Toyota Prius/Honda Insight -Who has one, and how you like it !

[compguy786]

So guys,

My dad is thinking about buying one real soon. I test drove both the Civic Hybrid, Insight and the Prius. So far, i dont like the insight and civic, too slow, and small. I love the prius however.

How good are they on the full tank ? I heard of thing such as almost 700 miles to the gallon (EDIT - Meant tank). Realistically, how are these cars ? and who has any of the three ?

Thanks !

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Jetta TDI +1

 

[SearchMaster]

700 MPG? No...

The Prius is superior to the (new gen) Insight, the only reason to buy the Insight IMHO is extreme brand bias or to save a couple grand up front.

 

[PottedMeat]

my dad has a 09 prius ( ultra base model, cheapass ). no problems with it so far when I drive it from time to time.

he was looking hard at an insight for months, basically ignoring the prius. he took an insight for a test drive with my mom for a test drive and she complained it felt cheap & was small inside.

 

[PricklyPete]

If Skoorb comes out of retirement...I'm sure he'll have a host of things to say. The cars appear to be very reliable and people I know who have them seem to hit 50mpg without any effort (read: not hypermiling). Solid choice for an appliance vehicle.

 

[Imp]

I've driven the Prius a few times, it felt cheap as shit inside, top heavy, and the console/dash is from the '80s. Didn't have much power under the hood, even when floored either.

Nonetheless, I absolutely loved it because of the small size, great rear visibility (I park backing in, so ya!), and gas saving goodness. Another plus is that the A-pillar for the swept-back windshield is nowhere near as bad as the Civic (think the Insight is roughly the same).

I'll probably get my own car in the next few years, and I've been leaning more towards the Insight just because it's a Honda (driving a Civic now). The dash/speedo is nice, but the A-pillar has hidden many-a-pedestrians.

 

[lupi]

Unless I took one of those dirt cheap leases on the prius I wouldn't get one, just too small inside. As far as mileage goes. On a heavier model hybrid it gets easier as you drive it to stay at the upper end of the estimate mpg getting you closer to the 700mptank.

 

[LTC8K6]

What about a Fusion?

 

[Imp]

What about a Fusion?

Very good choice if you don't live in a downtown area with streets that obviously weren't designed for cars, and lots of bikes.

 

[TraumaRN]

What about a Fusion?

This....but I might be a little biased.

Anyways it's not hard to get 600-700 miles on a tank of gas without hypermiling a Fusion Hybrid.

You'll also get an arguably better interior, easily fit 4 adults, decent amount of power, and much bigger car.

Downside? Smaller trunk and lower fuel economy(compared to a Pruis, but almost identical to the Insight). But truly the difference between 40mpg and 50mpg isn't much in terms of actual fuel consumed. Rather think of it as gallons per 100 miles, in which case a Pruis get 2 gallons per 100miles, the Fusion gets 2.5gallons per 100miles. Using averages of course, most people that half gallon isn't going to mean much in the long run.

 

[Zenmervolt]

I've driven the Prius a lot as a rental and, while I don't care for them personally (numb steering, poor handling, etc), they are practical and reliable vehicles. The newest models of Prius have a much nicer interior than the older models as well.

If you want an appliance-type car, the Prius is exceptional. It's a point-A to point-B car for people who don't care about sportiness or driving feel and in that capacity it excels. If you are looking for something sporty, the Fusion will offer a much better driving experience, but it's difficult to dispute the pure boring practicality afforded by the Prius' body style.

ZV

 

[Uhtrinity]

My parents have a 2008 Prius and get 45 mpg in the winter and 55mpg in the summer. These are tank averages, not highway miles. Personally I like it and don't consider it to be a 'small' vehicle.

 

[coxmaster]

Jetta TDI +1

I agree. Why not consider a TDI? In a lot of cases the mileage is better. Plus the feel of the car is waay better! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[compguy786]

Hmm....

I was amazed from the prius, the insight is trash, and doesnt feel solid at all to me. I like the new prius because it actually has SOME power vs the last one...and the insights CVT is VERY loud as well. Dont want fusion because we are a toyo/hond/niss family...and jetta ? meh prob not either.

