Our Fleet Test Drive: Honda Insight - 6th Report
Date:
06 July 2010
|
Author: Tony Rock
Boof full
|
Category: | Lower medium | P11D price: | £19,233 | Key rival: | Toyota Prius | |
|
It's been a little while in coming, but a family trip - a short break to Ribby Hall Village near Blackpool - has given the Insight the first chance to really stretch its legs.
Knowing as I do all too well that long-weekends away with the kids usually calls for a car with lorry-like storage space, I wasn't altogether hopeful that the Insight would have the necessary capacity to cope.
Oh me of little faith. The 408-litre boot, with the seats up (which beats the VW Golf at 350 litres, Vauxhall Astra at 351 and Ford Focus at 385) just about held the lot, meaning I didn't spend the journey north from London wishing I'd requisitioned something bigger from the BusinessCar fleet. Mind you, every last scrap of space was used, including under the boot floor where the puncture repair kit, wheel locks etc live.
It's not all good news, though. I suffer from back-ache, which isn't helped by seats that are less than comfortable for long journeys, and a hard ride that too readily transmits every bump in the road surfaces to the interior. On the positive side, however, the longer trips are having the desired effect on economy, which is now up to 42.4mpg.
Honda Insight 1.3 IMA ES-T Hybrid CVT | Mileage | 4022 | Claimed combined consumption | 61.4mpg | Our average consumption | 42.4mpg | P11D price | £19,233 | Model price range | £16,225-£19,290 | CO2 (tax) | 105g/km (10%) | BIK 20/40% per month | £32/£64 | Service interval | 1yr/12,500mls | Insurance | group 6e | Warranty | 3yrs/90,000mls | Boot space (min/max) | 408/584 litres | Engine size/power | 1339cc/102hp | Top speed/0-62mph | 113mph/12.5secs | Why we’re running it | Can Insight can match Honda’s high expectations? | Positive | Rival-beating boot, climbing economy | Negative | Hard ride quality, seat comfort |
|
Subscribe