[Desflurane4u]

Just got my new Insight. Got rid of a 2010 Toyota Prius. So.... my owners manual really is silent on the issue so I will defer to the experts out there in the forum. With the Prius there is an indicator, gauge, that shows how efficient you are driving. So with the charging indicator, there is a narrow green strip that grows into a wider green strip. To get maximum regen braking/charging am I to attempt to keep the indicator in the thin green area of the indicator. Does doing this keep the car from totally using the conventional brakes. Also with the throttle area, there is a similar blue bar area and then a power area that indicates how aggressive you are with the throttle input. If I keep the throttle on the first half of the blue area, am I using electric only? Please keep in mind I am using eco and ev modes all the time. So far I have 60 miles on car and the car shows 58.7 mpg. About 80% town and 20% highway. I do have mine set up on the center console to show when motor/battery is being used. Love the car and glad to be done with the Prius. Will say I put $0 into the Prius and had 172,000 miles. Hope the Honda is the same. My only dig is that there is no spare tire and that they didn’t even provide a can of fix a flat.

 

[andrew28]

Just got my new Insight. Got rid of a 2010 Toyota Prius. So.... my owners manual really is silent on the issue so I will defer to the experts out there in the forum. With the Prius there is an indicator, gauge, that shows how efficient you are driving. So with the charging indicator, there is a narrow green strip that grows into a wider green strip. To get maximum regen braking/charging am I to attempt to keep the indicator in the thin green area of the indicator. Does doing this keep the car from totally using the conventional brakes. Also with the throttle area, there is a similar blue bar area and then a power area that indicates how aggressive you are with the throttle input. If I keep the throttle on the first half of the blue area, am I using electric only? Please keep in mind I am using eco and ev modes all the time. So far I have 60 miles on car and the car shows 58.7 mpg. About 80% town and 20% highway. I do have mine set up on the center console to show when motor/battery is being used. Love the car and glad to be done with the Prius. Will say I put $0 into the Prius and had 172,000 miles. Hope the Honda is the same. My only dig is that there is no spare tire and that they didn’t even provide a can of fix a flat.

• The manual that comes with the car is not the actual owners manual. You have to request a physical copy on the Honda owner's site or view the pdf version there.
• The car is regenerative braking when you have the foot off the gas pedal, using the minus paddle, or using the brake pedal under normal conditions. Conventional brakes kick in when the car slows down to under 5mph with your foot still on the brake pedal or when the car detects that you're using more force than normal on the brake pedal.
• You can tell when you're using electric only by looking for the green EV symbol popping up and no noise coming from the engine.
• Keeping your throttle within the blue/yellow area indicated in my attached pic, is the most fuel efficient way to drive, and it does increase the chance of being in EV mode(depending on your current charge level, terrain, and hvac settings). I will let others chime in on how to get better fuel efficiency since I'm only averaging 42mpg.
• The sealant is inside the tire repair kit that comes with the car according to the video below. Other members here bought a civic spare tire kit instead.

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your Insight! :smile:

 

[PHILBERT]

Welcome to the fold, Desflurane4u.

Andrew set you in the right direction. I have been doing controlled mileage testing at various speeds, and even some recent "out of control" high speed testing...just to see what the car was capable of...and how bad the mileage would be. I posted this on another thread.

What I found out is that battery charging is highest in Sport Mode, only medium charge in Normal Mode, and really kind of low charge in Econ Mode. I tried Econ Mode almost exclusively when I first got my baby, Pearl. I was only getting up to 42 MPG under no-stress local driving. I began to think, "This is it? That's all I'm going to get?". Once I understood the battery charge situation, I could "bank" battery power in Sport Mode for areas where I could run EV (electric motor only) Mode for quite a distance. Econ Mode will allow you to fully drain (minimum is 20%, or 2 bars) the battery, but the other modes don't let you go that low. So I will toggle between Sport and Econ with EV to hypermile my best mileage. Now I'm in the high 50's when I work at it. Using the maximum regen setting (three arrows down) In Sport Mode by pressing on the left paddle a couple of times allows great energy recovery when you take your foot off the throttle. Sport Mode is the only mode this regen setting stays set on without automatically going back to minimum regen (I wish the setting would stick in any mode). Using ACC will also make it go back to minimum regen in every mode. Also, never pushing the throttle into the gray zone (if you can do it without holding up traffic flow) will keep you in EV Mode or charge the battery fastest. Going into "the gray" will trigger the combustion engine to come on. I also found you can charge the battery in non-EV mode faster if you stay about midway in the blue zone. And the usual "looking far ahead" and start tapping the left regen paddle before you even get close to foot breaking will recover as much power as you can get back.

