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2010 Honda Insight



CLICK HERE to download a 2010 Honda Insight Brochure
Call (951) 491-2313 for more information


 

The distinctively styled, five-passenger, five-door dedicated hybrid vehicle is powered by an Integrated Motor Assist? (IMA?) system comprised of a 1.3-liter i-VTEC® gasoline engine and a 10-kilowatt electric motor that together contribute to an EPA-estimated city/highway fuel economy rating of 40/43 miles per gallon2. The Insight features the Ecological Drive Assist System (Eco Assist?), an innovation that can further enhance efficient vehicle operation while providing feedback related to individual driving styles.


A sleek exterior blends design elements from the original 2000 Insight's highly aerodynamic side profile with a front-end design similar to the hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity, a marquee environmental product for Honda. The interior offers a roomy passenger environment with a configurable rear seating and cargo area that benefits from 60/40 split fold-down seats.

Major features standard to the Insight LX include front, front-side and side-curtain airbags; an anti-lock braking system; a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT); Eco Assist; automatic climate control; tilt and telescope steering column; manual driver's seat height adjustment; power windows; a four-speaker AM/FM audio system with CD player and auxiliary audio input for external digital music players; and much more.

A more premium version of the Insight is also available. The Insight EX, adds to the Insight LX features with Vehicle Stability Assist? (VSA®); alloy wheels; cruise control; steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters; an upgraded audio system with six speakers; USB audio interface3; a center console with armrest and storage compartment; heated side mirrors with integrated turn signals; and much more. Exclusively available on the Insight EX, the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System4 (6.5-inch screen) with voice recognition provides routing and guidance to individual addresses and more than 7 million points of interest within the continental United States. Models equipped with the navigation system also include Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® for hands-free operation of compatible mobile telephones, along with related steering wheel-mounted controls for voice activation of navigation and hands-free telephone systems.

A 4-cylinder engine with intelligent variable valve timing and a DC brushless electric motor forms the foundation of the IMA hybrid system. The electric motor, positioned in-line between the engine and the transmission, adds power during acceleration and in certain cruising situations, and recaptures energy from the vehicle's forward momentum during braking (regenerative braking).

The Insight's IMA system has the capability to operate exclusively on electric power in certain low- to mid-speed cruising conditions. It can also provide cylinder deactivation during deceleration and an idle-stop feature when the vehicle is stationary. With a 10.6-gallon fuel tank, the Insight delivers an estimated maximum driving range exceeding 400 miles. Models for sale in California and states that have adopted the California Air Resources Board (CARB) ZEV standards receive an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) emissions rating.

The Insight introduces Eco Assist to help drivers achieve improved real-world fuel economy. Eco Assist is a feature designed to help drivers optimize fuel efficiency for their given set of driving conditions. Pressing the ECON button can further enhance the efficiency of multiple vehicle systems: throttle control, CVT operation, idle-stop duration, air conditioning and cruise-control operation (EX only). Eco Assist also provides feedback about driving style via a 3D-appearing background within the speedometer. The background changes colors from green to blue to reflect how efficiently or inefficiently the driver is accelerating or braking (green = efficient). The driver's results are continuously tracked as fuel-economy ratings are shown per drive cycle and on a lifetime basis in the form of plant-leaf graphics that appear in the Multi-Information Display (MID). Up to five leaves can be 'earned' as the driver demonstrates a fuel-efficient driving style. A real-time score is shown in the Eco Guide MID screen.

Standard safety features on all Insights include dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags; front-side airbags with a passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); side-curtain airbag system; anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution (EBD); driver's and front-passenger's active head restraints and a front body designed to mitigate pedestrian injuries. All new Insights also feature Honda's Advanced Compatibility Engineering? (ACE?) body structure, which provides improved frontal-crash compatibility between vehicles of different size and ride height.

Honda is a leader in developing cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicle technologies, including the original Honda Insight, introduced as America's first mass-produced hybrid car in December 1999.



2 Based on 2010 EPA mileage estimates, reflecting new EPA fuel-economy methods beginning with 2008 models. Use for comparison purposes only. Do not compare to models before 2008. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.

3 The USB Audio Interface is used for direct connection to and control of some current digital audio players and other USB devices that contain MP3, WMA® or AAC music files. Some USB devices with security software and digital rights-protected files may not work. Please see your dealer for details on compatibility.

