Here’s how the Honda Insight beat out the Prius as the first production hybrid
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- In this episode I provide the history of the Honda Insight, the first gasoline-electric hybrid to be sold in the U.S., first released as a 2000 model, beating out the Toyota Prius by 7 months. The first-gen Insight could achieve fuel economy ratings of up to 70 miles per gallon, but the compromises were having only two seats, and 0-60 times of up to 12 seconds. The lack of people-carrying ability meant it couldn't compete with the 4-door Prius, and Honda discontinued the Insight in 2006. However in 2010, Honda brought back a new hybrid that looked a lot like the Prius, but re-used the name Insight. Despite looking like a Prius, few cared, and Honda killed it again in 2014. Honda made a third attempt with an all-new design in 2019, but again few card, leading to its final cancellation in 2022.
The first gen Insight kind of reminds me of the GM EV-1. It's almost as if that car walked so that the Insight could run.
I'm one of the 5700 who bought the 2021 Insight. Great car and love the MPG!
I love that line, If you are important people will wait for you…
In other words it's slow af
@@86-Trueno or, in other words, only losers need to hurry.
fun fact about the first gen it was made in the same assembly plant as the NSX and the S2000
Yep and you can tell. All the switch gear is basically the same.
I actually think out of all of them the 1st gen is the most beautiful and revolutionary. With today’s technology that thing could easily hit 100mpg.
Some guy has the gen 1 at 85 mpg avg
I get the feeling that if you went to a startrek convention you might see a few in the parking lot.
I work for a Honda service center. We still get 1st gen insights come in. The warranty on them is great. 150k miles covered for certain components.
I still see some on the road from time to time which always surprises me.
How do you take the rear tires off? I have always been curious
@@86-Trueno You undo 4 lug nuts on both sides
@@86-TruenoThere are four clips, two on each side.
It still boggles my mind that this is still one of the most efficient "self charging" hybrids
Really liked these first gens. But sadly I missed out on one
Met someone once who loved his Insight; he had a regular commute from Lost Wages to (Hel)L.A. and the Insight was a real money saver for him when it came out.
I have a Prius and love hybrids like this! The first gen insight aged a lot better than the first gen Prius.
I have been waiting for this video! The Honda hybrid history is much more interesting in depth than at first glance. TOP TIER video as always.
1st Gen Honda Insight 5MT with a Isuzu TurboDiesel I4 swap is a good idea for maximum efficiency.
There's a guy who has put a 3cyl Kubota in.
@@Low760 He took the batteries out though.
So? K swap makes it enjoyable
@@Bigbigpoopi The CR-X Del Sol (basically a Honda Civic Roadster) would be a much better fit for the K-Series. The original Insight was designed to do one thing: be fuel efficient. It has tiny, thin tires, so it handles and road-holds rather poorly. Put in a powerful fast engine in it, and you’re gonna have a fast car that’s pointless.
Crz definitely deserve a video.
Please do an episode on the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution series 🙏
I love the 1st generation insights. But I usually like weird in cars.
First gen Insight reminds me of Aptera today. Great car, crazy efficient, nice design, but because it has only 2 seats, it makes me thinking Aptera sales will be slow. Just as Honda's was
I recall when dealers discounted the first-gen Insights - very unusual for a Honda product. Shoulda-woulda-coulda bought one at the time. It's a cult-car now with prices to reflect this status.
PRETTY PLEASE DO A VIDEO ON THE VOLKSWAGEN FOX
or the VW EuroVan
The one based on the brazilian VW Voyage? Or the small hatchback from the 2000s?
@@guidomirabel4011 brazilian one. the 00's hatchback one is atrocious
You should do the Pontiac Grand Prix next!
The 3rd gen should have been a hatchback or wagon to distinguish itself from the Civic and attract buyers who otherwise would have gotten a crossover for the cargo versatility.
At least it won't rust since the whole car is made out of aluminum
fender skirts really helped fuel economy of cadillac fleetwoods.
Could you do a video on the Lexus GS?
79 chevy impala sports coupe, feature a video on it. Only 3 years of that body style sharing parts with the caprice, and Pontiac Pressianne
I've never really liked the Honda insight until I saw it's last generation. I like how it looks like a Accord from the front and a civic in the rear. More passenger space, better fuel economy. I would happily drive this generation insight compared to the others.
What a great video. 👍👍
That's probably why Honda has yet to sell the 11th gen Civic Hybrid in the US.
I love the first gen and the CR-Z... at least, the ones with manual transmissions.
Great 👍 video 📹 👏 👌 👍 🙌
The insight makes the Prius look fast.
Please do a video on the 1980s Mitsubishi cars like the Cordia and Tredia(I haven’t seen one in years).
I second this.
I third this
The Cordia and Tredia do deserve their own video. Nobody even talks about those two Mitsubishi cars anymore. Same for the Precis.
It wasn't just the second generation and later Prius that could go short distances on electric only. I have a 2002 model Prius and it can do the same thing.
