2010 Honda Insight Photos and Video

This car is really a big collection of errors IMHO.

They tried to copy the Prius shape, and thought that was it? What about space? What about ergonomic controls? What about performance?

Look at the size of that car. Wouldn't you assume you had a lot of space inside? Would it not be expected to carry 5 people inside comfortably?

This is how bad the space/confort is in the Insight:



And seeing this video to see the interior... at about sec. 25 you can see how bad the quality is on the center console and the glove compartment... and what the hell is that driver console all about? Look at how the A/C controls are arranged...!!! This is not about having no sense of ergonomics, this is about going AGAINST all ergonomic rules in the book!

The Temple of VTEC - Honda and Acura Enthusiasts Online - Articles - thank you Jeff: High-Definition Video #2

If anyone likes this car interior, then you should probably see a doctor...

 

When was the last time you carried 5 people????? I drive with 3-4 adults perhaps once every 2 months or so. Even then we go a short distance, say for lunch. My driving is split between 80% work commute (in which case I couldn't care less how much room is in the back) and family ride with 2 kids (who don't need much leg room).

I don't get this preoccupation with wanting stuff, wanting everything under the sun. Why does a vehicle have to have everything??? They made a reasonable design compromise, less leg room in the back and more cargo space, more leg room front. Works for me and many other Honda drivers. In fact, it is perfectly in tune with the driving habits being 1-2 people in a car who always sit in the front.

Of course if you have teenagers, older kids and/or more kids then this would not be the car for you. Insight doesn't have to be for everyone.

 

This car is a perfect complement to Prius. It will appeal to the people who don't have money for Prius but would still like a hybrid's better fuel efficiency. I don't see it as too much competition to Prius since people have plenty of other cheaper cars to choose from, so if they don't want to spend more money on Prius they would buy a conventional cheaper car anyway.

The design choices are to be expected, lower cost being the prime directive. I am bit surprised at the tiny battery pack, not even one kWh. IMA doesn't have to be big considering the small battery pack. There is no point having a big electric motor when pack has less than 1 kWh of juice for it!?!

I wonder how hard 1.3L will have to work. Of course, Honda engines are rock solid so I assume it should handle the load fine. It is nice they included low speed electric only mode for stop-go traffic.

Anyway it comes down to price. It has to be significantly cheaper than Prius. A mere $1K-$2K discount won't be enough. Moreover the other big factor is the price of the plugin Prius. In any case it should sell well. *TOGETHER* with Prius it can only enhance the image of hybrids and increase the market share.

 

Yesterday.

Because the car is huge from the outside and has no space inside!

For a car that big the space inside should be MUCH bigger.
If it had a small footprint, like a Corolla, I would nor require it, and would have the same reasoning as you do. That's not the case, is it?

It doesn't. But it has to be coherent with what it wants to be. This car is as big as the Prius from the outside, has clearly stolen its design, and a deception on the inside. It's the deception, the fact that it does not fulfil it's look promises that gets me disappointed.

Again, that would be ok if the car was exterior sized for that. It is not.

Agree, it sure as hell will not be for me!

 

--------------------- 2G Insight -------- 2G Prius ------ 2009 Corolla
Length --------------- 172.3 ------------ 175.0 ---------- 178.7
Width ----------------- 66.7 ------------- 67.9 ------------ 69.3
Height ---------------- 56.2 ------------- 58.7 ------------ 57.7
Wheelbase ---------- 100.4 ------------ 106.3 ----------- 102.4
Front Legroom ------- 42.3 ------------- 41.9 ------------ 38.8
Rear Legroom -------- 33.5 ------------ 38.6 ------------- 37.2
Front Headroom ------ 38.4 ------------ 39.1 ------------- 38.8
Rear Headroom ------ 35.9 ------------ 37.3 ------------- 37.2
Cargo Capacity ------- 15.9 ------------ 14.4 ------------- 12.3 (cubic feet)
Weight --------------- 2734 ------------ 2932 ------------- 2745

The Insight is smaller than a Corolla in every external dimension. I like the HVAC controls, they are very logical and will be easy to operate by feel.

