Article Comments - 2010 Honda Insight vs. 2009 Toyota Prius

73 messages, Last post on Oct 14, 2009 at 1:06 PM

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What is this discussion about? Honda Insight, Toyota Prius, Car Comparisons, Hybrid Cars, Hatchback, Sedan

Comparison Test: 2010 Honda Insight vs. 2009 Toyota Prius - You might remember the original Honda Insight. When introduced in 1999, it was the first hybrid vehicle sold in the U.S.A., an affordable technical tour de force that achieved spectacular fuel economy by adding a battery-assisted electric motor to the powertrain. But as a diminutive two-seater, it certainly wasn't a car for the masses. (more)

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#1 of 73 Article Comments - 2010 Honda Insight vs. 2009 Toyota Priu by KarenS HOST Jan 21, 2009 (6:49 am)
Psychologists have said that consumers have a three-week memory of fuel prices. If prices stay constant for more than three weeks, the buying public's decision-making ability becomes myopic and they act as though prices have never been different from what they are in the here and now. Read more and post your comments here. Comparison Test: 2010 Honda Insight vs. 2009 Toyota Prius
#2 of 73 Diff. btwn the New Insight 'mild' hybrid and Prius 'full' hybrid? by johnxyz Jan 22, 2009 (7:13 am)
Hello, If I don't get a new Fit , I'm going to get on a waiting list for the new Honda Insight or next year's new 2010 Prius. But would someone please explain the difference between a mild hybrid and a full hybrid? Is the fundamental difference that a Toyota Hybrid system can move forward / propel itself on its electric battery power alone (up to a certain speed) while the Honda Hybrid system ALWAYS has to have its ICE gas engine on? Do they both shut down at redlights and stop signs? Any hesitation on re-start (safety concern - I don't want to be T-boned when ready to turn left)? Thanks a million.
#3 of 73 apples to oranges by wyounger Jan 23, 2009 (6:17 am)
Wow, it takes 75 years to pay off the difference between a nearly loaded Prius and an Insight with way less equipment. Glad to know that we now expect bells and whistles to pay for themselves if they comes in a Prius that's parked next to an Insight that doesn't have them. Can we get some objectivity, please? Johnxyz, you're on track with the difference between mild and full. A mild hybrid generally won't move without starting the engine, but a full hybrid can putter around in parking lots and city traffic on battery power alone. They both will shut down at a stop. The re-starting is much faster and smoother than what you would expect, though, because they don't use a traditional starter. With the big battery and big motor it's basically instant. And in a Prius, the car will move off without the engine starting anyway, though moderate to brisk starts do get the engine going pretty quickly. I have a 2007 Prius and the only hesitation I find is that the traction control is unusually aggressive, so if you provoke so much as a chirp of wheelspin at with your acceleration from a stop, it will fall on its face while monitoring the traction. (The kind of quick, mild wheelspin that is common in most any car if you accelerate briskly from a stop with the wheels turned, such as when turning right into a street from of a driveway.) The 2010 may be better about that, since it will use Toyota's VDIM system to better coordinate the powertrain with the stability control. Once you're used to it, you just learn to be moderate about things until you're straightened out. Other than that, Priuses will hustle about just like any other medium sedan. Replies to this message: Talonts (Jan 23, 2009 12:35 pm) kdhspyder (Jan 26, 2009 4:07 pm)
#4 of 73 Re: apples to oranges [wyounger] by Talonts Jan 23, 2009 (12:35 pm)
