You are here: Forums Hybrid Vehicles Honda Insight Honda Insight

Honda Insight

150 messages,  Last post on Jul 30, 2009 at 6:02 AM

You are in the Honda Insight Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer

What is this discussion about? Honda Insight, Hybrid Cars

Messages Page 6 of 15 1 ... 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ... 15 Prev Next Last

Go To Msg # Search This Discussion

#51 of 150 Re: effect of SULEV,ULEV,LEV, etc.? [shewith] by xcel Dec 27, 2004 (3:56 pm)
Replying to: shewith (Dec 27, 2004 2:52 pm) Hi Shewith:   ___Hopefully the following will help?   (1) The other day I looked under the hood of a 2002 Insight at a used-car dealer near me and neither the salesperson nor I could see the version (SULEV, ULEV, ...) listed anywhere. Is there a foolproof way to find out the version?   ___On my 5-speed, there is a sticker on both the back rear window and underneath the hood (look up, not down). The one on the rear window states “ULEV” (it is if run on low sulfur fuel) and the other under the hood shows Federal NLEV and California LEV compliance.   (2) Is it correct that if I want high mpg AND low greenhouse gas emissions, I need to find an SULEV + automatic? It seems that some of the versions have not very good emissions, but maybe I'm not interpreting that correctly.   ___No. GHG and high fuel economy are directly related. The Insight CVT’s (not the manual) are offered in SULEV format (SMOG forming emissions are great but its GHG emissions are just good). The CVT’s lack Lean burn and thus their actual and possible Fuel Economy is pathetic by comparison. I have read of 2 or 3 CVT’s receiving into the low 70’s for a segment distance whereas the 5-speeds (ULEV rated on low sulfur fuel) have easily surpassed 100 + mpg on both segments and whole tanks. This is where the GHG savings are actually achieved. SULEV is great for reducing SMOG forming emissions but it won’t reduce GHG emissions in comparison to the 5-speed and it will not save you money at the pump much more if any then a std. Prius II will. I see too many mid 40 to low 50 mpg Insight CVT’s around unfortunately.   (3) To find an SULEV, would I need to get a car from California? Or do cars that meet the SULEV standard get sold elsewhere, even when new? Or are all Insights for the US market manufactured to meet the California standards (SULEV?), as my mechanic guesses?   ___You might not find an Insight at all because they are now special order only and that window is closing up fast. If you find a new CVT on a lot, it will be SULEV-II rated.   (4) If a Insight isn't an SULEV, can it be tuned by an everyday mechanic to have as low greenhouse gas emissions as an SULEV? (My mechanic says he doesn't have any information on variations in tuning Insights.)   ___Again. GHG’s are directly related to your Fuel Economy. A CVT has far less capability for reducing GHG emissions then a 5-Speed. Having a mechanic tune anything is asking for trouble in regards to emissions but there are hundreds of things you can do to achieve higher Fuel Economy with the Insight 5-speed being the top of the list as far as right off the lot.   (5) Is there a way to get an analog reading of mph and mpg while driving? (An Insight I drove earlier this year--a 2000--had a always-changing digital reading of mph or mpg or both (I forget which), and I could see it might give me a headache in time.)   ___You can turn off both the Instantaneous and the indicated fuel economy over the distance but if you want to reduce GHG’s, maximum fuel economy is achieved by a study of the gauges over what ever terrain/temperature, weather conditions you are currently traversing. I wouldn’t turn off these indications as they are a godsend for those of us that push the Insight to its extremes in terms of hypermile fuel economy and reducing GHG’s.   (6) An Insight is pretty small. Does that make it less crashworthy? I do a lot of commuting on an interstate.   ___The smaller the vehicle, the higher the probability of injury in a collision with a larger vehicle. This is true no matter what size the car. As it stands, the Insight actually does pretty well for a vehicle in its class. The Honda Insight is rated by the NHTSA with 4 Stars out of 5 for frontal driver, frontal passenger, side impact - front seat, and Rollover.   (7) Is there year an Insight year that's especially reliable?   ___The Insight has changed very little from the 2000 MY to the 2005’s so reliability will probably be ~ equal.   (8) I don't see any online listings of Insights for sale that lists what version (SULEV, etc.) the car is. Is there a listing that does?   ___Honda.com --> Automobiles --> Honda --> Insight --> Specifications. This will tell you most of what you need to know.   (9) Am I going way overboard with this, in the sense that every Insight has such good emissions that going to great lengths to get the best emissions is foolish? I can't tell how much difference the difference makes.   ___Not really. If you are purchasing an Insight to reduce GHG’s and save the planet, the 5-speed is what you want although on high sulfur fuel it is only LEV rated. If you want to reduce SMOG related emissions, the CVT is cleaner but its Fuel Economy and performance are abysmal by comparison. I would consider an HCH or Prius II if you really want a CVT based automatic.   Thank you for your help. I'm not very car savvy, and yet I'd like to do this if I have a reasonable amount of confidence that I know what I'm doing.   ___Good Luck   ___Wayne R. Gerdes ___2000 Honda Insight 5-speed lmpg (lifetime miles per gallon) = 92.5 mpg http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/details.php?cid=54
#52 of 150 Re: forgot one question [shewith] by xcel Dec 27, 2004 (4:15 pm)
Replying to: shewith (Dec 27, 2004 3:56 pm) Hi Shewith:   (10) I've had Honda's before. They all seem to do poorly at heating the passenger compartment in the winter. In the Insight the same? Or did they make the heater work better in the Insight?   ___No, there is not a problem with heat as the Auto-climate in the Insight works great indeed. With that being said, the more heat you use in the winter, the cooler the coolant temperature and the lower your Fuel Economy. The same in summer heat with heavy A/C use. A/C will knock a 5-speed’s lean burn capability to 0 so you are back to maybe 55 mpg type numbers with A/C in use while out on the highway. The Hybrid’s ICE’s aren’t big hulking 5.0 L V8’s so they don’t have the spare capacity to achieve both outrageous fuel economy while supplying you with absolute comfort in all climates. They will supply you with whatever temperature you need but at the expense of quite a bit of fuel economy. Oh, and in the heat of summer, the A/C when idling maybe not keep up with your own demands. Out on the highway or while tooling around town it will be fine but at idle, you might find it to be lacking a bit.   ___Good Luck   ___Wayne R. Gerdes
#53 of 150 Thank you all by shewith Dec 27, 2004 (4:47 pm)
I have much more confidence going ahead with getting one. I appreciate your help in making things make sense.   P.S. If the Insight is discontinued, is Honda likely to keep supplying parts?
#56 of 150 Insight-2004 is last year by yerth10 Dec 28, 2004 (12:14 pm)
Looks like 2004 is the last year for Honda-Insight. I dont see the 2005 model in Honda's website itself while it is available for all other models.   Honda must have designed it as a 4-Seater vehicle using its hatchback design. After all smaller Mini seats 4.   Sad indeed. Replies to this message: xcel (Dec 28, 2004 2:11 pm) jimbeemer (Jan 12, 2005 7:00 am)
#57 of 150 Re: Insight-2004 is last year [yerth10] by xcel Dec 28, 2004 (2:11 pm)
Replying to: yerth10 (Dec 28, 2004 12:14 pm) Hi Yerth10:   ___They are tough to get and will be discontinued early in the year just like the 04’s if they have not been discontinued already but there is a shipment of 05’s heading to the West Coast as we speak. A friend of mine actually has a delivery date for one into the Seattle area in just a few days. He has owned 2 previous and is actually hoping his latest to be the last available anywhere for not only its very unique attributes but its last of a kind status as well   ___Good Luck   ___Wayne R. Gerdes
#59 of 150 Re: Honda Hybrid [baxman] by briham Dec 29, 2004 (12:04 pm)
Replying to: baxman (May 06, 2004 9:55 am) That's good to hear, I've been wondering about the longevity of the hybrids. My beef with the Honda Insight is that it is to small for the family. I'm looking at the Ford Escape Hybrid or possibly the Toyota Prius if it is big enough for my needs.   Here is a good review of the Insight, Prius and Escape for anyone interested:   Insight http://www.automedia.com/autoReviews/rts20031101hi/rts20031101hi.- asp?affid=   Prius http://www.automedia.com/autoReviews/rts20031101tp/rts20031101tp.- asp?affid=   Escape   http://www.automedia.com/autoReviews/2005/ford/escape/rts20041101- eh.asp?affid=

Messages Page 6 of 15 1 ... 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ... 15 Prev Next Last

Go To Msg # Search This Discussion

You are here: Forums Hybrid Vehicles Honda Insight Honda Insight