Extremely Fuel-Efficient Small Sedan
The 2020 Honda Insight doesn’t try to be fuel efficient. It just is. And it does so in an attractive package for a very attractive base price.
When handed the keys to a Honda, Clean Fleet Report knew an enjoyable week was ahead. Honda’s reputation for quality, well-built vehicles precedes them, with a loyal owner base making repeat purchases, sometimes for decades. So how have drivers taken to this hybrid Honda? If nearly doubling the 2018 sales to 23,686 Insights in 2019, it appears that they have taken to it quite well.
Hitting the Open Road
Getting a few hundred miles of seat time in a car provides the best way to evaluate it. In the case of the Insight hybrid, we logged 389 miles driving throughout Southern California, seeing if the EPA fuel economy rating of 51 city/45 highway/48 combined was easy or difficult to achieve. Not only did our highway numbers on a 285-mile run return 51.6 mpg, but our combined economy crushed the EPA number with a stout 50.5 mpg. To put this into perspective, the 270-mile drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas would require just over five gallons of gas. The upside is the money you didn’t spend on fuel can be wagered at the tables.
The 2020 Honda Insight is powered by very efficient low-torque 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with twin electric motors. One motor drives the car for up to a mile on pure electricity, and the other powers an electric generator or the battery pack as a series hybrid. It also is a parallel hybrid when the engine is running at highway speeds, combining the gas engine and electric motor to drive the front wheels. The total 151 horsepower and 197 pound-feet of torque drives those wheels through an electric continuously variable automatic transmission, or eCVT. The engine was noisy during stress, such as aggressive acceleration or climbing a grade, making highway cruising or in-town driving where the Insight hybrid shines.
The paddles are used to slow the car. Pulling the left paddle three ‘clicks’ provided additional electric regeneration for the lithium-ion battery, which is charged when applying the brakes or coasting. The regenerative charging system converts kinetic energy into electric energy and stores it in the battery. This process is also viewed on a dash gauge where you can watch the power flow into and out of the battery and engine.
The Insight is smooth and handles remarkably well, even though it is not designed as a sports car. Shod with 215/50 Continental Pro Contact all-season tires on attractive 17-inch machine finished alloy wheels, there was good traction with limited tire slippage under hard cornering stress.
The Insight is very quiet at low speeds, gets louder when being pushed, and then quiet again when cruising, which it can do all day at 70+ mph. We appreciated how easy the Insight is to drive, where its smooth ride was unaffected by passing semi-trucks or road imperfections. The electric power steering was balanced well, providing a positive connection to the road.
Acceleration of 0-60 in about 8.8 seconds was earned when opting for the Sport mode, where the acceleration improves with the assistance of the electric motor kicking in. Climbing hills or freeway merging takes some forethought. The other driver-selectable drive modes are Normal, Econ and EV. Their names aptly describe when they would be used.
Exterior Sleek/Welcoming Interior
Now in its third generation, the 2020 Insight slots between the Civic and Accord, with a design that we feel is the best looking of the three sedans. The Insight shares the Civic’s wheelbase and roofline, but that is it, as Honda’s designers created a smooth look with fewer abrupt edges found on the Civic, which can get busy. The Insight is the most graceful of the three, especially the rear end that gets tastefully smooth LED taillights and an ever-so-subtle rear lid spoiler.
The attractive design, with a low center of gravity thanks to the under-seat battery placement, had body color-keyed bumpers, door handles, shark fin antenna and exterior mirrors, making for a sleek design and profile.
Climb inside for a welcoming experience. Clean Fleet Report drove the Insight Touring, which was nicely equipped, and came with no optional equipment. The seats were trimmed in leather, with the driver and passenger seats heated, and the driver getting eight-way and the passenger four-way power adjustments. There was no lumbar adjustment, which was needed as the seats could have used the extra support.
The cockpit design is driver-friendly, with black faced and white numbered gauges that were in easy sight. For safety and helping the driver keep their eyes on the road, a head-up display would have been helpful. The build quality was excellent, with soft surfaces on the dash and door panels complemented by stitching throughout the cabin.
The rear seats are made for grown humans: two comfortably, but three for short jaunts. There was a low sill step-over, which was nice, but ducking a bit when getting into and out of the rear seat is a good idea. The rear seat itself, divided by the fold down armrest with cup holders, had ample leg, shoulder and head room.For storage, the rear seat folds 60/40 to provide excellent cargo space when two are off on a long, fuel-efficient weekend road trip. With the rear seat back in its upright position, trunk space is massive as the batteries are located under the seats.
The 2020 Honda Insight Touring came standard with an 8.0-inch high-resolution infotainment system touchscreen with navigation. Our car had the 450-watt 10-speaker Honda Premium audio system with HD FM/AM, SiriusXM, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Pandora, all of which can be managed by the controls mounted on the leather-wrapped steering-wheel. The system had a volume knob, but lacked one for channel selections. Other features of the system include iPod/USB ports, AUX and audio input jacks and Bluetooth for voice controls and hands-free telephone calling.
Convenience features include a tilt and slide moonroof, auto-dimming Homelink mirror, dual automatic climate control, tilt and telescopic steering column, power windows and door locks, heated power exterior mirrors with turn signals, and floor mats. Other standard features are walk-away door locks, electronic parking brake with brake hold, push button and remote start, security alarm and rain-sensing windshield wipers.
Safety
The Insight is well-equipped with active and passive safety features, including front and side air bags, a tire pressure monitoring system, collapsible steering column, anti-theft alarm and engine immobilizer, and a multi-view rear view camera. It is also equipped with a full suite of advanced driver assistance (ADAS) systems, part of Honda Sensing. These standard safety systems include collision and road departure mitigation, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and traffic sign recognition. The Insight was also equipped with a driver attention monitor that somehow was able to sense the driver was not paying attention or was otherwise driving sloppily. When it did, a warning would suddenly appear on the dash cluster behind the steering wheel. Clever, but curiously it didn’t come on at times when I thought I was driving anything but safe. Maybe Honda knows more about me than I thought.
In testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the 2020 Insight received five stars, their highest rating, while the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded the 2020 Insight its top safety pick, for overall crash protection.
Pricing and Warranties
The 2020 Honda Insight comes in three trim levels of LX, EX and Touring, with base pricing ranging from $22,930 to $28,340. Clean Fleet Report’s test car had a total price of $28,340. All pricing excludes the $930 destination and handling fee.
All 2020 Insight models come with these warranties.
- Hybrid Components – Eight years/100,000 miles
- Powertrain – Five years/60,000 miles
- Basic – Three years/36,000 miles
- Anti-perforation – Five years/Unlimited miles
- Roadside Assistance – Three years/36,000 miles
Observations: 2020 Honda Insight Hybrid Touring
The 2020 Honda Insight Hybrid is an attractive small sedan that handles well, rides smooth and gets stellar fuel economy. It is a shame more people are not considering sedans when shopping for their next vehicle. Clean Fleet Report has driven and reviewed many hybrid sedans from several different manufacturers (see below), and can report their quality and value have never been better. You will not be disappointed with the Insight.
With final assembly in Greensburg, Indiana, this extremely economical vehicle should cover all your driving needs, whether it’s commuting, in-town errands or long road trips.
Treat yourself to a long test drive at your Honda dealership, and see for yourself how the Insight will ease your daily driving and be easy on your fuel budget.
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Whatever you end up buying, Happy Driving!
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Disclosure:
Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.
Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and diesels. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.
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