Sacramento,
California -- The trouble with getting a hybrid motor vehicle is that steep
price you pay, and usually, the desired power output falls short of
expectations.
And then
there's the Honda Insight.
Rolled into
Honda's 2019 model year lineup, this compact sedan with a four-cylinder engine
and electric motor does not do major damage to your pocketbook, available for
as little as $22,830 and capable of a combined fuel mileage rating of 55 miles
per gallon. The 151-horsepower power
plant is no weakling either, as I found out.
My tester was
the 2019 Honda Insight Touring edition, more of a primo offering with a bottom
line of $28,985 and fuel mileage ratings of 51 miles per gallon in the city and
45 mpg on the highway.
Yes, it's
basically a hybrid Civic, except that the Insight is sculpted in such a way to
advertise a slim and sporty look.
Performance-minded motorists will have no trouble identifying this
Insight in a crowd of Civics.
Personally, I
was surprised at the pop the Insight delivered in "Sport" mode. A spirited run up into the Sierra Nevada
foothills was a genuine pleasure, with the Insight digging into uphill climbs
and zipping around stragglers with no sign of a wiggle. Driving it was not routine. It was fun.
Sincerely.
A super-strong
list of comfort and convenience features enhanced a comfortable, surprisingly
roomy interior. The car's night presence
was bumped up by thoughtfully designed LED headlights, taillights and fog
lights.
But wait,
there's more.
A stout list
of state-of-the-art safety perks helped the Insight earn a max five-star
overall safety rating from the federal government. The in-dash, real time view of the right side
of the vehicle when the right-turn signal is triggered is most helpful. The automaker calls it the Honda LaneWatch.
Need more? OK,
in late November the Insight was named the 2019 Green Car of the Year by Green
Car Journal.
Is this the
hybrid sedan at the optimum level of evolution?
It just might be, in my view.
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