So...Prius without as good of mileage? What gives? Is Honda really so far behind Toyota on patents that they couldn't match the 50 Mpg combined of the 2010 Prius?

It seems like they have a lot of nice features for optimizing efficiency, and yet it's about the same as the published numbers for the slightly larger Civic Hybrid. Perhaps it costs less.

I had expected this Insight to get about 70mpg like the original. In which case, I would have traded my 45mph HCH in on one.

Now I have no interest in it.

Once again the point of the vehicle is completely missed. This isn't rocket surgery (nor neuro-science):

This vehicle is supposed to be the LOWEST COST HYBRID on the market. Not the most efficient, most luxurious, nor the most advanced.

Even looking at the engine you can see they definitely went with cheaper components (look at the big mechanical a/c compressor instead of a more costly electric hvac unit).

BTW - autoweek is reporting 43-45mpg in normal driving with econo mode engaged the entire time.

They were smart enough to NOT create a one-off unusable super efficient machine like they did with the first insight which only sold in the hundreds to eco-freaks. This time they are going for a broader audience with a more useable vehicle in the hopes of actually getting some market share.

CEO Takeo Fukui says it will be priced significantly below current hybrids. He expects it to start at about $19,000, which will make it the least expensive hybrid on the market. "This new Insight will break new ground as an affordable hybrid within the reach of customers who want great fuel economy and great value," Fukui says in a statement.

ok wtf honda' engine is 1.3L and develops as much power and torque as toyota 2010 1.8L akinston engine.... man but obviously toyota's hybrid system is more robust! go figure!

No price, weight, 0-60 mph?

If it gets 43 - 45 mpg US during normal driving, that's not much different from what most people with a Prius report, and if it will do 60-ish in exceptional conditions, that's not too different from Prius, either.

Before bellyachin' about the EPA ratings, consider the possibility that the nature of the Prius drivetrain aces the EPA test, but this one might be a better match for the way people actually drive. And at the price ... and supposedly with better driving dynamics ... I'd rather have this one.

From what I have read the weights are as follows:

LX (stripped down model) roughly 2720lbs
EX (loaded model) roughly 2790lbs

I'd like to see comparison reviews and drive both for myself, but I'd lean more towards the Insight over the Prius for the cost savings & Honda's tend to have more lively handling while Toyota's are known for making the driving experience akin to falling into a coma.

Car and driver (whom I said reported 43-45mpg with the ECO button) also reported 40-41mpg in normal driving without the use of the "ECO" button.

Stan,

Please name all the "B" segment cars in the us sold as 2008 or 2009 models getting high 30's/low 40's combined cycle fuel economy on the latest EPA tests.

Yup, that is my answer as well: none. The smart fortwo is an "A" segment car and doesn't achieve those numbers. The Prius is larger than B segment - though it does best those numbers.

"Conventional "B" segment cars, that are starting to proliferate here in the USA, get high 30s, low 40s economy ratings[...]"

Um, please name one, other than the '09 Jetta TDI Diesel, that gets in the 40s because I'd love to buy it!

This Honda will be a great advance of high mileage, low emissions, and low cost, despite your obvious Prius boosting.

Buyers care about cost, mileage, safety and comfort, etc. Not whether the guts under the hood = a mild or full hybrid system. 5-seat and 41 MPG = 5 seats and 41 MPG no matter how you spin it. Toyota needs to drop its cost big time or it will lose a big share of Prius buyers. Pure and simple.

@ Patrick,

Why would you want to compare a 2010 model mild-hybrid against other obsolescent "B" segment vehicles?

Compare it to the same generation, 2010 Fiesta or 2010 Beat/Spark, gettng near equivalent mileages as they are now being introduced overseas. When they get here next model year, it will be the same.

Now for an equivalence booster, add the Malibu's BAS-II,or such, to a Fiesta or Beat/Spark, and what do you have?

Surprise! Nothing more than a 2010 Honda Insight. Your Honda brainwashed; and I owned an Accord too, so I'm not a Honda hater. Its that this is Much Ado About Nothing.

Like I said ... BFD!

There is a big issue with the Prius. It doensn't make financial sense.

With the price of gas at $2, if you buy a Nissan Versa, and drive it for 150,000 miles, you still haven't reached the purchase price of a Prius.

There are diminising returns to improving gas milage. Lets say you have a car that gets 30mpg, and that car costs X. You improve the car to 40mpg, but with gas at $2, and a 100,000 mile payback period, you cant charge more than X+$1667 for that 30% improvment in milage.

Things get worse as the milage goes up. The cost of gas has less and less of an effect. With that same example above, and gas at $5, you cant charge more than X+$4167.

100mpg car? Sure, but at this point, taking a civic from 35mpg to 100mpg, you cant add more than $3714 to the cost of the car.

In terms of cost, some of you need to consider that the new Prius has a completely beltless engine. It's extremely likely the Prius will cost a lot less to maintain than the Insight. The Insight has a lot more mechanical components than the Prius.

Any engineer will tell you that by design electrical components are more reliable than mechanical components.

Also regarding the test drives, yes they've achieved mid 40s mpg numbers but these were under pretty much ideal conditions. I can't wait to see what kind of fuel economy numbers the Insight will get in urban traffic on a hot summer day with the A/C on at full blast. The Insight has a mechanical A/C compressor and also it's engine never turns off. In heavy traffic with the A/C on fuel economy (and performance) will surely suffer.

Then there is the issue of highway cruising on a hot summer day with the A/C. Because the engine is so small and it's power output low, with the A/C on it will have to work harder to cruise on the highway reducing fuel consumption.

The Prius on the other hand will thrive in all these conditions. Electric A/C compressor puts no stress on the engine, and heavy traffic conditions are ideal for the Prius as it will have the engine shut off most of the time and be running on electric power. Also during highway cruising on hot days the engine will have no stress from the A/C compressor or the water pump. I'm also willing to bet the Prius with it's 1.8L engine will run at lower RPMs on the highway than the Insight and it's 1.3L engine.

Yes the Insight will be cheaper than the Prius, but we don't know by how much. We also don't know how big real-world fuel economy differences will be especially in varied conditions. I also predict the Insight in cold conditions will see fuel economy drop more than the Prius. The Prius will use recirculated exhaust gas for heat in cold weather allowing the hybrid system to turn on much quicker than before and allowing the gas engine to turn off much sooner.

One more important point not mentioned; the Prius has more interior room than the Insight, some people mighted be turned off by the interior design of the Insight, and also that the Prius will be faster than the Insight.