Anytime I'm retrieving something from the Honda Insight's back seat I'm reminded about its lack of headroom. We're written about this before, with one notable entry being Mike Magrath's post back in July of last year. My initial reaction to the lack of headroom is: "Jeez, this is pretty bad." I'm 5-foot 10-inches and even my head rubs up against the headliner. Plus, the sloping outer curve to the roof makes it easy to bump your head when getting in and out.
But I've also thought about how I've had our long-term Insight in my possession for a total of about three weeks now, and the number of times I've had an adult riding in the back is zero. The only person to ever ride in the back is my two-year-old daughter. That sloping roof does make it harder to get her in and out of her car seat without bopping her head. But once she's in, she's fine.
So the question is: Does it really matter that the Insight's rear seat is small? I suppose in the absolute it does. If everything's equal, who wouldn't want more rear headroom in their sedan/hatchback? But given that most people aren't using cars like this to frequently carry adult rear passengers, maybe it's not that big of an issue after all. In the end, I think it mostly just reinforces my opinion that the Insight is a capable commuter car. But asking much more out of it than that gets you into trouble.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor
dutchdabomb says:
10:45 AM, 01/28/10
I sat in the back of one at the LA auto show this year and totally agree. I also sat in the back of a Fit to compare and there is tons more room in the fit. You might think this is obvious given just a look at the exterior, but this is not a problem that occurs in the Prius and many people say the two cars look identical. Backseat headroom is definitely something any prospective buyer should beware of in this car.
jstandefer says:
10:53 AM, 01/28/10
I know three people that have looked at the Insight and bought/leased a Prius instead mainly because of the rear seat. You're right... it's not that big of an issue after all.
bradyholt says:
11:46 AM, 01/28/10
For $20,000, a car needs to be more than just a basic commuter car. If you want basic, you can spend less.
bc1960 says:
12:35 PM, 01/28/10
I haven't had rear seat passengers in the three years I've owned my present car. The previous car I think it was once or maybe twice in twelve years. If it's something you do frequently, it's something you need to consider. Note that when Honda designs a car primarily for North America, it can be quite different from one it designs primarily for its home market--e. g., US Accord/JDM Inspire vs. JDM Accord.
gdmstrb says:
12:40 PM, 01/28/10
"I sat in the back of one at the LA auto show this year and totally agree"
I attempted to do the same thing, and upon entry I nailed my head attempting to get in, because the roof is too low. I understand that there's a need to reduce drag, but compromising rear seat room in such a manner is inexcusable. Makes you wonder what the heck the folks over at Honda were thinking.
DCuerpoJr says:
01:13 PM, 01/28/10
Poor rear seat leg & head room is unacceptable in a 4dr car. As of 2005, the average height of a man in the US is 5' 9.2" and if such a person is able to hit their head against the headliner then it's simply poor design.
Honda probably had the sloping roof to reduce drag, but this is way too much. Especially when it's direct competitor (Prius) has sufficient rear seat head room.
hybris says:
01:59 PM, 01/28/10
If the back seat is near useless I wonder how much weight you would take off if you ripped out the seats?
bankerdanny says:
02:51 PM, 01/28/10
Rear seat headroom is increasing compromised across all vehicle sizes given the srply sloping rooflines and rear windows of so many of today's cars.
This isn't a new problem though, my head (I'm 6-4) would hit the rear window in the back seat of my 1996 Taurus.
One would think that if you are building a 4-door car you would assume that the back seat needed to be useful for an average, or even slightly above average, sized American male. But apparently not. The domestics are just as guilty of this. I have the same issue with the back seat of the Dodge Charger.
firstwagon says:
03:07 PM, 01/28/10
I'd say it really matter because (as others have mentioned) the Prius and the Fit both have very useable rear seats.
They are the real competition for the Insight and if the competition kicks your butt on a key point like rear seat space in a 4 door then you've lost before the game begins.
e90_m3 says:
09:21 PM, 01/28/10
This fastback trend is getting really out of hand.
My wife is 5'-4 and even she felt claustrophobic in the backseat of an X6. What the heck?
hondacura4 says:
07:05 AM, 01/29/10
The Prius is and has always been a larger car vs the Insight (although they ARE NOT direct competitors). However, that doesn't excuse or justify the head bashing design.
jstandefer says:
11:48 AM, 01/29/10
I wouldn't say they are not direct competitors. Sure, the Prius is $3k more expensive and is a slightly larger car. However, they are both five-door hybrid hatchbacks and have been so extensively directly compared and cross-shopped that it would be just plain silly to say they are not direct competitors. The Camaro is larger and more expensive than a Mustang... who in their right mind would claim they are not direct competitors? Same thing with the Solstice/Sky and the Miata.
Regardless, the Prius is 3.3 inches longer, 2 inches wider, and 2.5 inches taller. Nothing to write home about, but the wheelbase is a a more substantial 5.9 inches longer than the Insight. The Prius also weighs 319 pounds more and has substantially more cargo space. Those are all a given. But the Prius also accelerates quicker and despite its better performance, bigger size, and heavier weight, it gets substantially better fuel economy. And to add insult to injury, it also has a tighter turning radius.
I've never been a huge fan of Honda, but I do recognize their excellent engineering. Or at least I did... This Insight is remarkably inferior to its competition. And the new CR-Z is remarkably disappointing. As can be said about Toyota nowadays: Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
mheikka says:
03:02 PM, 01/29/10
As an owner, I know the low rear roof line limits the car's utility. I'm 6', and cannot comfortably sit in the back seat, due to both the reduced headroom and diminished legroom in the car. This was a factor in our purchasing decision. But we asked ourselves who will be sitting in the back 99.999 percent of the time? The answer is one 5 year old.
So it works for us (as a second, commuter), only because we use our midsize CUV for those occasions where headroom and passenger/cargo space are needed. That said, when people ask me the "Insight versus Prius" question, my default answer is to tell them to buy a Prius, unless they want a 2 seater hybrid, won't use the back seat for adults and budget is an issue.
This is probably the main reason the Insight isn't selling well. For the casual shopper (who doesn't obsess over the comparisons, and just wanders into a Honda dealer to buy an efficient car) the low rear headroom/small back seat is the first "defect" that "clobbers the potential buyer in the head." Literally...