It's Sublime Hypermiling Time

I yearn for this warm weather with the fervor of a teenaged dork longing for a Back To The Future Time Machine Lego kit. Not because it's warm, but because with it comes super sweet fuel economy. Hey, I'm not averse to burning up poisonous dinosaur juice, but I'd rather buy toys and candy than gasoline fuel.

The 1st generation Honda Insight is the most aerodynamic mass-produced vehicle to ever hit the streets. With a drag co-efficient of 0.25, it's very wind-resistant. And with a mere 1,800 lbs. to haul around, you can get better mileage than any motorcycle.

With warmer weather comes hypermiling possibilities, and it wasn't long before I was cranking out 99.1 U.S. mpg in the ol' Honda Insight. Convert that to the Imperial system, and it seems even more impressive at 119 mpg.

Hypermiling is the term given to drivers who squeeze out better mileage than the EPA standards suggest for a specific model of car. Typically, one can expect to achieve worse than the EPA numbers, as the cars are tested under the most ideal circumstances possible, and may or may not be covered in magical fairy dust. However, with an aluminum & magnesium car whose sole purpose is to get great mileage it is possible, with some hypermiling tricks, to achieve almost unbelievable mileage figures.

Hypermilers are stiff. I mean, we don't mind a bumpier ride. Filling the tires more than the car manufacturer suggests is the first easy step to saving money. We run 40 psi all around in our Insight. Others have gone as high as 50.

What's the rush? If you're tyring to hypermile, slow is the name of the game. I drive at the exact speed limit, carefully letting off the accelerator until I'm almost coasting. If there's no one behind me, I'll actually drive slower.

Hills help. Downhill sections of road are the easiest way to save fuel. Instead of keeping my foot on the gas and building up speed, I let off completely and let gravity take over. If there's an uphill section immediately following, I will build up speed on the downhill and use my momentum (Science!) to carry me up the next hill, accelerating only if necessary.

Over the past 3 years I've learned when the electric motor will offer its assistance. With a CVT automatic Insight, the electric motor rewards a quick pedal jab with hefty torque. Starting from a stoplight, a quick stomp of the pedal gets the electric motor spinning, and avoids using so much fuel. Slow starts use only the gas engine, so I do my best to slap the donkey's ass and initiate that electric motor.

Coast through life. Don't forget the virtues of coasting instead of braking. I watch traffic lights and plan ahead so I can coast as much as possible, which has two benefits. Brakes last longer and liquid pteradactyl consumption is much lower.

Finally, a controversial tip. Drafting. Get too close and the Police may view it as tailgating. But if done with extreme caution, you can carefully draft a transport trailer without getting too close, and increase your mileage considerably. I personally only follow when road conditions are excellent. I keep a safe and nag-free distance and ONLY follow trucks in the right-hand lane, giving me a shoulder to veer onto should sudden braking occur.

The results? Try it and see for yourself.

And Insight Makes Four

The newest addition to our vehicular family came after Suz and I had nibbled on the idea for a couple of months. Finally, we had enough with the nibbling and bit the bullet. We bought a fourth car, a 2006 Honda Insight.

Oozing with oddness, you may be aware that we enjoy doing things the hard way. By hard way I mean importing an Insight from the U.S. instead of buying one in Canada. Don't worry, I'll tell you why

You might remember that Suz and I test-drove a Canadian spec Insight a little while ago. It was a five-speed Insight, as all Canadian models are. After some practicing, Suz realized she would not be able to drive standard, so we were faced with only one other choice: Order an automatic Honda Insight from the United States.

We spoke with Honda dealerships in New York and Michigan, but since they border Ontario they were not permitted to sell us a car. But Ohio's naughty hand doesn't touch us, so three cheers for the Buckeye State!

Returning from DeLorean Car Show 2006, Suz and I made a pit-stop in Sandusky Ohio. Instead of Cedar Point's amazing roller coasters, we found our thrills at Victory Honda, in the form of an aluminum and magnesium car known as the Honda Insight.

We bought the car, and faxed all the paperwork to U.S. Customs, giving them the appropriate 72 hours notice before we brought the car over the border. The following week we drove back to Victory Honda, ate free hot dogs, switched the digital display to Km/h, and took our car into Canada.

With a number of differences, our Insight is most likely a one-of-a-kind car in Canada. We quite possibly have the only CVT Insight in Canada. The dash displays the position of the shifter instead of "shift up" and "shift down" arrows. Digital gauges show various things, such as how much blendered, liquified dinosaurs remain in the fuel tank. The CVT Insight comes equipped with two paddles on the steering wheel for normal driving and sporty driving. Clicking the 'S' paddle locks the continuously variable transmission into a higher rpm range for quicker consumption of rotted, liquid Stegasaurus.

As well, we were rather chipper to discover our Insight has a totally U.S. spec tan interior to boot! No dull, depressing black & grey Canadian fabric for us.

On our trip home, travelling 125 kph for about 6 hours, the Insight averaged 61 mpg (we're talking Canadian Imperial gallons, folks) while my Talon averaged 33 mpg, about half the mileage of the Insight. (However, there are not many 400 hp all-wheel-drive cars that can claim that kind of mileage.)

After five and a half hours on the highway and 30 minutes of "oh-man-we're-totally-lost" action in Detroit, we arrived home. My Talon with 3 litres of fuel left in the tank, and the Insight with half a tank, 20 litres.