Montreal Autoshow: Honda Insight

[!!!TED!!!]

Here are some pictures I took of the 2010 Honda Insight at the Montreal International Autoshow in Quebec, Canada on Tuesday January 20th.

It looks ok, except for the droopy front end and baby wheels. Interior plastics scream cheap!

Between this and the Fit, Honda has one eco-geeky lineup.

When I asked for a brochure, the rep said: "We are trying to save the environment, so go on our website!" They didn't have ANY print material!

VIDEO:

[PurdueGuy]

I will definitely be confusing this with the Prius from the side.

[prinzSD]

I will definitely be confusing this with the Prius from the side.

I agree, I will take a Volt instead. Oh wait, I don't have $40,000 for a Volt and if I did I would buy a slightly used C6 Vette to add to my car corral.

Edited January 28, 2009 by prinzSD

[prinzSD]

Or the new Camaro, or the G8, or the CTS, etc

[HarleyEarl]

Man, the prevailing design of vehicles is so awful. I'm so tired of these pods that all look alike.

[Intrepidation]

This car has actually grown on me since I first saw it. While the shape from the side is similar at a glance to the Prius, the greenhouse is different. Also Honda did a better job at making it not look terrible. I like the front end, it reminds me very much of the FCX Clarity. Pus the lower roofline and larger wheels help make it looks dumpy.

Would I buy it over a Volt if I were in the market for such a car? Depends...this costs half what the Volt will cost...

[biff]

Wow, that's original! Good work Honda!

Or not. The door is open for GM/Ford to make cars that look interesting. Maybe people will buy them.

[Satty]

I like it, I'd like to see it in black.

[Robert Hall]

Imagine a Type R with wings and things... definitely see the Clarity styling in the front and profile.

[pow]

I really like the white one. I think it'll look great with black lightweight racing wheels.

[Intrepidation]

Honda has a hit on their hands. Compact car pricing, 50ish mpg,and driving dynamics that don't suck, in a package that isn't hideous and with a normal interior.

[Robert Hall]

Honda has a hit on their hands. Compact car pricing, 50ish mpg,and driving dynamics that don't suck, in a package that isn't hideous and with a normal interior.

+1. I've never cared for Toyota, but I've always respected Honda..they take engineering very seriously.

[HarleyEarl]

This is a car for people that are indifferent to cars. A necessary evil if you will. It's sad to see Honda going in this direction. Sure I'll never buy one of these dull cars, but I have to see them on the road. Not a pretty sight.

[Intrepidation]

This is a car for people that are indifferent to cars. A necessary evil if you will. It's sad to see Honda going in this direction. Sure I'll never buy one of these dull cars, but I have to see them on the road. Not a pretty sight.

You've seen a car that isn't on sale yet on the road? Do tell.

It's a car for people who want good fuel economy without having to pay a huge chunk of change to make up the difference.

Hell, for the price of a Volt I could buy this and a Challenger SE.

[Satty]

The guy with a 3rd gen Camaro in his sig is complaining abaout having to see ugly cars?

[daves87rs]

I like it.

[gm4life]

This car has actually grown on me since I first saw it. While the shape from the side is similar at a glance to the Prius, the greenhouse is different. Also Honda did a better job at making it not look terrible. I like the front end, it reminds me very much of the FCX Clarity. Pus the lower roofline and larger wheels help make it looks dumpy.

Would I buy it over a Volt if I were in the market for such a car? Depends...this costs half what the Volt will cost...

I totally agree. I wouldn't prolly ever by a car like this, but if I had to I would go with this one or a Volt no question. I have always had respect for Honda and their "culture/products". This thing ain't too hard on the eyes. I am guilty of looking at in on Honda's website. When I go to Chicago I will make a point of visiting the Honda booth and telling the rep a little about me and saying congrations and good luck kicking Prius a$$. They certainly deserve too. As for the Volt I can have a new Camaro 2SS/RS for the same price or a G8 GXP so explain why I would get a Volt? Toyota will be ready for an a$$ kicking and they deserve it.

Edited January 29, 2009 by gm4life

[balthazar]

Someone enlighten me as to the circumstances around the demise of the first insight- # of years made, why cancelled.

How does this insight fit in with the fit & civic ?

And it may differ from the prius in some aspects, but it's a loose tracing overall. It'd be distressing if I cared about the image of honda...

[Intrepidation]

The guy with a 3rd gen Camaro in his sig is complaining abaout having to see ugly cars?