All this is fun, and gets to be second nature, but may be too much work for some people. For great mileage without too much fuss, Normal Mode does most of it automatically to keep you in the mid 50's, even using ACC. But looking ahead and using the regen paddles as soon as you know you're coming to a stop (or significant slowdown) will add to the mileage count. Mind you, this is winter, so anything in the 50's is good. I hear that will be more like in the 70's when the outside temperature gets into the 60's and 70's. I've already hit 60 on a 26 mile run back from my favorite gas station. Normal Mode seems to be the best for most conditions, but Sport Mode is better in hilly conditions...and helps the gas engine not to run so hard up hills. Plus Sport Mode is just so fun. At 65 MPH you lose about 1 MPG when you go from Normal to Sport. I believe this is because Sport Mode doesn't switch into EV Mode as much, and basically tries to keep battery power for torque demand.

And that brings up a very important point about gas quality. It really matters. I was getting a discount on Shell Gas from my grocery store purchases, and normally I like Shell gas, but was not getting into the 50's. Then I hit the BP station down into the next county and immediately witnessed the mileage shoot up into the 50's. Tried a closer BP station over in the next town and went back into the 40's. Something about this one BP station works...and luckily gas is cheaper there, but not as cheap as the discounted Shell gas. YMMV

Enjoy the new car. You made a wise choice. Dump that Prius!

Phil

 

[insightfully]

And that brings up a very important point about gas quality. It really matters. I was getting a discount on Shell Gas from my grocery store purchases, and normally I like Shell gas, but was not getting into the 50's. Then I hit the BP station down into the next county and immediately witnessed the mileage shoot up into the 50's. Tried a closer BP station over in the next town and went back into the 40's. Something about this one BP station works...and luckily gas is cheaper there, but not as cheap as the discounted Shell gas. YMMV

On this note... it's unlikely that the actual gas blend varies within a single brand. Pump and temperature variation can cause the variation in fill-up within a brand. This thread offers some thoughts on fill-up variability (e.g. fill speed, pump sensitivity, temperature) and mpg differences that can result.

 

[insightfully]

Hmm... many sub-questions/sub-points within the single question. I'll try to add a few points that andrew28 hasn't already touched on:

Q1 - So.... my owners manual really is silent on the issue so I will defer to the experts out there in the forum.
If desired, a hard copy of the Owners Manual can be ordered from Helm for free by the first owner, within the first 6 months of purchase. As andrew28 mentioned, it offers more detail than the Owners Guide that comes with the car at delivery. A PDF version of the Owners Manual can also be downloaded. The PDF version is handy because it can be searched offline.

Q2 - With the Prius there is an indicator, gauge, that shows how efficient you are driving.
While not directly comparable to Prius indicators, this thread offers some info on how to find/replicate some of the measures on the Insight.

Q3 - So with the charging indicator, there is a narrow green strip that grows into a wider green strip.
Maybe we're thinking of different indicators, but I think the width of the color strips is equal throughout. The position of the "pointer" indicates how much charging or use is occurring.

Q4 - To get maximum regen braking/charging am I to attempt to keep the indicator in the thin green area of the indicator. Does doing this keep the car from totally using the conventional brakes.
The conventional brakes aren't applied until the foot pedal is depressed AND the car is slowing to <5-10 mph. Any regen or charging before that point (including regen that occurs when you first put your foot on the brake pedal, before the 5-10 mph slowdown range) is done by engine/electric controls. The shift between electrical regen to friction brakes is unnoticeable, which is a compliment to Honda. Regen happens while going down hills, increasing the level/use of the "left" regen paddle, and by initial "dragging" of the foot brake.

Q5 - Also with the throttle area, there is a similar blue bar area and then a power area that indicates how aggressive you are with the throttle input. If I keep the throttle on the first half of the blue area, am I using electric only?
When in the blue area of the "power/charge" circular indicator on the drivers interface, you're using a combination of electric and/or gas, as determined by the system need. The colors correspond to what you see on the Power Flow diagram. Anything in blue/green includes use of the electric motor. Once in the "gray area" the car is being driven by the gas engine.

Q6 - Please keep in mind I am using eco and ev modes all the time.
I use ECO mode exclusively, and toggle to Sport mode only for extreme hills or freeway on-ramp acceleration.

