Honda Insight Review

The Insight is Honda's lowest priced Hybrid car offering. After having been on sale since late 1999, it will not be offered after the 2006 model year. A replacement model has been rumored for 2009

High Points

Best Fuel economy of any gasoline powered car in America

Fun to drive (one of the fastest stops in the world)

Unique teardrop design (100 mpgs behind trucks)

Exclusiveness (extremely rare and possibly collectible)

Digital speedometer (including mileage gauge)(If you like it)

 

Low Points

Extremely focused design

Digital speedometer (including mileage gauge)(If you hate it)

Limited practicality

Loud roadnoise

 

Performance and Handling

All things considered, it is quite good. Even with its meager power output of 67 horsepower (73 with Integrated Motor Assist), the Insight is reasonably peppy in urban driving conditions (when equipped with the 5-speed manual). The Insight's low curb weight helps add to driving enjoyment. The 5-speed manual transmission models have a crisp and accurate gear lever which makes clean and fast shifting easy. Drivers looking for an automatic option will find the CVT much to their liking. The seemless operation does come at the expense of acceleration, although only to a minor degree. An idle engine-off feature aids economy but can be jerky at times (on manual transmission models).

 

Gas Mileage

The 2006 Honda Civic is ranked as the most economical vehicle, with 60/66 MPG.

 

Safety: 4 Stars (out of 5)

ABS 4-wheel anti-lock brakes (ABS)

Front Impact Airbags driver and passenger

Side Impact Beams

Front and rear crush zones

Box-sectioned cabin floor

Reinforced hexagonal frame extrusions

3-point seat belts with pretensioners

4 Star National Highway Traffic Safety Agency NHTSA crash test rating

 

Interior and Comforts

The Insight's interior blends modernism with minimalism. This is exaggerated somewhat by the digital dash and Integrated Motor Assist display screen. The Insight's instrument panel provides a simplistic and stylish presentation of data, in addition to an excellent view of the instrumentation. Two large cub holders are in a convenient place yet do not disturb drivers who opt for the manual gearbox. Material quality is typical Honda, being tastefully selected and precisely assembled. There are no rear seats and the rear hatchback load area is quite shallow due to the battery pack below the carpet. Anyone planning to take an Insight out to pick up some shopping should kept this in mind. Both of the seats offer excellent lateral and back support. Visibility is quite good, with the exception of shorter drivers possibly having difficulty with the rearward view due to the slope of the rear hatch.

 

Exterior

Aerodynamic aids abound on seemingly every single exterior surface. The Insight was, clearly, the product of a very focused effort from Honda. The teardrop silhouette of the exterior, combined with the rear fender skirts and aerodynamically styled light alloy wheels produce one of the lowest coefficients of drag (Cd) of any production automobile in the world at 0.25. It's interesting to note that the front fenders and rear wheel skirts are plastic, and few people notice the difference in design or style.

 Styles and Options

The Insight is available only as a two-door hatchback. There are only two trims available: Manual or CVT. The manual transmission version can be optioned with air conditioning, while the CVT model gets automatic climate control as standard equipment.