Replying to: wyounger (Jan 23, 2009 6:17 am) This comparison is more like grapes to watermelons - such a "comparison" is useless. Comparing a well-equipped to a stripped model is useless. Get them as close as possible in equipment, figure out the base cost for any differing equipment (due diligence on research). THEN do your comparison. Of course, the most glaring ERROR in this comparison is comparing a 2010 Insight to a 2009 Prius. The 2010 Insight isn't available, and they're using WAG on the pricing. Come on, Edmunds, do a comparison in late May that is useful to people - compare a 2010 Insight to a 2010 Prius. The 2010 Prius will have higher mpg than the 2009, more power (better 0-60 AND slalom from a better suspension), and completely different option packages. You should be able to option them more closely to each other, and do a PROPER comparison then. Of course even then they won't compare in people and cargo hauling capacity, as the rooflines show. I got to sit in a 2010 Prius a couple of weeks ago, and it has even more room for 6+ footers than the 2009 Prius in the front, and a LOT more headroom in the rear than the 2009, so the passenger room comparison won't even come close. I wouldn't even try to take a trip as a rear passenger in the Insight, unless I wanted permanent neck damage. Replies to this message: kdhspyder (Jan 26, 2009 4:07 pm)
#5 of 73 Wow what a comparison by chinna Jan 23, 2009 (4:05 pm)
Wow! What a comparison? So why don't you compare an Acura to an Camry and tell that it, it never be able to recover cost difference even if the Acura is more fuel efficient. I have been a regular reader of Edmunds for last 6+ years, and off late I am seeing all these bone headed comparisons, like Comparing Fit to Prius and saying Fit is better than Prius(complete different class), now Saying Insight is better than Prius. As other readers has mentioned, you guys seems lost rationality completely. There is no comparison of equipment between two models at all. Even if you want you can not add those things to this Insight. If you want to compare you have to take 2010 Insight EX to 2010 Base Prius, the give us the results. Recently, it seems for some reason you are pissed off with Toyota, and even with slight chance( even without one) criticize Toyota and raise Honda to you heads. I am getting doubts if some of your editors are on Honda Payroll. Another example, Fit vs Yaris... when even you guys bring it up in review, you compare Fit Manual with Yaris Auto. As you are aware 80+ buy auto for both vehicles, so compare those models head to head. If you are aware Honda Fit auto is more than 1 sec slower than Yaris Auto, and with worst fuel economy. You guys better straighten up records, and clean up this mess you are getting yourself in, otherwise you would be left without any credibility(Like some good site I saw, not almost defunct because of this). Replies to this message: toyota4life (Jan 23, 2009 6:05 pm)
#6 of 73 Re: Wow what a comparison [chinna] by toyota4life Jan 23, 2009 (6:05 pm)
Replying to: chinna (Jan 23, 2009 4:05 pm) chinna Did you just invade my thoughts?..i concur word for word,i could'nt have said it better even if i tried. Toyota have been on edmunds shite list for some time now,not sure why but they are. pretty PATHETIC!!
#7 of 73 Comparisons To Be Helpfull by railroadjames Jan 26, 2009 (9:11 am)
I just don't get it. Many of you "critics" seem to be highly critical of any comparison of two cars. I personally appreciate the early info and data for what it's worth. I take from the cars the data to be compared and go with it. Early on I don't expect all the info to be inline with the usual comparisons. People are anxious to get out any info that can be usefull. I like both cars. I'm somewhat flattered that Honda has, in many ways, mirrored the Prius. I'm sure Toyota has to feel good about the similarities of their car to the Insight. I do think that the Prius is getting a bit pricey these days. When I bought my '04 Prius back in Nov. of '03 it was $19,995.00 plus delivery. Out the door w/ taxes it was about $21, 456.00 I'm pretty sure. Honda's new Insight looks good and should be a great seller if the dealers don't ruin it for the buyers. I must admit that Honda dealers seem to have a lackluster reputation compared with Toyota dealers (at least in my N.W. IND area). Replies to this message: Talonts (Jan 26, 2009 11:52 am)
#8 of 73 Re: Comparisons To Be Helpfull [railroadjames] by Talonts Jan 26, 2009 (11:52 am)
