[andrew28]

I think these guys did a good job showing off how the Insight does on steep mountains. Have your speakers turned up and you can hear the droning.


Edit: I also want to add that the mics could be picking up more noise than one would hear while driving in the cabin. I notice this with my dashcam where it would pick up more road noise than I would hear while driving(It could be the active noise control system at work).

 

[insightfully]

They only briefly (if that?) mention that the HV battery is low, causing the 'engine drone' during the extended climb. The battery drains to 2-3 bars, so the gas engine is running to both recharge the battery and drive the wheels. I like that they also try different modes during the drive; Sport mode ends up sounding like a lawnmower...

 

[andrew28]

I wonder if playing music loud enough will drown out the droning sound. I mostly drive on flat roads so the Insight has been the quietest car I have owned so far with no rattles. :smile_big: If my commute was at high elevations with steep mountains I would go full electric or a gas car. A hybrid has to juggle powering the battery and climbing that mountain which is not ideal.

Small hills that don't fully drain the battery before you get to the top are fine. I actually did better MPG wise last weekend on farm roads with multiple small hills than in the city.

 

[insightfully]

I wonder if playing music loud enough will drown out the droning sound. I mostly drive on flat roads so the Insight has been the quietest car I have owned so far with no rattles. :smile_big:

Ha, yes - @MidAtlanticWhiteOrchird was the first to suggest this "tip" as a workaround for unruly engine noise on hills. https://www.gen3insight.com/forum/2396-post6.html

 

[singajane]

For a newbie and non-engineer, I like the explanation of the engine/battery combination in the first 8 minutes of so of the review. Helpful!

 

[spiderpig]

So looks like they drove the touring version which has a little lower MPG rating...but overall a good review.