The release of the Insight has ruffled a few feathers due to its price tag.Costing over ,000; the new Prius is a couple of grand more than the new kid on the block; the Insight. The cheap base price give the Insight the title of most affordable hybrid in the U.S.
The Eco Assist feature will improve fuel economy be making sure that the driver does not accelerate too much and therefore waste gas.The ECON setting can be switched off so that the insight will produce more HP, or when left on the car will help you drive more efficiently. At the heart of this hybrid is the latest integrated motor assist system, also known as the IMA® system. Th IMA system is cheaper to manufacture, lighter than the original, and adds to the overall interior space. The Insight makes good use of Honda’s Intelligent V-TEC engine technology.The Insight has some great accessories that can be added onto the base model such as: a Blue Tooth six-speaker sound system, rims, vehicle control assist, F-1 inspired paddle shifters, and a navigation system. The Toyota has been the reigning king of the hybrid market for years now, but with the low price of the Insight, Honda is aiming to take away that title.
On the other side of the coin, the Toyota Prius has a 160 horsepower 1.8L motor has a couple of different driving settings. These 3 moeds include the power mode which of course adds more power, the EV mode which allows the Prius to run on electricity alone, and the ECO mode which nets the best fuel economy.An accessory on the Prius that is aimed at driver safety is called the precollision system. This system comes equipped with a radar that constantly measures the distance of the car ahead and presumably adjusts brake pressure when probability of frontal collision is high. The Prius also includes a new touch sensor system on the steering wheel to ensure safe driving.
Even though the Insight has won the batlle of the price tags, the Prius still has a better MPG rating.Recent fuel economy test give the Honda Insight a rating of 41 MPG; while the Toyota Prius ranks at an impressive 46 MPG.If you drive over 20,000 miles in a year (with gas costing .50 a gallon), the Toyota would only cost just over 00 every year and the Honda would come in 0 more. When you drive a Prius, the amount of gas saved compared to an Insight is about 53 gallons, so to cover the lower price you would have to drive for 27 years.Ok the Prius gets way better fuel economy, yet the Insight makes up the difference with its low starting price!