[jkeis862]

Good Evening All!

My name is Jake and I live out on Long Island in NY. I have been following the Insight ever since Honda made the announcement at the 2018 NY Auto Show. When I originally bought my Civic in 2013, the Insight just did not appeal to me whatsoever. Recently, I have begun to think about trading in my Civic for the Insight. The Civic has little less than 100K miles on it, and thankfully no major repairs, it has caused me no issues (*knocks on wood). However, something about the Insight really intrigues me, and I've always wanted a hybrid vehicle. I am starting to think now is the time, especially after gaining such helpful insight from this forum. I have test drove the Insight several times now and even the 2019 Honda Civic Hatchback, both in the Touring trims, and while the Hatchback is more sporty I am leaning more towards the Insight. In the long run I believe the Insight will actually save me more money, and Honda's 8-year 100K warranty on the battery is no joke!

Just wanted to write a little introduction to you all, and hopefully I will become a fellow Insight owner very soon!

Regards,
Jake

 

[insightfully]

Welcome to the forum, Jake. With the 2020 Insight coming in late-June, you're in great position to compare the 2019 to the 2020, and have negotiation leverage for pricing. Hope to hear about your new purchase soon!

Also BTW - since you're in NY, the high voltage battery warranty is actually 10 years (and other associated hybrid components covered to 15 years). See this thread for more background: https://www.gen3insight.com/forum/121-2019-honda-insight-pricing-dealers-purchasing-ordering/50-official-price-points-5.html

 

[andrew28]

Good Evening All!

My name is Jake and I live out on Long Island in NY. I have been following the Insight ever since Honda made the announcement at the 2018 NY Auto Show. When I originally bought my Civic in 2013, the Insight just did not appeal to me whatsoever. Recently, I have begun to think about trading in my Civic for the Insight. The Civic has little less than 100K miles on it, and thankfully no major repairs, it has caused me no issues (*knocks on wood). However, something about the Insight really intrigues me, and I've always wanted a hybrid vehicle. I am starting to think now is the time, especially after gaining such helpful insight from this forum. I have test drove the Insight several times now and even the 2019 Honda Civic Hatchback, both in the Touring trims, and while the Hatchback is more sporty I am leaning more towards the Insight. In the long run I believe the Insight will actually save me more money, and Honda's 8-year 100K warranty on the battery is no joke!

Just wanted to write a little introduction to you all, and hopefully I will become a fellow Insight owner very soon!

Regards,
Jake

The 3rd gen Insight is only Insight by name. This is literally a 10th gen Civic in hybrid form with technology taken from the 10th gen Accord hybrid. I sit in traffic a lot so a more sporty car doesn't work out for me. I had a Ford Fusion Sport AWD that was getting me only 20-22mpg and now I'm getting around 52-55mpg(winter was about 40-42mpg) doing 5-10 miles trips in the city with the Insight. Just make sure you don't need the trunk space of the hatchback and I think the Insight would be the more practical choice of the 2.

 

[jkeis862]

Thank you all!

I really do appreciate the information and advice. I am now debating between the Insight or an older Si or manual GTI even (for more fun). I just have to figure out what I really want, where the Insight is much more practical and fuel efficient and will most likely last me for a very long time and hopefully be very low cost maintenance-wise over the long haul where as the GTI would be more fun but will probably cost me a lot more because I know I am going to want to mod it and all that crazy stuff so the Insight might keep me from spending more money and have me saving money in fuel costs. I am in no rush and mostly just talking out loud to myself here haha!

Thanks again fellow Insighters

 

[jasonsk287]

Hi Jake, I see you are in Bellport, NY - I am very close to you (off William Floyd Pkwy!). I'm considering an Insight as well.

My Accord lease is coming up soon and I'm looking leasing (or buying if lease rates are too high) a 2019 Insight Touring in the next couple of months. I work in Farmingdale (about 32 miles) and so the Insight appeals to me because of the value and the great mileage. I've test driven the Insight Touring twice and seem to like it more each time. The interior is fantastic in my opinion (excellent quality and everything's in the right place) and the car just looks great inside and out. in addition the Touring has everything I need that I currently have in my 2017 Accord EX-L coupe and then some - remote start, leather and memory seats, XM, Apple CarPlay, etc.

