2019 JDM Honda Insight Hybrid – Toyota’s Ultimate Nightmare?

In 2014, Toyota emerged as the proud victor of the hybrid war; beating arch Nemesis Honda while putting an end to the second generation Insight’s production. It’s been six years since then, and Honda is back in the game with the third-generation Insight. So will the third time be the charm for them? Let’s take a look at the JDM 2019 Honda Insight Hybrid and find out.

Exterior:

Honda took a serious gamble with the exterior styling of the 10th generation Honda Civic, however, a look at the sales figures indicates that the said gamble more than paid off. The sporty, daring and somewhat polarizing design stood out against rivals and appealed to the consumers. So it comes as no surprise (somewhat ironically) that Honda has the taken a “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach with the Insight. The overall profile and proportions are pretty much identical to Civic, while the creases, contours and other finer design elements appear more mature, graceful and elegant than that of the Civic. The front grille, DRLs and headlamps take a page front the latest Accord’s playbook and the entire front end of the Insight is reminiscent of its elder sibling – the Accord. The coupe like sloping roofline and chrome garnish around the window sills, add visual appeal to car’s side profile. The rump of the vehicle is also tastefully done; the trapezoid shaped headlight assembly perfectly compliments the subtle lip spoiler contributing to minimalist, elegant design. Add all of these up and the Insight looks like an attractive ride, it may not have the outlandish looks of the Civic, or the alienating origami-spaceship-like styling of the Toyota Prius but in my opinion, that is for the better. To summarize, the Insight looks like a contemporary and graceful blend of the Civic and the Accord; it is unapologetically Honda in its styling and most people would be able to guess what brand it belongs to even it were de-badged. Even though beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I can say with confidence that most people would find this to be better looking than the Prius and even the Corolla Sports Hybrid.

Interior and Features:

The Insight’s interior design, fit and finish feel suitably premium for this kind of car. It feels a bit more upscale than the closely related JDM Civic, and it more than measures up well to other hybrid competitors; a Prius or a Corolla Sports has comparable build quality (though styling is completely subjective). A customizable digital LCD gauge in the instrument panel can display a variety of information, from fuel-economy data to speed-limit info. As with most JDMs, the seats are soft and comfortable, you sit quite low in the Insight’s front seats, but there’s plenty of space to stretch out. The seats are power adjustable but lumbar support is missing from the driver’s seat, which is an odd omission. The rear seats have plenty of room for adults and are again, comparable to those found in the Civic.

As with most modern hybrid-electric vehicles, features and amenities are also plentiful; dual-zone climate control, drive mode selector, 16 inch alloy wheels, automatic windscreen wipers, automatic LED-headlamps with LED daytime running lights, heated front seats, an eight-inch infotainment display with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, Qi wireless charging,  ABS, Traction Control, EBD and Honda’s Sensing Package which includes  Adaptive Cruise Control, Auto Emergency Braking and Lane Departure Prevention all come as standard on the base “LX” trim. The higher-end “EX” trim adds extras like 17-inch alloy wheels (pictured above), LED fog lamps, blind-spot warning and a more aggressive front grille and spoiler. While the limited edition “EX – Black Style” trims features suede inserts in the dashboard, genuine leather seats, exclusive matte black 17-inch wheels alloy wheels and a gold front grille.

Performance and Driving Dynamics:

The Insight does a better job balancing sprightly acceleration with miserly fuel economy than most hybrids. It’s quicker than most conventionally powered compact sedans (and way quicker than the hybrid competition in the Prius and the Corolla Sports). Powering the insight is the dynamic (pun intended) duo of a 1.5 L direct-injected Honda Earth-Dreams petrol engine (which is interestingly not paired to a transmission and only goes through a single-step reduction gear) producing 108 HP and 134 Nm of torque and a 96 kW electric motor that produces 130 HP and 267 Nm of torque. Honda calls this setup “Sport Hybrid i-MMD “.  The apparatus provides a combined 151 horsepower, which accelerates the Insight from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.7 seconds. At lower speeds, the electric propulsion motor does most of the heavy lifting; but request more power and the gasoline engine kicks in seamlessly. You might notice the engine getting loud under hard acceleration, but the Insight’s powertrain is otherwise quiet and refined.

In terms of driving dynamics; the Insight is an exceedingly pleasant vehicle to drive for what it is. It is quiet, comfortable, and refined, and it handles confidently. To be honest, that comes as no surprise, considering it is mechanically similar to the JDM Civic, which shares these positive attributes. Although it handles well, the suspension is not overtly sporty and frim; the Insight has a nicely controlled ride and solid handling. You might feel the bumps and imperfections more than you do in a Corolla Sports or a Prius on a particularly rough road, but for most city roads, it will hold its own.  The electronically assisted steering is quick to respond and changes direction admirably. The predictable and progressive brake pedal in the Insight suffers very little from the clunkiness that plagues the brakes of many other hybrids that comes to a result of improperly implemented brake regeneration. The Insight’s brakes feel just as good as in a traditionally motivated vehicle. Add it all up and the Insight’s driving experience trades blows with vehicles from a class above, it is more comparable to an Audi A3 e-Tron or a BMW 2 Series Active Tourer 225xe (both of which cost significantly more) than it is to a Prius.

Pricing and Availability:

Unfortunately, the pricing and availability aspect at the moment is not a robust suite for the Insight as of today. At the time of writing, there is no 3rd generation Honda Insights listed for sale on PakWheels. So the only way to procure one is to get one from the JDM Auctions, which is not ideal considering the free-floating Pakistani Rupee and increased import duties, both of which make the procedure expensive. Nonetheless, a 2019 Model Year, Auction Grade ‘5’, top of the line Honda Insight “EX” variant with all the bells and whistles, driven under 10000km can be had for around 37 lacs. In a world full of CH-Rs and Vezels for around the same price; being a sedan and not a crossover or SUV may hurt the Insight on paper, but in my opinion, the Insight is a superior vehicle to any other in this price range in almost every respect and I expect to be a viable alternative to the aforementioned crossovers. Parts availability will also be nightmarish; Hondas, especially imported ones, are known to have expensive spare parts. This was the case with the last generation Honda Insight, and even PKDM Honda models like the City and the Civic have spare parts that cost significantly more than their counterparts.

Final Thoughts:

To summarize, the new Insight is a strong performer and welcome addition to the hybrid family. Unlike Toyota, who has only made mild iterations to the Prius for the past five years, Honda has taken a bold step and has brought the Insight back to life as a completely redesigned. In my article about the Toyota Corolla JDM sport a short while ago, I talked about how the Corolla, while not as technically accomplished, is a better overall package than the Prius. It seems that Honda has worked on that formula and has made a homely, capable and well-rounded vehicle, which is also a technical masterpiece and so has punched beyond its weight class.

That is all for today. As always feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below and stay subscribed to PakWheels for more great content.