Narratives

2001 Honda Insight

First Year

Old 194 has been in my garage for a year as I write this. It's time to think about the 15,000 miles of asphalt that have flowed under the floor-pan during that period. Did I get what I expected? Did the car achieve its design goals? Is the car more than a "science experiment?" Absolutely.

Just to put things in perspective, professionally, I'm a philosopher and a technologist. Economically, I'm a bit of a tightwad. Politically, I have a sense of social responsibility. If I sound like an ideal Insight customer, I probably am, although my road to the Insight began as I considered a Prius. In mid-1999 it looked more practical to me.

Several factors eventually drove me toward the Insight. First, pressure from American dealer interests caused Toyota to put the car on steroids for this market. And, to be fair, Toyota learned in the 70s that what worked in Japan did not always work in the US. I guess they did not want that to happen again. I don't think the same factors were at work here, however. For me, the end result was simply less fuel efficiency and more weight. Second, as I looked at things, the mechanical complexity of the Prius seemed staggering. Third, the car was simply not available for purchase in 1999. So, I went with the Honda. Mind you, I'm still highly supportive of the Prius. It is the most socially responsible and fuel efficient choice for many car buyers.

In the Insight I saw a car absolutely focused on sound engineering fundamentals. If, as some allege, Honda rushed the Insight into production to beat the US introduction of the Prius, they did it with a genius that should send shivers through the spine of the rest of the automotive industry. Here is a list of the insights I had about the car in late 1999: Weight reduction Aerodynamics Friction reduction Regenerative braking Mechanical simplicity

While I was able to see the importance of these design points, I did not appreciate for six months how well integrated they were in this car. I've learned the Insight is a harmonious design. It is not a rearrangement of standard pieces from Honda's parts bins. It is not stamped out on a Civic line. If you are going to build the world's most efficient gasoline powered car, you start by reducing dead weight. That requires aluminum. So we have aluminum. You reduce drag through excellent aerodynamics, and we get that, too. Friction losses are minimized by careful attention to design detail from the centerline of the crankshaft to the rock-hard tires we love, hate. Energy is saved by auto-idle-off and through regenerative braking. And, last but not least, cost control and reliability are integrated into the end result through conceptual simplicity. The IMA system is the most elegant example of engineering simplicity I've ever seen in a modern automobile.

Did I get what I expected? Absolutely, and more. I bought the car for commuting. For this purpose, there is no better choice. For the commuting application, 2 seats and limited storage capacity are an advantage. Why carry around seats and structure I don't need? Does the car meet its design goals? Absolutely. While magazine columnists struggle to get 40 mpg with their Insight test cars, my lifetime average is 66.0 in daily mixed driving. In a serious attempt to see what I could really do, I drove 289 miles at 85.5 mpg. Is the car more than a science experiment? Absolutely. In fact, this charge could only be made by someone who (shall remain nameless) lacks the vision that Honda so clearly exhibits in the Insight. The Insight is the practical, no-compromise, ultimately energy-efficient, environmentally friendly machine that it is precisely because Honda departed from the constraints of contemporary automotive design and production practices. The Insight is the future and it's here now. It's a blast to drive and it is changing the way we think about automobiles and the way we drive them.

Third Year

The car has 44,767 miles on it today. It is 3 years old. I can remember when the passing of the third year meant it was time to start looking for another vehicle. If that were the case, I'd have a real problem. My lifetime average mileage is 66 miles to the U.S. gallon. I've come to expect my daily commutes to yield at least 70 mpg (I drag my overall mileage down on short trips at an absolutely awful 60 or so mpg). I don't see an alternative vehicle anywhere. No sense buying a new Insight, because mine is like any other Honda. It's hardly broken in yet.

