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Consumer Reviews for the Honda Insight
Read recent reviews for the Honda Insight
Great little car, not up to brutal winters
Johannes Smith, 01/17/2016
2010 Honda Insight EX 4dr Hatchback (1.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
Year 2 update - still solid, no major mechanical issues after 3 years, up to about 90k miles. Winter performance is still only OK for both drive quality and fuel economy, but overall performance is a solid 4/5 stars. No major mechnical issues make this a ludicrously cheap car to drive.
Year 1 Update - still a solid little car. I need to preface everything I say next with this, the … Insight is the cheapest hybrid out there. If you're going for MPGs and utility at bottom dollar, and don't mind a few quirks, it's an awesome car.
Driving quality is... weird. Car rolls backwards on hills very readily. Hybrid drive is the slightest bit balky when it triggers. Pedals feel loose and floaty, in a minor way. I call this car "The Gadget" because a few elements of the drive train feel like they're still just prototypes. The flip side is, strangely, car has plenty of pickup. Gets on the highway very comfortably, can accelerate into small gaps in traffic no problem. All that combines with an average of about 40-41MPGs in good weather, 30-31MPGs in very cold weather.
No major mechanicals after one year. I hear Honda's are famously reliable, and I believe it. I replaced the tires, the OEM tires were shot after 75K miles. Replacement tires have some issues, not sure if that is the wheels or the tires. My fault if it's the tires, Honda's if it's the wheels.
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So, I should start with the positive - bought a 2010 Insight EX in 2015. On the used market, they're going for sub 10K, and that means that entry level combustion engine cars are the same price as entry level hybrids. I had to give the hybrid a shot!
In all the classic measurements of a car, the Insight excels. Acceleration is solid, it gets on the highway comfortably and can speed up to avoid hazards. Food for thought here, this car does 0-60 in 11.9 seconds. That compares to the gasoline Lancer of the same year at 11.4 seconds. The difference in fuel economy is a staggering 26MPG vs 43MPG. I'll leave you to do the cost/benefit analysis there.
The interior is very comfortable, I love the seats. Safety features are cool (I'm upgrading from a cromagnon car with 1 airbag, so I'm excited to see 5 obvious airbags). The headlights on the EX are dazzlingly bright.
For issues, there are 2 minor design flaws. Cabin view is not great - rearward visibility could be better with better pylon placement. The hatchback could also be roomier, it gets pretty tight back there. These are minor flaws - the view is most of the way there, and the hatchback is a great feature decently executed.
The most perplexing issue with this overall great car is the winter performance. I am a Chicagoan. Sometimes, Chicago winter is colder than the dark side of the moon (and that is factual truth, google it). This winter has been average. The Insight's electric engine does not engage below a given temperature, usually below 20-30. The gasoline engine provides decent to good driving performance, but a much lower fuel efficiency. I'm averaging 31MPG in January.
Also, the A/C unit is relatively weak, so it takes a significant amount of time to get the car hot. Maybe it's attempting to route heat to the hybrid drive's battery, I'm not sure - in either case, winter performance is out of line with general performance.
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