Honda boosts Insight's fuel economy by lengthening start-stop ability

Honda has not yet given up in the entry-level hybrid fight. There's the new Jazz (Fit) hybrid, for one thing, but the older Insight hybrid isn't being left in the dust, either. Autocar reports that some of the lessons from the Jazz are being applied to the Insight – most importantly that the "stop" time of the Insight's stop-start cycle can now be up to 90 seconds long in Eco Mode. Because of "obscure patenting reasons" that made the system assume a worst-case humidity situation, the previous limit was just 30 seconds. This change can save a lot of gas in city driving. There are no new miles-per-gallon numbers to tout just yet, but it's a nice green upgrade nonetheless.

Honda has also apparently upgraded, "the recoil rate of the springs, a change of the rear camber angles and alterations to the V-shape rear suspension brace and adjusting mounts," for a better driving experience, Autocar writes. Wonder why Honda felt this was important?

[Source: Autocar]