Review In the last 10 years, Honda has shifted over 3.5m examples of its Jazz hatchback, and now the evergreen runabout so beloved by the over-60s is getting hybrid power. Presumably, Honda, like Toyota with its Auris Hybrid, thinks a familiar exterior will prevent hybrid-fright among it’s more conservative customers.
Honda’s Jazz Hybrid: relaxing urban ride
Unsurprisingly, the Jazz Hybrid uses the same power train as Honda’s Insight, which pairs a 1.3 litre i-VTEC petrol engine with Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system. This uses an electric motor to add another 10kW (13.8bhp) of power and 78Nm (57.7 lb ft) of torque to the engine’s 86bhp and 121Nm (89 lb ft). Read the rest of this entry »
Review In the race to popularise the hybrid, Honda has been shown a clean pair of heels by Toyota. This situation is graphically underlined by the fact that Toyota’s Prius is currently on its fourth incarnation since its launch in 1997, while the Honda’s Insight is only on its second since 1999. Between 2006 and the launch of the new model, the Insight didn’t exist at all.
Honda’s Insight: hard to tell apart from the Prius?
So has the new Insight been worth the three-year wait?
It probably wasn’t ideal timing for the new Insight to arrive on the forecourt at the same time as the latest Prius. After all, they look alike, have broadly similar powertrain concepts and are probably the only two hybrids the man in the street could name if you stopped him and asked.
The Insight’s exterior styling is certainly eye-catching but it’s also not wholly dissimilar – again – to the latest Prius. Honda prefers to emphasise the Insight’s similarity to its hydrogen-powered big brother, the FCX Clarity. Line all three cars up and remove the badges, and many people would struggle to tell them apart, suggesting that this is the shape you get when you ask a large computer to design an aerodynamically efficient five-door hatchback. Read the rest of this entry »
