An insightful drive

Test drive reveals that Honda's new environmentally friendly car is not only good for the planet, but fun to take for a spin

By: Pat Daley

  Last Thursday, after reading that 1,000 people a year in Toronto die prematurely because of air pollution, a Straight Goods team set out to test drive a Honda vehicle that's apparently good news for the environment.
  We came away satisfied that if the automobile won't disappear, the damage it does can be reduced using technology available now. And, the ride will be a good one.
  Toronto's public health department released a study showing that on top of the 1,000 deaths, 5,500 people are admitted to hospitals every year with smog-related illnesses ranging from heart failure to pneumonia. Of the 1,000 deaths, researchers said, 71 per cent are caused by two pollutants from car emissions - nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide.
  At the beginning of May, Honda put a vehicle on the Canadian market that sets a new standard for fuel efficiency and low emissions. The Insight is a hybrid gasoline-electric car that gets about 80 miles per gallon on the highway. Earlier this year, the Sierra Club gave it the first product award ever presented in the organization's 108-year history. Executive Director Carl Pope said the recognition of excellence in environmental engineering went to the Honda Insight for helping to reduce both global warming and air pollution.
 

The Insight is a hybrid gasoline-electric car that gets about 80 miles per gallon on the highway (photo from www.honda.com).

  But how does it handle? I am a driver. As a country dweller, I can't get a litre of milk without a car. Like hundreds of people around here, I spent years driving to "the city" for work. Although environmentally conscious, I also love to get behind the wheel and take off. So, together with my significant other and automotive consultant Michael Kennedy, I headed out to get the straight goods on the Insight.
 

Honda dealers have found a lot of interest from younger people who are interested in the technology and recognize a cool car when they see one

  Honda public relations representative Jim Miller says the Insight is being marketed to people like me. But both he and Barrie Honda salesperson Glenn Young have found a lot of interest from younger people who are interested in the technology and recognize a cool car when they see one.
  The hybrid technology - a primary gas engine backed up by a clean electric engine - is probably a bridge to fuel cells that won't be viable for another 10 or 15 years, says Miller. Another hybrid, the Toyota Prius, is expected to be on the market this fall. Miller says the main difference is that the Prius leans more heavily on the electric engine.
  Right off the top, I found the most exciting and overdue feature of the Insight to be the automatic engine shut-off that kicks in when the car is shifted into neutral. No more sitting at lights or in stopped traffic spewing exhaust into the air. As soon as it's put in gear, the engine starts up again.
  "You have to drive like Stirling Moss to make full use of the technology," Michael Kennedy commented. That means shifting down to decelerate, an action that recharges the nickel-metal hyrdride batteries. Braking will do the same thing, but Kennedy favours making full use of the manual transmission to save wear-and-tear on the brakes.
 

This is not a family vehicle. It only seats two people. You could bring home groceries in it, but most of the rear storage space is taken up by the battery pack that powers the electric engine.

  The electric engine kicks in when the car is accelerating, climbing a hill, passing another vehicle - all the actions that would normally increase the amount of gasoline being burned. Fuel efficiency is also enhanced by the aluminum body, which has the added bonus of being resistant to the corrosive effects of road salt, Kennedy points out.
  The lightweight body made us wonder how the car would perform on major highways amid all the trucks. The short trip we took on Highway 401 on a rainy, windy day was just fine. The car looks like you would be sitting low to the road, but it didn't feel that way. And the aerodynamic design meant we weren't buffeted about by gusting winds or passing traffic.
  That design also gives the Insight its racy, sports-car look. This is not a family vehicle. It only seats two people. You could bring home groceries in it, but most of the rear storage space is taken up by the battery pack that powers the electric engine.
  If I were still travelling to "the city" every day, I would seriously consider the Insight even though its $26,000 price tag is higher than I would like to pay for a car. And when I see all the $40,000 or more SUVs ("silly urban vehicles," says Kennedy) carrying one person, I know there are worse decisions I could make.
  The fuel savings, the benefits of the aluminum body and the overall track record of Honda vehicles would probably make the price bearable. Above all, there would be a certain peace of mind knowing that, if you have to drive, you're in a car that's been rated as an Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) in California, has an award from the Sierra Club and will shut off automatically when it's not moving. Even better, by this fall it should have some competition from Toyota.

Pat Daley is a freelance writer and editor in Athlone in Simcoe County, Ontario.

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To arrange for your own test drive, visit your local Honda dealer or see www.honda.com.

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