The Honda Insight was the first mass-produced hybrid car when it was introduced in the U. S. in 1999, beating out the Toyota Prius by only a few months. With a body style reminiscent of the GM EV1 electric car, the Honda Insight is a 2-seater that has captured the imagination of environmentalists and car enthusiasts since day one.

The 2006 Honda Insight gets an EPA estimated 66 mpg highway (manual transmission), making it the most fuel efficient mass produced car on the road today. When the Honda Insight was first introduced in was only available with a manual transmission. Today, buyers have a choice of manual or CVT transmission. The manual model has a ULEV rating and the CVT model has a SULEV rating for emissions.

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The Honda Insight is considered a mild-hybrid in that it cannot run on battery power alone, whereas full-hybrids do have this capability. The Honda Insight hybrid runs on its 3-cylinder engine most of the time and then uses the electric motor when it needs more oomph such as when passing another vehicle.

As the first mass-produced hybrid car in the U. S., the Honda Insight was also the first to use engine idle cut-off to save gasoline when at stoplights or stuck in traffic. The Honda Insight also introduced regenerative braking to the American public, which uses kinetic energy in order to recharge the batteries.

Some people have worried about buying hybrid cars such as the Honda Insight because of the high costs of replacing the nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery pack. As of October 2006, Honda has been shelling out its own dough for the replacement costs for vehicles with up to 150,000 miles.

There are several aftermarket modifications that can be added on to the Honda Insight in order to achieve higher performance. Solar panels, chargers and extra batteries may be used to increase the range of the Honda Insight and make it an even greener machine that it already is.

Kudos to Honda for not making a hybrid version of a boring, standard sedan that was already on the market. The Honda Insight was designed as a hybrid with a unique style from the get-go and continues that tradition today.