 

[PricklyPete]

Hmm....

I was amazed from the prius, the insight is trash, and doesnt feel solid at all to me. I like the new prius because it actually has SOME power vs the last one...and the insights CVT is VERY loud as well. Dont want fusion because we are a toyo/hond/niss family...and jetta ? meh prob not either.

So you test drove both today?

 

[desy]

Fine to be a toyonda family, however Hybrids make the most sense for city driving and the least amount for HW driving, so analyze the type of driving you will be doing.

The Prius is far nicer than an Insight. Not based on real world exp, just on every review I've ever read comparing the two.

 

[angry hampster]

Dont want fusion because we are a toyo/hond/niss family...and jetta ? meh prob not either.

This is the dumbest thing. The Ford's batteries are made by a Japanese company (Sanyo) if it makes you feel any better. It's a much, much better vehicle than the Honda or Toyota. ...This is coming from someone who daily drives a Japanese car.

 

[Arkaign]

This is the dumbest thing. The Ford's batteries are made by a Japanese company (Sanyo) if it makes you feel any better. It's a much, much better vehicle than the Honda or Toyota. ...This is coming from someone who daily drives a Japanese car.

Ditto. I've driven all but the insight, and the Fusion hybrid is a whole other league, the closest competitor would be the Camry/Accord, but the '10+ Fusion is just plain superior in every way. The premium interior/navi/seats/dash/NVH feel more at home in a luxury car.

 

[TraumaRN]

Ditto. I've driven all but the insight, and the Fusion hybrid is a whole other league, the closest competitor would be the Camry/Accord, but the '10+ Fusion is just plain superior in every way. The premium interior/navi/seats/dash/NVH feel more at home in a luxury car.

Totally agree. You would do yourself a disservice by not test driving one. So go find a Ford dealer with one and arrange a test drive at the very least. I've had mine for 1.5 years and 27000 miles later it still looks, feels, and drives like it's new.

 

[Kaido]

Jetta TDI +1

+2

I've heard of plenty of people getting 40-50mpg with a 500-600 mile range per tank with Jetti TDI's, even the old ones! I took both a TDI and a Prius out for a test drive, and the TDI won, no contest. It has torque, it has power, it's fun to drive, it's a great car! The Prius is pretty nice, but it had a hesitation on a takeoff from standstill (switching from battery to engine) that kinda drove me nuts. Also you couldn't pass worth beans on the highway, which meant if a semi-truck was merging into you, you were pretty much screwed.

 

[zerocool84]

Why a Prius? Only reason to get one is if you're an Eco nut. You never get one to save money as 99% of people will never make-up the cost difference. Pick up a less expensive car that can do 35mpg or 40mpg and you'll be saving tons of money. Hybrids still aren't cost effective at all yet.

 

[Arkaign]

TDIs are indeed great cars, and arguably the best thing to come out of VW in the past 20 years, but it must be said that it's demonstrably provable that they cannot approach Prius fuel economy with same driving habits (has been in every comparo I've seen, sometimes by quite a lot) mixed urban/highway real-world courses. The difference is less severe with mostly highway miles though, but city driving the Prius takes a commanding lead. VW are much nicer to drive/sit in though.

 

[thomsbrain]

The Prius/Insight comparison is basically the same as all Toyota/Honda comparisons. If you don't like to drive, buy the Prius. You'll love it. If you do like to drive, buy the Insight. You'll love it.

 

[mmntech]

The Fusion is nice. I can't complain about any of the recent Fords. Hybrid is the one type of car I haven't driven so I can't really comment on them. From what I read, they seem best suited for city driving. For highway driving, I'd get the Jetta TDI. The latter of which gets 42 highway, which is slightly worse than the Prius, but has twice the torque. Diesel also has the advantage of being cheaper than gasoline.

 

[speedy2]

Unless your current car gets about 2mpg is there really a reason to get a hybrid ONLY for fuel savings? I'm ok spending a 3rd of the cost and probably a 3rd of the maintenance costs for something used that gets 20-28mpg.