2010 Toyota Prius vs. 2010 Honda Insight: The Commute

Last week, we ran our latest Mileage Challenge featuring four ultra-fuel-efficient cars, and before that we rounded up six fuel-sippers to see which one was the best daily driver. But none of these reports put a brutal, real-life morning and evening commute to the test.

That’s exactly what I did in the new 2010 Honda Insight and 2010 Toyota Prius, the two most affordable hybrids on the road. We hear a lot of car shoppers say they buy hybrids to help save on their gas costs and cut down on emissions during their commute. But how did the two do in terms of fuel efficiency, comfort and entertainment for my often 90-minute morning commute and 45-minute afternoon commute? Let’s find out.

Mileage Challenge 5.5: Final Thoughts

Beyond the numbers that we so diligently broke down yesterday, driving four different cars for six hours can be telling in many more ways than just fuel economy. Our editors share their thoughts on the cars and pick which car they’d log another six-hour trip in.

Mileage Challenge 5.4: The Results

Our latest mileage challenge had editors logging more than 300 miles each in three hybrids and a diesel: the 2010 Honda Insight, 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, 2010 Toyota Prius and 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. We tallied up all the numbers and corrected for a brief photography stint between Legs 2 and 3. (Angling cars around for the camera — complete with rapid stops, starts and idling — has a way of dinging your mileage, and it’s not representative of real-world driving.)

The results were striking.

Mileage Challenge 5.3: Dizzying Displays

Most people think all of the advanced technology in today’s hybrid cars is under the hood. While automakers continue to enhance new engines, batteries and drivetrains, they’re also working on ways to wrangle the one factor they can’t control — the driver.

To gain maximum efficiency in a hybrid, a driver must be taught to drive properly so fill-ups are few and far between. In the crop of cars we tested on our mileage drive, there were a dazzling array of displays to teach people to drive as green as possible.

Mileage Challenge 5.1: Hybrid vs. Diesel

Despite gas prices averaging below $2.50 a gallon nationwide, hybrids and alternative-fuel vehicles are as popular as ever. The redesigned Toyota Prius is one of the country’s best-sellers, and Volkswagen’s TDI diesel was in short supply after it debuted at dealers earlier this year. With interest in these types of vehicles still high, we held another mileage challenge with the most popular of these cars and included both hybrids and VW’s most efficient diesel.

Honda Insight, Kia Soul, Toyota Prius Earn Top Safety Award

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its latest crash-test ratings, and the 2010 Honda Insight, Kia Soul and Toyota Prius all earned the group’s Top Safety Pick award. The title goes to any model that scores the top rating of Good in front, side and rear crash tests. The cars also must be equipped with electronic stability control. All three of these cars come with that safety feature standard, although the Insight features it standard only in the top EX trim level.

IIHS considers all three small cars, though the Prius’ interior volume rates it as a midsize in EPA designations. The three join seven other small cars that have earned the Top Safety Pick award, but of those only the Scion xB, Subaru Impreza and VW Rabbit feature stability control standard. The Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Mitsubishi Lancer and Toyota Corolla offer it as an option.

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2010 Honda Insight On Sale Now

If you’ve been waiting to buy a new car until the 2010 Honda Insight hybrid went on sale, well, today’s the day: Honda is officially saying the car is available for purchase. In a check of Cars.com’s national inventory, we found 478 Insights for sale, ranging in price from $19,800 to $25,678. That’s not a lot for a nationwide search, so expect more to arrive in the coming days. The 2010 Toyota Prius goes on sale in May.

As a helpful reminder, with brand-new models like this, inventory often moves quickly — dealers aren’t lying to you when they say it’s already sold. Call ahead and make sure the car is there if you’re interested in test-driving one.You can check local inventory and build your own insight using the links in the box below.

More Honda Insight News
Cars.com 2010 Honda Insight Review

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2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

The suspense surrounding the price of Honda’s low-cost Insight hybrid is over. The 2010 Honda Insight will start at $19,800 when it goes on sale March 24. Its mileage is rated at 40/43 mpg city/highway. That price is for the LX trim level and does not include destination charges of $670.

The LX is a base trim level, with standard features including tilt and telescoping steering wheel, CD player, and power windows. The up-level EX will start at $21,300 and adds stability control, steering wheel shift paddles, a six-speaker stereo system with USB input and heated side mirrors.

Navigation is available in the aptly named EX with Navi trim level, starting at $23,100.

Read Cars.com’s full review of the Honda Insight here.

More Honda Insight News

2010 Honda Insight vs. 2010 Toyota Prius

With the recent introduction of Honda's new 2010 Insight hybrid, comparisons to the Toyota Prius are inevitable. Both are relatively affordable hybrids, and each is a model unto itself, with no gas-only version offered. Each is a four-door hatchback with five seats (or at least five seat belts), and to top it off, all it took was some early Insight photos several months ago to drum up accusations of copycatting.

That's the least relevant comparison; I illustrate in my full Insight review that it's not so clear who's copied whom. I tested the Insight before the Detroit auto show, where Toyota unveiled its third-generation Prius, the 2010 model. Though we haven't driven it yet, colleague Kelsey Mays and I took the opportunity to compare it to the 2010 Insight at the auto show, extending my comparison with the current, 2009 Prius. If you don't have the wherewithal to watch a video of two nerdy guys talking about two nerdy cars, I'll give you the conclusion: It's an unfair test, at least until the companies announce pricing.

Cars.com Reviews the 2010 Honda Insight

A few weeks back, we ran senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder’s first impressions of driving the all-new 2010 Honda Insight. Now, his full review is live, and it’s a must-read for hybrid-car buffs. It tackles both everyday driving and what some hypermilers were achieving during tests. The lack of an official price really hurts any review, however, as the Insight will get more attractive the lower its entry price.

2010 Honda Insight Review