2010 Honda Insight - Honda Hybrids Step Forward
It's easy to write off the 2010 Honda
Insight as a Toyota Prius—the two hybrids do, after all, share
strikingly similar profiles—but reviews read by TheCarConnection.com
indicate there's more to this 2010 Insight than you'll take in at first
glance.
The 2010 Honda Insight is "an
affordable four-door, five-seat hatchback," according to Cars.com, and
it is currently available in both LX and EX trim levels. If the Insight
nameplate sounds familiar, it is because Honda originally released a
quirky-looking two-door hybrid under the same moniker back in the late
1990s, but this latest 2010 Honda is an all-new model. Comparisons to
the Toyota Prius are almost inevitable—Car and Driver observes that the
2010 Honda Insight "fits almost perfectly into the Prius mold," thanks
to the fact that the "body has the same high-tail fastback silhouette,
surely dictated by aero drag considerations." Aerodynamic
considerations definitely play a large part in shaping the 2010
Insight, and Cars.com notes that "this is one of the most efficient
shapes" for pushing air aside.
While the Prius has a
slightly better drag coefficient, Jalopnik says, "if anything, the
Honda's the better looking car, benefiting from its five year younger
age, sharper lines and more refined detailing." Cars.com agrees,
commenting that this 2010 Honda is "more distinctive and much
better-looking than the current Prius" with a nose that "looks like
Honda's growing fleet of experimental FCX Clarity fuel-cell cars."
The cabin of the 2010 Honda
Insight is typical of Honda's other interiors, and indeed Automobile
Magazine reports that current "Honda owners who get behind the wheel of
the new Insight will feel instantly at home." Like the new Ford Fusion
Hybrid, Car and Driver says this 2010 Honda hybrid offers a few visual
fuel economy aids, including the "glowing background of the digital
speedometer, which varies through a range of peacock hues from electric
lime green at the thrifty extreme to double-strength indigo blue at
full power." Edmunds reviewers rave about the Honda Insight's "sensible
gauges and superior driving position," while Automobile Magazine
likewise appreciates the "effective ergonomics" and "intuitive
controls" inside the Insight's cabin.
The Honda Insight breaks from
other hybrid options in several ways, however, with Cars.com pointing
out that, "unlike most hybrids, the Insight's navigation system
(available on the EX) doesn't have supplemental hybrid graphics, nor
does it have a backup system." The 2010 Honda Insight also lacks the
increasingly popular push-button start, but rather has a more
traditional keyed ignition.
