2010 Honda Insight: Love Me

My girlfriend likes pathetic things too.

Thank goodness.

Yeah baby. MC Aisle 9 on this track! And the beat is sick!

Paper or plastic/
Both bags are fantastic/
My main bag is plastic/
They stretch like elastic/
To carry a six pack, a pizza, potatoes/
Or whole heads of lettuce, ice cream, tomatoes/

....Personally I think the Insight looks loads better than the Prius but I really don't like the "beak" design language Toyota has been using lately. The Prius has it's own stigma, too.

I'm hard pressed to find a worse car you can purchase for $22k.

@mikeolan

Depending on opinions I have found 3 Smart cars all for under $16K in my area. But for overall blandness yes the Insight is hard to beat.

The best thing I can say about it is it is not a Prius.

Oops, typo. bag=bad. -- Donna

@hybris: oooh, you're right... the Smart is still worse. But it is significantly cheaper....

Call me crazy, but I find the front end of the Insight to be the most attractive in Honda's lineup when I see them in the flesh.

I like the nose too, but every other surrounding piece is nasty looking.

Extremely optimistic look at one of Honda's recent ---- ups.

I never thought I would ever say this, but I saw a Prius the other day with the high end rims in silver, and I thought it was really attractive.

The Interior of the Insight looks cheap too. Especially with the Navigation System.

Strangly I have not seen one new one of these. Although in the work parking lot sits two orginal insight's. Funny thing is they have not upgraded to a Pruis, or the new Insight. And I can tell you these people are far from poor. I think both cars really miss with the orginal one was all about.

Anyways if this thing can make it to COTW, I say the G8 GT should get another round before it leaves.

The 1st gen Insight pushed boundaries, a car that sought to maximize its fuel economy, and was unapologetic about sacrificing North American conventional notions of what's necessary in a car.

The 2nd gen Honda Insight is a dumb car for dumb people. The only reason why anyone should purchase the insight? Because they can't afford the extra 3 grand for a Prius but still can't wait to buy a car.

Both the Prius and 2nd gen Insight compete in what I'll call... the "proto" hybrid category. The consumers that go after these cars don't really want it to be particularly fast, or provide particularly good handling. You're talking about people who either 1) drive enough paying the the hybrid premium makes sense, 2) want to appear green, or 3) are too stupid to realize that they'll likely never recover the hybrid premium in fuel costs within their expected period of vehicle ownership.

The Insight is great for the latter two group of people. For the first? 2010 Prius is more fuel efficient, more spacious, has better handling, quieter ride, better power to weight ratio, more torque, better brakes, and less carbon-dioxide emissions.

Actually, it is ugly, slow and unsophisticated with the exception of the hybrid system. Its mediocre in every single way. Unless you are a Honda fan or cannot afford the extra $2k for the PRius there is no reason to buy this car- which explains the sales thus far. Aside from notorious Honda shills at C&D no one has really given this car a ringining endorsement. C&D also thinks the Pilot is a benchmark so their credibility is on the wane.

I agree with 1487-
The initial reports were "ooo honda! must be great handling and best bang for the buck" Well, those were wrong. I drove one the other day... It was cheap on the inside and in terms of ride quality it felt like the 94 civic I had a long time ago. The handling is just like an econocar, and i just came away unimpressed. Oh, and I think the back of the thing is hideous. I test drove the prius, and although its no drivers machine, its a lot more comfortable and looks nicer inside and out (save the awkward styling on the front end).

On the contrary, I am a big fan of the Insight. There's this simplicity to it that I like, a I think it takes a smart shopper to look away from the Prius, since that seems to be the only hybrid that the general public knows. Even though the EPA numbers don't show it, many independent tests, including Edmunds', have shown its fuel economy to be closer to the Prius's than you think.

The Insight also looks a lot better than the frumpy looking new Prius.

