k fusion is more closely compareable to a fully loaded insight ($24k). The insight still has the edge in mileage, but the fusion has sync + leather seats.
The Prius looks like the old Honda Insight (except with 4 doors) which looked like the old Honda CRX. So who's copying who? This shape that they share is the most efficient and practical design in terms of aerodynamics.
The Chevy Volt is #1.
:-/
And about the Fusion... you do know that you can get one of FOUR engine choices in it, right? A normal inline 4, a choice of V6's, and the Hybrid.
To its credit though, consumer reports (whose reviews I hold in the highest regard) rated the jetta tdi very highly in their test of it. If I were looking in the realm of a civic/corrola, I'd definitely give the jetta tdi a look as well.
(all information above from consumer reports).
The TDI's 0-60 may be lacking, but the torque allows you to easily pass people in higher gears like they're standing still. Car and driver marks 50-70 in the new 09 CRD TDI at 6 seconds. This is faster than quite a few 7 sec 0-60 cars. As far as reliability, the TDI has been around since 89, there have been many revisions of the engine since then, but all of them are generally regarded as extremely reliable when cared for properly. I myself have an 04 TDI, the main difference in my engine "Pumpe Duse" being the injectors are unit injectors instead of the Common Rail type found in the 09's. It's stock 0-60 was about 10 seconds, 100HP/177lb/ft, I've got it chipped now and I can pull 0-60 in a low 8sec with about 130HP/247ft/lb. Also with a diesel, all of the torque is immediately available at around 1,800 RPMs. It makes the car feel very quick, and you don't find yourself shifting as much.
Don't knock the TDI till you test drive one!
I might point out that electric engines have 100% of their torque available at 0 rpms, which makes the prius alot zippier than you'd think off the line. I've never driven a jetta tdi, so I can't compare personally, but here are CR's numbers for the 09 prius (last gen - they put up the review or the 2010 yet) and the 09 jetta tdi.
Prius:
0 - 30: 3.8 seconds
0 - 60: 10.6 seconds
45 - 65: 6.2 seconds
Jetta TDI:
0 - 30: 3.6 seconds
0 - 60: 9.8 seconds
45 - 65: 5.9 seconds
They seem pretty similar to me, though no doubt the jetta is a bit funner to drive. They gave them both 4/5 for routine handling, but the prius was 3/5 vs the jetta's 4/5 for emergency handling. They posted the exact same speed through the emergency handling course (53.5 mph), and the prius stopped a few feet shorter in the wet and dry stops (133 vs 137 ft, and 140 vs 147 ft).
Anyway, those are just the numbers, like I said, I've only driven the prius, so I can't directly compare. And to its credit, they commented on how they liked the jetta tdi's handling, while they didn't like the prius's steering feel (from driving it myself, I would say it's just kind of numb - point it and it goes).
That said, I didn't see anything exciting about the Insight and a lot of the interior trim and displays were, in my opinion, gaudy and video-game like. I love the fact that the Prius has a direct competitor, however, as it will push both companies to make better and cheaper products. In fact, I remember reading that Toyota was reducing the price of the Prius to better match the Insight. Score one for capitalism.
So .. I think the 2010 Prius still looks like the top hybrid for those looking for a high-mileage car at a reasonable price .. I just wish Toyota had pushed the envelope a little more. I see no need to trade-in my 2008 for the 2010. Maybe the 2013 or so model...
For a great example of that, see GM and the volt: They've been talking about it for years and years, and still have no product to show for it. Supposedly it'll be out in a year or two, but we've been hearing that for a long time... I guess the lesson there is don't build up consumer expectations until you can actually match them. And to their credit, toyota and honda have a habit of staying pretty silent about their products until within a year of launch.
I still thing the 90's EV-1 today could outsell both these cars. Too bad GM shot themselves in the foot.
Bias cnet as usual.
Ford Hybrid Goes 1,400 Miles on Single Tank of Gas. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/ford-hybrid-goes-1400-miles-on-single-tank-of-gas/
Also it was ford that engineered the hardware components of the Fusions hyrid green technology, not toyota. they did the software.
LIFEBELT feature seat belt safety for teens etc
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article6294116.ece
Those hybrids should come with a warning: unsafe in a collision. Passengers might not survive.
Ugly has a new definition when it comes to these hybrids.
This arguement is so ridiculous though that it's hard to take seriously anymore. Why? Because taken to the Nth degree, we should all be driving semi trucks to stay safe. Compact cars are unsafe in a collision with a large sedan. Large sedans are unsafe in a collision with a large pickup truck. Large pickup trucks are unsafe in a collision with a semi truck. Should we all drive semi trucks? Should dodge rams come with warning stickers that they don't fare well in collisions with semi trucks?
Or here's a better solution: Everyone just buys the size of vehicle they need (which for most people isn't much more than a midsized sedan), and we continue to develop include new safety features on all cars, like seatbelts, airbags, antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability control, stronger materials, pre-collision systems, etc...
What about the fusion/camry/altima hybrids? Do you think those are ugly too?
This car rocks!! Styling updates were better in person and the interior upgrades while not luxo were certainly better then I thought for a middling domestic sedan(used to drive Accords for 20yrs). The ergonomics were nicely done except for climate controls buried too low in the stack. The new dash display was VERY impressive only outshined by the improved Toyota based synergy drive. It was silent and easily drove faster and longer on just electric motors, with an easy to read display that encouraged me to try and prolong it. The acceleration was equally impressive feeling much like my V6 ES with more sound due to the CVT/engine wail. Back country road handling was a huge shocker being nicely tied down and feeling much like a sprty sedan, not economy family car(btw, the leather seats were comfortable with nice bolsters). It reminded me of my last Accord after the suspension mods, competent not harsh. The brakes were a real revalation as they felt nothing like the awlful pulsing of the Prius and Lexus hybrids, they were near normal.
Returned to the dealer and the trunk was adequate considering the battery pack shares space behind back of seat. Underhood nicely done but not much space to spare there. The backup camera in the reaview mirror was very cool as was the synch system for the audio system(non nav car). The changing ambient lighting added another nice upscale fun touch. This test drive so blew away the Camry 4cyl/6spd auto my friend had just driven, even she acknowledged being a big Toyota loyalist. The only real negative was the approx 30k price point on this car( comparable to it's direct competition) but the firm, 'this is the selling price', we only have two here.I Ahh, I recall the hey day when I used to do the same when the Lexus 400h first arrived.
Ford should get many kudos on this car, it's knockout redesign and I'm happy it's homegrown. If they should do the same with Euro Fiesta coming next year, they could have real segment dominating car, can you say Prius killer?
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by bennetts77833
May 23, 2009 11:26 AM PDT
- Drove an Insight and a Fusion Hybrid and a VW Jetta TDI yesterday. All good cars. The Fusion was the biggest surprise. Agree with above comments. Ford has engineered this hybrid to drive on battery into the high 40 mph. Texas heat was moderate but automatic air was comfortable. The car is a true midsized sedan and our test driver was optioned with moon roof and a very good GPS $33,000. It has moved to the top of my considerations list. TDI was very nice and easiest of the three to get into the back seat. None were difficult. The friend I was with test drove a VW Passat with the turbo 2 liter gas. Peppier than anything else we drove, Fusion was second. Easiest to get into back seat of all. Comparable in size to the mid-sized Fusion; but not as economical as any of the others. Best driver's seat (12 way power) Ford had good power options. My friend did not like the head rests on the Insight, could not get her shoulders back on the seat?
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (82 Comments)Need to drive Camry and Prius Hybrids.