2010 Honda Insight EX

Pros: Actual MPG - HIGHER than EPA estimates

Affordable

INSANELY fun to drive.

Obvious intent to design instrument panels which help train you to be a more efficient driver.

Highly maneuverable, lightweight, tight handling and incredibly responsive car

Cons: No two door version (yet)

Not a plug-in

Summary: Lets get it out of the way. It looks like a Prius. But really where did the Prius get it's styling from? Is it a crime for Honda to steal back the design which originally showed up as the 1st gen Honda Insight? Lets not forget it was Toyota who borrowed the look of the current Prius from the original Insight... Lets separate fact from fiction: Honda did this first. Toyota gets the credit because the prius was mass-produced, the insight wasn't... but that doesn't put Toyota on the map first.

Another thing to get out of the way: there is no EV only mode. Big deal. It's a "mild-hybrid".. call it what you like. Mild spicy or hot, the 1st Gen Insight is also a mild hybrid but leaves every other car in the dust with EPA ratings of 60+ MPG.

I took this car out for a test drive at my local Honda dealership last week, It happened to actually be the first time the car was ever driven, outside of the four miles spent getting it from the factory to the truck and the truck to the showroom floor, so this was quite an exciting drive!!

I'm a 5 year owner of a 2003 Insight and am not looking to buy, and was hoping I would be disappointed with the new insight so I wasn't tempted to buy! Well I was actually floored. I'm used to my CVT, but the addition of paddle shifters for manual shifting added to the driving experience, and with a little practice I'm sure you could increase your fuel efficiency by using them to override the econ mode in driving situations where you can see what the car can't: grades in the road, turns, traffic conditions etc.

The Odometer is backdropped with a color changing gauge which gives the driver immediate feedback on how their driving style is impacting fuel efficiency. When you are driving efficiently with the gas pedal, the backdrop turns green. If you're heavy on the pedal the color shifts blue. Point is you want to keep this in the green, and you can see this gauge at all times out of your peripheral vision.

I took the car for a 12 mile loop on the freeway and through downtown Oakland, Ca. I got an average of 62.5 mpg. This is better than I get in my 2003 Insight which has an EPA rating of 56/57 (according to the old EPA standards).. at this I am totally stunned. At several points of the test drive I accelerated heavily and was experimenting with the paddle shifters, which deepens my wondering... "What MPG could I get if I *really* tried??" So I will likely testdrive this car again, and will likely be even more tempted than I am every day since my first spin last week to buy this car. . we'll see how long I can hold out.