Fifteen years ago, the hybrid vehicle movement began in earnest. First it was a whisper on the floor of the Tokyo Motor Show. Then it gathered momentum among the masses until, before we knew it, the hybrid party seized control of the automotive world. No longer would we suffer beneath the oppressive thumb of high-displacement engines and partially burned hydrocarbons. We were saved. And at the forefront of this hybrid vehicle movement stood the Toyota Prius.
Just years into the reign of the Prius in Japan came the first Honda Insight. It looked goofy and wasn't as widely accepted as the Toyota, but it showed Honda could play the hybrid game, too, and it was sold in America.
The first Insight came and went as the Prius continued to gain momentum. But for 2010 the Honda Insight returned. Honda built this Insight in the image of its greatest competitor. It now looked just as awkward, just as functional and just as eco-friendly as the Prius. But Honda had a catch. It did all of this for less money.
Why We Got It
This wasn't the first long-term Honda Insight in our garage. We leased a 2000 Honda Insight well before the long-term blog was an itch in The Mechanic's pants. By lease end, we were left with just three words: "quirky, attention magnet." That was 10 years ago. A lot has happened since then. So we were due for an Insight refresher course.
After a decade-long hiatus, the 2010 Honda Insight was also all-new. The Insight took a slightly simpler approach to the hybrid equation than the Prius to which it would always be compared. The Insight wedged a thin, flywheel-size electric motor between the engine and transmission to form its hybrid system. Honda named this mechanism IMA, or Integrated Motor Assist. IMA is a less complicated system than those seen in competitive Toyota and Ford products. The end result is a less expensive hybrid. Did a cheaper hybrid make for a less fuel-efficient hybrid? We were interested to find out. So we joined the Santa Monica chapter of Hell's Hypermilers and cleared our calendars. Gosh, it was going to be an exciting year.
Durability
Those of us with primarily street-level commutes accepted the Insight's hybrid persona and unique driving quirks. On the highway, it was less appealing. Engineering Editor Jason Kavanagh noted following a long commute up Interstate 5 to Northern California, "The road noise didn't get out of control at freeway speeds as I expected. But there was wind noise at the A-pillars at freeway speeds. This Insight has a sports car ride but not sports car handling; it feels choppy thanks to a lack of wheel travel. Perhaps the most prominent thing on a long freeway trip is its directional stability and steering response around center. It's a subtle thing. Most drivers probably wouldn't notice that they're making constant corrections, but I did. This characteristic of its electric steering is a mental drain on a long trip, requiring more concentration than it should."
In the slalom this car will rotate and oversteer dramatically if provoked.
Deputy Managing Editor Caroline Pardilla found herself as passenger on that same stretch of Interstate 5. "I was uncomfortable! The front passenger seat was shaped in such a way that it felt like it was pushing into the center of my back while the headrest was angled pushing my head forward. I didn't want to tilt my seat too far back since I wanted my brother, who was sitting behind me, to have enough room. I took the chance to stretch my legs and back whenever we stopped for food, gas and bathroom breaks. Even though the car required only one fuel-up each way, the extra stops were mandatory. As for the wind noise, initially it was pretty irritating but over the long road trip I was able to block it out."
We drove the 2010 Honda Insight for more than 20,000 miles. Aside from visits to Honda of Santa Monica for routine maintenance, the Honda was impervious to wear and tear. It only cost us $150 over the 12-month test period. Interior items remained as-new for the duration of the test. There were no warranty items to speak of. And we managed not to crash, or get crashed into, for an entire year, a feat in itself.
Total Body Repair Costs: None
Total Routine Maintenance Costs (over 12 months): $148.82
Additional Maintenance Costs: None
Warranty Repairs: None
Non-Warranty Repairs: None
Scheduled Dealer Visits: 2
Unscheduled Dealer Visits: None
Days Out of Service: None
Breakdowns Stranding Driver: None
Performance and Fuel Economy
We didn't add a Honda Insight to bask in its handling prowess or white-knuckled acceleration. It was all about fuel economy. But there were some surprises at our test track.
Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton commented, "With ESC off, the limit of grip is easily found at terminal understeer, yet there is a sense of balance here that is unexpected. Steering is slightly springy but precise. In the slalom this car will rotate and oversteer dramatically if provoked. It's lively in a good way but likely due in part to hard Dunlop SP tires." Dynamic tests remained relatively consistent between tests. The Insight completed the slalom at 62.4 mph and generated 0.77g of lateral grip on the skid pad. Acceleration from a stop to 60 mph arrived in 10.9 seconds (10.5 with 1 foot of rollout) en route to an expectedly leisurely quarter-mile time of 17.9 seconds @ 77.8 mph.
People get an Insight for the fuel economy benefits, and so did we. Our average over 20,000 miles of mixed driving was almost 39 mpg. On one particular stretch during our Fuel Sipper Smackdown we maxed out just shy of 46 mpg. We spent a day flogging the helpless Insight at our test track in order to achieve its worst, 24 mpg, showing.
