Honda Insight

It's hot in here. The A/C is off, and I've got the windows sealed tight to maximize my aerodynamic efficiency. I don't think the radio reduces the output of my Honda Insight's IMA system, but I have it off just in case. All I can hear is the quiet hum of the tires as I try to keep my speedo green and the gas engine from firing up.

Beads of sweat begin to develop on my brow. I'm in Arizona, at the launch of the all-new Honda Insight, running a special fuel-economy road loop, but feel like this could be Australia, circa 1987. That was the year GM's Sunraycer won the inaugural World Solar Challenge.Okay, it's not quite Darwin-to-Adelaide hot, and we're certainly not running on solar power, but things are definitely heating up. Especially behind me. What appear to be local representatives of the Arizona Monster Truck association are stacking up and flashing their lights. But I'm holding firm-if sweaty -- determined to keep my Insight's leaves growing and the speedo glowing green. Too bad these first few miles have many stops, turns, and long, gradual hills-just the kind of the topology hybrids hate.Right around mile 10 of this 16-mile loop, we peak and the climbing stops. So do the nasty looks and one-finger salutes. We can now run with traffic instead of holding it up. I breathe easy, shift into neutral, and coast most of the way, hitting speeds upward of 40-45 mph and stopping (okay, rolling) only for the two stop signs.I pull in, soaked and elated: My instantaneous average looks to be 63.7 mpg through this mostly city course. That's over 20 mpg higher than the 43 mpg those ninnies at the EPA got on the highway.Comparing notes with the other journalists, I'm deflated upon finding I'm below our group average of 65 mpg. One guy hit 68.2, while "hypermiling" expert Wayne Gerdes of cleanmpg.com hit 69.4-without even trying.
What gives? Honda's powertrain engineer, Takemoto-san tells me shifting into neutral is not the way to go since it keeps the engine running. "On the downhill, tip in the throttle just enough to activate the battery, but keep the valves shut on the engine," he advises. Well, duh.Gerdes, fresh off setting the 48-state mileage record (68.5 mpg in a Honda Civic Hybrid), concurs and gives me more advice. But it's like taking racing tips from Schumacher. "Pulse and glide on the climbs. Never use cruise control. 'Fast' [force an engine stop] on the downhills," he says. "And be sure to let the 'rabbits' [faster moving traffic] trigger the stoplights ahead." His hypermiling jargon sets my head is spinning, so I try clearing it with another run in the Insight-this time driving like an MT editor.