20.2.2009 Honda Insight review

When he first saw the new Honda Insight, Iain Robertson was almost speechless with delight, and only slightly disconcerted that the second generation Insight appears to share some strong styling cues with the next generation Toyota Prius.

Honda's first generation Insight, which carried some design aspects from the CRX sports coupe of the early-1990s, was a lightweight two-seat fastback coupe, remarkably efficient and placed the merest hint of a carbon footprint on the planet. Every element about the car was novel. Its seat materials were space-age. Its dashboard was way out. Its trim detailing was avant-garde.

In fact, so enamoured was I by the one-litre petrol car, complete with electric battery assist engine, that I ran one, thanks to Honda UK, for a 12-month assessment period. I fell head over heels in love with it. It was speedy (124mph). It was super-frugal (88+mpg). It was fun to drive and it turned heads like only a few super-cars might. It made Toyota’s subsequent Prius model look and feel leaden.

To begin with, the loss-making Insight (retailed for £17k but was reputed to cost the company £34k) was supplemented by a significantly more mainstream in appearance Civic Hybrid. The technology was almost the same but it seated up to five people and was more readily accepted by car buyers. The innovative Insight was relegated gently to the history books. However, its impact had been made. Since then, Toyota's Prius hybrid has been making all the headlines, especially after it received an early-life makeover.

Therefore, it is slightly dismaying to find that the new Honda Insight is virtually a carbon-copy of the Prius, complete with spacious cockpit and coupe-roofline. Blink and you would do a double-take on either of these two models. However, take a marginally longer scan back into Honda's recent history and you will find a model known as the FCX Clarity, which is Honda's first full-production hydrogen fuel-cell model that countless celebrities are currently test-driving in California, New York and Chicago. There are definite styling cues shared between the Insight and the Clarity development.

Yet, while Toyota has been exceptionally well-defined about its Prius, Honda's green positioning has been somewhat less arrogant and less overt. While the Prius has undoubtedly won on global sales, Honda can still boast no less than 300,000 world-wide sales of its hybrids, which is no mean feat considering that it is still just the two Japanese players that have made such a total commitment to hybrid technology. The rest are still playing catch-up.

While I always felt that original version of the car would remain unbeaten, I think that the new one manages to achieve right out of the box what the original never could, a broader public acceptability. Honda has managed to reduce both the overall bulk of its technology and to slim the car's weight down to important new levels. Within the driving environment, the new Insight is as wild as the original, although many of the dashboard dials are replicated from the regular Civic model. It is a good place to reside and you can even monitor the 'flowers' growing in your 'eco garden'.

Yes. I realise it sounds odd but, much like the infamous Japanese Tamagochi electronic toys (I used to have a pet rock, long before such things were even remotely fashionable!), the new Insight monitors your level of eco-driving and allows you to fill an electronic 'window-box' with pretty graphic flowers, as long as you are careful to judge your throttle applications and are frugal with your use of the car's in-built electric power source.

Unlike the previous Honda hybrid offerings, the new Insight is a series-parallel type, rather than series alone, which makes it similar to the Prius in concept and means that it can operate as an electric vehicle, or as a combination of both electric and petrol engine power, when you require an extra shot of urgency.

However, the biggest attraction of the Insight is that Honda has also slimmed down its price offering. The eminently practical hatchback weighs in at £15,490, which undercuts the Prius by a whopping £2,380. In fact, every model of the three-car line-up is less than its equivalent Toyota, which makes it three aces up Honda's sleeves before even considering the driveability.

Powered by an optimised version of the Jazz 1.3-litre engine that develops 88bhp, the 14bhp electric engine combines with it to produce a peak of 147lbs ft of torque, which once accessed means a trough of supercharged potency from as low as 1,000rpm right up the rev-range. Its official combined fuel return of 64.2mpg is pretty remarkable for a petrol fuelled car - and I feel certain it can be improved upon significantly by a determined driver. The car's CO2 emissions are given as 101g/km (road tax band B), which is not as 'clean' as a Ford Fiesta ECOnetic but is still a fantastically low figure considering the rest of the package, and beats the current Prius (104g/km) to boot.

Superlight electric steering and remarkably nimble handling mean that commuting in an Insight will be pleasurable. Its 0-60mph in 12.2 seconds and top speed of 113mph provide proof that it is not merely an urban runabout. While the suburban thrills may be missing from the handling package, the Insight retains a competent and engaging drive overall. That fourth ace ensures that Honda holds all the cards and trumping its key rival in most other respects means that the hybrid 'charge' just assumed a fresh focus.

FIRST-DRIVE FACTS:
Model tested: Honda Insight
Body-styles: 5-door hybrid hatchback
Engines: 1.3 (P4) + IMA (electric engine and battery assist)
Trim grades: SE, ES, ES-T
Prices: £15,490, £16,790, £18,390
In the showroom: April 2009
Review star rating: 5 STARS
Warranty: Three years, 90,000 miles (8 yrs/100k on powertrain)
Website: www.honda.co.uk
WhatGreenCar News: First UK preview: new Honda Insight

Iain Robertson © WhatGreenCar.com 2009