Test Drive: HONDA Insight 1.3 Hybrid - 2010

Year after year, car companies are pumping money into breathtaking projects that are supposed to turn the automotive industry into a whole brand new world. Most concepts are said to sport the perfect blend of superior power with very impressive or sometimes shocking fuel efficiency that would be able to meet even the most exigent tree-hugger's demands. Besides a few concepts and some promises that such vehicles would enter production in the years to come, only a few of the players involved in the green battle actually gave birth to fuel-efficient cars. And Honda is one of these names.

The Japanese manufacturer is however one of the experienced guys when it comes to making things more environmentally friendly, as its hybrid product lineup already includes several worth-mentioning models, such as the Civic Hybrid, Accord Hybrid and the CR-Z sporty hybrid coupe.

The Insight however deserves its very own page in the history books. The first time the world heard about the Insight was in November 1999 when the car went on sale in Honda's domestic market. Based on the J-VX concept unveiled two years earlier at the Tokyo Motor Show, the hybrid stepped on American soil in December the same year, becoming the first mass-produced hybrid sold in the US.

The first generation Insight proved to be a fail, with global sales barely reaching 17,000 units. It was assembled in Japan, at Honda's Suzuka plant, in the same place where the manufacturer built the NSX and the S2000.

Since 2004, the Insight entered a massive sales declining process which was actually the first sign that the end is nigh. With just 2,000 units sold in 2005 and less than 1,000 from January to September 2006, Honda decided to scrap production plans in the United Kingdom in December 2005, followed by a global production halt in May 2006. This was only the beginning of the second generation Insight, as Honda promised at that time that a revised, more efficient, more appealing and more technologically-advanced model will be released in a few years.

In fact, the first sign that Honda was pondering a complete makeover of the Insight lineup appeared in 2003 at the Tokyo Motor Show when the Japanese unveiled the so-called IMAS concept which, at that time, was believed to give a glimpse into how the future hybrid lineup of the company is going to look like. Furthermore, Honda rolled out in 2002 the Civic Hybrid, another green model supposed to fill the gap left by a potential Insight discontinuation.

The Insight designation was revived in 2008 at the Paris Motor Show, the French event where the Japanese carmaker unveiled a brand new 5-door hatchback hybrid vehicle to preview the future Insight. The mass-production version came to be one year later, this time on American soil, at the 2009 NAIAS in Detroit.

We wanted to give the 2010 Insight a spin so we took the hybrid for a ride. Read on to check out our findings on the car and if it really deserves its $20,000+ price tag.

The way the Insight looks is probably the most controversial subject surrounding Honda's hybrid. Although there are several hybrid models available, wearing various badges, the fight for the leading position in this segment has came down to only two names: Honda Insight and Toyota Prius.

The second generation Insight has always been criticized for being too Prius-like, as the design of the two is, from certain points of view, very similar. But there's a trustful explanation for this and, as far as we're concerned, it can be used as a backup excuse by each of the two.

Sir May B. Bach's Opinion

This is the kind of car that might make me go... ahem... bankrupt. This is exactly that type of car that makes me hate every single man involved in production, from the... ahem... designer that first put his pen on his paper to the one that makes the final touches. You do realize that I'm one of the... ahem... petroleum magnates, don't you?
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Captain Jean-Luc Picard would be proud to see what Honda has done with its hybrid. The interior of the car looks very Star Trek-like, with the futuristic design cleverly mixed with ergonomics.

Probably the most interesting aspect inside the car is actually that most of the things are not in the place you'd expect them to be. Except for the power windows controls that are placed on the doors, just like in most “regular” cars out there.

3D Interior Panorama

>> Click to view the interior panorama

Theoretically, a hybrid vehicle should be a perfect urban cruise, ideal for drivers who are traveling from home to work and want to save some fuel while being stuck in traffic jams. Practically, the hybrid is indeed some sort of a solution, as it brings fuel consumption to an impressive low level.

Speaking of fuel consumption, Honda's official figures are pointing to an impressive 4.5 l/100km (52.2 mpg) rating when driven in urban conditions. Unfortunately, we're not living in a perfect world, so things tend to differ from reality. We couldn't get better than 5.9 l/100km (39.8 mpg) during rush hours, with Eco mode activated and the best possible economical way to drive the car.

