Since April 20, Insight Canada 1 -- the first next-generation Honda Insight unit to be registered in Canada -- has been crossing the country on a journey that will take it from Victoria, British Columbia, all the way to St. John's, Newfoundland. Over 40 journalists are taking turns behind the wheel, with each pair driving hundreds of kilometers.
Of course, we at Auto123.com wouldn't miss such a wonderful opportunity. Yours truly and his partner for the day, Benoit Charrette, took possession of the car in Montreal. Our destination: Quebec City. That's where the next team will begin its leg.
Since the new 2010 Honda Insight is a green machine, Honda Canada decided to take advantage of the tour to search and report about various environmental initiatives from coast to coast. Therefore, we made a little detour through Granby, home of the greenest zoo in Canada.
At first, we thought this stop would be like any other. Boy, we were wrong! The Granby Zoo has a special knack for making grown-ups feel like kids once again. While the general public will only be given access on May 30, these two journalists relived their childhood days as they took a private tour of the facilities -- including all the animals!
This place is full of surprising environmental initiatives: geothermal power is used to heat buildings, an accumulator prevents power surges during rush hours, an ozone-based water filtration system is used in the hippo ponds, and of course, all sorts of recycled or recyclable utilities and cleaning products are found throughout the zoo.
According to Communications Director Catherine Page, this is only a start. Other profitable projects will be set in motion with environmental friendliness at the forefront.
After a three-hour visit at the Granby Zoo, we finally got back in the Insight and headed toward the Eastern Townships for a short stint on the local roads, which are known to be hilly and twisty. The Insight never really hesitated as it moved along these little byways on route to a long highway stretch.
At the end of the day, we had travelled 413.6 kilometers while enjoying comfort levels that were quite reasonable (nobody complained of backaches). Also, the ride was commendably refined and quiet, although both journalists on board were talking loud enough to cover any engine sound.
That said, the main treat was fuel economy. Our real-world average of 5.3 liters per 100 kilometers was achieved with no serious efforts to save fuel. The previous day, a colleague from CanadianDriver.com managed to get an average of 3.8 L/100 km, which is exceptional for sure but he did it while cruising way more often than most drivers do.
Now that my experience in the "Insight Into Canada" tour is over, do you think I can go back to the Zoo?
photo:Honda
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Of course, we at Auto123.com wouldn't miss such a wonderful opportunity. Yours truly and his partner for the day, Benoit Charrette, took possession of the car in Montreal. Our destination: Quebec City. That's where the next team will begin its leg.
Since the new 2010 Honda Insight is a green machine, Honda Canada decided to take advantage of the tour to search and report about various environmental initiatives from coast to coast. Therefore, we made a little detour through Granby, home of the greenest zoo in Canada.
At first, we thought this stop would be like any other. Boy, we were wrong! The Granby Zoo has a special knack for making grown-ups feel like kids once again. While the general public will only be given access on May 30, these two journalists relived their childhood days as they took a private tour of the facilities -- including all the animals!
This place is full of surprising environmental initiatives: geothermal power is used to heat buildings, an accumulator prevents power surges during rush hours, an ozone-based water filtration system is used in the hippo ponds, and of course, all sorts of recycled or recyclable utilities and cleaning products are found throughout the zoo.
According to Communications Director Catherine Page, this is only a start. Other profitable projects will be set in motion with environmental friendliness at the forefront.
After a three-hour visit at the Granby Zoo, we finally got back in the Insight and headed toward the Eastern Townships for a short stint on the local roads, which are known to be hilly and twisty. The Insight never really hesitated as it moved along these little byways on route to a long highway stretch.
At the end of the day, we had travelled 413.6 kilometers while enjoying comfort levels that were quite reasonable (nobody complained of backaches). Also, the ride was commendably refined and quiet, although both journalists on board were talking loud enough to cover any engine sound.
That said, the main treat was fuel economy. Our real-world average of 5.3 liters per 100 kilometers was achieved with no serious efforts to save fuel. The previous day, a colleague from CanadianDriver.com managed to get an average of 3.8 L/100 km, which is exceptional for sure but he did it while cruising way more often than most drivers do.
Now that my experience in the "Insight Into Canada" tour is over, do you think I can go back to the Zoo?
photo:Honda