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Honda Insight 2010 review: road test

On the boulevard of hybrid car dreams Honda's new Insight is a bit Jimmy Stewart ... a little low-rent, a little folksy and — at first glance — not the sharpest tool in the box.

Featured on the same billboard as Toyota's super-slick Cary Grant of petrol-electrics, the clever and polished Prius, it would seem to be a foregone conclusion as to who is taking home the awards. The urbane Prius seemingly holds all the cards.  Yet, there is something about the down-home, common-man appeal of the Insight that — like Stewart — could be a winner with the masses.

Oh, yes. And it is going to be something in the order of $10,000 cheaper than the Prius when it finally hits our shores late next year. That sort of cash advantage does a lot to spruce up a chap's appeal.

Honda Australia is pushing ahead with plans to land its all-new Insight — only a distant kissing cousin of the underwhelming, overpriced model that bore the same name back in 2000 — with a benchmark sub-$30,000 price tag.  "It is going to depend on the strength of the Australian dollar when we start importing the Insight," Honda Australia senior director Lindsay Smalley says. "That was our original price plan when we first looked at the car and it is still our intention now."

However, plans to get the four-seater Insight to Australia by early 2010 have been shelved and the new schedule will not see an Insight in an Australian showroom until closer to the end of next year.

"It's a question of supply and the popularity the Insight is enjoying in markets around the world," Smalley says while weaving an Insight through LA traffic. "We are just going to have to be patient until we can get supply.  At the top of the list is Japan, followed by the United States and Europe — and then us."

It is no co-incidence that the Insight's styling, said to be driven by aerodynamic efficiency, closely mirrors that of the Prius. When the original Insight went flat and left the hybrid field to Toyota it was the shape of the car as much as the shape of the future that set the Prius apart.  It looked different and it was different. A passing glance was enough to tell the world that your social conscience was well in hand.

Honda's comeback attempt in the hybrid world with the Civic was hoppled by its sameness ... apart from a little green badge there was no obvious indication that you were helping save the planet.  With the Insight that has been addressed. The car looks like what society has come to accept as a green car.

"There is no doubt that the Civic Hybrid lacked an immediate recognition factor for those owners who wanted it known they were driving a hybrid," Smalley says. "That is not the case with the Insight and while acceptance of hybrid technology is definitely growing, I believe even greater numbers are willing to embrace it as long as the pricing is right."

To get that price advantage an Insight buyer will make concessions. The Insight's hybrid system — the fifth generation of the company's integrated motor assist (IMA) technology — is less powerful and less complex than Toyota's series parallel hybrid which allows the Prius to drive short distances on electric motor alone, something the Insight can not do.

Drivetrain

In the Insight the 1.3-litre 4-cylinder engine produces 98kW and 123Nm which is supplemented by electric motor's 10kW of power and 78Nm of torque under heavy load and hard acceleration. The fuel efficiency upshot is that the Prius will return better figures in the order of around 1-1.5L/100km which equates to around $500 a year in fuel savings.

While it sounds impressive it means a Prius owner will need to drive the car 30,000km a year for 20 years to recoup the difference in purchase price.

Driving

On the road the Insight owner will quickly notice where some of the savings are coming from. The car feels lighter than a Prius. The doors shut with a less satisfying solidity, hard plastics dominate the touch surfaces and the CVT gearbox and lightweight engine combine to produce a screaming cacophony when maximum acceleration is demanded.

The on-centre feel of the steering is vague to the point of being disconcerting yet it weights up nicely and gives quite acceptable feedback when the going gets enthusiastic and the twists and turns more challenging.

It is not all one way traffic, however. The Insight has reach adjustable steering (to go with the rake adjustment) and adjustable seat height — neither of which are offered in the Prius.  The upshot is a more real world driving position behind a dash that is well sorted and easily read.

Interior space is good, if a little cramped in the rear for a full-size passenger. The boot is adequate for average requirements, although the load opening is on the narrow side and the space a little shallow.

Ride quality on the MacPherson strut front suspension and H-shaped torsion beam rear is at the lower end of average on anything but freeway-smooth surfaces. With a lowered ride height for efficiency, and 15-inch rims and low rolling resistance 175/65 rubber there is plenty of information about the road surface transmitted to the cabin.

There will be no compromise on safety for the Australian models with front, side and curtain airbags and stability control standard on all cars.  Smalley says the marketing plan will include two trim levels, although he says it is too early to confirm what other inclusions each model will have.

"They will not necessarily be the same as the two levels of Insight available in the United States. We will have our own model specifications but I can't say exactly what they will be just yet."  It is the same "too early to say" comment about sales expectations.

Pricing guides

$7,480
Based on third party pricing data
Lowest Price
$5,830
Highest Price
$9,130

Range and Specs

VehicleSpecsPrice*
VTi Hybrid 1.3L, Hyb/ULP, CVT AUTO $5,830 – 8,140 2010 Honda Insight 2010 VTi Hybrid Pricing and Specs
VTi-L Hybrid 1.3L, Hyb/ULP, CVT AUTO $6,490 – 9,130 2010 Honda Insight 2010 VTi-L Hybrid Pricing and Specs
Kevin Hepworth
Contributing Journalist

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Disclaimer: The pricing information shown in the editorial content (Review Prices) is to be used as a guide only and is based on information provided to Carsguide Autotrader Media Solutions Pty Ltd (Carsguide) both by third party sources and the car manufacturer at the time of publication. The Review Prices were correct at the time of publication.  Carsguide does not warrant or represent that the information is accurate, reliable, complete, current or suitable for any particular purpose. You should not use or rely upon this information without conducting an independent assessment and valuation of the vehicle.