2010 Honda Insight Overview Change Vehicle

This 2010 Honda Insight review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2010 Insight, and includes Honda Insight safety, reliability, and fuel economy information.

Honda was the first automaker to sell a hybrid car in America, the original two-seat, teardrop-shaped Insight. The Insight pioneered the aerodynamic shape that has come to be associated with the Toyota Prius, as well as other technologies that hybrid owners take for granted today. For 2010, a new Insight arrives, featuring the same tapered-tail, two-piece glass hatch design of the first Insight, but with a rear seat for carrying additional passengers and a larger cargo area for greater practicality. The trouble is, the technology under the new skin hasn’t changed much at all.

The 2010 Honda Insight is available in two flavors. The Insight LX is the less expensive model, but includes power windows, power mirrors, power door locks, remote keyless entry, a tilt and telescopic steering wheel, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, and a 60/40-split folding rear seat that expands the standard 15.9 cubic-foot cargo area into a 31.5 cu-ft space. The LX is also equipped with a continuously variable transmission (CVT), an automatic climate control system, a multi-information display, a Maintenance Minder feature, and a 160-watt audio system with a CD player and an auxiliary audio input jack. Projector beam headlights are included up front, while LED taillights are installed in back.

The Insight EX model adds stability control. Why this is not included as a standard feature on a 2010 model-year vehicle is anyone’s guess. The EX also has 15-inch alloy wheels, heated side-signaling mirrors, cruise control, and an upgraded stereo with a USB audio interface. Paddle shifters allow for manual manipulation of the CVT’s ratios, and EX models include a center console with an armrest, seatback storage pockets, map and glovebox lights, and dual visor vanity mirrors. The Insight EX can be equipped with an optional navigation system with Bluetooth hands-free calling.

As you might expect from a small, lightweight car built to achieve the best fuel economy ratings possible, the 2010 Honda Insight is not terribly powerful. It is equipped with Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid technology, in this case a gasoline-burning 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine assisted by a 10-kilowatt electric motor powered by a rechargeable battery that captures energy through a regenerative braking system. This is what is known as a mild hybrid rather than a full hybrid because the Insight cannot operate on battery power alone.

The combined power ratings are 98 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 123 pound-feet of torque peaking between 1,000 and 1,500 rpm, and fuel economy ratings are 40 mpg in the city and 43 mpg on the highway. A 10.6-gallon fuel tank provides a 420-mile city driving range. In theory.

To achieve those numbers, you probably need to run the Insight with its new Ecological Drive Assist System (Eco Assist) technology activated. With the touch of a big green button on the dashboard, Eco Assist adjusts the Insight’s throttle responsiveness, CVT operation, idle/stop duration, air conditioning system, and cruise control to maximize fuel economy. The driver can earn “leaves” as a reward for more economical driving, displayed on the multi-information screen.

Other features of the 2010 Insight include a flat underbody design, low rolling resistance tires, and a suspension tuned for sporty handling. Well, sporty for a hybrid, anyway.

Every 2010 Insight is equipped with Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure, which is designed to deflect crash energy away from the passenger compartment in a collision. The Insight also includes a pedestrian injury mitigation front structure design, in addition to six airbags, antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, and a tire pressure monitoring system. Inexplicably, stability control is standard only on the Insight EX.

Crash-test ratings are favorable. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gives the 2010 Insight its highest rating of Good in the offset frontal and side-impact crash assessments, as well as for rear-impact injury protection for the front seat occupants. Roof crush strength is deemed Acceptable by the IIHS.

In testing conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Insight receives 5-Star ratings for driver protection in a frontal- or side-impact crash, while front and rear passenger protection is rated at 4 Stars. The Insight’s resistance to rollover is also rated 4 Stars.

As far as reliability is concerned, both Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates predict that the Insight will provide dependability that is well above average.

Lots of people think Honda is simply copying the Toyota Prius with the reincarnated Insight. That’s simply not the case. Honda led the industry with this hybrid shape when the original Insight went on sale (the Prius was a traditional three-box sedan when it hit the market a year after the Insight). Now, where Honda ought to be copying Toyota is in the powertrain department. The Insight should be a full hybrid vehicle, able to operate at speeds up to 25 mph or more on battery power alone, and it should get better gas mileage than it does. As it stands today, Honda’s IMA technology is yester-tech. We also think stability control should be standard on the Insight. That said, we prefer the Insight’s design and driving experience to the Prius, and the car posts pretty good crash-test scores. If the Insight works for you, we’re not going to deter you from buying one.

By Christian Wardlaw