Winds of change
HATE SO OFTEN has its roots in fear, which must be why so many supposed car enthusiasts dislike today’s hybrid vehicles. To the self-proclaimed petrolhead, they are the electric horsemen of the apocalypse; the advance guard of an army that will sweep away all the V8-powered goodness that we have known and loved for more than a century. How else can you explain the vitriol that keyboard warriors heap upon the original Honda Insight, the brilliantly innovative petrol-electric hybrid that debuted in 1999?
Fair play, it was preceded by the Toyota Prius, a car so hand-wringingly bland and worthy that it was practically asking for a metaphorical punch in the face. But the Insight took a different approach. Its spatted rear wheels and teardrop profile gave it a bold, futuristic vibe, while its ultra-lightweight, peppy V-TEC engine and turbo-like electric motor assistance made it a genuine driver’s car. I know, because I owned one for eight years and 94,000 miles, and I can think of at least three other UK motoring journalists who bought an Insight. With their own money. You can’t get a higher recommendation than that.
VOLKSWAGEN PRODUCED just 250 examples of the XL1, of which 28 came to the UK. By far the most used – but also the best kept – of the UK cars belongs to Ed Stratton, who lives in Devon, and we’ve arranged to meet near the Den Brook wind turbine farm that’s just a few miles from his home. It seems an appropriate location: a source of ‘green’ energy designed with the most laudable aims and yet one that met with much opposition along the way, so much so that the BBC even made.