Lou Cheeka's Opinion

Yeah, mkay... Trust me, the best way to tell you my personal opinion on this thing is to keep my mouth closed. You don't really want me to share my sincere view on the hybrid, probably the Internet police would come and arrest you if you'd publish my dirty words.
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Although some people say that hybrids are more like city-dwellers rather than cars intended for longer journeys, Honda Insight manages to do its job outside the city in a pleasant and enjoyable way.

As always, fuel consumption is the main topic of discussion. Driven on Honda's perfect roads, the Insight should burn around 4.2 l/100km (56 mpg), but real figures aren't far from that. Highway, 130 km/h (80.7 mph), cruise control on, fuel consumption of 5.4 l/100km (43.5 mpg). Things are far better on a country road where the on-board computer's estimates matched Honda's – 4.2 l/100km (56 mpg).

Mary's Opinion

Finally, a car with a greater affinity for fuel consumption. I know I told you that I hate the Prius but I am thrilled to see that hybrids and electric cars are becoming more popular, it's the future, you know it's the future, don't you? We simply can't continue killing the environment, we MUST stop right now, we must stop cutting trees, we must stop killing all those cute animals, we must stop burning gasoline, we'll be screwed in a few years, trust me...
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Pleasantly surprised by the hybrid's interior, we were expecting a comfortable and smooth ride that could let us enjoy the eco features and grow as many plants as possible. Well, the Insight does provide a decent level of comfort, but don't expect too much from such a car. At least, you get what you pay for...

First and foremost, the seats. The driver's seat can be adjusted for optimal height, while the telescopic steering wheel can also be configured for the perfect fit. In addition, both the front and the rear passengers benefit from armrests, but none of them with too fancy features such as cooling.

We were impressed however to see how many storage spaces the hybrid has to offer. Basically, there's a place for each must-have thing, including wallet, mobile phone, iPod or other type of MP3 player. Furthermore, the storage compartments on the front doors are large enough for bigger recipients such as bottles, while two cup holders have been placed at the bottom of the center console, one of which is occupied by the ash tray.

The car featured an automatic air conditioning system with a single zone and a pollen filter, as well as a tiny display screen right next to the steering wheel to modify its settings.

The new Insight provides much more room for the front passengers, but things are slightly different when it comes to the rear occupants. Officials dimensions are indicating 38.4x42.3x52.7 inches / 975x1074x1338mm headroom, legroom and shoulder-room respectively for front passengers and 35.9x33.5x50.4 inches / 911x850x1280mm at the rear.

Last but not least, it seems like Honda has paid more attention to ergonomics, as most things, except for some of the audio system controls, can be controlled from within the driver's seat without ample moves. Furthermore, the steering wheel holds the buttons for both the cruise control function and the audio system.

Since we're talking about a hybrid, and hybrids are generally regarded as technologically-advanced products, the powertrain hidden under the hood differs from the ones seen on “regular” cars. Not too much though, as the biggest difference is actually in how the whole assembly works and how it manages to save fuel.

As we do know, the Insight is a combination of a traditional combustion engine and an electric motor. Therefore, we have a 1.3-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine that develops as much as 88 horsepower and 88 lb-ft of torque, plus an electric unit that produces an extra 13 horsepower and 58 lb-ft of torque. The electric motor is backed by a 108V battery pack with nickel-metal hydride cells manufactured by Panasonic.

The whole hybrid system is named IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) and also comprises the so-called Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) which is in fact a kinetic energy recovery system that stores the energy from vehicle braking and deceleration and supplies extra power when needed.

Nevertheless, it's not possible to drive the car on electricity alone. The best you can get is actually a some kind of fuel-cut electric mode that shuts the valves and the intake and runs the car on electric power at speeds of up to 30 mph (48 km/h). However, the switch is almost unnoticeable mostly because the engine is still spinning so the only way to see that the electric motor is the one propelling the car is actually taking a sneak peak to the power gauge.

The Ecological Drive Assist System, briefly known as Eco Assist, supposed to make driving a bit more environmentally-friendly, also includes the ECON mode that, once activated, optimizes the settings of the CVT unit plus other powertrain components to maximize efficiency. Feedback is transmitted through multiple “interfaces”, including the plant graphic on the dashboard and the speedometer display with blue/green background changing colors. The stop-start system, which automatically idles the engine when not in motion, is also a key part of the system, thus it can be completely disabled by switching off the ECON mode.