-edit to my earlier comment-

There's a fourth category of people, who'll also gravitate towards proto-hybrids like the Prius and the Insight - individuals who believe that going with the convention of the masses will infringe their individuality (which is also tragically linked to their self-esteem). These are the types of car buyers who'll refuse to consider a Civic, Corolla, or Mazda3 because a friend already purchased one and provided favorable review.

Since the Prius is the most successful proto-hybrid, this category of folks will go get the Insight. Because you know... it is soooooo different.

Donna, When people call the Insight a ripoff of the Prius, they are talking aout the shape, and they are absolutely correct. There is no other explanation for the Insight's current body style except that Honda wanted to involk the Prius in buyer's minds.

The Insight as a hybrid model came first, but the first gen Insight was an odd, 2-door super aero shape hatchback, which sold poorly, while the Prius was a more conventional and useful 4-door that sold well. Unsurprisingly honda chose to go the 4-door route for gen 2, but apparently decided it was easier to rip off the Prius than create its own unique shape.

"Even though the EPA numbers don't show it, many independent tests, including Edmunds', have shown its fuel economy to be closer to the Prius's than you think.

The Insight also looks a lot better than the frumpy looking new Prius. "

Most tests have shown the Insight to average about 38mpg while the PRius averages around 50. That is not close in my book.

Also, I fail to see how anyone could praise the Insight's styling and then criticize the Prius. The Prius is no looker but its better looking than the Honda. At least you can get attractive 17" rims on the Toyota. I have not sat in the Insight yet but I notice the press is giving it a free pass on interior materials. It looks absolutely cheap inside, hardly appropriate for a car that tops out at $23k-$24k. Compare the inside of this car to the new Golf- no comparison in style or quality.

bankerdanny:

Exactly. That is what people are talking about when they say the Insight is a copy of the Toyota. The next excuse is "all these cars have to look alike due to aerodynamics". True to some extent but you can make a car slippery and attractive as evidenced by the Volt.

Prius is better, simple as that. Sales are dismal, but I agree with the thousands that skip this car and go buy the prius instead.

"I have not sat in the Insight yet "

But yet you give your opinion, thanks for the input.

They should have stuck with the original 2 door design, given how little headroom there is in the back seat of the new Insight. I sat in one while purchasing my '09 Si sedan recently and I could not find a seating position where some part of my head was not planted firmly against the roof. I am only 6'0", so not all that tall, but based on my last experience with a Prius (ended up with one as a rental a few months back), the headroom in the rear seat was just fine. I think Honda missed the mark on this one, not just for this reason, but a lot of little things tend to add up.

"But yet you give your opinion, thanks for the input."

I forgot that you have been in and driven every car you have commented on. What was I thinking?

I dont need to sit in the car to see the dashboard is a mess and full of shiny plastics. Besides, I have been in the Fit and I know how cheap that interior is in the flesh. I can only presume based on pics and reviews that the Insight's interior is about the same. Materials aside, the design is horrible.

I only have a few issues with the Insight:

- Lacks visual and physical substance vs Prius, especially the interior.
- Lack of options vs Prius.
- The "built to price" feeling unfortunately is immediately evident vs Prius. (it's certainly not GM 80's cheap but....)

In the end, I think Honda could have made this car more substantial in most areas while still being able to undercut the Prius in price.

In regards to styling, while their overall silhouettes are similar, the details in their designs make them look totally different side by side. AS far as a Prius "copycat", if you actually compare the original Insight's silhouette to the current Insight, the difference (other than actual size) is very small. Also compare it to the Honda FCX Clarity as aerodynamic performance was key in styling.

"Unless you are a Honda fan or cannot afford the extra $2k for the Prius there is no reason to buy this car- which explains the sales thus far."

1487:

- I love how you consistently and automatically force your opinions on EVERYONE ELSE and use them as justification.
- Insight actually sells well in other markets as it's a global car.
- I'm sure the masses will be running out to buy the $40K Chevy Volt.
- There are people who actually like this car. (I'm undecided)
- Nobody stated Honda was perfect.
- The Prius was extremely successful before a comparable Insight sedan was even available therefor market domination was expected.