Honda Insight: Cheaper than a Prius
Honda promised its Insight would be the world's cheapest hybrid last year. Five months later, its prediction has come true: the Insight is £2,380 cheaper than the Prius
Back in October, Honda stoked the fires of our excitement by claiming its Insight would be the world's cheapest hybrid. Five months later, the company has confirmed the entry-level car will be priced at £15,490 (on the road) -- £2,380 less than the cheapest Toyota Prius.
The pricing is impressive, considering the Insight is pretty comparable to its rivals. The 1.3 IMA SE edition delivers 64.2mpg, does 0-62mph in 12.5 seconds, has a top speed of 113mph and emits just 101g/km of CO2. The Prius 1.5 VVT-I CV, meanwhile, has slightly better fuel economy and is faster (65.69mpg and 0-62 in 10.9 seconds), but has a lower 105mph top speed and emits 104g/km of CO2.
Standard equipment on the entry-level model includes an MP3-compatible CD stereo tuner with AUX socket for your MP3 player, and a multi-info display that tells you how to tweak your driving to achieve the best fuel economy. The more advanced ES version (£16,790) gives you USB connectivity for your MP3 files, plus tinted windows and cruise control, while the top-end ES-T model (£18,390) gives you a sat-nav with voice recognition and Bluetooth hands-free mobile calls.
That's all for now, car geeks. The Insight goes on sale on 4 April. We'll bring you video footage of the car in action shortly, but in the meantime, go check our Car Tech channel for more gizmotoring goodness.