It's naturally to expect a better performance when switching the gear stick into Sport mode. This practically means that the CVT is a bit more responsive, turning the Insight into a slightly more aggressive vehicle. The results aren't that impressive, but the engine is indeed a bit punchier than before. The electric assist basically provides the torque from as low as 1,000 rpm so, with the help of the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, you might get some sort of electric WRC feeling.

If we're going to trust Honda's figures, the car should burn around 4.4 l/100km (53.4 mpg) in combined cycle, but the best we could get was 5.1 l/100km (46.14 mpg), which is still impressive following the extremely crowded traffic we had to face in the city. The 0-100 km/h acceleration is completed in 12.5 seconds, while topping at 185 km/h (115 mph).

It's hard to find a single gadget to talk about when it comes to Honda's Insight because the whole car is actually a gadget itself. Most of these toys are actually more or less related to the hybrid system, but the Insight also comes equipped with some other “independent” features.

The spaceship-like dashboard is more like a videogame. It keeps the driver up to date with the latest stats regarding the car, but also rewards him every time he saves the planet. Sort of... The hybrid system also includes a plant graphic that's turned on once the ECON mode is activated. If the driver controls the car more economically and takes care of the environment, the plant grows leaves and, at the end, it turns itself into a flower.

The speedometer comes with two background colors: blue and green. If we'd ask Lewis Hamilton to testdrive the Insight, we'll most likely have a blue background, as a result of his sporty way to handle a car. Or, you could ask your grandma to take the Insight for a ride and you'll surely see green, as a reward for her attention for the planet. For us, it was a mixed color, as we were driving the car in both modes, just to see what the Insight was up to.

Leaving all these hybrid goodies aside, we also got a 160-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with MP3 audio playback, an auxiliary audio input jack and Speed-Sensitive Volume Control (SVC). The USB port is mounted inside the armrest so yes, the audio system also supports playback from USB devices.

Unfortunately, there was no navigation system available, but such a feature is actually offered as an option. We however received paddle shifters, which are less exciting since the power is somewhat limited, cruise control, automatic air conditioning, power windows, xenon headlights and 16-inch alloy wheels.

Just as expected, the Insight is pretty safe, as it comes with frontal airbags for both the driver and the passenger, side airbags and side curtain airbags, plus ABS with EBD and VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist), driver and front passenger active headrests plus Honda so-called ACE (Advanced Compatibility Engineering) body structure that was designed to reduce damages after an impact with larger or taller vehicles.

As a result of all these goodies, the hybrid earned a five-star award from Euro NCAP plus a “Good” rating from IIHS in the United States.

Euro NCAP said that the passenger cell remained stable in the impact, with the dummies indicating a slight risk of injuries to the knees, femurs and pelvis. Protection for child occupants was good as well, just like pedestrian protection where the front edge of the bonnet received maximum points.

In addition, the American institute said that the dummy movement was well controlled and the occupants were protected by the integrated airbags, so there was no contact with surrounding stiff structures. In the side impact however, the measures taken from the dummy indicated possible rib fractures for the driver.

Curiously, Honda says that people who'd buy an Insight are exactly the ones who can't afford one. In reality however, the Insight is actually the type of car only a grown-up would buy. It's actually the first option when it comes to fuel consumption and it's far from being an appropriate ride for those who're looking for power and adrenaline.

Honda tried to make the Insight offer a little of all important things: fuel consumption, power, comfort, space and technology. It does excel at some chapters, but it might fail to reach today's new car buyers' requirements in terms of sportiness and aggressiveness.

The fuel consumption it achieves is surely the main standpoint. We're living in a world dominated by the economic recession and environmentalists across the globe are shouting that the world is running out of petrol. So turning the focus to hybrids and electric cars is actually paying a little more attention to the future. Not in the eyes of tech-heads, of course, who believe that fuel consumption and power could be easily mixed for great performance while minimizing the first of them.

All in all, the Insight proves to be a good companion in both the crowded city traffic and outside the city. Comfort is decent, there's a lot of interior space and occupants are entertained with several goodies that could make the ride more pleasant.

The Insight doesn't change the future. But this is surely the beginning...