Best Fuel Economy: 45.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 24.0 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 38.7 mpg
Retained Value
At the time of this story, Edmunds' TMV® Calculator could not accurately calculate the used value of our 2010 Honda Insight. Not enough sales transactions have occurred thus far to satisfy our internal statistical standards. In short, people aren't selling their Insights. If we had to derive an estimated private-party sale value based on these limited sales figures it is $19,248. This figure equates to 19 percent depreciation from its original MSRP of $23,810.
True Market Value at service end: Not available
Depreciation: Not available
Final Odometer Reading: 20,409
Summing Up
The 2010 Honda Insight marks the first time we've seen the Toyota Prius flinch during its long reign over the hybrid world. When it comes to affordable hybrid technology, the Honda Insight is a worthy adversary. But not many know it. Prius remains synonymous with the word "hybrid." It's the new Kleenex. And for that reason, it maintains a dominant position in the segment.
Honda tried a unique approach with the Insight. It delivered a less expensive Prius. But the nature of its affordability also made it less fuel-efficient. Hybrid shoppers are finicky. Sales figures support that they would rather gain 3-4 mpg buying a Prius than gain a couple thousand dollars in their pocket buying an Insight. Honda still has some ground to make up here.
Early residual value calculations for the Insight are promising, and build quality is top-notch. If a year with the 2010 Honda Insight taught us anything about the popularity of hybrids within our fleet, it's that being a hatchback is still more important than being a hybrid. If we were in the market for a hybrid, we would certainly consider the Insight.
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Add A Comment »
carlos20 says:
09:19 AM, 08/20/2010
If theres a lesson that Honda have to learn is to keep all his future models in top secret
so the media wont kill his cars even before reach the dealers. The Crosstour is a perfect sample.
And they are learning, theres no one photo of the next civic. IM figure that this photo
must be valued in millions. theres are thousands of morons waiting for these photos just to
knock the Civic at the blogs.
kat59 says:
05:22 PM, 08/17/2010
Maybe I'm missing something, but performing worse than the sticker MPG (which is supposedly rated by the EPA with eco mode off) is a sign that the author could benefit from an understanding of the IMA powertrain.
Granted, manufacturing and engineering tolerances allow some variance, but 39mpg average is not acceptable. We purchased an Insight in January and have travelled approximately 7000 miles in it. An understanding of the ECU interlocks and a bit of forethought with regard to the upcoming terrain goes a long way -- I average 55mpg on my way to work (mixed highway / city) and have a record of 60.5mpg on a 9.3 mile round trip, approximately 3 miles of which were driven on an engine running below optimal combustion temp. We managed 50mpg at 70mph without doing anything unusual while driving through Michigan.
At constant neighborhood speed (25-30mph) on flat ground, it easily exceeds 80mpg when the electric machine is not generating power. Granted, acceleration rates of 2-3mph/s are not very fun, but unless you're hammering it at every stop, it shouldn't be performing that poorly.
brian_daniels says:
10:13 AM, 08/16/2010
I don't understand the need for hybrid technology to achieve fuel economy in the 30's. I want to like this car but it seems like a letdown to me in this regard which is it's primary reason for existing. I do wonder what a very conservative driver can achieve. As compared to many of it's Honda/Acura siblings this isn't a bad looking car. I'd like to see it become somewhat futuristic without becoming ugly.
mirde98 says:
08:03 PM, 08/15/2010
In my opinion, Honda, just like Toyota, got way too comfortable with their image and reputation. They started producing cheaper and lower quality vehicles, knowing that people will buy them anyways. Now they are paying for that. In contrast, Hyundai/Kia is doing the contrary, and they are producing better cars that people want to buy. I am a Honda fan. I've owned 2 Civic's in the past. But i do admit that there's not one Honda vehicle now that i will buy. Honda's are getting uglier with each redesign and expensive as also. In conclusion, Honda just got trapped in their own web.
eldaino2 says:
01:30 PM, 08/14/2010
the tone at the beggining of the article is a bit misleading.....the first gen prius and first gen insight were very different cars. one was orginal and unique and looked like a modern day cr-x, the other looked like a weird toyota echo. the insight delivered epic mpg, the toyota did ok too.
i give props for toyota for basically copying honda by taking the shape of the 1st gen insight (and the cr-x style rear, which is a honda trademark NOT a toyota one) and making it bigger and slapping on 2 extra doors. but the first hybrid sold in america? that goes to the insight. as dan edmunds himself pointed out, the new insight is not copying the toyota in the least, its just busy being a regular honda.
the interior of the insight is no worse than a civic, this coming from somone who has owned both, not just 'sat' in one for a little while like some posters here. (there is plenty of padding where its needed. thats gotta be the lamest complaint i have ever heard.)
and in typical honda fashion, edmunds long term insight has only proven that the insight did what honda intended it to do: be cheap to buy, cheap to own, reliable and get good gas mileage.
looks? as a honda fan, i love the looks. easily one of hondas better modern designs.
the prius may be a better 'fuel efficient vehicle' (i dont say 'better hybrid' because everyones defintion of what that should be is different, and usually its folks who dont own or drive them to like to argue that point) but the insight is so much better at being a normal car. it feels peppier (SEVERAL back to back test drives), the gauges are about 100000000000 times better and easy to read and quikly comprehend than the priuses, and the interior quality is just as good if not better, but the cost of entry is a lot easier on the wallet.
i dont care what polls say. if people want 3-4mpg more over a cheaper cost of entry, that just shows that maybe a lot of hybrid buyers have no idea what they are doing with their money.
i'm glad the insight made it through with very little wear and tear. the plastic may be hard in places, but it holds up and it required very little money to do so.
jonthecarguy says:
02:55 PM, 08/13/2010
@aston_dbs
Your opinion/my opinion.
