2010 Honda Insight

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Summary

For most of this decade, Toyota's 46-mpg Prius has enjoyed a virtual monopoly in the extreme fuel-miser segment. Only Honda's 42-mpg Civic Hybrid comes close, and its sales have been hampered by lethargic acceleration and a not-hybrid-looking-enough sedan body design. Enter the four-door 2010 Honda Insight, which takes dead aim at Toyota's green machine by offering comparable fuel economy and a look-alike hatchback layout at a considerably lower price (43 MPG Hwy)(1). Of course, those with a longer memory might recall the first-generation Honda Insight, too, but its futuristic look was too impractical for most people despite stellar fuel efficiency. Not so version 2.0.

Full Review 2010

Under the new Insight's hood is Honda's familiar Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system. IMA starts with a 1.3-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine that produces 88 horsepower and 88 pound-feet of torque, and it adds an electric motor that generates another 13 hp and 58 lb-ft, enough to propel the Insight up to 30 mph without the gas engine's help. A nickel-metal hydride battery pack keeps the electric motor whirring, and the electric motor returns the favor via regenerative braking, becoming a battery-charging generator when the brakes are activated. Notably, the gas engine's crankshaft never stops spinning, even when the Insight is operating solely on electric power, so there's no unseemly coughing or rumbling as the gas engine comes online.

First Drive 2010

The 2010 Insight is a hybrid, so expectations for ride and handling rightly ought to be on the conservative side. Straight-line acceleration is not a strong point for hybrids. Neither is heart-pumping response to quick, right-left-right steering inputs, or even impressive stickiness around long sweeping curves. Transitions between power sources are markedly smoother in the new Insight than in the Civic Hybrid and easily on a par with the '09 Prius. The paddle-shifted, simulated manual seven-speed seems to us an unnecessary, even wasteful, gewgaw, more a gratuitous tipping of a braggart's hat to Honda's high-tech heritage than a functional addition to an already very competent, and fuel-efficient, powertrain.

The aforementioned ECON button is more in keeping with the Insight's mission. Driven normally, the powertrain operates at optimum fuel efficiency. The new Insight's regenerative brake system is slicker than the Civic's, too, masking more fully the system's disengagement as the car nears a full stop. Road and tire noise is more intrusive than in either the current Prius or the most recent Civic hybrid. Wind noise, though, is minimal; props to that wind-cheating, Prius-like body. Likewise, fit and finish is Honda-spec, for the most part quality plastics with consistent gaps between panels.

Interior Style and Features

The flattery game ends inside the new Insight. There, Honda looks to its most recent hybrid, the Civic version, for inspiration. In the Insight, however, it serves another purpose, indicating by gradual changes between otherworldly bluish and greenish tints the efficiency a driver is achieving with the hybrid powertrain. To see this, it's necessary to have pressed the ECON button at the left end of the dash to activate a collection of efficiency-enhancing alternative algorithms in the engine control computer that optimize throttle control; CVT operation; idle-stop activation and duration; air conditioning; and cruise control for best-possible fuel economy. Front seats are comfortable, if not especially assertive in terms of side bolsters on the bottom cushion. Where the Insight should have stuck with imitation is in interior roominess.

Trims and Styling

The 2010 Honda Insight comes in three models: The LX ($19,800) is well-equipped with automatic climate control; powered windows, outside mirrors and central locking; a four-speaker, 150-watt, multi-media-capable sound system including speed-sensitive volume control; a multi-information display showing, among other data bits, fuel economy, average speed, exterior temperature and a real-time map of the hybrid system's energy flows; tilt-and-telescope steering wheel; manual driver's seat height adjustment; and 60/40-split, fold-down rear seatback.

The EX ($21,300) adds cruise control; the paddle shifters; front center console with armrest and storage bin, which, however, drops the drink holder count from eight to six; driver and passenger seatback map pockets; map lights; and two speakers and a USB connector to the sound system. The EX with Navi ($23,100) includes a navigation system with 6.5-inch screen; voice recognition; routing and guidance; and Bluetooth hands-free capability.

Safety features include front, side-impact and curtain airbags, antilock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist; tire pressure monitoring system; and rear seat child safety seat anchors (LATCH). Only the EX gets electronic vehicle stability assist, which includes traction control.

Exterior Styling and Features

Roofline continues the arc over the passenger compartment and equally fast backlight, ending abruptly at a sharply chopped, relatively high, hind quarter. The beltline runs straight back beneath black-framed side glass, rising gently, from just aft of the centerline of the front wheelwell to just forward of the centerline of the rear wheelwell, emphasizing the Insight's short wheelbase (distance between the centers of the wheels, front to back). Tires don't quite fill the wheelwells, implying light weight and compactness. A shallow, sculpted character line across the bottoms of the doors links matching indents creasing the lower portions of the front and rear bumpers.

  The rear aspects hews the closest to the original Insight's super-aero styling, showing lines that, if extended, would taper to a pointed terminus some 10 feet or 12 feet behind the mostly vertical rear fascia. Smallish, triangular taillight housings tuck into the upper corners of the rear fenders. 

2010 Conclusions

Honda has done almost everything right with the new, 2010 Insight, with that almost relating exclusively to the hybrid's fuel economy. "Given its impressive talents and attractive price, it's hard to fault the 2010 Honda Insight. Until the next Prius arrives, at least, the Insight is the new ruler of the hybrid-hatchback roost." says Edmunds Believing its faithful prefer a more responsive gas pedal over fewer visits to the local gas station, Honda geared the Insight accordingly. And while the jury's out on whether Honda guessed right, the result is more choices in the hybrid segment.

[1]  Based on 2010 EPA mileage estimates, reflecting new EPA fuel economy methods beginning with 2008 models. Use for comparison purposes only. Do not compare to models before 2008. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.