It's fortunate that the car is holding up. I've been reading lots about hydrogen fuel cell automobiles lately, and Washington seems to be pushing that technology for real applications one of these years. It makes good press. I read in Car & Driver that GM's neat little fuel cell buggy cost about $5,000,000 (they only have one). And, I don't guess it won't take tooooo long to build a national hydrogen distribution infrastructure and solve those bothersome little problems with hydrogen and pipeline metallurgy. But, on top of this depressing reality, if I ever had any hope based on hydrogen policy that our leaders are really concerned about reducing our dependence upon foreign oil, it was quickly dispelled by the nifty tax breaks they're offering folks who buy a Hummer. I'm not holding out much hope for anything better than what I've got. I'm glad I made my own moral choice when I did and that I didn't wait for the Feds to show the way. Thank goodness Honda didn't either.

You can check the issues page to see what sorts of problems I've experienced over the 3 years. I'd say it has been pretty much what you'd expect with any car. I have had to learn how to do my own oil changes. That's simply because the mechanics can't seem to deal with fractional refill quantities and there is a good possibility I'll end up with good old 10W-30 instead of the 0W-20 Honda specifies. The car is special enough that you'll probably want to keep it out of quick change shops in any case. You'll note on the oil change page that I change my oil every 7,500 miles as the book specifies. I think that's frequently enough based upon stuff I've read from objective sources (not oil merchants). I change the small filter every other time, again, as specified. These practices meet the car's needs and reduce environmental damage from waste fluids and used parts. I keep my original low rolling resistance tires at or slightly above the recommended settings.

If you are thinking about an Insight, you need to know that it won't perform as well as mine has unless you take advantage of the capabilities the car gives you. It's really fairly simple. Accelerate and decelerate gently, maintain steady speeds, and keep your cruising speed down. If you're fairly religious about this, you'll do as well as I do. If not, you'll end up at 50mpg or so. Honda gives you the tools; you need to use them properly. I've found that observing these practices to optimize fuel economy has also made me a safer and more tolerant driver. As I told a younger family member once, never let someone else drive your car when you're behind the wheel. It's something I now tell myself frequently.

Anyway, while I'm waiting for the price on GM's fuel cell car to drop below my neighborhood's life savings, I'll continue to drive the Insight. I'll produce the lowest emissions and use the least fuel of any production car, and I'll try to find a Hummer every now and then to draft. That'll save me another 10 mpg or so.

Fourth Year

The Insight is four years old now. Sure does not seem like it. 60,000 miles is not far off. I'm happy to report that the car is running just fine. It is still riding on the original tires.

There have been no operational issues this year. I do have two recall notices filed away. One deals with a sticking parking brake handle, and one with a vaguely described MCU emissions control code related matter. I have not taken the car in for either notice for two reasons, 1) I'm experiencing no parking brake handle problems, and 2) I don't want anyone meddling with my MCU without an understandable explanation (don't want the efficiency reduced). I'll wait to hear how others are impacted.

After the Detroit auto show this year there were some articles on the hybrids shown. The new Prius looked much better and finally has really competent technical specifications. As usual, the writers indicated that drivers could not expect to achieve the numbers advertised if they drove the cars normally. They missed the point entirely. You're not supposed to drive an Insight normally. My car shows that you can achieve advertised numbers IF you drive the car as its designers intended. If you drive an Insight normally like I'd probably drive a 1965 tri-power GTO normally, you won't get very good results. If you drive gently, maintain steady and reasonable speeds, don't live in extremely hilly or cold environments, and use the tools the car gives you, you'll do what Honda says you can do. Maybe writers can't read. I don't know.

My four year lifetime mileage is 66 mpg in mixed use. I've increased my commute speed by 5 mph this year (from 60 to 65). I can see the difference in mileage, so I expect to see the lifetime number level off at 66. That will have to be good enough. It's a shame, but a posted limit of 65 in Columbus, Ohio appears to mean something less than warp 9, so I need to make sure I'm not either rear-ended by an SUV rolling (one way or another) down Route 315 or blown off the road by a 700 series BMW's bow shock on the way to work. At 65 I can still dodge flying parts in front of me and have a second more to avoid ramming from the rear while the approaching driver concentrates on an important cell phone call. In the afternoon it seems that the traffic level is enough to hold average speeds under 75, so things are not quite so bad. There may be a little sarcastic humor in these comments. But not much.