Edmunds.com has a review comparing the Prius to the Insight: "Comparison Test: 2010 Honda Insight vs 2009 Toyota Prius" Strategies for Smart Car Buyers

In a 197 mile test loop they got 51.5 mpg with the Insight and 54.4 mpg with the Prius. They measured a 0-60 time of 10.9 seconds for the Insight and 10.4 seconds for the 2G Prius

This picture gives a good view of the size difference:

 

I actually like the rear angle shot of the Insight more. It looks like they sharpened up all the edges etc.. makes the 06 Prius we have look kinda "droopy".

But also, If they can indeed get this priced UNDER 19k and I don't mean $18,950 + destination. Then I think it will be a nice deal for people.

The Honda Fit sport hits like $19,600 with nav and automatic trans options. So if this can do that at like $21,900 then thats a nice bargain. That would put it like $1500 under the current prius base price.

Honda did say that this Hybrid system is only going to cost them about $1700. So if you do the math - $19,60 + 1700 = $21,300 Plus their "hybrid profit" = $21,900 may sound right..

This also has the problem of .. what are they going to do with the HCH?

I think Toyota is getting ready to make a smaller hybrid.. that is even more fuel efficient.. something that is Yaris / Corolla splitter..

The new Prius is more of a Matrix / Venza Splitter at this point. I did think the new Prius would get like 52-54 but I was wrong..

 

From all articles and reviews I have read, in summay, Honda's new Insight vs 2G Prius
- 95% size
- 95% MPG (from tests/reviews)
- $4,000 cheaper
- better handling (typical Honda)

Styling, design and quality materials are very subjective.
To each, one's own. Competition is good for consumers.

As they said,
"Without Honda, Toyota would be too conservative. Without Toyota, Honda would be too crazy."
Honda and Toyota need each other.

 

Wow, that's sports car small. A real deal breaker for me and my family of 4 for sure but I could still see a market for this car for a single commuter or couple. I also agree that the interior looks VERY cheap. Not Honda quality but obviously they were trying to create a budget friendly hybrid which I applaud.

 

While the picture makes the back seat look tiny it depends on how big the guy is. I'm 5'10'', 190 lbs with a 32" inseam. I fit in the back of a 2008 Honda Fit just fine for a run across town. The Insight has 0.2 inches less rear legroom than a 2008 Fit.

Each to their own I guess. I seems that a large number of people expect to transport 5 people over 6 foot every day.

 

Comparing Honda's published numbers to the 2G EPA numbers, the Insight is 11 cu ft smaller in the passenger compartment (85 vs. 96), and a draw for cargo (15.9 and 16). It also interesting to note that the new Insight has a worse hp/weight ratio than the current Civic hybrid, which is already a fair deal slower than the 2G Prius. Seems like its all going to come down to price. If you can really get one of these for $18k it will probably find a place in the market. Particularly if the '10 Prius is more expensive than the current model. If the Insight creeps up to $19-20k as has been rumored, and if the 3G Prius comes in at or below the 2G (~$21-22k) as has also been rumored, I think Honda's going to have a tough time. They already tried the slower, smaller, with slightly worse mpgs for a little bit cheaper model with the HCH and it didn't really work that well. The 3G Prius will be most likely 1-2 sec faster in 0-60, 15-16 cu ft larger in the passenger compartment, and almost 10 mpg better in fuel economy. Unless Honda has significant price differentiation I think they are playing second fiddle once again. Even with the lesser advantages of the 2G Prius, given the large quantity of almost new '08 and new '09 Priuses available at a significant discount the Insight could have trouble finding a place even in the low end market initially.

Rob

 

To me its just the disappointment of lost potential. This car could have been great. A small Prius shaped hybrid on a Fit chasis should be awesome. It should have better mileage than the larger, heavier, faster, 5 year older Prius 2G. I'm all for trading size and performance for efficiency. But a less efficient car that is also slower and smaller doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I put the Smart in the same category. I applaud the idea of a small efficient two seater, but one that gets 10 mpg less than a mid-sized Prius, and only 5 mpg better than a still much larger Fit, is disappointing. At least the Smart is cheap. Well, in theory anyway, I test drove a used coupe with glass roof and they wanted $18k for it.

