[RcLab1]

So I used SPORT Mode all day yesterday. It's sooo much more fun then going ECO mode all the time. I paid close to $30K for my Touring....i don't want to drive like a grandpa everyday.

45 mpg (bad for a INSIGHT) is a lot better then 21 mpg on my 2019 Jeep WRANGLER 2-door, which I hated.


Live a little. SPORT Mode is sooo much fun!!!!!

 

[spiderpig]

I named my sports mode "super pursuit mode" from Knight Rider. I use it occasionally on really steep hills near where I live.

Haven't done it for a whole day.....but maybe I'll try sometime.

 

[Wasabi]

Lol, that's awesome. We need voice control..."engage sport mode". :grin:

 

[RcLab1]

Correction..i.got 45-46mpg with SPORT all day usage

 

[Mikem]

I used sport for an entire tank of gas and was pleasantly surprised to see I only lost ~2mpg overall. My observation is the engine runs all the time (it will pop into EV mode during extended periods of decel), but due to the battery maintaining a high state of charge the engine doesn't really have to rev high at all because the motors are doing a good bit of work.

 

[spiderpig]

Just curious what your overall MPG was for the tank? Do you record your fuel on fuelly by chance?

I used sport for an entire tank of gas and was pleasantly surprised to see I only lost ~2mpg overall. My observation is the engine runs all the time (it will pop into EV mode during extended periods of decel), but due to the battery maintaining a high state of charge the engine doesn't really have to rev high at all because the motors are doing a good bit of work.

 

[Mobilcams]

Just a fun fact about our cars compared to one of the cars that we all wanted to have when (most of us) were younger..

 

[Mobilcams]

Just a fun fact about our cars compared to one of the cars that we all wanted to have when (most of us) were younger..

The best part about this - with the torque we have, off the line we would have been quicker even with the tires not burning to a crisp..

 

[J. Bond]

Sports mode! OMW!

Just used it for the FIRST time!

Oh, my word!

VROOM!

I was dropping my wife (Moneypenny) off at a friend's house. Her friend lives way up a hilly street. As we were getting closer, I thought to myself, "Why not give Sports Mode a whirl?"

Well, it kicked in wonderfully and we zipped right by her friend's house!

Ended up pulling into someone's driveway several houses further and higher up the street. That was just as well as her friend's driveway has an incline and I'm often leery about those given the Honda Insight's lower front end. Of course, the only place I've run into a problem with that is exiting our local post office parking lot which a bit of a decline into the street. Bumped the street twice in the early days.

In any event, I was utterly staggered by how much juice, power, energy, speed, throttle, rocket power, and lift-off the Insight had in Sports Mode.

I'm going to have to pay my complements to Q. Hats off to the designer of the Bond Insight!

 

[spiderpig]

Yeah its quite a kick when you first use it. I use it on steep hills on the way home from work.

Just used it for the FIRST time!

Oh, my word!

VROOM!

I was dropping my wife (Moneypenny) off at a friend's house. Her friend lives way up a hilly street. As we were getting closer, I thought to myself, "Why not give Sports Mode a whirl?"

Well, it kicked in wonderfully and we zipped right by her friend's house!

Ended up pulling into someone's driveway several houses further and higher up the street. That was just as well as her friend's driveway has an incline and I'm often leery about those given the Honda Insight's lower front end. Of course, the only place I've run into a problem with that is exiting our local post office parking lot which a bit of a decline into the street. Bumped the street twice in the early days.

In any event, I was utterly staggered by how much juice, power, energy, speed, throttle, rocket power, and lift-off the Insight had in Sports Mode.

I'm going to have to pay my complements to Q. Hats off to the designer of the Bond Insight!

 

[Barn1960]

Angry Mode

I call Sport Mode, Angry Mode. Was just funny to me because it turned red!

 

[J. Bond]

I was impressed as well that it spelled out SPORTS MODE in red letters on the dash. Then, when I punched it off, it displayed Sport Off.

Good interface designer at Honda for that touch.

 

[insightfully]

I was impressed as well that it spelled out SPORTS MODE in red letters on the dash. Then, when I punched it off, it displayed Sport Off.

