The Insight name is back in the Honda lineup for the 2019 model year. This is the third iteration of a vehicle with this nameplate and like the others, this one is exclusively available as a hybrid electric vehicle. With each new iteration, Honda has completely revamped the concept behind its dedicated hybrid, this time around creating a compact sedan based on the Civic but with a more upscale look and feel. Can this one be more commercially successful than the last two?
While the Toyota Prius was the first viable modern hybrid vehicle, it was a Japan-only model for the first couple of years of production. The original Insight arrived on American shores just four months ahead of the Toyota but as small, tear-drop shaped two-seater, it was too much of a niche product to achieve mainstream success despite it’s amazing efficiency. A decade ago, a more Prius like five-door hatchback arrived, but its emphasis on value meant it couldn’t match the real-world efficiency of the Toyota while at the same time feeling even cheaper than the Fit that it was based on.
This time Honda is taking a completely different approach that at least in one respect still seems to be swimming against the current. While some other automakers are all but abandoning the car market in America as consumers rush to utilities and pickups, Honda has applied its hybrid brand to a four-door compact sedan. Given the recent challenges of selling hybrids of any shape in America, this becomes a double challenge for Honda. Of course if you are going to use such an architecture, you might as well use one of the best and the tenth-generation Civic certainly qualifies.
The primary structure of the Civic sedan carries over to the Insight although the floorpan has been revised to accommodate installation of the lithium ion battery pack under the rear seats. That packaging solution means the Insight retains the full 15.1 cubic foot cargo volume (14.7 for the Touring models) of the Civic’s trunk. The 60/40 split folding rear seat also allows pass-through of longer objects.
Of the visible exterior aspects, only the roof panel and rear fenders are carried over from the Civic. The doors, front fenders, hood, front/rear fascias and lighting are unique to the Insight. The new look retains the proportions of the Civic but yields a more sophisticated design that is a bit less aggressive than the progenitor.
The revamped designs carries through to the cabin which now looks and feels significantly more premium, especially in the top Touring trim level. The instrument cluster has a more traditional looking two-guage layout with the speedometer on the right and a digital display on the left that show a variety of different information. The infotainment system is updated with the newer unit that debuted on the latest CR-V with a rotary volume knob returning and an updated user interface on the touchscreen.
The mechanical shift lever of the Civic is replaced with the same pushbutton system found on most new Hondas and Acuras and small storage cubby hole under the center console is gone as well. In order to package the hybrid drive system under the hood without extending the front structure, the 12V starter battery was relocated inside the center console under the shift buttons. Honda has provided remote terminals under hood to enable jump starting if the battery is dead. However, since the battery is going to be more challenging to service in its new location, Honda as opted for a more durable deep-cycle absorbed glass matte battery instead of the traditional lead acid. These AGM batteries are the same type used in most cars with auto stop start systems.
Aside from the body form factor, the other big change from the first two Insights is the hybrid drive system. The earlier cars used Honda’s original Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) architecture that featured an electric motor between the engine and transmission. This is similar to the arrangement used in many current hybrids not made by Toyota, Ford or GM. Compared to competitors IMA used relatively low-power motors of no more than 15 kW and the motor was hard coupled to the end of the crankshaft. Driving on electricity alone would shut off the fuel but the crankshaft was still being driven by the motor, limiting efficiency and range.
Honda’s two-motor power-split hybrid system debuted on the 2014 and is now in its third iteration with each one getting more efficient, more powerful and lower cost. The Clarity Plug-in hybrid uses the second-generation while the latest Accord and Insight have the third-gen model which uses square copper wire for the windings (thus maximizing the copper density compared to round wires) and no rare earth metals in the motors.
The new hybrid drive unit is the first one Honda has built in the North America. It comes out the Russells Point Transmission plant, part of the network of Honda manufacturing facilities in central Ohio. This is the first time the plant has built anything but conventional transmissions. The hybrid drive units are shipped to the Anna, Ohio engine plant for pairing with the 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder and then on to the Greensburg, Indiana assembly plant that builds the Insight, Civic and CR-V.
The lithium ion battery pack or integrated power unit (IPU) as Honda calls it comes from a plant in Kentucky where it is assembled from cells supplied by Panasonic and integrated battery management system. The IPU is a repackaged version of the same system found in the Accord hybrid with the cell modules rearranged so it can all fit under the rear seat.
Unlike the quirky, prior Insights, this one is intended to be a completely mainstream compact sedan that is appealing on its own merits and value but just happens to be extra fuel efficient. Walking up to it, there is nothing at all besides the small hybrid badge on the fender that gives this away as anything but a more upscale looking Civic. There is none of the avant-garde spaceship look of the current Prius.
