SURVEYS have revealed that 40% of people who would not chose to buy a hybrid vehicle are put off by high prices – Honda think they have the answer with the Insight.
Hybrids have long been regarded as an expensive alternative to petrol and diesel so the Insight is priced to break that myth, making hybrid technology available to more people from as low as £15,490 – the best price on the market.
And now Honda can also boast the Insight as the safest Hybrid on the road.The Insight has been rated one of the UK's safest cars, setting the benchmark for hybrid cars, according to the new independent crash testing results from Euro NCAP.
Euro NCAP’s new rating scheme focuses considers passenger protection during impact to the front, side and rear of the car, and pole, child protection and pedestrian protection. The availability of driver safety aids is also considered.
The Insight’s combination of a 1.3-litre petrol engine and battery-powered electric motor is fine in town or city but overtaking or accelerating on the open road is a painfully slow and slightly disconcerting experience, though you do get 60mpg.
And it’s even worse if you follow the Insight’s economic driving guidelines and engage the Econ switch, which cuts torque and adjusts the throttle settings.
Against that you have to consider that this is a well equipped, practical and thoroughly clean living car with good CO2 emissions of just over 100g/km meaning company car tax bills are low and it’s free to drive into congestion charge zones. Road tax is just £15 per year.
In the cabin engine and gearbox noises are good when driving slowly but once you accelerate there is a real issue with a roaring engine and the automatic gearbox jerks along, leaving the driver a little concerned about overtaking manoeuvres.
I also didn’t like the fact that there seems to be a moment’s hesitation before then engine restarts when you pull up at lights or roundabouts – leaving you thinking the guy behind is about to hit his horn at any moment.
The cabin, engine and gearbox are all quiet when driving slowly to maximise economy and minimise emissions. Wind noise isn’t a problem, even at motorway speeds, but the engine and transmission kick up a real racket if you accelerate hard.
The gearbox is jerky at low speeds, too, and there's an annoying hesitation before the engine restarts after stopping when the car is stationary.
The battery is designed to last for the lifetime of the vehicle and Honda and together with Honda’s excellent overall record for reliability you should find lifetime running costs very good..
Every model in the range is fitted with front, side and curtain airbags, plus traction and stability control. Remote central locking is also standard in all trim levels, along with an alarm, locking wheel nuts and an integrated stereo.
The ES 1.3-T CVT on test has climate control, alloy wheels, electric windows and door mirrors, steering wheel-mounted controls, cruise control, automatic headlights and wipers, heated front seats, steering-wheel gearshift paddles, a plug for your MP3 player, sat-nav and Bluetooth as standard.
The models sells at £18,390 – only the Golf 1.4SE is cheaper in the range.
The futuristic dashboard is eye catching and functional but the steering wheel is obtrusive but the Insight’s biggest failing is rear vision.
As with Civic Honda have gone for the two-part rear screen idea and frankly it doesn’t work. I would rate the Insight’s rear vision has the poorest I have come across and it is a good job Honda have gone for large door mirrors, though if like me reversing with mirrors is not a strong point you will not be impressed.
The Insight has plenty of legroom but rear headroom is not the best. This is compensated by loads of boot space and the vehicle comfortably passed the golf club test.
The Insight’s low emissions mean it qualifies for the lowest BIK tax bracket of 10 per cent and 100 per cent write down allowance. Combined with its lower price point, these bonuses mean it should appear on more company car fleet lists.
For the companies themselves, not only will the balance sheets benefit from all the savings that retail customers enjoy but by taking a fleet of Insights on board, they can also make a strong environmental statement about their business.