Ford's Raptor a slam dunk

Rugged F-150 devours any terrain in its wake, but Honda's Insight should simply be devoured

Dec 18, 2009

Special to the Star

BEST: FORD F-150 SVT RAPTOR

The Raptor plays to a limited audience but it gets my vote because vehicles are supposed to be the best they can be for their target audience and nothing else I drove hit its mark with such dead-on accuracy.

This truck is meant to tackle any type of rough terrain at just about any speed, which it certainly did when I raced it over a desert course in California. Get it back on blacktop and it turns into the smoothest, most well-behaved gentleman truck out there.

Its Raptor-specific styling is great, its interior top-notch. While its $48,299 tag isn't cheap, see what you'll spend to outfit something even close to it at the aftermarket shop. And beyond all that justification, my main reason for picking it is because it's just damn fun to drive.

Worst: Honda Insight

I really looked forward to this new hybrid, because I generally like Honda's products but this one didn't turn my crank.

I realize hybrids aren't performance vehicles, but Insight has almost no road feel and its continuously variable transmission winds up and down like a rubber band.

It can't creep through traffic on its battery alone, but that lack of satisfying electric-only feel made me look closer at how it stacks up against other models.

By Transport Canada's annual fuel cost estimates, it would take you almost nine years to make back the difference between Insight and the lower-priced mid-line Civic Sport.

You only get electronic stability control on the top-line $27,500 Insight EX. For $150 less, you can get a larger, roomier and stability-control-equipped Civic Hybrid.

Insight's $23,900 starting price may make it the least-expensive hybrid available but I'm not seeing enough car beyond the tag.

Toronto Star