As of April 22, 2009 (aka Earth Day,) Canada’s most affordable hybrid went on sale. No, it’s not the Honda Civic Hybrid or

Canada's lowest priced hybrid is upon us, and Honda's new Insight is a serious contender. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

even the Toyota Prius, it’s the Honda Insight! You know, that quirky looking two-door that had its back wheels covered for optimizing aerodynamics, making it look like some sort of oriental Citroen? But you probably won’t instantly recognize it anymore by above description because it has had an extreme makeover. Now it not only looks better, it gets even better fuel economy too.

To kick off the release of the Japanese auto manufacturer's greenest creation, the first ever registered 2010 Insight in Canada (named Insight Canada 1) will be traveling on a cross-country relay; being driven by various journalists and individuals to 1) introduce Canadians to the most affordable hybrid in the country and 2) to check the environmental pulse of people living in various areas. The relay started at “Mile 0” in Victoria, British Columbia and ends at “Mile 0” in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

I happened to be extremely privileged to find myself being half of the first pair of journalists to drive Insight Canada 1. Myself, along with Jeannie Owens-Wallace, a Victoria-based journalist, took our brand new green friend around beautiful downtown Victoria and up the Island to test out its fuel economy

Mile 0, and the Insight is ready to roll. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

and check out its cool gadgets. We also had the opportunity of visiting various locations where green thinking is foremost and where people of all ages are making a difference in their everyday lives to live cleaner and greener lives.

Stop One: A Meeting with the Mayor

It was a beautiful, bright and sunny Earth day morning. I couldn’t have asked for better weather especially since Jeannie and I were going to meet Hon. Dean Fortin, Mayor of Victoria. A supporter of sustainable living and building practices, as well as an avid cyclist, Hon. Fortin greeted Jeannie and I with a big smile and was most excited to meet the star of the show, Insight Canada 1 (IC1). It was here, at “Mile 0,” that the keys were handed over to us and we took IC1 out for a whirlwind adventure across the city and up Vancouver Island. I couldn’t think of a better send off, or better companions to spend my day with.

Me, Jeannie, Mayor Fortin and the Insight, the green gang. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

Jeannie and me, along with IC1, hit things off right away so it would be almost impossible to have a bad day!

Stop Two: The Environment in Every Thought

After leaving “Mile 0” our adventure was in motion, literally. We started the oh-so-quiet engine of the Insight and almost immediately arrived at our first traffic light, where the Auto Stop function kicked in. This is one of a few mechanisms the Insight has to reduce emissions and to save fuel. When the car comes to a complete stop, the engine will shut off, leaving only the electric motor in charge. Get it? In charge?! Ok, it wasn’t that funny, but I had to throw it in there just for kicks. Like other hybrids, you can barely tell the car is turned on because it doesn’t make a sound in the Auto Stop mode. Only when I lifted the brake off and started to accelerate did I feel the transition between the motor and engine. It’s not a seamless transition, but for a lot of people it will go unnoticed.

Our

Going green can be very tasty. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

first stop was located in Dockside Green, one of Canada’s greenest housing projects. Here, an additional emphasis has been placed on the 3 Rs; reduce, reuse, recycle when building the hip and modern condos and town homes. In Dockside Green, you’ll find a great bakery called Fol Epi (101-398 Harbour Rd.) Here, Cliff Leir, artisan baker and green entrepreneur bakes some of the best bread around using Red Fife wheat, which is organically grown in Canada. While talking with Cliff, it’s very clear to me that he has the environment in every thought. Whether it was picking a location for his bakery, the products that he uses in his treats, right down to what kind of organic cleaning products he uses to make sure everything is spotless, his concern for Mother Nature is not just a thought, but a reality.

I liken this attitude to Honda, as well. Their concern for the environment is apparent in their vehicle lineup. From the Insight to the Ridgeline, Honda uses aerodynamic designs and lightweight yet extremely strong materials to help reduce fuel consumption and increase aerodynamics.

Stop Three: Kids Making a Difference

My

Bench Elementary, as green as schools get. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

adventure took me up the Island to Bench Elementary school located in Cowichan Bay, therefore, I had a chance to see how efficient the Insight is on the highway. It did quite well. One of the cool gadgets the Insight includes is a 3D screen within the speedometer that changes colour in reflection of how efficiently the driver is, well, driving. The colours alternate between green, which means efficient driving, or blue, for less efficient driving. Or, in my colloquial terms, green is good, blue is bad! There is also a plant leaf graphic used to log the driver’s fuel economy and driving habits, from one leaf to five. Over the course of the Insight's life, it will give you an overall leaf rating of how you’ve been driving. It can also be reset to track daily driving, too.

