Interior Impressions
The interior styling of the Insight is 21st century Honda all the way: a mix between the buttoned-down staid fashion of yesteryear's Hondas and the bridge of the Federation Starship Enterprise.
The centerpiece of the gauge cluster is a digital speedometer carved into the top if the dash with a futuristic glowing background that can only be described as the top half of a sphere - it looks a little like the planet Earth viewed from space. When you are driving in a way that would make everyone at your Earth Day tree-planting party smile, the sphere glows green. When you are late for work or trying to get around a city bus, the sphere glows blue, in an apparent reminder of what the Earth will look like once the polar ice caps melt and sea levels rise two or three feet. It's a good way to keep track of your ecological progress, though it might be a little over the top for some.
To the left of the speedometer is the big green ECON button (that stands for Effective Control). Press it and the gasoline engine shuts off more frequently at idle, the A/C maintains its recirculation mode longer and a new throttle calibration is engaged to limit power. My loaded up tester included an optional navigation system, which was very nice, but its existence made the stereo difficult to navigate. A simple tuning knob (like the one found in Insights without nav, we're told) would be appreciated. Having to push or hold down buttons to change stations gets old as quickly in this century as it did in the 1990s when buttons on radios were all the rage.
The furniture inside our tester felt good, certainly about what you'd expect in a Honda aimed at the budget-conscious set, though one tall passenger complained about a lack of headroom in the rear. The view out of the car's greenhouse was never a problem, though the first time you glance in the rear view mirror and see the clear panel built into the lower portion of the hatch (ala CRX) you might be unnerved. It's unconventional but you get used to it very quickly and, without it, visibility backing up would be nil as the car's rear window is angled as severly as a skylite.
Do We Have a Winner?
Honda has broken into the mainstream hybrid market with a car that has definitely put the Prius on notice - this isn't a one-car race any longer. We'd love to test the two side by side for a week to see which would use less fuel on the same daily drive. Here, the Prius might show the Insight its tail. But so far, strictly in terms of price and road manners, Honda appears to be headed for the Hybrid 500 winner's circle.