2001 Honda Insight

2001 Honda Insight

Weird.  Ugly.  Bizarre.  All words you could use to reasonably describe an Insight.  Most people who read my blog would be surprised to find out that I actually owned one of these.  In truth, I purchased this out of pure curiosity. Hybrid vehicles were far from common at the time, and in fact this was the first one you could buy.  Mine was almost new and in showroom condition.

 
Now I'm about to tell you how terrible this thing was, but before being too critical of Honda I feel I have to acknowledge that this car was designed and built with a single purpose in mind - fuel efficiency.  This is what you get when you focus on one thing at the expense of all other factors.  Its ugly shape is very aerodynamic.  Its cheap materials and sparse two-seat interior keep weight at a minimum.  Its lack of any real storage area is due to the block of batteries in the rear.  I got between 50-60 MPG while I had it but it was a joke as a car.  The big manufacturers finally hit the mark when they stopped building cars like this and started trying to make real cars get better gas mileage.

The digital dash was cool, and unlike anything I had seen before.  One odd problem, at least for me, was that you couldn't stop yourself from staring at the MPG gauge and trying to drive the car to charge the batteries.  See that "CHRG - ASST" meter at the top right?  I was constantly trying to keep it in the green (CHRG) by adjusting my pedal pressure or coasting or whatever else would work.

The interior was terrible and uncomfortable.  It was just the lightest, cheapest stuff they could find.  I'd like to point out that before DiCaprio, Pitt, and all the other eco-warriors out there were pimping Prius's to save the world, I was trailblazing the movement with my Insight.  (I couldn't even type that with a straight face.  This thing was gone as fast as I could get rid of it.  I think I actually owned 2 V-10 Ford Excursions and a 12-cylinder Benz while I had this.)