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Thought the existing TM hybrid could use some competition...

I know, it's mine

Ah, now I understand the fuel consumption reference elsewhere...

Nick, did you go out to buy one? Or did it take your fancy whilst doing a general search? What made you choose the Honda?

I remember really liking them before they came out and was very disappointed to see them sitting on forecourts not getting shifted. Particularly liked that funny shade of green they were in. I just felt they were really ahead of the curve and that people didn't give them a chance because they looked a bit odd.

Spool forward a few years and everything from a Citroen C4 to new Hondas are now apeing it, and obviously the Prius made economy 'cool'. However, it's not a tech fest like the original Insight is; for example, it has a period Civic gearbox albeit with 9kg of weight shaved off. The speakers are custom made for the car for lightweight (mind you, they're crap). It's that same 'R' philosophy applied to the NSX that's been applied to it, and I love the aerodynamic styling - reminds me of the cars from the '30s.

I just think it's a proper effort and it's like nothing else to drive. Would love you to have a go in it to see what I mean. Throttle feels very 'digital' and it is so, so light, I almost had a heart attack when I turned the (very sensitive) wheel. You're seated like a Honda sports car and it turns in like one; grip seems very, very good. Obviously the economy is amazing and it's not all that slow, either. The whole battery cycle thing is very clever.

I just absolutely love it. I'd been searching on and off for a mint one for a while and managed to catch this before anyone else did*. I paid below its true value (I believe) and it should last me until... well, it dies I guess, but even then I'm not sure I'd be able to part with it. (Famous last words.)

It's a cracking piece of design and it's only now it's catching on. Thankfully I'm old enough to be able to actually buy one - thankfully not at £27k or whatever they originally went for! However, you can tell where all that money went originally. It feels very substantial and space-age. I even had the rag and bone men telling me how nice it was when I was washing it yesterday!

*One owner, 60k miles, full Honda service history.

Congratulations. I like them too - very much a car before its time.

Honda were a client of mine when it was launched and while they didn't publicise it, iirc they were loosing £7,000+ per car, even at the inflated price!

Honda, being an independent, survive on patenting technology and thatvis exactly what they did with the Insight. Again, iirc, it has about 300+ patents on the hybrid technology, which Honda wanted to prove, so that they could sell the licences.

Enjoy it.

Thank you! I will.

In a weird way it is almost like a supercar in that it is a 'no compromise' car. As you say Honda sold them at a loss to show that they could build a car like they wanted to. It's rare that happens at all, let alone in something that isn't an outright sports car.

Hopefully if I come to an event it won't look too out of place next to some Mogs - same hand-built ethos!