Good one, although I actually like 3rd gen Camaros...it's the 4th gens I never really cared for.

[RBB]

This car has actually grown on me since I first saw it. While the shape from the side is similar at a glance to the Prius, the greenhouse is different.

The greenhouse is different?

Aside from the taillights, the rear is virtually identical (though to be fair, Honda did the split-rear-window thing first with the original CRX:

Also Honda did a better job at making it not look terrible. I like the front end, it reminds me very much of the FCX Clarity. Pus the lower roofline and larger wheels help make it looks dumpy.

True, the nose is better. But better design ≠ good design - It's more visually interesting than the Prius, but still meh.

Would I buy it over a Volt if I were in the market for such a car? Depends...this costs half what the Volt will cost...

Very salient point. Unless your commute is >35 miles round-trip, there's little reason other than status to step up to a Volt over an Insight.

-RBB

Edited January 29, 2009 by RBB

[Satty]

The Insight's rear window looks slightly larger than the one on the Prius. And the taillights reminds me of the Prelude.

[siegen]

Someone enlighten me as to the circumstances around the demise of the first insight- # of years made, why cancelled.

How does this insight fit in with the fit & civic ?

And it may differ from the prius in some aspects, but it's a loose tracing overall. It'd be distressing if I cared about the image of honda...

The original Insight ran its course. It wasn't a hit because it wasn't practical and wasn't marketed like the Prius (2nd gen) was.

This new model is slightly larger than the Fit, and is based partially off the new Fit. I believe rear seat room may be slightly smaller than the Civic Hybrid, but cargo room is greater. The specifics are posted somewhere which give interior dimensions. The price of course is rumored to be between 18,500 to 19,999, but the only official word is that it will be the cheapest hybrid to date. We won't know official pricing for a while.

And the mileage is rated at 40/43, except every mag and journalist that has tested it so far has exceeded 50 mpg under normal driving (no performance testing). The admin at TOV got 71 mpg in one loop, which rivals the original Insight in terms of hypermiling.

There is rumor of a Fit hybrid coming, which would seem redundant. If the rumor turns out to be true, it won't be for the US market anyway.

[siegen]

For a hybrid and a cheap hybrid at that, I think the styling of the Insight is excellent, especially the interior.

It looks good in red. I haven't seen any pictures of it in black yet, I'm sure it will look better in black, everything usually does. ;-]

The dash blows away the non-user-friendly and ungainly Prius dash, both new and current gen.

[Satty]

I always found the first gen Insight fascinating, it seemed like a perfect commuter car, the most efficient form of non-rail transportation for suburbanites who work in the city.

[balthazar]

Sorry- I find this next insight to be borderline hideous. The obvious silhouette homage to the prius with perhaps a bit more ungainlyness (almost looks like it's fractured vertically at the A-pillar)... and I'm getting a strong VW vibe in the grille. Interior looks both cheap & awkward, and it's not the commercial airline upholstery that's doing that, either. Blech.

[siegen]

Sorry- I find this next insight to be borderline hideous. The obvious silhouette homage to the prius with perhaps a bit more ungainlyness (almost looks like it's fractured vertically at the A-pillar)... and I'm getting a strong VW vibe in the grille. Interior looks both cheap & awkward, and it's not the commercial airline upholstery that's doing that, either. Blech.

Interesting. I really don't see what you're seeing at the A pillar. The 2nd gen Prius pays homage to many Honda design elements, and this new Insight pulls a lot from past Honda's. VW did do that style front grille before the Clarity, so it makes sense to get a VW vibe from the front. Not sure about your comment on the upholstery, why exactly is it commercial airline upholstery? Did you expect leather?

[Intrepidation]

For a hybrid and a cheap hybrid at that, I think the styling of the Insight is excellent, especially the interior.

It looks good in red. I haven't seen any pictures of it in black yet, I'm sure it will look better in black, everything usually does. ;-]

The dash blows away the non-user-friendly and ungainly Prius dash, both new and current gen.

I wouldn't go so far as to call it excellent...and you chose the least flattering photo angle to show us it, but it's better than the Prius.

Interior is way better than the Prius too, but again the bar is set low. Still the interior looks function and Honda thankfully put he gauges where they belong.

[David]

:rotflmao: This really shows just how ugly and cheap Honda has become and people say GM auto's are Plasticy cheap and ugly????

[Intrepidation]

:rotflmao: This really shows just how ugly and cheap Honda has become and people say GM auto's are Plasticy cheap and ugly????