Q7 - My only dig is that there is no spare tire and that they didn’t even provide a can of fix a flat.
Attached is a mini-diagram of the compressor included in the trunk. There's a dial where "air only" or "repair/sealant" can be selected, depending on desired use.

 

[Desflurane4u]

Thanks so much for the replies I have received. I was able to download and order a manual for free from Honda. Apparently the car will not use the conventional hydraulic brakes during normal braking until your speed is less than 5 or 10 mph. I now have 90 miles on the car and the brake rotors still have the cross hatching on them from when they were machined at the factory, so I must be driving it efficiently. I just drove 15.8 miles in 50/50 city/highway driving and got 66.7 mpg per the computer. Mainly using the eco/ev mode. I did use sport for a bit but it was too powerful. Ha ha just kidding, but it definitely livens the car up. I love this car. Light years ahead of the 2010 Prius I had.

 

[Vanessa]

Could someone please give me more information on how to order a hard copy of the owner's manual for free? I went to the Helm website but was not able to find a way to order the manual without paying $50. I apologize if I am missing something obvious.

 

[Mr. Natural]

Could someone please give me more information on how to order a hard copy of the owner's manual for free? I went to the Helm website but was not able to find a way to order the manual without paying $50. I apologize if I am missing something obvious.

https://owners.honda.com/manualrequest/2019/Insight

 

[Magikhat]

Okay I just drove like a crazy person. Please tell me if I’m doing this right.
When going downhill turn on sport mode with max arrows down to charge. Going up the next hill turn ECon mode on and use EV until it depletes the battery since someone said Econ mode will let the battery drain to 20% and the sport mode won’t go that low.

If I am going downhill sometimes EV comes on but should I use EV if I want to charge the battery more? If I turn EV mode off going down a steep hill does it use no gas if EV is off?
Confused
Then someone said sport mode charges the battery quicker but won’t charge as high a % as Econ mode. So should I charge downhill in sport mode for half the hill and Econ mode the 2nd half of the downhill

Also noted I got 59mpg driving home from daycare all back roads . Drove the last mile in all EV it was awesome

 

[Magikhat]

Everyone says there is an "econ, sport and normal mode"

The only buttons I have are eco and sport.. where is this "normal" mode???

 

[Mr. Natural]

Everyone says there is an "econ, sport and normal mode"

The only buttons I have are eco and sport.. where is this "normal" mode???

You are in normal when you turn Econ off by pushing the Econ button.

 

[Magikhat]

Still waiting for feedback

Anyone have any answers for my questions here?

Okay I just drove like a crazy person. Please tell me if I’m doing this right.
When going downhill turn on sport mode with max arrows down to charge. Going up the next hill turn ECon mode on and use EV until it depletes the battery since someone said Econ mode will let the battery drain to 20% and the sport mode won’t go that low.

If I am going downhill sometimes EV comes on but should I use EV if I want to charge the battery more? If I turn EV mode off going down a steep hill does it use no gas if EV is off?
Confused
Then someone said sport mode charges the battery quicker but won’t charge as high a % as Econ mode. So should I charge downhill in sport mode for half the hill and Econ mode the 2nd half of the downhill

 

[Mr. Natural]

Anyone have any answers for my questions here?

Okay I just drove like a crazy person. Please tell me if I’m doing this right.
When going downhill turn on sport mode with max arrows down to charge. Going up the next hill turn ECon mode on and use EV until it depletes the battery since someone said Econ mode will let the battery drain to 20% and the sport mode won’t go that low.

If I am going downhill sometimes EV comes on but should I use EV if I want to charge the battery more? If I turn EV mode off going down a steep hill does it use no gas if EV is off?
Confused
Then someone said sport mode charges the battery quicker but won’t charge as high a % as Econ mode. So should I charge downhill in sport mode for half the hill and Econ mode the 2nd half of the downhill

Personally, I rarely use Sport mode and just let the car decide when to use EV. Other than using the Regen paddles all the time, I’d rather just kick back and enjoy the ride.

 

[insightfully]

Okay I just drove like a crazy person. Please tell me if I’m doing this right.
When going downhill turn on sport mode with max arrows down to charge. Going up the next hill turn ECon mode on and use EV until it depletes the battery since someone said Econ mode will let the battery drain to 20% and the sport mode won’t go that low.

