Honda Insight 2019 Quick Takes

TestDriveNow Overview: Honda Insight 2019 Quick Takes

• Sophisticated sedan styling with class-leading passenger space and no-compromises cargo room, rivaling that of midsize sedans
• Honda Sensing® technology standard
• Competitively priced with a starting MSRP less than $23,000

The 2019 Honda Insight offers class-leading power and passenger space, universally appealing styling, and received a 55 mpg2 city from the EPA (LX/EX), while simultaneously bringing a new level of driving sophistication and style to the compact hybrid market.

Boasting a high level of standard premium features, Insight’s Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)1 starts at $22,830 (excluding $895 destination and handling).

CLICK HERE TO WATCH STEVE HAMMES’ COMPLETE REVIEW OF THE 2019 HONDA INSIGHT

Insight’s body, chassis and powertrain combination provide a surprisingly satisfying driving experience.

Total system output of 151-horsepower provides brisk acceleration compared to other hybrids, yet it also received a 55 mpg city rating (LX/EX), putting it among the best hybrids on the market.

Furthermore, with its comparatively low starting price, Insight makes it easier than ever to save at the pump while looking good doing it.

Insight comes in three different trim levels: LX, EX, and Touring.

All Insights come standard with multi-element LED headlights, push-button start, and the Honda Sensing® suite of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies.

Among other features, Insight EX adds an 8-inch Display Audio with Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ integration,

while Insight Touring adds leather seating surfaces, an 8-way power driver’s seat, Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™, dual-zone automatic climate control, and more.

The 2019 Insight is powered by the third generation of Honda’s innovative two-motor hybrid drivetrain.

A 1.5-liter DOHC i-VTEC Atkinson-cycle inline-4 engine with 40.5-percent thermal efficiency is paired to an electric propulsion motor that produces 197 lb.-ft. of torque for a class-leading total system output of 151 horsepower.

Thanks to its clever two-motor design, Insight operates without the need for a conventional automatic transmission.

Insight helps drivers maximize energy regeneration through the use of steering wheel-mounted Deceleration Selectors. Working similar to transmission paddle shifters, Insight’s Deceleration Selectors let the driver toggle between three different levels of regenerative braking performance. Tap the left selector to increase regenerative braking, and the right to reduce it. This system not only increases battery charging via regeneration, it also helps reduce stress on the brakes, and lets drivers tailor their regenerative braking level for different driving conditions.

Insight’s hybrid powertrain uses power from the gasoline engine and electric motors to accommodate the current driving conditions, seamlessly shifting through three distinct drive operations. In EV Drive, Insight is powered solely by its electric drive motor, drawing power from the battery. In Hybrid Drive the gasoline engine drives a generator motor to supply electrical power to the drive motor. In certain circumstances, Engine Drive operation connects the gasoline engine directly to the drive wheels.

The 2019 Insight’s battery is housed in a compact intelligent power unit (IPU) mounted under the rear seats, allowing Insight to offer an uncompromised 15.1 cubic feet of trunk space (LX/EX) that rivals many midsize sedans, and a folding rear seatback for long loads (60/40 split in EX and Touring trims). With up to 97.6 cubic feet of interior space and class-leading rear legroom, Insight’s interior packaging also offers the best passenger space in its class.

The 2019 Insight joins an expanding lineup of electrified Honda vehicles that includes the Clarity series – Clarity Fuel Cell, Clarity Electric and Clarity Plug-In Hybrid – and the recently introduced Accord Hybrid. These models represent the next generation of Honda vehicles as the company advances toward its global initiative to grow electrified vehicle sales to two-thirds by 2030.

The 2019 Honda Insight for the North American market is manufactured, using domestic and globally-sourced parts, exclusively at Honda’s Greensburg, Indiana auto plant alongside Civic and CR-V. Its hybrid powertrain, including the 1.5-liter Atkinson-cycle, two-motor system and intelligent power unit (IPU) containing the hybrid battery pack, is produced in Ohio.