Pressing the start button brings up all the screens but the car is otherwise silent (at least in warm weather, a winter start would likely fire the engine immediately). If the battery has enough juice, you can put the Insight in drive and motor off under electric power. The engine itself is highly optimized for thermodynamic efficiency which Honda claims at 40.5%, pretty much matching what Toyota is getting from its current hybrid powertrains. As such it produces 107-hp and just 99 lb-ft of torque. In combination with the electric drive, the total net output is 151-hp and an impressive 197 lb-ft of torque, more than the 122-hp and 105-lb-ft available from the Prius.
Around town, the Insight has more than adequate performance thanks to the instantly available torque provided by the electric motor. Responsiveness in traffic is admirable and impressively quiet, especially when running in EV mode, something that happens automatically based on battery charge state and conditions since there is no button to manage this.
The Insight features an active noise control system that helps tame the more objectionable sounds that a four-cylinder engine can produce, especially at low speeds. At higher speeds, under the hard acceleration, the engine sound becomes much more noticeable, in part because of the hybrid control system that blends engine and electrical power through an electronic continuously variable mechanism. Like a Prius the engine will rev up and stay until the vehicle speed catches up rather than providing an audible cue that is proportional to speed and acceleration. It’s not the loudest or more objectionable sounding set up out there, but it’s definitely not so much in keeping with the Insight’s aim of providing a better performing hybrid.
The Insight’s sound may not stir the enthusiasts soul like a high-revving S2000 or the roar of a big V8, but the car is very efficient, much more so than the last Insight. The LX and EX models are rated at 55 mpg city, 49 mpg highway and 52 mpg combined. The top Touring trim that gets larger 17-inch wheels and other amenities gets slightly less at 48 mpg. On a Minnesota drive loop that combined heavy traffic in Minneapolis, some higher speed freeway running and some curving rural roads, I achieved an indicated 41 mpg while maintaining a brisk pace and making no attempt to maximize efficiency.
On those back roads, the new Insight does a much better job of emulating the admirable driving dynamics of the Civic than the last one did relative to the Fit it was derived from. The main limitation is the available grip from the low rolling resistance tires but the car felt well balanced with decent steering feel and ride quality that matched the recent Civics I’ve driven. Given that Honda is trying to go more upscale with this car, it certainly feels like they have created a relatively no compromise alternative to the Civic.
The last generation lost much of the Fit’s amazing packaging efficiency but this one is every bit as good as the Civic. There is plenty of rear leg room even for my six-foot six-inch friend that tried the back seat, although headroom was just a bit on the tight side in the Touring which comes with a power moonroof. An EX or LX would provide some extra height for the extra tall.
All three Insight variants come standard with the Honda Sensing driver assist package that costs an extra $1,000 most Civic trims. That includes the adaptive cruise control, a lane keeping assist that works better than some of the optional systems I’ve tried on much more expensive premium cars and the Lanewatch camera system that is of dubious value. Hopefully Honda will soon replace this with radar-based blindspot monitors that also provide cross-traffic alert functionality for those times when you are backing out from between a pair of big SUVs in the grocery store parking lot.
The Insight LX goes for $23,725 delivered, with the EX at $24,995 and the Touring at $28,895. Those prices undercut similar Priuses and are just slightly more than the Hyundai Ioniq. Compared to the similarly named trims on the Civic sedan, the new styling and hybrid drive seems to command a premium ranging from about $1,300 to $2,000 which isn’t bad for such an impressive powertrain. However, the trims don’t exactly match up in equipment levels. For example, the Civic EX has a sunroof, dual zone climate control, heated seats and 17-inch wheels, something you have to step up to the Insight Touring to get. Nonetheless for what you get, this still seems like a really good value.
So will this nameplate succeed third time out? Given the market direction, the obvious question is why not a crossover? Honda won’t confirm anything but they recently launched a CR-V hybrid in Europe and it seems a no-brainer that it will be offered here especially since competitors like the Toyota Rav-4 already does and the next Ford Escape will.
Why the Insight name instead of just calling it Civic Hybrid? Honda research and planning manager John Morel explained that the Insight brand is still associated with hybrids and has a positive connotation among customers that know it. Launching a new brand is incredibly expensive and Honda wanted to separate this car from the Civic both through its design and its name. The Civic is still Honda’s second-best selling nameplate, just slightly behind the CR-V and is on track for its third straight year of record sales so while customers have abandoned other compact sedans, they clearly still like those made by Honda.
The timing for the launch of the new Insight in June 2018 just happens to coincide with gas prices being on the rise again, with regular averaging $2.91 nationally and hitting $4 in California. Between that and the fact that Honda has built an excellent all around car that is surprisingly thrifty with fuel, it might just do well.
Honda provided transportation and lodging for the author to attend this drive program.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2018/06/20/2019-honda-insight-is-third-time-the-charm/
2018-06-20T04:01:00+00:00