If I am going downhill sometimes EV comes on but should I use EV if I want to charge the battery more? If I turn EV mode off going down a steep hill does it use no gas if EV is off?
Confused
Then someone said sport mode charges the battery quicker but won’t charge as high a % as Econ mode. So should I charge downhill in sport mode for half the hill and Econ mode the 2nd half of the downhill

Also noted I got 59mpg driving home from daycare all back roads . Drove the last mile in all EV it was awesome

I saw your post earlier, but it's hard to comment because there isn't a single "RIGHT" way to drive the Insight. It depends on what you want (fun? mpg? straight-forward driving? multi-mode management?)

Like Mr. Natural, 95% of the time, I prefer to select a single mode (Econ) and let the car manage the rest. I've been VERY happy with the mpg results and driving experience, without having to over-manage button selections. Personally, I toggle to Sport mode only when climbing hills or accelerating onto freeway.

Normal mode is where NEITHER Econ (green leaf) nor Sport mode ("sport" text) are on nor displayed above the temperature/mileage indicator on the driver's display. You get to that mode by pressing the button to turn off whichever of the two modes you may have previously selected. If you see neither a green leaf nor "sport" text, you're in Normal mode.

There are pros/cons to the different modes, and this thread on "Real World Testing Results" may give you a feel for results in the different modes. You'll notice, however, that the drives are done entirely one mode rather than toggling between modes. @hasarad previously described toggling between modes for mpg; but more recently has been solely using Econ mode to get to his astounding (70+ mpg) runs.

 

[andrew28]

My preferences below.

1. Normal mode for speeds above 50mph
2. Econ mode for speeds under 50mph
3. Sport mode for fun or to get away from tailgaters

I just let the car manage ev mode and focus on driving.

 

[Magikhat]

I’m not looking to drive in one mode and stay there. I’m looking to drive this for max mpg at all times . I want to change the modes frequently to achieve this. I find I have to force ev on with the button a lot , the car doesn’t always know the best time to go into pure ev mode. I frequently switch between the sport , Econ and normal . But it’s still not clear which one to use in which situation

 

[hasarad]

I’m not looking to drive in one mode and stay there. I’m looking to drive this for max mpg at all times . I want to change the modes frequently to achieve this. I find I have to force ev on with the button a lot , the car doesn’t always know the best time to go into pure ev mode. I frequently switch between the sport , Econ and normal . But it’s still not clear which one to use in which situation

I only use the EV button when I'm down to four bars and just need a little more to get over the cliff. This is normally on my street going up a little hill to my driveway when I know the engine is going to kick in, but I'm almost there. Other than that, never - I'm always in ECON. I haven't used sport mode in weeks. Just keep the power in the blue area of the gauge as much as possible, and you'll do well.

 

[J. Bond]

Had to chuckle over that Honda Insight video posted earlier in the thread.

At 0:44, it explains that you should turn the car off and set the parking brake. Good advice, but it shows setting the parking brake by pulling back on a standard parking brake lever! 😎

Pretty funny!

Was wondering something, though. Can one use that “compressor” or whatever it is, with its gauge, to check the air pressure on the tires and fill them up? I presume so, but have never used something like that. It certainly would make it convenient to check the pressure at home and fill the tires to specs without driving somewhere. Or, am I completely offbase about that?!

Yes, next thing I’ll do is check the manual, but you all have good insights (no pun intended) and clearer explanations than the manual sometimes does. (I'm ready to start compiling a list of the errors, typos, and even incomplete sentences that appear in the manual. Honda should hire me as its editor!😎)

 

[insightfully]

Was wondering something, though. Can one use that “compressor” or whatever it is, with its gauge, to check the air pressure on the tires and fill them up? I presume so, but have never used something like that. It certainly would make it convenient to check the pressure at home and fill the tires to specs without driving somewhere. Or, am I completely offbase about that?!

The tire repair/compressor kit that comes with the Insight has a pressure gauge on it, so could be used to check air pressure before fill-up. If I'm near an electrical outlet, I prefer to use a standard compressor for this type of check, rather than using the car's repair kit and 12V battery.

 

[Moviemike]

I’m not looking to drive in one mode and stay there. I’m looking to drive this for max mpg at all times . I want to change the modes frequently to achieve this. I find I have to force ev on with the button a lot , the car doesn’t always know the best time to go into pure ev mode. I frequently switch between the sport , Econ and normal . But it’s still not clear which one to use in which situation

You might like my series of bullet points in the adjoining thread "What I Have Learned"