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The realease of the Insight has ruffled a few feathers due to its price tag.The base model Insight is priced almost $4000 below the base price of the Prius. Costing a few grand less earns the Insight the honor and distinction of cheapest hybrid in the U.S. 

A great feature on the new Insight is an ECO assist that will help educate the driver to become more efficient.The ECON switch control how the car drives, you can set the car to drive more aggressively, or you can tell the car you want to drive more efficiently, and there is a system inplace that will tell you when you are getting the best MPG.The hybrid engine uses new technology called the IMA which provide assistance to the motor via an electric boost. Th IMA system is cheaper to manufacture, lighter than the original, and adds to the overall interior space. The Insight also has an i-VTEC® engine equipped with a CVT (continuously variable transmission).For about the price of a base mopdel Prius, you can get a nicely equipt Insight that comes with: rims, USB integraded stereo, navigaion with voice recognition, and steering wheel mounted shifter. Just looking at the Prius and Insight will give you some information that Honda is copying the Prius in design, form, and function. 

Opposed to the Insight is the Prius with a 160-hp 1.8 liter motor has three sttings for operation. Those include ECO mode, which allows more of less pedal responsiveness for fuel economy, the EV mode that allows the vehicle to run only on battery power for ½ mile, and the Power Mode which increases pedal sensitivity for more responsive driving.  The Prius also has a PCS, Pre- Collision System, available.  This system comes equipped with a radar that constantly measures the distance of the car ahead and presumably adjusts brake pressure when probability of frontal collision is high. Toyota has a new system of buttons on the steering wheel that will help keep the driver safe.

Even though the Insight has won the batlle of the price tags, the Prius still has a better MPG rating.Right now the MPG ratings for the new Insight are at 40 MPG in the city and 43 MPG on the highway, and the Prius comes in at 48 MPG city and 45 MPG on the highway.If you drive over 20,000 miles in a year (with gas costing $2.50 a gallon), so driving the Insight would cost over $1200 in fuel a year whereas the Prius would cost just over $1000. When you drive a Prius, the amount of gas saved compared to an Insight is about 53 gallons, so to cover the lower price you would have to drive for 27 years.Yes the Prius gets much better fuel economy, but the low starting price of the Insight more than makes up for that difference!

Certified Hybrid in Southern California, or buy a Used Toyota Hybrid .  Jazel Auto Builds the best Auto Dealer Websites around.