I think you also over simplify the rear passenger argument. Maybe most people won't have a 6' man in the back seat most of the time. But an awful lot of people will have 1 or 2 car seats in the back most of the time. The Prius has just enough rear room that our rear facing car seat will fit with the front seat most of the way back. In our old Subaru wagon, the passenger seat had to be all the way forward to fit the same seat. The Insight is listed with 0.5" more rear leg room than our Subaru had. In my mind, that rules out a very large portion of the "budget" safe/efficient four door vehicle market.

Rob

 

Since purchasing my 2004 Prius I've looked forward to the rumored plug-in. Based on what I think I understand from today's 2010 Prius video, the new Prius is not plug-in, it just seems to be more of the same but a bit better both mileage and styling wise.

This Honda Insight definitely has my attention. Both quicker acceleration and better handling are important to me. Being an early adapter by nature, this car, which I can purchase in April, definitely has my attention. But how much better the acceleration and handling turns out to be will be the important determinators. Also, in 2004 I bought a pretty loaded Prius for about 23K. If, here in 2009, I can pay even less than that for this Honda .. well .. that does indeed get my attention.

Hopefully, as more information is released on the 2010 Prius my attention will go back in the direction of Toyota.

 

--------------------- 2G Insight -------- 2G Prius ------ '09 Corolla ---- '09 Fit
Length --------------- 172.3 ------------ 175.0 ---------- 178.7 -------- 161.6
Width ----------------- 66.7 ------------- 67.9 ------------ 69.3 --------- 66.7
Height ---------------- 56.2 ------------- 58.7 ------------ 57.7 --------- 60.7
Wheelbase ---------- 100.4 ------------ 106.3 ----------- 102.4 -------- 98.4
Front Legroom ------- 42.3 ------------- 41.9 ------------ 38.8 --------- 41.3
Rear Legroom -------- 33.5 ------------ 38.6 ------------- 37.2 -------- 34.5
Front Headroom ------ 38.4 ------------ 39.1 ------------- 38.8 -------- 40.4
Rear Headroom ------ 35.9 ------------ 37.3 ------------- 37.2 --------- 39.0
Cargo Capacity ------- 15.9 ------------ 14.4 ------------- 12.3 --------- 20.6 (cubic feet)
Weight --------------- 2734 ------------ 2932 ------------- 2745 --------- 2604
Fuel Economy ------- 41/43 ----------- 48/45 ------------ 27/35 -------- 27/33

The Fit is only larger than the Insight in height. The legroom is the same. The Insight has 1 inch more front legroom and 1 inch less rear legroom. If you were to move the front seat up 1 inch they will be identical. The Insight gets 14/10 better mpg than the Fit not 5 mpg.

I'm sure with a larger motor and battery the Insight could get the same or better mileage than the Prius. Then it would cost as much as a Prius which misses the point.

I can't pretend to understand the requirements of children as I have none. However, my nephew is 6 months old and my sister-in-law has no complaints about putting him and his rear-facing child seat into the center seat of their 2003 Jetta. They have one of those seats that snap into a base that stays in the vehicle. Their Jetta Sedan, like my Jetta Wagon, has 33.5 inches of rear legroom, the same as the Insight.

 

Way too small for adults. This car is a two seater along with two seats for small children. With the smaller car and less weight they should have been able to top the G2 Prius' fuel economy, but fell significantly short.

Disappointing.

 

This is a tough crowd. The Insight gets 32% better mileage than it's base vehicle and it is still a disappointment.

 

I think the car will sell real well. Here in Houston, theres a lot of Mexicans (yes, Mexicans, with Mexican plates, no implied racism here) who buy Honda Civics and then mod them to be loud to make up for the fact that they aren't all that fast. They would eat up the insight, also loving the fact that it can go from fuel-efficient when they don't have a girl with them, to sports-car(ish) when they do.

Plus, Honda took the "video game" aspect of the Prius and gave it a better GUI, which is always cool.

