Car reviews

Here's something you probably never expected to see on this blog - test drive reviews of new cars!

I'm going to be buying a new car by the end of the month.Why? Well, my mother needs a new car by the end of the month, because her 14-year-old car is up for inspection and definitely will not pass without having to spend a lot of money on it. So after some discussion with my husband, we agreed that it would be easier for me to get a new car and give her my 2005 Chevy Cobalt LT (which I just paid off in January). This way she won't have to worry about going to used car lots and trying to haggle with salesmen on the price of a car she knows little to nothing about.

When I first started looking for a new car, which was really just at the beginning of this month, I was kind of all over the map. But I finally narrowed it down to the 2010 Toyota Prius (the 3rd generation model) or the 2010 Honda Insight (which looks remarkably similar to the Prius). I do like the idea of having a hybrid car; Brian bought a Prius last April and has been very happy with it. I even decided what trim levels and colors I was interested in: the Honda Insight EX in Clear Blue Sky Metallic or the Prius II in Barcelona Red Metallic.

Here's the 2010 Honda Insight EX in Clear Blue Sky Metallic:

And here's the 2010 Toyota Prius in Barcelona Red Metallic:

On Friday afternoon, I had appointments to test drive both of them. Here are my reviews of those test drives.

I test drove the 2010 Honda Insight EX at 1:30 on Friday. Unfortunately, it was raining, so the conditions weren't ideal. But I guess in a way maybe it was good to see how it handled in the rain.

I was surprised at how much like a "regular" car it seemed. In Brian's Prius, you can really tell when the car switches between battery power and the gas engine - there's a definite "shudder" that takes place. But in the Insight, it operated smoothly the entire time - stopping, starting, accelerating, going around curves, etc.

The car was comfortable, and the controls were well-placed and nicely-designed. There's plenty of storage space up in the front - several little compartments for holding random items, and of course several cupholders as well. Here's a picture of the Insight interior:


I had read that the rear seating was kind of cramped, and that was definitely true. The back seat is definitely not very roomy; anyone of average or greater height sitting behind me would be pretty uncomfortable. However, it's probably comparable to my Cobalt, so it wouldn't be a downgrade from what I have now. And when we have passengers (which isn't very often), we usually take Brian's Prius because it is roomier. So obviously we could continue doing that.

One other bad thing I had read about the Insight was that there was a lot of road noise. I had planned to specifically listen for that, but I actually forgot. However, I never did notice anything in particular - in other words, it wasn't obvious to me. And Brian was in the same situation - he planned to really listen for it, but forgot, but also didn't particularly notice anything. And we drove with the radio off, on wet roads, so I would think if it was going to be noisy, those would be conditions where we'd be more likely to hear it. We didn't get out on the highway, but I did go at least 45 mph, and nothing was really brought to my attention, so I don't think that was as much of an issue (at least not for me) as I was expecting.

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I test drove the 2010 Toyota Prius III (I'm considering a II - but the only difference on the III is the stereo) at 2:30 pm. It was still raining, so I guess in a way that was still a good thing, because I drove the cars under similar conditions.

Brian and I were both surprised at how much the new Prius drives like a "regular" car. The "shuddering" I mentioned above that's present in Brian's Prius is pretty much non-existent in the third-generation Prius. It definitely has much smoother transition between the gas engine and the battery - I would say it was about the same as the Insight.

The Prius handled well - not noticeably better or worse than the Insight, in my opinion. I did get to take the Prius out on the highway, and it accelerated just fine on the entrance ramp, and I got up to 65 mph in plenty of time. I didn't try the cruise control, but if driving the car 'manually' was smooth, I have no reason to believe the cruise control would be any different.

Another noticeable difference in the 2010 Prius was in the interior. They decided to kind of meld the dashboard with the center console, creating a kind of barrier between the driver and passenger seating area. It's not a solid block of plastic - it's more like an archway. There's space to store stuff underneath, but I have to think it would be a little awkward to access it. You wouldn't really be able to see what you were reaching for without really taking your eyes off the road. Plus, the complete division of the passenger and driver areas was kind of confining, in a way. I almost felt like I was in an amusement park ride.

Here are some pictures, which should give you at least the idea, but not necessarily the full effect. It's definitely different when you're actually in the car.



I also wasn't too crazy about how they changed the energy monitor display on the Prius. On Brian's car, it's a big full-color display with a diagram of the engine and the battery, with colored arrows going back and forth depending on what power source is being used or charged. It is a little distracting at first, and even a little gaudy in appearance, but it definitely looks 'modern.'

They've replaced that display with a green LED display up in the area of the speedometer, with a smaller picture of the car and its power sources. I guess it's less obtrusive that way, so that's kind of good, but the display itself to me just looks kind of old-fashioned. The green pixellated LED display seems like something I'd have seen on a car 15 years ago. I know that's picky, but that's the impression it gives me. See if you agree:


So, even though going into these test drives, I was leaning towards the Prius, after driving both of them and finding no major differences with the driving, handling, and comfort, I had to compare more minor aspects of the cars to really decide how I felt about them. And I have to say, the new interior details on the Prius left me less than dazzled. The Prius may now drive more like a 'regular' car, but I think that new center console piece makes it look much less like a 'regular' car. The Insight, on the other hand, both drives like a 'regular' car, and looks inside like a 'regular' car as well.

Plus - and this normally shouldn't matter when buying a car, I know - the Honda dealer said they can get me the car I like within a few days, whereas the Prius dealer still has to call around and 'trade' cars with other dealers or wait for upcoming shipments. It could actually take 2-3 months for them to get me a car with the specifications I want. (Not as bad as some people had it last year, but still quite a wait.)

So, I think at this point I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the Honda Insight. I would actually like to drive it again, hopefully in nicer weather, just to be sure of how I feel in it and how it handles, and I'd also like to get it out on the highway for a little bit to see how it accelerates and how it feels when it's going faster. (Oh, and to check for road noise again too!)

Stay tuned for updates on the car-buying process!