Honda Insight, first contact at the Ecodesafío

Taking advantage of the development of the Ecodesafío of the Honda Insight, I had the opportunity to make a brief first contact with the new Honda Insight. The hybrid Honda that arrives to compete with the new Toyota Prius, features the IMA technology (just like the Civic IMA) and will try to make things harder for Toyota thanks to a lower price.

In terms of the exterior of the car, the design is noteworthy. Some will say it is very similar to the Toyota Prius, and they are not wrong, but it is the most suitable design for an eco-friendly vehicle to achieve a good aerodynamic coefficient and thus consume less. One of the areas for improvement is rear visibility, as it has a split rear window and visibility is not very good.

In the interior, the Insight is a spacious and comfortable car. Its most distinctive feature is the dashboard and centre console, which has that split design and futuristic look also found in the Civic range. Once you sit in the driver’s seat, you quickly get used to the controls, and the visibility of the speedometer is quite good.

The Insight also has a blue-to-green band behind the speed indicator that shows our level of eco-driving; as it turns green, we are driving economically.

Another feature is the ECON button, which, when pressed, tints our eco-car even greener, taking ecology to the maximum. It changes the throttle response to make it smoother, shuts the engine off more quickly at traffic lights or during long stops (it normally shuts off whenever we press the brake), changes the gearbox response, reduces air conditioning power to save fuel, and stores more energy during braking.

The Honda Insight has two engines: a 1.3 petrol engine producing 88 CV and an electric motor (IMA, assisting the combustion engine) producing 13.6 CV. In practice, the combined output of both engines does not reach 100 CV, and the torque is rather low at 103 Nm, which makes for a relaxed car.

During the first contact, driving was very pleasant and the automatic gearbox operates smoothly. However, it is a car very focused on the city and driving on quiet roads (we have not yet tested it on motorways, but we will shortly).

The biggest drawback I found is the lack of engine power, which limits it considerably, and that as soon as you ask for a bit more, consumption rises quite sharply. With relaxed city driving at around 40 km/h (on average), a consumption of about 4.5 l/100 km can be maintained. Another point in its favour is the price, as it starts at 19,800 euros, placing it below the Prius in price, and even the slightly better-equipped version (Executive) at 20,800 euros, from which the subsidies offered by some regions for being a hybrid and the government’s Plan 2000E should be deducted.

Photos | Eduardo Mariz