I'm sure glad Honda didn't decide to improve fleet CAFE numbers by reclassifying groups of cars as trucks as some firms have done. Volumes are spoken about corporate ethics and authentic vision in the contrast between Honda (and Toyota) and these firms. Every year I drive my Insight, I become a more appreciative of the high degrees of quality, engineering excellence, and vision the Insight embodies. It's insightful.

Fifth Year

I am way overdue for a year five retrospective. Perhaps it is just as well, because a lot has happened in the last few months to increase the general population's sensitivity to fossil fuel consumption. U.S gas prices heading north of $3.00 per gallon is probably the biggest thing, of course. But, for all but the flat-earthers, global warming has also become a real concern. My wife noticed recently that our nursery was now stocking plants marked for zones well south of our home in Columbus, Ohio. My thought was that growers seem to be confidently ahead of the zone definitions. The nursery is not going to guarantee plants they know will die. Not a lot of money in that.

At a bit over 70,000 miles, the Insight is running just fine. Lifetime mileage is 65.8, down from the 66.0 I had not long ago. The reasons are that I'm using the car more in city traffic and I've stayed with a commute speed of 65 mph on the expressway portions of my daily drive. That made the difference. I'm not going to worry about it because the situation has changed. Driving the car is less of a game now. I've got to use it more effectively. I can't be taking my wife's new Passat station wagon out on trips to the grocery store as much. It only gets 32 mpg in city driving. The plan is to use the best car for the job. I expect that will drive my lifetime mileage down to about 65.

While this log is really about the Insight, I do want to toss in a few lines about my wife's new Passat. It gets 32 mpg in her city driving pattern. She uses the trip computer and practices reasonable care about fuel economy in her daily driving. The Passat is an automatic and it runs with air conditioning on. I rarely use a/c in the Insight. We had several occasions for trips with visiting family in August, obviously, with air on. Those trips turned in fuel consumption numbers comfortably over 40 mpg with four adults aboard. The Passat is, of course, a modern Diesel. If we had purchased a 6 speed manual, we'd probably be getting 4 or 5 more miles to the gallon. Not bad for a big, comfortable, high-utility vehicle. Sure be nice if it was a hybrid.

As I write this retrospective, USA Today has an article on the web in which Ford is touting its 31 mpg Fusion (1). Some of the improvement, they say, is due to a higher rear end on the car. That is a key piece of the 5 year-old Insight's aerodynamic package. Take a look at any Insight from the side and you'll see what I mean. You'll also see a rake that improves air flow under the car. You won't see the smooth, low drag belly of the car unless you peek underneath. According to the same article, “Chrysler is exploring ways to make its vehicles more fuel efficient without spending money on development .” And, at GM, “By embedding the antenna in window glass instead, the full-size [Chevrolet Tahoe] SUV will save a tiny-but-every-bit-counts 0.001 miles per gallon of gas.” It just about leaves me speechless.

Anyway, the Insight continues to deliver on its promise, meeting or exceeding the federal mileage estimates that the magazine writers say it can't achieve. Given the big three responses, I don't expect to see anything better for many, many years.

(1) http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2005-09-15-fuel-efficiency-cover_x.htm

Sixth Year

Good grief, it's year six. Sure does not seem like it. Six years ago, I was worried about the sharp upward trend in gas prices, carbon dioxide emissions, and the national security implications of importing oil from unstable and violent Middle East countries. That's still the same. The big three were totally oblivious to these issues, and until the last few months that's been the same. What's left of the Detroit companies (GM and Ford) are trying to slash, cut, and spin themselves to prosperity. So, nothing has really changed there either. What I changed six years ago was, of course, an unsustainable habit. Detroit just fed theirs.

I know this is an Insight retrospective, but the issues around the Insight are important, too. I should point out that the Passat TDI we got last year is doing better. We now regularly see 35 mpg in town. Still 42 on the highway.