 

I'm not aware of a non-hybrid version of the Insight so what random car are we using as a base? The original Insight had far better gas mileage than the new one. This of course is one of the problems with recycling an old name for a different class of car.

Doesn't really matter though as a smaller, newer hybrid should be topping a larger, old one from Toyota where it counts: fuel efficiency. Instead it falls short and is slower as well. That leaves price as the primary selling point.

 

I'm comparing it to the Honda Fit which it shares a platform:

"The 2010 Honda Insight borrows heavily from the strut-based Honda Fit, and in fact the entire chassis and suspension from the firewall forward is pure Fit. The spring and damper calibrations are specifically optimized for the Insight, of course, but the geometry and many of the hard parts are identical. The rear suspension isn't a direct carryover, but the twist-beam rear axle is the same.

"On our test track, this produces a run to 60 mph from a standstill in 10.9 seconds (10.5 with seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) and does the quarter-mile in 17.9 seconds at 77.9 mph. That's a dead heat with the 2009 Fit Sport we recently tested and a trouncing of the 2009 Civic Hybrid by 2 seconds."

Mileagewise, the 2010 Honda Insight is expected to be EPA rated at 40 mpg in the city and 43 mpg on the highway. By comparison, a Honda Fit Sport is rated at 27 mpg city and 33 mpg highway. The Civic Hybrid is rated at 40 mpg and 45 mpg, respectively.

Edmunds has a full review complete with instrumented data (0-60, skid-pad, braking, etc) 2010 Honda Insight Full Test and Video

It shares a chassis with the Fit, has the same seating dimensions as the Fit, has the same performance as the Fit, but get 42 mpg compared to the Fit's 31 mpg.

All the mileage in the world doesn't matter if people can't afford to buy it. Honda as specifically stated that they were not going for ultimate fuel economy with the Insight but instead the a mix of fuel economy and price.

 

Talk about grasping, "from the firewall forward."

:rofl: You've got to be kidding. A few thousand dollars on a new car doesn't suddenly shift it to "affordable" vs. unaffordable. And of course, applying that same logic the Insight is unaffordable compared to a manual transmission Fit. This spin about the Prius being so expensive is just BS. My Prius was in the same price range as my previous Accord. Made sense as functionally they were the same, except the Prius is easier to load due to the hatch and gets 20 more miles to the gallon.

It's really funny that the mainstay of the U.S. market shifted to SUV's that were far more costly, yet folks complain (not very convincingly) about the cost of a Prius. Reminds me of that dopey woman who was interviewed who had a Denali but said she was waiting for a Prius in her price range. :twitch:

At any rate, despite attempts to plaster over it, there is an obvious engineering miss in this vehicle. For its size and weight it should have been gaining fuel economy compared to the older hybrids, not losing it. That creates a massive opening for one's competition, not exactly a smart move when operating on the low end of the market.

 

Affordability is different for different people. The Prius and Insight are different classes of cars as the Fit and the Accord are.

We will have to wait and see what the price spread between the Insight and Prius turns out to be. The Insight is widely rumored to be priced from $18K for a base unit to $22K for a full loaded version with navigation. That is ~ $2,000 more than similarly equipped Fit. If the 3G Prius starts at $24K as I expect, that would be a $6K difference from a base Insight to a base Prius. That is a significant amount of money to many people. I see the Insight and Prius targeting very different parts of the market.

I can see people spending $2K more to get a 33% increase in fuel economy (Fit -> Insight) I can't see the typical Fit / Civic / Yaris / Corolla shopper spending $8K more to get a 61% improvement in fuel economy (Fit -> Prius)

My guess for Insight pricing:
Base LX = $18,000
Mid - EX = $20,000
EX w/Nav = $22,000

As to platform sharing. Sharing front and rear suspension and the entire chassis from the firewall forward is a big deal. I suspect the Fit / Insight share as many chassis components as the Corolla / Matix. No one argues that the Corolla / Matrix don't share a platform.

You are just disappointed because your number one concern is fuel economy. You seem blind the the Honda's target market for this vehicle and the place it takes in their line-up.