New Honda hatch gives more for less

For buyers in the medium-car market, this is the best possible news, the automotive equivalent of having your cake and eating it too.

Writes Brian Cowan

For New Zealand Honda buyers, the Civic hatchback has long been a favoured model... when the dictates of overseas markets have allowed it to be sold here. For some years now, fans have been denied the chance to buy one, for the hatchback has been built and sold exclusively in Europe.

That's all about to change, with the arrival of the 2010 Honda Insight, a sleek five-door that rivals the Civic for overall size and tops the medium hatch class for cargo space.

Popping the hatch lid is where the real surprise awaits. There's little in the medium bracket (or even in the next class up) to rival its length. If you want more, a simple tipping action for the rear seat backs produces a huge space.

Yes, the Insight is a hybrid as well, but unlike first-generation hybrids which were mainly about their fuel-saving technology, the newcomer is first and foremost a practical and affordable medium car that, almost coincidentally, produces outstanding fuel economy no matter how it is driven.

Proof of this was found in a recent trip from Auckland to Russell and return. The procedure was: normal driving behaviour, speeds at the legal limit where possible, and overtaking slower traffic at every safe opportunity. On the way up there were further restrictions, in that the car had to be driven as wastefully as possible, which meant the CVT gearbox was kept in its Sport setting, the accelerator was pushed to the floor whenever possible, and the optional Super Economy mode offered with the Insight was ignored.

The result was an average fuel reading of 6.4 litres per 100 kilometres for the northward trip and an astounding 4.9 litres per 100 kilometres for the less-frantic (but still brisk) return leg.

The result was an average fuel reading of 6.4 litres per 100 kilometres for the northward trip and an astounding 4.9 litres per 100 kilometres for the less-frantic (but still brisk) return leg.

Economy on the first section of the trip was further compromised by an early-afternoon figure-eight crawl through central Auckland, but the Insight was alread demonstrating its cleverness, the engine switching off whenever the car was stationary for more than a few seconds and kicking back in imperceptibly when the accelerator was pressed to continue.

It doesn't follow this regime slavishly, however. Sensors constantly monitor the cabin temperature and humidity. If they begin to diverge from ideal the engine will restart to bring in the air conditioning and maintain occupant comfort. Consistently heavy traffic means the Auckland to Whangarei journey is often a frustrating one, but the ability to take advantage of passing lanes when offered made the Insight a much-appreciated mount. We kept the Eco Assist button off all the way and revelled in the solid punch delivered by the electric motor when extra acceleration was called for.

Beyond Whangarei, the simplest route to Russell is via Highway 1 and the vehicle ferry from Opua, but a more exciting option beckons at Whakapara - the nearly 70 kilometres of road through Helena Bay and past Oakura. This is a take-no-prisoners route, where the road wriggles and twitches around the coastal headlands like a hyperactive snake, corner after corner in relentless succession.

With a nimble car, it's a delight, and the Insight hugged the bends like a limpet and its electric steering offering accurate lines and informative feedback, it was in its element.

Thought of fuel economy went right out the window here, but even in the tightest section of the run through to Russell, accelerating hard out of every hairpin bend, did little to dent the figures.

And all the while the car had been enjoying it as much as the driver. The IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) electric motor kicked in when needed for extra boost, the braking was sure and strong (such a good feeling knowing a proportion of the energy being absorbed is heading straight back to the battery) and the CVT transmission kept the engine spinning over in its optimal range.

There's a manual mode for the transmission in the which seven 'ratios' can be manipulated using steering wheel paddles, but the port setting, which gives earlier downshifts and holds a lower ratio for greater sharpness under acceleration, proved just as ideal for this road.

Though the cargo capacity is the most dramatic expression of the Insight's practicality, the cabin also excels, carrying the same sense of spaciousness that is a hallmark of the Civic interior, plus an echo of the circular motifs that are a feature of the Civic's dashboard layout.

But the instrument panel is all Insight - the mission control where the car's advanced technology is presented in an ingenious and easy-to-access manner.

The most obvious feature here is the big digital speedo, sitting in its own binnacle above the main panel and changing its background colour in response to driving style - green for economical use of the accelerator and brakes, blue-green for less so, and a deep blue for when all thoughts of fuel saving have gone out the window. Because the gauge sits just below the driver's line of vision you respond to it almost subliminally - the car constantly 'coaches' good driving habits.

A wealth of information can also be obtained from the Multi-Informatiom Display set into the main tachometer. Its nine screens include trip computer, instant and average fuel use, real-time graphics that track the flow of power through the elements of the IMA hybrid system, plus one which shows a graphic of leaves growing on little trees to chart the progress of fuel savings over time.

Another aspect to the new Insight that's immediately apparent is its silence on the move both when crawling through city traffic or at cruising speeds on the open road - when both tyre and wind noises are pleasantly muted. The sleek body styling might have been designed primarily for lowered wind resistance in the interests of better fuel economy, but the lack of wind noise is a welcome secondary benefit.

Compared with previous hybrid models the new Insight is simpler and lighter and the third-generation IMA more compact - despite the control systems being significantly more sophisticated. What that has also translated into is something few would have predicted even a couple of years ago, that the car is now less expensive to produce than a comparably-performed diesel.

Book a test drive today.