I replaced the Insight's front brakes last year. They needed it. You can check the maintenance log for the whole story. It also seems like the last engine computer replacement (it was a recall, everything seemed fine when I took it in) has affected cold weather driving for the worse. It's just a feeling, but strong enough that I'm going to modify the engine air intake ductwork to assure that it gets warmer air in the winter. This will only be effective (I think) if I move the outside air temperature sensor into the engine air intake duct. I'll see how that works next winter. By the way, if there are any Honda guys reading this, I would appreciate an e-mail comment on engine air intake preheating while you are chuckling about the first paragraph. From what I've read, both the Prius and the Insight absolutely need preheated air in the winter if they are going to perform as they should year-round.

I'm starting to think ahead. I plan to run the Insight for at least two more years, and perhaps four. Thank goodness for the wonderful aluminum bodywork. I want to replace it with a pure electric or a plug-in hybrid (are you reading, Honda, plug-in hybrid). One possible course of action will be to convert the Insight to pure electric. I only need a 50 mile range. There is at least one Insight conversion project under way. But that's a while off for me yet.

Until next year, I'll watch the tragi-comedy in Detroit. We'll see what has changed then. Let's hope something for the better.

Seventh Year

Tomorrow is Earth Day. I'm taking the Insight down to Goodale Park for the festivities. There is a hybrid car drive-in. That should be fun. I prepared a poster board with some interesting facts – including 65.3 miles per gallon for 87,000 miles.

This winter was a tough one. It cost .2 mpg on my lifetime numbers, although I should be back to 65.5 by fall. I'm convinced that the Insight really needs temperature controlled air to the engine. You just cannot let sub-forty degree air into the machine and expect the best performance. I think I'll make a serious effort at a neat and efficient solution this summer. I'll be ready when it gets cold.

I had the NMH batteries replaced this year. They failed at about 80,000 miles. There is more on this topic in the maintenance history. Honda replaced them at no charge. While it's not official, I think Honda is extending the warranty on these parts to about 150,000 miles.

I'm sorry to see that GM, Ford, and Chrysler still “do not get it”. Domestic car companies continue to slip. I was thinking about this earlier today as I drove home in the Insight. If I was to buy a new car, why would I even waste the time to go into one of these showrooms. It's sad. Chrysler once had a real killer car and failed to execute. You may remember the Pronto. It was a brilliant concept, and the time is right for it now if they have any memory.

Speaking of a new car, I have a reservation placed for a 2008 Smartcar. I'm not sure I'll exercise my option, though. The Insight is still running fine. Although no longer produced, it's still the world's most efficient automobile, and arguably the cleanest (http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2006/112_news060301_honda_green_awards/). That really makes it hard to change – even though I've always wanted a Smart. I've heard the U.S. Smart will be seven inches longer that the European version. I hope not, but that would make my decision easier. Hey, Smart, don't be stupid.

Eighth Year

The Insight has a new driver. Actually, I had two younger family members wanting the car. Both agreed that we should keep the car in the family. It went to the member who asked first, and with the proviso that I get first refusal if they no longer want it. That way I can give the other interested party a go with the car. I was really sorry to see the Insight go, but I only have a two stall garage. I tried to figure out a way to get the Insight and my new smart fortwo in, but came up short eight inches.

The Insight is probably the cleanest, most efficient gasoline powered automobile ever made as I write this. It may hold that honor for many years. Only GM's Volt seems likely to best it -- if the Volt ever reaches the market (be sure not to lease one -- remember the EV1). The Insight simply made very few compromises. It was more like an airplane than a car in many ways. I suspect that is why it ultimately did not do well in the marketplace. Being a two-seater did not help, and that won't help my new smart's chances for long-term success either.

So this Insight now begins a new life. It will be driven more normally. The air conditioner will be used. The engine will see a few more revs between gears. But it will still do what it was designed to do, and I know it's headed for Earth Day festivities next week with its new driver.