Fuel prices are spiking across the country. When that happens, more fuel-sipping cars that have fallen under the radar start to look a lot more appealing. But just because you want to save gas, it doesn't mean you have to forget about style. It doesn't mean that you need to forget about handling or abandon the clutch pedal in favour of a CVT. The autoTRADER.ca Find of the Week this week is the first hybrid to hit the market in Canada, and it looks as cool today as it did when it launched.
4.5 L/100 km combined. That's what the Honda Insight offered when it hit the market in 1999, and many owners are averaging even lower numbers. That's an almost incredible fuel economy figure, and one that is matched only by a handful of cars today. So how did Honda manage that savings nearly 20 years ago?
Start with a small car. The Insight is only 3,945 mm long. That's 548 mm shorter than a 2018 Honda Civic sedan. It's narrow and short. Combine that tiny footprint with an all aluminum chassis and your car is light. The Insight tips the scales at well under 900 kg.
The strangely-shaped body is wind tunnel refined to give a lower coefficient of drag and a smaller frontal area. Push less air and you do less work moving the car. Even the unique rear wheel spats help boost the efficiency of the Insight. The taper at the rear looks like it might cut into passenger space, but that's not an issue. With no rear seats, there is nobody back there to pinch.
Under the hood of the Insight is a 1.0L three-cylinder engine. The engine is designed to use an ultra-lean burn when cruising. That means less fuel is needed just to keep the engine turning. It couldn't shut off cylinders, but with only three in the first place, it wasn't a big problem. The engine was also one of the earliest to use thinner 0W20 oil to further reduce friction. That engine was able to make 67 hp.
But that wasn't quite enough power or enough fuel savings. So Honda gave the car its first hybrid system. The Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) put an electric motor/generator between the engine and the transmission. That added 13 hp and 36 lb-ft, bringing the total to 73 hp and 91 lb-ft of torque.
The hybrid system also allowed the engine to shut off at stops, saving fuel. And while it couldn't drive on electric power only like the soon-to-arrive Prius, it could still shut off the engine while coasting and use electric power at lighter throttle openings to use less gas. Electricity was stored in a 6.5 AH Ni-MH battery behind the front seats.
Lightweight, good power, and a small footprint are what sports cars are made of. While this is no sports car, handling was crisp and the little car was zippy, especially in city driving. And it had a manual transmission, giving the driver more control and helping them save even more fuel. If they followed the ambitious up-shift light, at least. A CVT did come along a few years later as an option.
But the Insight was launched when gas was under 60 cents a litre in most of the country. So sales weren't as high as expected. Nearly 20 years on, this isn't quite a rare car, but it is unusual. And at $1.60, the appeal is strong.
This Insight, for sale in Burnaby, BC, could be just the cure for rising fuel prices. It's a good looking example of what might be the ultimate fuel sipper. All the aero bits, like the spats, are still in place. It's the manual transmission, and this car has been fitted with a more up to date infotainment system with GPS. And the Citrus Yellow Metallic paint is way cooler than the red and grey hues offered that year.
So if you're looking to save at the pumps this summer, and stand out on the road, then this 2000 Honda Insight might be just what you're looking for.
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