The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

J- The BannerThe Era WHEELS Thursday Jan 14 W3 Insight design both attractive and futuristic From page It also acts as a generator recap turing energy from the vehicle for ward momentum during regenera tive braking and works as the starter motor automatically reawakening the gasoline engine from its idle- stop mode when you lift your foot off the brake pedal The Insights IMA system can operate exclusively on electric power in certain low- to midspeed cruising conditions but frankly compared to whats coming down the pipeline in the next few years its electriconly application is quite limited The 10kiiowart electric motor is meant to be more of an assist than a standalone power source and it 13 and 58 lb ft of punch to the powertrain mix for a combined power rating of98hpand torque Those numbers are not that faroffthe larger Honda Civic Hybrids power rating and the Insights latest generation IMA powertrain harness es 30 percent more power from a sys tem weighing almost percent less at the same time The insight also comes close to Civic Hybrid num bers in fuel efficiency with a Trans port Canada rating of km city and 100 km highway Those labderived ratings rarely relate to the real world but I found that 1 could stay close to in combined and very disciplined driv ing coasting to the tights easing up on the acceleration or driving like Grandma according to my personal critics All this fuel fussy technology is not wrapped up in fuddyduddy style The Insight is dramatically smooth and sleek Honda credits the blend ed influences of the original 2000 Insight and the futuristic hydrogen- powered FCX Clarity for the new Insights aerodynamic profile Critics are more likely to cite the Prius as inspiration for what they consider a copycat version But really when it comes to designing an aerodynamic hatchback with enough of a peaked to allow sedan seating for five there Isnt a lot of styling lee way to build anything that wont look somewhat like a My entrylevel Insight test vehicle came dipped in a suitably electric blue shade listed as Clear Sky Blue Metallic Slip inside and the Insight cabin is comfortable for driv er and passenger The sloping roof is a challenge for taller rear passen gers but the configurable rear seating and cargo area benefits from 6040 split folddown seats Cargo volume expands from litres to litres with the rear seat folded down The base comes with a good list of standard features that include keyless remote entry a continuous ly variable automatic transmission CVT automatic climate control tilt and telescopic steering column cruise control manual drivers seat height adjustment power windows a fourspeaker 160- wan CDMP3 audio system Pan of the drivers instrumenta tion includes an Ecological Drive Assist System Eco Assist sort of a coaching system to encourage eco nomical driving The speedometer background colour shifts from blue to green depending on how efficient ly or inefficiently you are accelerating or braking You can actually rum this feature off but I took it as a challenge and learning tool The drivers results are continuously tracked with fuel economy ratings shown per drive cycle and on a lifetime basis with plant leaf graphics that appear in the K Honda labels it the hybrid for everyone the Honda Insight a fivedoor fiveseater hatchback built to be a more affordable entry to the hybrid market Mult i- Information Display MID Up to five leaves can be earned as the driver demonstrates a fueleffi cient driving style A realtime score is also shown in the Eco Guide MID screen To give yourself an edge you can push a dashmounted ECON but ton that enhances the efficiency of multiple vehicle systems including throttle control CVT operation idle- stop duration air conditioning and cruisecontrol operation This impressive bundle of interac tive technologies can be boosted by a move up to the Insight EX trim level with an MSRP of adding Hondas Satellite- Linked Navigation System with Bilingual Voice Recogni tion Vehicle Stability Assist Bluetooth alloy wheels steering wheelmounted paddle shifters an upgraded audio system with six speakers USB audio interface a centre console with arm rest and storage compartment heat ed side mirrors with integrated turn signals and a few other upgrades The 2010 Honda Insight has slipped into a lineup slot some where between the original but too weird twoseater Insight with its still recordholding 3339L city rating and the bigger more expensive Civic Hybrid Yes to really save money you would be wiser to settle for the Honda Fit starting at 1 4480 or even the regular Civic starting at 15990 and just absorb the slight increase in fuel cost that based on a 100 km dairy commute would only run you an extra dollar or two per day on average But hybrids are not really about saving money They make a state ment reflecting a drivers personal commitment to making a difference in fuel efficiency and exhaust emis sions And the 2010 Honda Insight makes that statement more afford- ably than any other hybrid on the road 2010 HONDA INSIGHT LX AT A GLANCE Fuel Economy Price Compact hybrid hatchback IMA front engineelectric motor combination 1 3litre four cyUndeWlOkw electric motor 98 hp 484547L100km dtymvycomb 23900 Hondaxa HYUnDRI A Great Choke LEASE FROM MONTH PUUSGSTPST MONTH TERM Freight and Air Tax included ACCENT SANTA FEGL 2010 SONATA GL IXM3C rsum IMX nun UHC 7oO MOO S am lm I n ntrwIArnnuM am ma MONTH MONTH TERM ELANTRA LIMITED Leather Sunroof Auto Air DEMO DRIVEAWAY PAYMENTS FINANCE FROM DEMO FUTURE VALUE PRICING 8 SMART TUCSON GL Auto FWD DEMO DRIVEAWAY PAYMENTS FINANCE FROM FUTURE VALUE PRICING UP TO IN ADDITIONAL SAVINGS WHEN YOU TURN YOUR YEAR OR ODER VEHICIE SERVICE PARTS OPEN 6 DAYS A WEEK 730AM6PM SAL 8AMNOON EXTENDED SERVICE HOURS WEDNESDAY 730AM9PM AURORA HYUnDRI 305 Wellington St East Aurora 841 8190 N s