When accelerating, the digital speedometers’ display backlighting was mainly blue, which meant that I wasn’t operating the vehicle in less favourable driving conditions. But at a cruising speed, it was green. Thank goodness! As for passing power on the highway, the Insight doesn’t have that much. I could feel the car giving me all that it had when accelerating and it took a little while to get it going, but then again, it only has a combined Gasoline-Electric output rating of 110-horsepower and 123 lb-ft of torque, so it’s definitely no S2000!

Powering

The Bench Elementary "Make a Difference" club. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

the Insight is its 1.3-litre, 4-cylinder i-VTEC gasoline engine with a 10-kilowatt electric motor. The electric motor is located inline between the engine and the continuously variable transmission (CVT), which forms what Honda calls its “Integrated Motor Assist (IMA)” hybrid system. Of the three types of hybrid cars out there, Honda’s IMA system is what is called a Parallel hybrid. This means that the electric motor boosts power during acceleration and in some cruising modes, plus recaptures energy from the Insight's forward momentum during braking.

Upon arrival at Bench Elementary, a group of phenomenal grade 2-5 students are part of the “Make A Difference” club. These kids are truly amazing. Through their efforts they have raised awareness and asked municipal officials to save and preserve Somenos Marsh, a local marsh that is ecologically dense with plants and wildlife. They have also fundraised and donated generously to the homeless in their community along with people living in poverty in Myanmar.

Another

A fully featured interior, the Insight is comfortable, quiet and filled with gadgets. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

item on the list of environmental concerns is banning the use of plastic bottles and bags in their community. To help solve the problem, the students decorate reusable cloth bags and sell them for $5. The cloth bags are very cool and very handy, which is why I decided to add a couple to my personal collection! Plus the artwork on them is très chic. The profits from the sales then go back into their various environmental and humanitarian causes. It’s amazing to see how a small group of students from a small town are making a big difference in the world. I found it very inspirational.

Stop Four: Red Fish Blue Fish

The drive back down the Island was bittersweet. I had a great time visiting all the various locations and meeting some fantastic people, but the journey was shortly coming to an end. But before that, I did a little city driving just to test out the “Ecological Drive Assist System” or Eco Assist. This driver-selected fuel efficiency mode is activated by pressing the ECON button on the dash. In turn,

Press "ECON" to maximize your mileage. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

various vehicle systems affecting fuel economy can be controlled for maximum effect - throttle control, CVT operation, idle stop duration, air-conditioning and cruise control. It’s a great feature for increased fuel economy, especially in stop-and-go traffic or situations or long-distance highway driving.

The end of the journey was at Red Fish Blue Fish located right in the heart of downtown Victoria at 1006 Wharf Street. This is possibly one of the best fish ‘n chips stands I’ve been to. What makes it even more unique is that they have an Earth friendly reuse and recycle system and are striving to be a zero-waste business. All the utensils and plates are recyclable and they also use 100-percent Ocean Wise seafood. Even the building is made out of a recycled marine container and has a garden growing on top of it. Did I mention the food is amazing?!

Green Thinking For Everyone

At the end of the day, I realized a few things about going green. One, it doesn’t have to be expensive. I mean, look at the Insight. This five-door hatchback has an estimated fuel consumption rating of 4.8 / 4.5 L/100 km city/highway, which definitely saves money at the pump. It also has features like Eco Assist to help you save even more green. Critically important to those

The Insight lives up to its name: opening eyes to the importance of living and driving green (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

that want to go green, it is Canada’s most affordable hybrid with an MSRP of $23,900 (the Civic hybrid starts at an MSRP of $27,350), and it is great fun to drive. Two, people of all ages can do it. From the grade 2-5 kids at Bench Elementary to Cliff Leir, to the Mayor Dean Fortin, it is something anyone of any age can contribute to. Three, it tastes good! The Red Fife breads at the Fol Epi bakery are tasty-licious and the halibut ‘n chips at Red Fish Blue Fish are divine. Four, practicing sustainable living is easier than you think. Instead of getting plastic bags at the grocery store, bring your own (or buy the really cool bags from the Bench Elementary school students!). If you don't live near Bench Elementary or have forgotten your regular shopping bag, instead of accumulating more plastic bags see if the store you're in offers paper. Bring a water bottle or coffee mug with you instead of getting one from your favourite watering hole. Five, just live it. Being green is more than an attitude, it is a way of life and it doesn’t have to be a chore. And while living it, there are places like Dockside Green to house your enthusiasm or hotels like the Inn at Laurel Point that have biodegradable room keys, and pens made out of recycled materials among other sustainable business practices. Plus it is a beautiful hotel! See, it’s not that hard.

Touring around in the 2010 Honda Insight really opened my eyes to the importance of living and driving green. Not only do we save green at the pump, we’re saving the green all around us. That’s enough motivation for me.

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(J003) Standard Metallic Paint