Well unless you can feel the interior through photos your you have sat in it yourself you can't really judge that. Also, it costs half of what the Volt costs...so I'm okay with not being able to rub my face across the dash in comfort.

[!!!TED!!!]

Well unless you can feel the interior through photos your you have sat in it yourself you can't really judge that. Also, it costs half of what the Volt costs...so I'm okay with not being able to rub my face across the dash in comfort.

I have sat in it. The interior plastics (IMO) are extremely cheap (though very well put together).

It even shares the cheesy round HVAC vents with the Pilot.

The seats are good, and the instruments are ergonomical. Its really like a Civic inside (more or less).

I really didn't go in depth with my pics from this show (interior pics lacking for most cars Iv posted).

When the Toronto show comes in 2 weeks, I will have much better content...that is, if theres interest.

[balthazar]

>>"Interesting. I really don't see what you're seeing at the A pillar. The 2nd gen Prius pays homage to many Honda design elements, and this new Insight pulls a lot from past Honda's. VW did do that style front grille before the Clarity, so it makes sense to get a VW vibe from the front. Not sure about your comment on the upholstery, why exactly is it commercial airline upholstery? Did you expect leather?"<<

RE: 'fractured' : I think it's the window sill line. The front termination is over the front wheelwell, and the downward angle there departs from the flow of the hood/A-pillar line, and to my eye it creates tension there.

RE: design cues- the problem here is that the prius is not ubitquitous, and anything else that appears years later as a dedicated hybrid is only going to be compared to the prius- so whether or not the prius uses a few honda elements or not, IMO the perception is going to be that the insight is copying the prius, rather than ultimately 'copying' honda.

RE: upholstery - it's the pattern.

[siegen]

>>"Interesting. I really don't see what you're seeing at the A pillar. The 2nd gen Prius pays homage to many Honda design elements, and this new Insight pulls a lot from past Honda's. VW did do that style front grille before the Clarity, so it makes sense to get a VW vibe from the front. Not sure about your comment on the upholstery, why exactly is it commercial airline upholstery? Did you expect leather?"<<

RE: 'fractured' : I think it's the window sill line. The front termination is over the front wheelwell, and the downward angle there departs from the flow of the hood/A-pillar line, and to my eye it creates tension there.

RE: design cues- the problem here is that the prius is not ubitquitous, and anything else that appears years later as a dedicated hybrid is only going to be compared to the prius- so whether or not the prius uses a few honda elements or not, IMO the perception is going to be that the insight is copying the prius, rather than ultimately 'copying' honda.

RE: upholstery - it's the pattern.

Thank you for clarifying. I don't see the a-pillar thing, but I may just be more used to this design language. I understand that it will be compared to the Prius excessively, and that many people will believe it is a copy of the Prius, despite what Honda and the auto magazines tell them. It's too bad but I will still try to set things straight as much as I can. ;-]

As far as the upholstery, shrinking down the image in photoshop (and sharpening) gives the seats a weird pattern. The seats do have a sort of dotted/cross hatched pattern. The regular taupe/gray seats hide it better, and might be preferable for some. Honda likely isn't going to offer leather anytime in the near future, since that would be one more step towards making the HCH redundant. But if wanted, any Honda dealer will install leather seats (at a premium of course). They will even install leather on used cars.

The price that the vehicle ends up at will set the bar for how high quality the interior materials need to be. Interior materials will likely be a step below the Civic hybrid, which is to be expected. If you take the IMA system out of this car and some of the electronic gismos, it would be essentially a Fit with different packaging and better aerodynamics.

[gm4life]

I wouldn't go so far as to call it excellent...and you chose the least flattering photo angle to show us it, but it's better than the Prius.

Interior is way better than the Prius too, but again the bar is set low. Still the interior looks function and Honda thankfully put he gauges where they belong.

I totally agree DF.

[prinzSD]

For a hybrid and a cheap hybrid at that, I think the styling of the Insight is excellent, especially the interior.

It looks good in red. I haven't seen any pictures of it in black yet, I'm sure it will look better in black, everything usually does. ;-]

The dash blows away the non-user-friendly and ungainly Prius dash, both new and current gen.

I agree. The plastic in my mother in laws Second gen Prius is so thin and flimsy to the touch I do not see how it will not crack in the summer heat after a few years.

[MyerShift]

I do like the styling of the front.

It's sharp, attractive, rakish, and I could even imagine (from front view only) a VW badge on the nose.