Less fun/exciting/colorful than Sport Mode... but a similar (boring/green?) message appears on screen when Econ Mode is activated.

 

[J. Bond]

Just discovered something. When you turn Sport Mode off, it doesn't go back to the Econ you were using but to Normal. Right?!

So, one has to turn OFF Sport Mode and then hit the Econ Mode button to return to that.

A question about that. Is the only difference between Econ Mode and Normal Mode that the Econ tailors the climate control system? My browsing the manual and guide PDFs mentioned only that under Econ Mode. I'll have to pull out the printed copies and learn more -- I'm old-fashioned that way.

 

[J. Bond]

Was just re-reading the thread about different modes and driving hills: https://www.gen3insight.com/forum/266-2019-honda-insight-range-mpge-economy/2982-driving-tips-hills-2.html

It seems there are throttle and battery use differences between modes -- beyond climate control adjustments.

 

[hasarad]

Just discovered something. When you turn Sport Mode off, it doesn't go back to the Econ you were using but to Normal. Right?!

So, one has to turn OFF Sport Mode and then hit the Econ Mode button to return to that.

A question about that. Is the only difference between Econ Mode and Normal Mode that the Econ tailors the climate control system? My browsing the manual and guide PDFs mentioned only that under Econ Mode. I'll have to pull out the printed copies and learn more -- I'm old-fashioned that way.

You can just hit the ECON button - that will disable sport and move you directly to ECON.

ECON/Normal mode differences are the change to the HVAC system, EV enable/disable battery points and throttle dampening. I'm sure there are more, but these are the most noticeable.

 

[spiderpig]

There a couple hills on my commute I use the sports mode for and I just press the Econ button to go back. Sometimes it complains and says it can't switch at that time, so I give it a second and switch when it's decelerating.

You can just hit the ECON button - that will disable sport and move you directly to ECON.

ECON/Normal mode differences are the change to the HVAC system, EV enable/disable battery points and throttle dampening. I'm sure there are more, but these are the most noticeable.

 

[insightfully]

ECON/Normal mode differences are the change to the HVAC system, EV enable/disable battery points and throttle dampening. I'm sure there are more, but these are the most noticeable.

Those are the main one Honda discloses. In ICE-only cars, the Econ button adjusts transmission response (changes shift points, prevents downshifting), but I don't think this applies to the Insight's eCVT.

There are 'engineering' pages for the Insight on the topic of the "3-mode system" (EV, Sport, Econ), but the content is laughably thin and 'non-engineering' (e.g. no mention of battery management - proprietary Honda algorithm?). @andrew28 also found/quoted a dealer page with info on Econ mode:

https://www.hondainfocenter.com/en/Insight-family/2019-Insight/Vehicle-Details/Engineering/3-Mode-Drive-System
https://automobiles.honda.com/insight/specs-feature-modals/3-mode-drive-system
https://www.gen3insight.com/forum/7712-post108.html​

ECON = optimize fuel efficiency and range
'Relaxes' climate control, accessory load, and drive-by-wire throttle operation/power to enhance fuel efficiency. Throttle response slows as vehicle speed increases (indirect curve), to reduce fuel consumption. Minimum energy is used to keep the cabin cool; once the cabin cools to target temperature, the air conditioning will shut off more frequently and run at lower fan speed; the climate control system will run with reduced performance/output with wider temperature fluctuations/range.

SPORT = sharpens response
Increases engine performance, making drive-by-wire throttle response more powerful and direct. Suitable for hills, curves, mountain roads rather than fuel economy. Uses the electric motor more aggressively for quicker acceleration and throttle response (plus piped-in engine sound).

EV = electric only operation
Travel short distances powered only by the battery and electric drive motor.

Normal mode operates between the Econ and Sport mode extremes.

 

[odigity]

Thanks for the explanation, insightfully. I was trying to understand how it works, because it's called a "3 Mode System", but I seem to spend most of my time in none of the three modes, which was confusing. Now I know it's actually a 4 mode system, with the 4th mode being Normal, with the default behavior being to automatically switch between EV and Normal as appropriate. Really wish the manual just opened with that.