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Innovation happens slow, then fast, as they say – and there’s no better example than petrol-electric hybrid cars.
While it seems every other model launched today has hybrid technology under its bonnet, it’s been almost 25 years since the first hybrid was released in Australia, and it’s probably not the one you’re thinking of.
The Honda Insight launched onto the scene in early 2001, offering buyers a 1.0-litre non-turbo three-cylinder engine mated to a nickel metal hydride battery.
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Sending just 56kW through a five-speed manual transmission, the Honda Insight wasn’t designed for performance.
Its purpose was to prove hybrid technology could integrate into our lives while providing exceptional fuel economy and lower tailpipe emissions.
Australia’s best-selling car of that year was the Holden Commodore, which had an official fuel consumption rating of 13L/100km in the city, and 7.6L/100km on the highway.
The Honda Insight? Just 3.6L/100km in the city, and an astonishing 2.8L/100km on the highway.
Over at Wheels magazine, John Carey proved the small and sleek Insight could travel more than 1000km on a single fill, despite having fuel capacity of just 40 litres.
However, it would be several years before petrol-electric cars became the ‘in’ thing, with Hollywood’s elite eventually scrambling to swap their supercars for hybrids, helping sales of electrified vehicles increase dramatically across the globe – and opening the door for pure battery-electric cars.
While the Honda Insight survived for two decades across three generations, the Japanese automaker continued to develop the technology, introducing models like the Honda Civic Hybrid in 2004 and the sporty Honda CR-Z in 2011.
True Insight
Being the very first production hybrid on sale in Australia, it’s fair to say that – while the technology was advanced for the time – the Honda Insight’s powertrain seems relatively basic by today’s standards, forcing the company’s engineers to be innovative wherever possible.
This meant making the Insight both lightweight and aerodynamic, with the car tipping the scales at a svelte 827kg. Or roughly 200kg less than a 1990 Toyota Corolla.
The Insight looked futuristic, featuring a teardrop-shaped body, wind-cheating rear wheel covers, and a flat underbody – all of which contributed to a drag co-efficient of just 0.25Cd, making it incredibly slippery through the air.
Though the first idle start/stop system – which cuts the engine when the vehicle is stopped, reducing both fuel consumption and emissions – was introduced in the mid-1970s and appeared sporadically on models thereafter, the first time this technology was experienced by many Australians was in the Honda Insight.
Despite the space-age exterior the Insight was classic Honda inside, where there was a driver-centric dash that inspired the fourth-generation Integra, plus a digital instrument cluster and sports seats available in a funky green colour.
While early adopters loved the innovations of the Insight, it was cars like the Honda Civic Hybrid, CR-Z and the second-generation Insight that brought these technologies to the masses in the following years.
But although the original Insight has now been relegated to history, many examples continue to live on under the custodianship of their owners, like the one pictured here on display at Charlie’s Auto Museum in Arthurs Seat, Victoria.
Civic Duty
Almost 25 years later and Honda now offers hybrid technology across every one of its models sold in Australia.
But it’s the Honda Civic e:HEV that is arguably the spiritual successor of the Insight, delivering fuel consumption as low as 2.0L/100km, but without having to compromise on anything – like performance or practicality.
The five-seat hatchback is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine combined with two electric motors and a lithium-ion battery, for total output of 135kW of power and 315Nm of torque – enough for it to claim a quicker 0-100km/h sprint time than the V6-powered Holden Commodore of 2001.
Interestingly, while the Civic e:HEV has the same fuel capacity as the first Insight – just 40 litres – the current model has an astounding (yet theoretical) maximum driving range of 2000km, thanks to advances in hybrid technology such as regenerative braking.
Hybrid technology is hardly impressive nowadays though, given many other auto brands now offer models with this type of powertrain under the bonnet, right? While that may be true, few can claim to have more than two decades of continuous research and development of hybrid technology like Honda can.
Yet it’s arguably the way the Civic seamlessly integrates its hybrid efficiency into its day-to-day operation that is the most impressive thing about this car. It takes off silently, it has extra power on tap, and the fuel level indicator seldom moves. It is almost entirely without compromise.
Whereas the original Insight had just two seats in an extremely small and lightweight package, the Civic e:HEV LX offers enough room for five adults, along with leather upholstery, keyless entry and start, auto wipers, LED headlights, heated front seats and steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof with electric blind, wireless phone charger, wireless Apple CarPlay, a 12-speaker Bose premium sound system, and 18-inch alloy wheels.
It’s a premium space, with an elegant three-quarter-length honeycomb-style air vent across the dashboard, soft-touch materials, and high-quality switchgear.
On the road, the latest Civic feels like a class or two above its traditional rivals, such as the Toyota Corolla and Hyundai i30. The steering is light without being numb, performance is obtainable without being ferocious, and handling is responsive without being darty.
It’s both easy and fun to drive, and delivers a high level of luxury to its occupants without the overcomplicated design and usability of some European brands.
The hybrid Honda Civic is also accessible, priced from just $49,900 drive-away.
While the first Honda Insight was priced at more than $49,000, that was a quarter of a century ago and in today’s money it would cost almost $102,000. But saying the new Civic hybrid is twice as good for half the price would be an understatement.
Amid the leaps and bounds in hybrid technology across the auto industry between then and now, it’s important to acknowledge those who were not only pioneers in this space, but who continue to innovate to bring us cars like the Honda Civic e:HEV.
There are a wide range of hybrid options now available in the market, and on paper many of them claim to offer similar fuel and emissions savings. But it’s the execution in day-to-day driving that separates them, as you’ll discover when you experience the new Civic. A little bit of Insight always goes a long way.
MORE: Everything Honda