Categorizing the Insight as a "recession buster" would be selling it short, however. The Insight bears all the hallmarks of what makes for a great Honda: it is affordable, fun to drive, efficient, reliable, and loaded with value. So, whether you're looking for an affordable, unique, high quality vehicle, a fun to drive premium small car, or a fuel-sipping hybrid, the Insight pretty much has you covered.

If there's anything that could possibly hold the Insight back (apart from the current financial conditions), we reckon it would have to be the Insight's decidedly unimpressive EPA fuel economy ratings. After driving the car and seeing how easy it is to achieve 50+mpg fuel economy in real world situations, we have a high degree of confidence that the majority of owners will regularly match or surpass the EPA figures, but on paper it will likely be touted as a shortcoming when compared to the Prius.

Honda's Eco Assist system may not be a "game changer" but once people realize how it can drastically improve driving habits, it wouldn't surprise me to see similar technology offered even in non-hybrid vehicles within the next 5 years or so. For now, it is a very strong and unique selling point in the Insight's favor.

The official "on-sale" date for the Insight was announced as Earth Day (April 22nd), but we have heard through the grapevine that Insights are already in transit to dealers, so you should be able to check one out for yourself very soon.