2010 Honda Insight vs. 2010 Toyota Prius

With its Prius, Toyota has dominated the hybrid scene for the last five years. The Prius has even been used to transport movie stars to the Oscars. But just in time for its 2010 model update, Honda comes along with a scrappy little competitor. Honda got in on the hybrid game early, too, but hasn't been as successful as Toyota. It's first Insight, a high mileage hybrid two-seater, was discontinued in 2006. For 2010, Honda comes out with a brand-new Insight that looks nothing like its namesake. Instead, it's a four-door hatchback, just like the Prius. At the starting gate, we know the Prius gets better mileage, while the Insight costs less, but how will these hybrids fare against each other through the entire course?

It's time for these contenders to raise their green gloves and come out fighting.



Here is where the article starts;
http://reviews.cnet.com/4370-10863_7-842-103.html?tag=mid_container;pf_left_nav

Winner: 2010 Honda Insight

The Honda Insight upsets the Toyota Prius in a tie-breaker decision. We knew this would be a close one, but we didn't expect it to get this close. For the tie-breaking vote, Antuan and Brian decided they just couldn't live with the Prius' anemic acceleration on a daily basis, and would rather live with the less economical Insight.

Car and Driver: 2010 Honda Insight vs. 2010 Toyota Prius, 1998 Chevy Metro

1998 Chevy Metro?!? Why not a reeaaal car, 1982 Pontiac Acadian!

The two latest mileage maestros—and the, uh, old Chevy Metro—will knock you stiff via tranquility, especially if you drive there.
BY JOHN PHILLIPS, PHOTOGRAPHY BY J.G. RUSSELL July 2009

What we have here is an official C/D comparison test in which the photo vehicle, a Honda Pilot, proved far quicker than any of our contestants. These cars make you feel guilty about eating red meat. Convicted road ragers should be forced to do time in any of these three.

Both hybrids here are brand-new, if not all-new. The Honda Insight, which made its debut in 1999, has undergone the most radical transformation, gaining one cylinder, 25 horsepower, a back seat, and a shape that no longer resembles a tadpole in a spandex body wrap. In fact, what the Insight looks like is the Prius but with a smiling-fish grille instead of the Toyota’s frowning-fish grille.

We drove these mileage maestros on a 600-mile odyssey—a mix of interstates, country two-lanes, urban loops, and hilly whirligigs. The route led us from Ann Arbor through Columbus and ultimately to the southern Ohio towns of Knockemstiff and Tranquility via a side trip to Serpent Mound, a six-foot-tall earthen replica of a huge snake that was either produced by Native Americans 1000 years ago or by a ’50s-era farmer with a strong John Deere and an even stronger sense of humor.

There were no driving rules. Eco mode was not mandated. Using the air conditioner was legal. So were jack-rabbit starts and dangerous cornering speeds, neither of which we were able to accomplish. In short, we drove as we always do, trying to eke out some fun, and our observed fuel-economy figures reflect that. Indeed, that was the whole point of this test—to drive these things the way we’d drive regular cars. The regular-car control group was represented here by a 1998 Chevrolet Metro, and it was exceedingly regular. Funny that both hybrids’ consumption computers were optimistic—the Prius’s by 4 mpg, the Insight’s by 3 mpg. Final note: Knockemstiff didn’t. Tranquility was.

click on the appropriate link to find out the results:
Third: 1998 Chevrolet Metro

Second: 2010 Toyota Prius

First: 2010 Honda Insight

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison_test/hatchbacks/2010_honda_insight_vs_2010_toyota_prius_1998_chevy_metro_comparison_test

MotorTrend: Comparison: 2010 Honda Insight vs 2010 Toyota Prius

Here's a little snipet of the article, btw, it's a really good read even if you're not thinking of buying one.

"But which is the more important hybrid? That leads us back to the issue of price. Although the Prius will eventually entail such far-reaching technologies as lithium batteries and possibly plug-in capability, that's in the future. Not now. And when these two go on sale, the price spread is likely to be at least $3000.

Starting at just over $20,000, the 41-mpg Insight is the first hybrid that's simultaneously within the reach of just about every pocketbook and also a solid business proposition for its builder. Amazingly, it delivers nearly identical mileage as the current Prius at about 85 percent of the price. The incremental value of 50 mpg versus 41 mpg -- whether you judge it by gasoline cost, greater national security, or CO2 reduction -- seems dwarfed by the benefit of its potential sales volume. It's a milestone that can't go unnoticed.

1ST PLACE HONDA INSIGHT

An imperfect car, loud and coarse-riding, and also perhaps the most important hybrid ever built.

2ND PLACE TOYOTA PRIUS

The world's best hybrid has become more solid and refined, yet has somehow upped its fuel economy as well. It's an engineering triumph for the textbooks.

Source;

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/112_0905_2010_honda_insight_vs_2010_toyota_prius_comparison_test/index.html