4 Insight EX with navigation MSRP $23,100. The Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System? is available on Insight EX models in the United States, except Alaska. See DCH Honda of Temecula for details





An affordable hybrid is big news and the editors of several major automotive publications have shared their first impressions of the all-new 2010 Honda Insight. Here's what they had to say:


"Honda Insight." Automobile. March 2009.
"Honda heads for the hybrid mainstream, with no apologies to the Toyota Prius."
  •  "...the new Insight is a hybrid for the common man."
  •  "...the Insight's cargo floor is as low and easily accessible as it is in any conventional hatchback car, including the Honda Fit."
  •  "Current Honda owners who get behind the wheel of the new Insight will feel instantly at home. The cabin design and ambience are an appealing mixture of Civic, Fit, and first generation Insight, with effective ergonomics, intuitive controls (the radio interface is especially nice), and lots of nooks and crannies for storage."
  •  "As for the seats themselves, the fronts are simple and comfortable, while the outboard rear seats offer good headroom, decent legroom, and good footroom."
  •  "The rear seatbacks fold easily although not completely flat. The cargo area is top-notch, with a big exterior opening through the hatch, a low lift-over height, a tall load space, and a broad, flat floor."
  •  "The wide windshield provides excellent sightlines for the driver and the front passenger, and rear visibility isn't bad through the CRX-style split hatch glass."
  •  "And the driving, for the most part, does feel quite natural, with little of the surging and hiccupping that sometimes afflicts hybrids. Driving the Insight basically feels a lot like driving any other small Honda. The electrically assisted steering has decent feel, with a small dead spot on center that seems to improve the harder you drive the car. The brake and accelerator pedals have been tuned for conventional feeling responses, with none of the mushiness that mars the Prius. During a brief foray onto some mildly challenging roads in the higher elevation areas of the Tonto National Forest outside Scottsdale, the Insight was nothing like the soggy mess that the Prius is when you ask it to get sporty."
  •  "Naturally, the Insight segues into understeer when you really push it, but considering its skinny... tires, it handles quite well and is more than capable of providing a mildly entertaining drive combined with good dampening and body control."
  •  "Over a fifty-two mile stretch of mostly two-lane roads through the Sonoran Desert scrubland of the Phoenix exburbs, we achieved an indicated average of 57 mpg with the Econ mode engaged and while making a mild effort to keep the digital speedometer's background lighting bright green, which is an easy way to know that you are driving efficiently. If the light turns blue-green, you're driving less efficiently, and if it turns totally blue, you're an ecological naughty-pants."
  •  "The Econ mode, which is engaged by hitting a dash button that's colored - what else - green, more readily kills the gas engine at idle, keeps the A/C in recirc mode longer, and changes the electronic throttle calibration to limit power and torque lightly (unless you mash the accelerator). In addition to the varied speedo lighting, several other graphic indicators in the instrument cluster help you track your efficiency, including digital flora that grow more leaves the more economically you drive."

"Insight in Sight." AutoWeek. January 26, 2009.
"Honda's affordable hybrid bids for a broader audience."
  •  "We drove the Insight in Arizona recently and found it also more fun to drive than most hybrids, another attribute that ranks high among young buyers."
  •  "Honda's latest battery and electronic module is smaller and lighter and fits under the car, allowing for a split-folding rear seat and a flat floor for cargo."
  •  "This may be the best-handling hybrid yet. Like other mpg-conscious cars, it still rides on tires designed for low rolling resistance, but these aren't the hard, narrow sort found on the original Insight; they're tires we could live with: 175/65R-15s with an all-weather compound. Front suspension is MacPherson strut, rear is torsion beam, and the overall balance is improved by mounting that heavy electronic module low in the chassis."
  •  "Honda has also done a masterful job of tuning its electric power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering and the electronic braking system (discs front, drums rear, with ABS and the regeneration feature for the drivetrain) for smooth, responsive operation with better feel than before."

