From Somebody Who Knows Nothing About Hybrids
After months of waiting, the all-new Honda Insight finally arrived for me to test drive, and though it's not the fastest, best-handling road machine out there, it still afforded me a nice trip down the coast-at a price that no one can complain about. With the Insight at my disposal, I hit the open road and headed down to nearby San Diego to see just how well the nation's "most affordable hybrid" performed on such a journey.
After loading up on coffee, snacks, and gas (four bucks, to be exact) I was off-just me, the freeway, and the endless gadgetry that makes up the Insight at my fingertips. It has it all-navigation, multi-screen gauges and information displays, a digital speedometer, and iPod hookups. The car itself is just about the quietest vehicle I've ever been in; I could barely even hear it start, and once I was on the road, it felt like there was no one else around me. The engine is something to pay attention to though, what with its alternating gas/electric combination that switches to the latter and shuts down the gasoline side every time the car comes to a complete stop and then draws gasoline and electric power to accelerate. This can all be summed up into two words: fuel efficiency. Of course, I've got to wonder how hard all of this is on that starter, but we'll let Honda worry about that.
Though not the quickest one off the line (I hope no one would buy this car expecting it to be), if you can get past the Insight's sluggish acceleration, the little hybrid moves...sort of. I found myself zipping through traffic on Intersate 5, forgetting I was driving a car with hardly enough power to tow a peanut.
And after 101 miles and an easy hour and 42 minutes (as calculated by the Insight) I found myself at my destination, still with more than half a tank of gas to get me back home. My short vacation with the Insight showed me a new side to the hybrid car-one that can be quick and sleek but efficient at the same time, and all without making you feel like some eco-nerd.
-Andy Anderson
A Brief Word From Ht's Editorial LackeyEgos.
What are we to do with them?
Almost everyone thinks his or her car is ready for the magazine, and nearly just as many feel theirs is cover material. But the truth is, yours just might not be. I know, some of you are going to flame me for speaking my version of the truth, and if you do, that's fine. It's my soapbox-go get your own. But here at HT, things like covers and pages are at a premium; we do only have nine issues per year after all. We work hard to bring something new to the cover each month. Look back over the last year's worth of issues and you'll see few covers that feature the same chassis. Don't sweat it-variety is good for you. Of course, all of this is nothing new for our editors, but apparently even I'm no longer exempt from such ego-driven requests. It seems as though everywhere I go I get the ol' "Hey, my Civic really should make cover." Even my own buddy, whose Civic hatchback we recently featured in the magazine, hit me up about this. Yes, my friend has a dope-ass Civic-it's boosted, makes tons of power, and rocks old-school TE37s, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee him the big spot up front.
Honestly, I wish there were more cover spots to go around. But there aren't. To be fair though, it's an honor to be recognized in the world's only all-Honda magazine, and gracing these pages is reward enough. Yeah, there are other import-related titles out there, and you might be able to squeeze your way into one of those for a whopping two- or three-page feature, but the truth is, despite their circulation rates, you'll never have as many Honda enthusiasts' eyes on your car by going anywhere other than HT. It's really very simple: Honda Tuning is the Honda magazine run by Honda enthusiasts for Honda enthusiasts.