Review & Photos by Rob McSorley
What Is It?
The Insight is Honda’s rival to the hugely popular Prius. It’s a compact family hatchback that has been designed to offer spacious accommodation and ultra-low running costs. Taking its name from the first ever Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid which originally launched in 1999 the current Insight has been priced competitively against Toyota’s Prius.
Visually the Insight could easily be mistaken for Prius but that shouldn’t be much of a surprise as both have been designed to slip through the air with minimal drag which is most evident when looking at the shallow angle to the rear window. Despite its advancing years the Insight still looks fresh with similar styling up front to the Civic and modern rear lights both of which were revised at the beginning of 2012.
Under the bonnet there's a 1.3-litre 87 bhp petrol engine with a 14 bhp electric motor sat by its side. Power is fed to the wheels via a CVT (continuously variable transmission) for optimum efficiency. With a high-power, nickel-metal hydride battery pack under the boot floor feeding power to the motor the Insight can charge its itself whilst coasting or braking.
Does It Drive Like A Normal Car?
Most of the time yes it does. Start the engine in the usual way and stick the auto shifter into D and off you go. At first it’s difficult to tell you have a an additional power source helping you along. Grunt from the petrol unit is pretty limited and when you do want to make swifter progress a prod of the accelerator causes the engine to rev hard which sends a harsh tone through the cabin. Eventually the Insight picks up speed and when lifting off the accelerator everything calms down.
Once you become accustomed to the Insight’s unusual way of gaining speed you begin to notice when the electric motor is lending a helping hand. As long as you aren’t in a hurry you can use this additional power around town without the petrol engine for silent cruising which makes the whole driving experience a lot more enjoyable.
The Insight also gets Honda's coaching system which consists of a series of trees that grow or shed leaves on the instrument display and a speedo that changes from dark blue (inefficient) to light green (very efficient). It works very well and does encourage you to drive more smoothly.
It also sees economy improve noticeable as the batteries are charged more frequently thanks to regenerative braking. Usefully by hitting a green ECON button on the dash this system can be switched off making the Insight feel more like a conventional hatchback.
Thanks to its shared underpinnings with the Jazz the rest of the Insight driving experience is really very good. It has a well-judged, compliant ride that manages to deal with most surfaces without fuss and the steering is naturally weighted and offers good feel so you always know what the front wheels are doing.
Driving enthusiastically along your favourite country road won't bring a smile to your face as the Insight’s narrow tyres don’t offer a great deal of grip but the additional weight of the battery pack at least makes it feel very stable when cornering.
What’s It Like Inside?
Modern Honda interiors are far from conventional and the Insight is no exception. The dashboard is centred around the driver with wings either side of the wheel that are home to the heating controls on the left and mirror controls to the right. Through the steering wheel you view an analogue rev counter with ancillary gauges either side which include an efficiency meter. At first it looks a mess but you quickly get used to it.
The rest of the interior is as you would expect it to be with good space for four adults and Honda’s trademark solid built quality. The Insight’s advancing years are obvious when you look at the quality of the materials on offer as there's a complete lack of soft materials that we now take for granted. Instead everything is well screwed together but it still feels cheap.
Despite having a bank of batteries sat under the boot floor space for cargo is pretty good by family hatch standards. There’s 408 litres with the rear seats in place which is more than an equivalent Focus or Golf but less than a Civic. With them folded buyers have 584 litres at their disposal but this iquite a chunk less than rivals.
The driving position feels sportier than it needs to as you sit quite low to the floor and forward visibility is good but annoyingly rear visibility is poor due to the split rear screen. On the move passengers will find little to complain about as the Insight’s seats are comfortable on longer journeys and it goes about its business with minimal wind and tyre noise.
What do you get for your money?
When launched Honda were keen to point out that the Insight was the most affordable hybrid in the world. Since then with the launch off the Jazz and Yaris hybrids this is no longer the case. But model for model the Insight does still undercut its closest rival from Toyota and comes with a good level of standard equipment.
Our mid-spec HS test car will set you back £21,425 once you have added the White Orchid Pearl paint you see here (an additional £500). 16” alloy wheels, Auto lights and wipers, rear parking sensors, electric windows front and rear, part leather heated seats, cruise control, climate control and a CD player with MP3 & USB connectivity are all included.
Running costs are impressively low as the Insight just sneaks under the threshold for free road tax emitting just 99 g/km of co2. It neatly slots in to Band A. Whilst with us we managed 60 mpg over a mixture of driving which we would consider very good as most of the time we were trapped in congested Oxford. Luckily the Insight’s electric motor works hardest around town when the batteries are charged so urban economy is similar to extra-urban which is unusual compared to a conventionally powered car.
Tech Data
Engine: 1.3 16v 87 bhp (& 14 bhp electric motor) - 0-62 mph: 12.5 secs - Maximum Speed: 113 mph -
Economy: 62.8 mpg (urban) 67.3 mpg (extra-urban), 65.7 mpg (combined) - Emissions: 99 g/km (Band A) - VED (12 months): £0
Dimensions: Length: 4,395 mm - Width: 1,695 mm - Height: 1,435 mm - Wheelbase: 2,545 mm
*data from Honda UK
DriverVIBE Verdict
If you are in search of a practical hybrid that represents good value for money then Honda’s Insight should be on your list. Its keen pricing, generous equipment levels, spacious cabin and pleasant driving experience all hold plenty of appeal.
It is starting to show its age however especially compared to the Prius with its cheap-feeling cabin and noisey CVT gearbox. Furthermore although economy is very good mainstream diesel hatches are even cheaper to run and won’t cost so much to buy. For some though a petrol hybrid such as the Insight makes more sense day-to-day.
All photographs and text are the exclusive property of Rob McSorley (except where stated otherwise). They are made available for your personal viewing enjoyment only. No images are within the Public Domain. The photographs may not be copied, reproduced, redistributed, manipulated, projected, used or altered in any way without the prior permission of Rob Mcsorley (info@drivervibe.com).
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