"A Peacock Hybrid." Car and Driver. March 2009.
"Honda makes a grab for the Prius's halo with a hybrid for le$$."
  •  "The Insight is all about driving the price down where Toyota can't profitably go."
  •  "[The 2010 Insight] Drives like a Honda, taut handling, darn good chairs in front, great mpg, plenty of hybrid dashboard action."
  •  "When you twist the Insight's ignition key, the gasoline engine comes to life as in a conventional car. And it drives like a conventional car, with almost none of the bad habits of its competitors."
  •  "For the record, the Insight drives like a Honda, with tight suspension motions, a firm ride, well-connected steering, and a no-fat musculature. Interior sound levels are mild and well-controlled, especially at freeway speeds. Cockpit space is generous for two in front, a bit tight on the knees in back if front occupants are unwilling to compromise on legroom. The rear bench is high, firm, and exceptionally well shaped for lumbar support."
  •  "All you see when you lift the hatchback is a flat floor, which is continued forward when the rear backrests are folded. Three separate head restraints retract neatly into the rear seatback, pulling them down out of the mirror view when passengers have no need."
  •  "Braking was above average at 177 feet from 70 mph, with no surprises during a panic stop."
  •  "We celebrate hybrids that try to involve the driver in their special fuel-saving capabilities. Honda has always been a leader in this regard."
  •  "...the Insight offers two aids that we haven't seen before. Most obvious is the glowing background of the digital speedometer, which varies through a range of peacock hues from electric lime green at the thrifty extreme to double-strength indigo blue at full-power. Compared with GM's "ECO" indicator, which simply gives your effort a passing or failing grade, Honda's subtle shading is vastly more informative. It focuses the mind on the one essential issue of frugal driving: Would a little less power get you there just as quickly?"

"Honda Insight (First Drive)." Motor Trend. March 2009.
"Honda's all-new hybrid is great, green fun. Just don't call it a Prius."
  •  "The Insight is, quite simply, more fun to drive [than Prius]."
  •  "More fun comes from going green. Pushing the emerald-green ECON button on the dash initiates Ecological Drive Assist [Eco Assist(tm)]: a wide array of fuel-saving functions, including earlier idle-stop engagement, a smoothing out of throttle inputs and CVT operation, and more-efficient air-conditioning and cruise-control modes."
  •  "The screen you really want is called Eco Guide, recognizable by a set of digitized plant stalks... Drive green to add leaves, drive blue and the leaves fall off... Eco Guide is arguably more fun and interactive [than the Ford Fusion's hybrid display] - more Wii than PS3, if you will. Finish one set of leaves, and you're rewarded with another set to complete - three levels in all. The Insight tracks your green progress too, recording previous trips and overall leafiness. Much more fun than logging miles and gallons...."
  •  "Honda has worked hard to make the Insight the driver's choice. There's a hollow stiffness to the chassis, but the overall sensation is road feel, not harshness. Steering is light and precise, and the Insight changes direction happily, without keeling over as the Prius is wont to do. Throttle and brake response are smoother, too: Powertrain engineers focused on keeping the pedal feel and position consistent with the performance of the CVT and brake-regeneration system. Not so in the Prius; its throttle seems to have a mind of its own, depending on speed and pedal position, while the brakes have a noticeable stepped feel."
  •  "Feeling sporty? Slot the gearshift back into S mode and watch the tach jump a few hundred rpm. For more fun, send the needle up and down via the steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters."
  •  "When it comes to having fun while driving green, the cold efficiency of the Prius's display is simply no match for the warm fuzzies generated by the Insight's Eco Guide and color-shifting speedometer."

"Honda Insight." Road & Track. March 2009.
"A hybrid for the Gen Y masses."
  •  "Like the latest Civic, the Insight's IMA [Integrated Motor Assist(r)] makes it a full hybrid, in that its i-VTEC(r) variable-valve hardware shuts down the gasoline engine through Honda's Variable Cylinder Management(tm) [VCM(r)]. During VCM, all the valves are closed and the engine cycles in sort of a balloon mode, each piston compressing its air, the air returning the favor on the piston's downstroke."
  •  "For optimizing IMA attributes, the Insight's driver gets a really neat tripart Ecological Drive Assist: an ECON button, a real-time Guidance Function and, for the gamer in all of us, a Scoring Function."
  •  "The ECON button optimizes engine, CVT, IMA assist and regenerative braking, air conditioning and even cruise control. For instance, in ECON mode those little fuel-wasting dithers of your accelerator foot are smoothed out. IMA's Start/Stop feature is employed somewhat more actively. By contrast, cruise control reaches its ECON set speed somewhat less aggressively."
  •  "The real-time Guidance Function is simple but effective; an illuminated arc backing up the speedometer's digital readout. It changes color from deep blue (fuel-guzzling) to light blue (better) to fuel-efficient green. There's also a somewhat less prominent but equally real-time Multi-information Display of bar graphs showing the degree of IMA boost and regen."
  •  "The Scoring Function is good fun. It tracks current driving practice, updating approximately every 2,000 meters, as well as giving feedback of cumulative patterns. An Eco Guide accumulates little leaf symbols as you drive more environmentally responsibly. When you turn off the ignition, it rates your Eco Score and Lifetime results."
  •  "Its target customers may be Gen Y and, secondarily, active empty nesters. But I'd say this new Insight is a rational approach for anyone desiring hybrid motoring."
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