Driving the 2011 Honda Insight is like a Video Game for Saving Money

Driving the 2011 Honda Insight is like a Video Game for Saving Money

Lately, I've been doing my best to drum up business visiting customer's miles from my home and office. It was depressing seeing my gas bill increase as I traveled town to town. With gas prices over $4.00 per gallon, I've decided to purchase a Hybrid Vehicle, and dump my Minivan that was getting about 15 miles per gallon.

I had a choice between the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight. I went with the Honda Brand for several reasons, the dealership was easier to work with, Honda had less bad press, better quality issues, I currently own a Honda Pilot, and the Insight was thousands less expense for the same bells and whistles. While the Prius had the designation of being allowed on the High Occupancy Lane of the Expressway, that was not enough convince me to continue to pursue the Prius.

Since, I have growing family, I've always had large trucks, such as the Ford Expedition and Honda Pilot to haul the family around. In addition, I've had my fair share of small cars to get around sans-child, such as the Volkswagen Fox, Saturn SL2, and Saturn Vue. Each served their purpose.

While many people purchase cars on emotions, like the way the vehicle looks or smells. My purchase of the 2011 Honda Insight was purely economics. Basically how much money I will save by driving a car like this compared to my current car.

Currently, I get approximately 45 miles to the gallon on a tank of 8.7 gallons, which gives me a range of over 390 miles. Since I do a lot of driving, I usually fill up twice a week. To help me save on gas, the Insight includes a multitude of gauges that help me. My favorite is the instant fuel mileage readout that gives me an indication if I am driving with a heavy foot. Another is a leaf gauge that shows how I've been driving overall by giving me a rating of leaves (the more leaves the for green you are driving). The third gauge shows you if you are using gas, the batteries or recharging the batteries.

These different video game like tools (I call it a video game) help you save on gas. As you step on the gas, your fuel efficiency decreases as noted on the gauge, however you are awarded when you use a lighter foot. This has really changed my driving habits, because I used to gun the throttle all the time. Like I was a drag racer.

Sitting in the Insight, it's actually the largest of the small cars that I have driven in the past. The supportive driver seat is a comfortable cloth seat and is adjustable except for the tilt. The steering wheel adjusts in/out and up/down easily. My three children seem comfortable in the back, and I believe 4 adults would be the max for this car.

Not too much gets in the way of the view as you look over your shoulder left or right. The rear view needs some adjusting, as the view is split. Part of the window is on top of the hatch and to provide addition rear view, Honda added glass to the trunk. It's deceiving from the outside, but as you sit in the car, you can easily see out the back.

The Honda handles quite well, steering is easy to turn and is stable. Unlike the other small cars that I have driven, this car does not sway side to side in heavy winds.

The trunk storage space is decent, and can fit 2 large suitcases or a set of clubs with the handcart. The rear seats can fold into a 70/30 split, if needed. I wish the cup holders were larger as I usually fill my 32oz soup container with a Shakeology Smoothie for my morning breakfast.

The sound system is basic, with 6 buttons and 1 CD player. It also included a jack or a USB connection to connect your MP3 or IPod to listen to the latest tunes or some kind of uplifting inspirational stories. I am not in my car to enjoy life, but rather in my car to make money to enjoy life.

Something that is unsettling at first. After you press the Econ button on the left side of the steering wheel. The engine comes to a complete stop, when you are completely stopped at a light or sign. This is a method for the Insight to save on fuel. It's amazing, that there is complete silence when you are at a stoplight. The only issue is that the Air Conditioning switches to fan when you are in this idle stage. As soon as you let up on the gas, the engine kicks in, and you are ready to go.

The Honda Insight is a great car with enough amenities to keep any driver happy. I think it's a great car for any company sales team who is watching their bottom line. As we all look to make more money with what we have, switching the fleet to a more economical car makes sense. Imagine if you have a team of 10 sales people driving all around, how much fuel will you save, and what kind of impact would that have on the environment

I hope you enjoyed my short review of the 2011 Honda Insight. Happy Driving!