I would like to see you review the General Motors EV1.
ua-cam.com/video/bbEBs2-hzjE/v-deo.html
If I recall they all had issues with the batteries,
Just normal issues all hybrids have. Lifespan. But many aftermarket battery's
I've always wondered how calling the Insight the CR-X would have changed sales. And then they went and made the CR-Z which was basically a first gen Insight. 🙄 They really boned themselves.
Can you do a video on the Nissan sx cars?
talk about VINFAST and INEOS grenadier cars
When you bought one of these, they gave you a free pocket protector.
Nice.
I literally bought one 3 days ago haha
These were such odd cars.
The covered rear wheel was always so ugly. It has vague CRX vibes but was just ugly.
68 MPG and priced in 1999 at $19,495. . . .Yet the First Gen was a bomb in car sells. I'd say almost as bad as Toyota's ugly Echo. I remember the Echo when it was released as being "All New and All Ugly." At least the Insight wasn't that.
Ford Ranger
Mazda 626
Pontiac 6000
Pontiac Catalina
British Leyland
talk about Chinese cars manufacturers international expansion
Gen 1 Prius can drive on electric only
Pontiac
NUMMI
Chevrolet Nova
K Car
Oldsmobile
Good video (as usual), horrible car (for a Honda).
Insight better
We need only gas powered cars in this country, this is America.
It is gas powered
They were the ugliest cars!
So has something uglier come along since?they still exist so are they still ugly to you?
@morini500dave there are a ton of cars that are ugly to me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Yes, that model was one ugly car to me.
These cars are overrated.
Yes, the Insight did beat Toyota in bringing out the first hybrid, but now there’s none INSIGHT.
😄
The Prius was actually introduced in 1997, it didn't get to the US until 2000. So while the Insight came before the Prius, that only happened in North America. Globally the Prius predated the Insight by 2 years.
I wouldn’t say globally. It was Japan 🇯🇵 only until September 2000. Going on sale December 10th 1997 via the 4 Toyota dealership chains in Japan.
That's some great insight! 👍🏾😉
Yup we had it as a trivia question and I wrongly said Insight
And yet one is synonymous with tiny wee wees and the other is weird and cool. Who cares.
Hmm...so the Priis....had more numbers than the Insight?
I had a first gen 1986 Honda CRX Si. It was a bullet of a car. Plastic fenders to save weight and fuel injection it would get up and go quick.
Had a buddy who had a CRX that Could see and Often Did See, 80mpg.. He kept track of every time he filled up.
Wasn’t there even a special stripped one for high gas mileage? Or am I thinking of another car
@@agy234 yeah they had three trims, hf for high fuel economy, base, and si
I was unaware that the Insight was still being sold through 2021 - I thought it was discontinued in 2016 - probably because all Honda ever advertises are vehicles that already are well known. I wonder why I never saw an as for the third gen model.
I didn’t see an ad either, so I was shocked to see one on the road
I never thought of the Insight kind of sort of spirituality replacing the del Sol.
If Honda had though better, the Insight could have been the name of their hybrid line. Yet the first generation Insight was pretty cute and fuel efficient.
Waiting for robot cantina to comment
Same
It still boggles my mind that this is still one of the most efficient "self charging" hybrids
Because it is so light. Less than 1/2 the weight of a modern civic.
Modern safety standards force new cars to be so much heavier, and hauling around that ever increasing heft hampers any fuel economy gains modern engine technology brings (such as direct injection).
The only hybrid I'd ever actually want to drive. It was actually designed to be a hybrid, rather than just an EV smudged into a gas car.
So close to a CRX episode.
I feel like Honda missed an opportunity going from this to the CR-Z. If the CR-Z had a bigger gasoline engine to begin with and sportier intentions in mind, like the CR-X, that could have taken their mild-hybrid system much further. In the end, when it comes to fuel economy and ease of use I'm sold to Toyota's HSD - been driving Toyota hybrids to commute to work for 9 years now.
I never really understood what Honda's strategy was with the Insight. It seemed like more of a "me too" car to the prius...except with a bunch of compromises that basically made it unsaleable
The newer insights are so bbbooooorrrrriiiiinnnngggg.
I loved the Del Sol. Awesome name and great looking!
Nissan Xterra
The Insight From Honda. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
1985 Ford Thunderbird!!!!!!❤
❤ PLEASE ! ! PLEASE ! !
I knew someone who drove a Honda Insight. It drove really well in big cities, but lacked cargo/ passenger space.
I want a manual one really bad, i love these thungs. If inly i could find one
Ironically they also make awesome daily driver sportscars. Since they're so aerodynamic, super lightweight, 2 seated & use a non rusting aluminum body & frame. People beef up suspension, brakes & wheels and do a k20 or k24 engine & transmission swap. Being so light & aerodynamic a 225+ turbo k24 has plenty of torque & hp to make it quick while still getting something like 50mpgs.....With a 400+ turbo K swap it's crazy fast.
I remember when the 2nd generation Insight came out. Consumer Reports absolutely slammed it big time. I have never read such a negative review on a Japanese car in the magazine. I'm sure that contributed to the slow sales too.
I have a 2019 Insight. It looks like just about every other Honda in the lineup for the time. I dig it, but it’s an appliance.
I love the channel. Just wish these were longer.
I’m the first view
Their low weight sans batteries makes them a great K swap platform
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