Replying to: railroadjames (Jan 26, 2009 9:11 am) I don't mind if they compare two cars, as long as they at least attempt to compare cars that should be compared. Comparing the newest generation Insight, that isn't on the market yet, to the current Prius, instead of the newest generation Prius that is due on the market just a month or 2 after the new Insight, is ridiculous. While it's certainly a good space-filler, it's not really very useful to someone that is looking to buy the latest technology, or looking for the highest mpg. The Insight will certainly have its' uses, especially for those that just want a stripped car to get it as cheap as possible. Or shorter people And it's pretty good looking on the outside (the dash is a mess, it looks like parts were thrown on the clay buck and used wherever they stuck). But they need to do the comparo in May when pricing is known, not guessed, and with 2010s in both cases, optioned as closely as possible, to be useful to anyone that can afford to shop for a new car in today's economy. Beyond that, if the Prius ends up with some option that isn't even available on the Insight, the pricing of that option needs to be factored out of the price difference for a *valid* "payback calc". Because no one in their right mind does payback calcs on options - could you really see someone saying "my leather seats (8 speaker stereo/power windows/whatever) have a 5 year payback over cloth seats"? That's essentially what Edmunds has done here, when comparing cars with dissimilar options. I could do something equally ridiculous, like doing a payback calc on the engine in a Lamborghini, since it's obviously different than the engine in a Prius, but would it be useful to anyone? I doubt it.
#9 of 73 Re: apples to oranges [Talonts] by kdhspyder Jan 26, 2009 (4:07 pm)
Replying to: Talonts (Jan 23, 2009 12:35 pm) I resonded on the original article with the same comment, 'Why compare a 6 y.o. vehicle with one not even on the streets yet?'. Editor Karl responded to the effect that the comparo is valid because there is no other such comparo in existence. Well from an archival point of view I guess it has some value. 'This is how the new Insight compares to the outgoing Prius.' But yes in May a comparo of the two new 2010 vehicles would be a lot more valuable to real potential buyers this year and into the future.
#10 of 73 Insight/Prius comparison by whitey9 Feb 06, 2009 (9:00 am)
After watching/reading the comparison I was mildly amused. As everyone knows the Prius is due to be replaced with a new model next year. This new Insight is a new model. The Prius basically dates from MY'04. There is no mention of the 8yr/80K mi warranty on the hybrid system components. Is my '07 Prius the last of those cars that had this warranty? Does the Insight have this coverage? Why would anyone buy a car today w/o cruise control? I can see a back-up camera being optional, but not cruise control. I see the wheels on the Insight are steel, but the Prius' wheels are alloy. Are any of the Insight's body panels aluminum/plastic like the Prius? I see the seat in the Insight is adjustable. The Prius seat sits too high for me ( 6'2" ), and there is no adjustment provided for height. Why are we so transfixed on the HIGHWAY mileage figure? Do most of us do the MAJORITY of our driving on the highway? I think not. What about the braking systems? Do they stop from 60mph in 120' or less? They should! I drive 65mi a day in suburban/urban traffic with half of these miles on interstate highways. I can get as little as 39mpg when the weather and traffic patterns are bad, but I can also get 54mpg when they are not. The Prius is smooth, quiet, and NOT a slug. I am middle-aged and require a certain amount of "comfort". You would never catch me inflating the tires to 50+ psi. Or parking on a hill, to coast down in the morning to "save gas". I drive the Hybrid like a regular car and do a minimum of "coasting", but do drive the speed limit to most people's chagrin. The Prius Hybrid system operates "seamlessly". I do not feel that I am giving up anything I have had in any of the other 5 cars/van/Suv ( hybrid ) I own. Although the interior and exterior styling is "semi-spartan" I am comfortable with the equipment except it lacks a sunroof, and heated seats. My car is a PKG#6 with all options, including navi system, and leather. What difference does the disctinction of "mild hybrid/full hybrid" make? That is like saying one engine has an advantage over another if it has 2 spark plugs per cylinder versus 1 spark plug. It is just another means to an end. Period. Replies to this message: gfr1 (Feb 06, 2009 7:38 pm)