Where do you want to go for 10 bucs worth of gas!!

Author's Rating:

Pros: Fun drive, Gas Mileage (duh), surprising performance, great AC

Cons: Many people asking stupid questions

The Bottom Line: 
If you need a car from commuting purposes this one will save you thousands.

Author's Review
Well this is fairly simply. This car is on the market for one reason, and one reason only, it provides excellent mileage. Sure this car pushes around 45-50 miles to the gallon but there are many other things that makes this car worth buying.

Interior:
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I have owned Honda's my whole life, and frankly I am a little biased because my experiences with them have been mostly positive. Honda has always had a sleek sophisticated look and feel to it's interior. Ok, so it's small but one would only drive this car for commuter purposes anyways (at least I would hope). This doesn't mean it isn't comfortable and spacious. It only has two seats, but you can be assured that both passengers will enjoy the ride. The AC is very responsive and makes climate control very easy and quick. Keep in mind that blowing the AC decreases gas mileage. The dash displays look very techie and surprisingly enough aren't just flash. They actually give you valuable information about you MPG, Trip Log etc... The engine noise is minimal, even at high rpm's and makes for a smooth quiet ride. As far as sound goes, the factory audio system isn't stellar, but Honda is known for it's compatibility with aftermarket sound systems. Overall the interior is very comfortable and logical, if you haven't owned a Honda go check it out.

Performance:
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Before I enter the debate of the Insight's performance, I have to make the Honda philosophy clear to the reader. Honda's are high revving beasts. They rely on torque to carry the car. Revving the engine in a Honda isn't harmful, in fact that's where Honda performance is at it's prime. Many people say the accelaration of this car isn't adequate, I tell you that's because they are affraid to downshift. Trust me, if you want to pass someone, 90 percent of the time you will do so with ease if you know how to use the car's abilities. As far as maximum speeds, you would probably be surprised that I take this car on the highway daily and break the speed limit by averaging a good 105 MPH. This car won't skip a beat. The rear suspension is a little slugish and might take some Honda drivers some time to get used to, but now I'm scared to go into my 91' hatchback. Overall, it's a fun drive, don't expect to leave a Corvette in the dust, but do trust the car enough to be a little peppy at times.

Weaknesses:
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One thing that does bother me is that the way the rear is designed limits the rear view from the driver's seat. You get used to this but at first you feel like you have luggage blocking your view.
I don't know if this is something to complain about, but the 3rd and 5th gears are very tall... just another thing to get used to.
Of course because of the purpose of the car, cargo space, and capacity is limited.
And my final qualm with the vehicle: Too many people ask you stupid questions about the car. I wish everyone just knew that this car can easily do 110mph.

I drive to work everyday here in Florida. It's a fourty minute trip, through the streets of city traffic in Tampa, to the highways that lead to Bradenton, it performs rather beautifully.