2019 Honda Insight Overview

Design

If there's one thing we can all most agree on its design. Initially we've seen similar design cues on the all-new Accord except here, depending who you ask, it takes on more of a premium feel. Making up these changes are features like its low and wide profile, Honda's signature "flying wing" grille, coupe-like roof line and LED lighting front and rear and most importantly an interior that complements its exterior. Its what we expected in a next-gen Insight.

The 2019 Honda Insight boasts a sleek sedan design with a low and wide stance highlighted by Honda's signature "flying wing" grille and bold front fascia, low-profile LED headlights and taillights, sharp and dynamic character lines and sweeping coupe-like roofline. Inside, the new Insight features premium cabin appointments including a soft-touch instrument panel with real stitching, ergonomically sculpted seats, a 7-inch TFT color digital driver's meter, available heated and leather-trimmed seating and an 8-inch Display Audio touchscreen with Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ integration.

The new Insight's comparatively generous wheelbase (106.3 inches) and exceptional packaging efficiency yields best-in-class rear legroom of 37.4 inches, along with a spacious 15.1 cu.-ft. of trunk space that rivals gasoline versions of midsize cars. The placement of the lithium-ion hybrid battery pack beneath the rear seats allows for a fold-down rear seat (60/40-split on EX and Touring trims) to maximize cargo- and people-hauling flexibility.

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- Honda USA
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Trims

Customers in the U.S get to choose from three trim tiers with Touring sitting at the top. Although pricing hasn't been announced yet, expect the typical step up in price typically seen with the Insight and similar Honda products. Standard we get stand-out features such as exterior LED lighting, alloy wheels and a host of connective tech. Shelling out the big bucks for a Touring gets you HondaLink® subscription services, a premium audio system, 4G LTE Wi-F with hotspot, bigger alloys, a powered moonroof and many more.

The 2019 Honda Insight will be available in three trims – the well-equipped Insight LX and EX and line-topping Insight Touring. Standard features include full LED headlights, LED daytime running lights and taillights, 16-inch alloy wheels, heated side mirrors, a 7-inch TFT digital driver's meter, push-button start, a 6-speaker audio system, Bluetooth®, Pandora® compatibility and a folding rear seat.

The Insight EX adds Smart Entry, two additional audio speakers, SiriusXM® radio and an 8-inch Display Audio touchscreen with smartphone-like features and functionality, including customizable app tiles and home-screen shortcuts.

The line-topping Insight Touring adds 17-inch alloy wheels, LED fog lights, rain-sensing wipers, a power moonroof, LED side-mirror turn signals, perforated leather seating, heated front seats with 8-way power adjustment for the driver and 4-way power for the passenger, dual-zone climate control, embedded Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™, Honda HD Digital Traffic, 4G LTE Wi-Fi with mobile hotspot capability and Wi-Fi-enabled over-the-air system updates, next-generation HondaLink® subscription services, a 10-speaker premium audio system, and HomeLink® Remote System.

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- Honda USA
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Body & Chassis

Although design wise the Insight takes after the all-new Accord, that's not the case for its architecture. This premium compact sedan shares a platform with the 2018+ Civic but distances itself by a big margin with features like improved cabin quietness, weight reducing materials throughout the bodywork, a fully-independent suspension system. Its a recipe that might make you forget about venturing into Acura territory especially if going after the Touring trim.

The Insight shares its basic platform architecture with the highly-praised 10th-generation Civic. In keeping with its premium compact sedan character, the Insight gets numerous engineering enhancements to further improve ride quality, cabin quietness and efficiency. The body features Honda's Advance Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure. An aluminum hood, unique to Insight, reduces weight, while additional sound insulation in the engine bay, front fenders, front firewall, and front and rear floor further aids cabin quietness.

The Insight's new chassis is designed to provide a highly refined, confident and composed driving experience. It utilizes a fully-independent suspension system – Macpherson strut front and multi-link rear – with liquid-sealing compliance bushings at both ends (Touring only). Like Civic, the Insight also features variable-ratio dual-pinion electric power steering. Confident and linear braking performance is provided by an electro-servo brake system, which seamlessly combines efficient regenerative braking and mechanical (friction) braking for ultimate stopping performance.

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- Honda USA
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Powertrain

Here you'll find a two-motor hybrid system which breaks down to being a 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle engine, a powerful electric propulsion motor, and lithium-ion battery pack as Honda puts it. All together this gets us 151 horsepower and 197 lb.-ft. of electric motor torque for a city rating up to 55mpg's in LX and EX models with the Touring at just 51. For a premium compact sedan this is impressive. Further maximizing efficiency is done via the three driving modes; NORMAL, ECON, and SPORT.

The all-new Insight is powered by the third generation of Honda's two-motor hybrid system, featuring a highly efficient 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle engine, a powerful electric propulsion motor, and lithium-ion battery pack. Total system output is 151 horsepower and 197 lb.-ft. of electric motor torque. Under most conditions, the Insight operates as a series hybrid, in which the gasoline engine, connected to the generator motor, produces electricity that is supplied to either the electric propulsion motor and/or the 60-cell lithium-ion battery pack.

The Insight features three selectable driving modes – NORMAL, ECON, and SPORT – allowing drivers to customize their experience by maximizing efficiency or driving performance. Additionally, all Insights have steering wheel-mounted deceleration selectors to choose among three levels of regenerative braking performance, depending on driving conditions. In normal mode, the Insight is capable of all-electric driving for short distances of roughly a mile. Unlike competing systems, Honda's two-motor hybrid technology works without the need for a conventional automatic transmission, with the electric propulsion motor directly powering the drive axles. During higher speed operation a lock-up clutch connects the engine to the drive axles to provide the most efficient operation during highway and freeway driving.

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- Honda USA