My New Car*: Honda Insight

My 2002 Honda Accord recently went over 100,000 miles and while it’s still going strong it is certainly time to start thinking about the inevitable time when the fourth Kevdo-Mobile is put out to pasture and I end up with a new car. I’ve been thinking about it and I think I’ve settled on a primary candidate.

I’ve been a big fan of gas mileage for a long time. The first new car I ever bought was a 1993 Honda Civic VX. This car got 45 mpg city and 54 highway.  No, that’s not a misprint (or is it mis-type?). Yes, Honda made a car that got over 45 miles per hour. In 1993!  That car was great, even though (as they say) my mileage did vary. But I did consistently get over 45 mpg combined.

High mileage hasn’t been the priority with our last few vehicle purchases, though for example the Accord is way better than average for it’s size. Nonetheless, I really want to focus on mileage and carbon footprint and all that. 

The Prius is an interesting car but I’ve driven in a couple and I’ve got to say it’s a weird experience. I’m sure some of that would be something you could get used to but I guess I want my hybrid technology in a car that, well, feels like a car. Enter the Honda Insight 2010!

 

 

If the Prius and the old Honda CRX had a baby this is what it would look like. The gunmetal gray is the color that I’m most fond of. It’s a hybrid like the Prius but all the car magazines say it drives like a real car. 40+ mpg is better than nearly every one of today’s cars (though, still lags the almost 20 year-old Civic VX…). Plus, it’s quite a bit cheaper than the Prius and most importantly it’s a Honda.

I sat in one the other day and it feels good. When the time comes to actually buy a new car in a couple year I’ll obviously need to test drive this thing, but so far so good. I feel good about waiting a year or two anyway, since I always try to avoid buying cars in their first model year (let someone else work out the manufacturing kinks!). 

I’m really excited to see more electric and hybrid cars entering the market. Who knows what the market will look like down the line, but if my car was totaled today and I had to buy a new car… it’d be the Honda Insight.

 

 

* circa 2012