Must have leather and navi:
1. Civic is about 100 lbs. heavier
2. The civic engine has more HP.

You've answered your own question then. Get a Civic.

You've answered your own question then. Get a Civic.
I worded it wrong. I was looking for inputs on the differences between the two, and why buy one and not the other.

I really don't like the look of the Insight. It'd be a Civic for me, no contest.

That personal opinion aside, I can't really provide any insight (heh) except that it IS a little bit unsettling to see the lines start to blur like this. It's important to keep models distinct from one another and I'm not sure where the Insight fits into Honda's lineup.

I'd say it's like deciding between a Prius and a Corolla. The Insight will get better gas millage while the Civic is sportier and (I can imagine) more fun to drive. That said, I'm not aware of a Corolla hybrid.

I'd say it's like deciding between a Prius and a Corolla. The Insight will get better gas millage while the Civic is sportier and (I can imagine) more fun to drive. That said, I'm not aware of a Corolla hybrid.[/QUOTE]

If o'm not mistaken, the civic hybrid gets the same or better mpg

2004 Civic Hybrid! 5MT win!

I'd say it's like deciding between a Prius and a Corolla. The Insight will get better gas millage while the Civic is sportier and (I can imagine) more fun to drive. That said, I'm not aware of a Corolla hybrid.

If o'm not mistaken, the civic hybrid gets the same or better mpg

Better than the Insight? In that case, I really don't see where the Insight fits into the Honda lineup at all, except as a show car for new technology (a necessary role I suppose).

The question I'd like answered is why you want any hybrid in the first place.

Do you want lower cost of ownership? It takes a loooonnnnngggggg time to recover the higher purchase price in fuel savings, even at $4/gallon, and the higher maintenance costs associated with a hybrid stretch breakeven out further.

Do you want to environmentally conscious? If so, keep in mind that hybrid batteries are energy gluttons. It takes the same amount of energy to make one Prius or 35 Explorers.

If you are after economy or green, buy a regular Civic and donate part of the money you saved to a land conservancy or scholarship fund.

---Do you want to environmentally conscious? If so, keep in mind that hybrid batteries are energy gluttons. It takes the same amount of energy to make one Prius or 35 Explorers.---

BS

---Do you want to environmentally conscious? If so, keep in mind that hybrid batteries are energy gluttons. It takes the same amount of energy to make one Prius or 35 Explorers.---

BS

OK, so the 35 figure may be high - it may be more like 5x. The costs of mining the nickel, transporting the ore, refining it, converting it into the battery, and transporting it a few more times imposes an enormous energy bill on the build of a hybrid. That doesn't include any second order effects such as environmental impact of nickel refining, e.g. There are lots of dubious statements and assumptions in the cited article (I doubt NASA would have tested anything in such a contaminated area - if it exists, and to assume a Hummer will last 300k vs 100k for a Prius is stacking the argument), but the basis of the article is that there is much more energy consumed up front to build a Prius than a convention IC powered vehicle, even a pig like the Hummer.

My point is that many hybrid buyers do not take these higher order impacts into account when they make their purchases.

Is it true the battery pack on a hybrid normally is replaced after a certain amount of use?



Do you want lower cost of ownership? It takes a loooonnnnngggggg time to recover the higher purchase price in fuel savings, even at $4/gallon, and the higher maintenance costs associated with a hybrid stretch breakeven out further.

I've read that too. Clean diesel engine? Is Honda planning to introduce this here in the US

This would lead me towards the Civic but pricing of the Insight has not been announced.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/reviews/healey/2009-01-15-2010-honda-insight_N.htm

they're both slow. get a diesel for fun:)

But between the two, I'd spring for a Civic EX;)

This would lead me towards the Civic but pricing of the Insight has not been announced.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/reviews/healey/2009-01-15-2010-honda-insight_N.htm

Very informative write up. Read about the Insight, then open the link (tested 9 jan) and read about the civic hybrid. I am more convinced now hybrid is not the way to go, regardless. If I were to choose between the Insight or Civic Hybrids, the civic is the way to go,

I think I'll wait a couple more years to trade in my wife's 06 Civic EX. Thanks RT.