Some Honda's might be fun to drive, but I don't think all of them are.
Reliability? Yeah for the most part. Honda does have lots of problems with their transmissions though. Every car is different. My sister has a 2002 Altima with 157,000 miles on it and has only changed the oil and put gas in it. My friends mother drove a 1993 Camry for 250,000+ miles and traded it in for something like $3,500 bucks back in 2003.
Interiors??? I didn't mention Acura. Have you sat in a Fit, Insight, Pilot, Ridgeline or CRV lately? Where are the padded suffaces? I see nothing but cheap hard plactic and a design (especially the Insight and Fit) IMO that looks like something a school child designed with a crayon and paper.
"That much fun in driving (many times, it means 'Sports' ride, some people consider it "choppy and noisy rides") is definitely WORTH it!!"
Comparing an Accord, Altima, and Camry....Most people that I've come across buying a mid-size family sedan, minivan, or SUV want a comfy ride...not a "sports" oh I mean choppy ride.
On a different note.... Insight vs. Prius? Come on, really?
aston_dbs says:
10:59 AM, 08/13/2010
@jonthecarguy and @yamahr1:
The Honda Fan (including myself) loves Honda because they are MUCH FUN to drive than Toyota AND more reliable than Nissan.
That much fun in driving (many times, it means 'Sports' ride, some people consider it "choppy and noisy rides") is definitely WORTH it!!
Talking about Interior, I must say: R U Kidding?!
Honda/Acura has one of the BEST interior design ever!! Seen those???
Compared to Toyota (NOT even close! And Toyota/Lexus dare to charge you an arm and a leg for their overpriced cars).
Nissan/Infiniti, IMO has more plasticky parts in their interior.
Lastly, I think, most people think "POS" when the car is just unrealiable... Like most American and European cars... Failures in electrical or worst... mechanical parts...
Now, that's a fact.
Peace OUT!!
carlos20 says:
10:52 AM, 08/13/2010
Zennif.
My comments is not all about this article, is the summ off all the articles about Honda-Acura.
Read about a TL and the grille take 50% off all the reading. Pound for pound and dollar for
dollar the TL is invencible, but the car is judge just for the infamous grille.
The Hyundai effect is just seen in America. At Europe and others markets a Hyundai is what
they are , cheap cars. At europeans magazines, unlike americans , dont dare to compare a
Hyundai with a BMW, AUDI even VW. For sure they sell tons of cars but just with the premise
of what they are, and the customer are looking for.
What i mean if this car were a Hyundai, take the Veloster. No one Know nothing about this car final spec, its is all camo, no engine spec, weigth, etc. and is quoted like a CR-Z killer.
do you got the point.
jonthecarguy says:
09:31 AM, 08/13/2010
@yamahr1
I'm afraid I have to agree with you. I'm a manager at an auto dealership, so I get to drive many different cars. I always think the same thing when I get into a Honda. They don't ride good at all, they're noisy, the gas mileage isn't great, and the interiors feel like they're made from plastics below par when compared to Nissans and Toyota (save for a few Toyotas). I had to stop by a Honda dealership yesterday and while I was waiting I walked throught the showroom looking at the display cars. They had an Insight, a Ridgeline, a Crosstour, a CRV, and a Civic LX sedan. The interior on all of them had sharp edges, mold lines, and ill fitting trim. The Ridgline's front bumper wasn't even with the fender, and the sticker on the Civic was a whopping $24,000! Yes $24,000 for a Civic LX auto with alloy wheels, ground effects, and tinted windows. Are they CRAZY?????
zeniff says:
09:19 AM, 08/13/2010
@carlos20...
I really don't know what you mean when you say that this car would have received all kinds of praise had it been a Hyundai. Inside Line has heaved plenty of compliments upon Honda (I'm a Honda man, at least I drive one, but don't know that I'd buy much of anything they've put out the past 5 years), and were the Insight deserving of all kinds of praise, I'm sure it'd get it.
Problem I have with the Insight is its very lackluster design. I think Honda knew they weren't going to overtake the Prius on MPGs alone, so one would think the rest of the package (aside from price) would be more compelling. But it looks really, really boring. Maybe it was an attempt to make it more aerodynamic, but the panels look devoid of detail and much more econo-car like than the Prius (p.s., I don't like the Prius, I want to see it de-throned).
Honda has even admitted that they missed the mark with this Insight. Here's to hoping they get it right, next time around, along with the rest of their lineup, which has gotten very far off the track lately.