My only real concern with the Insight is the loud gas engine "droning" sound I've read so much about. According to many reviews I've read and watched on YouTube, the gas engine can be loud when climbing hills (which you know we don't have many of on Long Island) or under heavy acceleration (which I don't do too much anyway). On my drives, I didn't experience anything extremely loud, and the ride was comfortable, but I'll want to drive it again a couple of times before making a decision.

I'm also considering the Accord Sport with the 2.0T engine (I know this is a horse of a different color)!

I wanted to reach out and say hi because we are so close and if you decide to pull the trigger we'll end up using the same network of dealers, so we could potentially help each other out info-wise!

Good luck in your endeavors!

Jason

 

[insightfully]

My only real concern with the Insight is the loud gas engine "droning" sound I've read so much about. According to many reviews I've read and watched on YouTube, the gas engine can be loud when climbing hills (which you know we don't have many of on Long Island) or under heavy acceleration (which I don't do too much anyway). On my drives, I didn't experience anything extremely loud, and the ride was comfortable, but I'll want to drive it again a couple of times before making a decision.

To get a feel for the higher-end of the engine noise spectrum on your next test drive, try depleting the high voltage battery level (left side meter on dash) to <3 bars. If the car doesn't 'naturally' get down to this level while you're driving, try selecting EV mode to preferentially use/drain battery level.

Once you're down to low battery level, any acceleration (with or without hill) will get the gas engine revving because it's both propelling the car and recharging the HV battery. The revving/noise only lasts until the gas engine recharges the HV battery to 4 bars or higher, but will give you a sense for the extent of 'drone' described in online reviews.

I didn't find the drone too bad on test drive, and it sounds like your environment won't have too many regular hills. Keep in mind that the longer the hill/climb, the more the droning noise will continue as the gas engine tries to balance energy use/consumption and storage. It's these longer driving stretches with the engine laboring that reviewers and forum members seem to most dislike.

 

[jkeis862]

Hi Jake, I see you are in Bellport, NY - I am very close to you (off William Floyd Pkwy!). I'm considering an Insight as well.

My Accord lease is coming up soon and I'm looking leasing (or buying if lease rates are too high) a 2019 Insight Touring in the next couple of months. I work in Farmingdale (about 32 miles) and so the Insight appeals to me because of the value and the great mileage. I've test driven the Insight Touring twice and seem to like it more each time. The interior is fantastic in my opinion (excellent quality and everything's in the right place) and the car just looks great inside and out. in addition the Touring has everything I need that I currently have in my 2017 Accord EX-L coupe and then some - remote start, leather and memory seats, XM, Apple CarPlay, etc.

My only real concern with the Insight is the loud gas engine "droning" sound I've read so much about. According to many reviews I've read and watched on YouTube, the gas engine can be loud when climbing hills (which you know we don't have many of on Long Island) or under heavy acceleration (which I don't do too much anyway). On my drives, I didn't experience anything extremely loud, and the ride was comfortable, but I'll want to drive it again a couple of times before making a decision.

I'm also considering the Accord Sport with the 2.0T engine (I know this is a horse of a different color)!

I wanted to reach out and say hi because we are so close and if you decide to pull the trigger we'll end up using the same network of dealers, so we could potentially help each other out info-wise!

Good luck in your endeavors!

Jason

Good Evening Jason!

It is very nice to "meet" you neighbor! I have honestly never leased a vehicle before, my current 2013 Civic that I have now I financed, only because I don't like the idea of leasing and now I own the Civic outright and can do whatever I want with it, plus it is a nice down-payment for my next vehicle. I live in Bellport, and my commute to work is in Bohemia. I do travel to Brentwood, Selden, and Riverhead for school, so I do put a decent amount of miles on my car. I have test driven the Insight (3) times now. First time was an LX, second time an EX, and finally the third time was the Touring trim (which is the trim I plan on purchasing). I honestly felt a difference between the three trims, now part of it may have been psychological, but I definitely felt that of course the Touring trim was the most refined and the leather seats being the most comfortable out of them all.

I went to Atlantic Honda in Bayshore, and will NEVER go back there and I wouldn't recommend you to go there either. It is literally a factory from the minute you walk into that place, do yourself a favor and stay far away. My entire family have gone through Baron Honda in Patchogue and we honestly love it there, it is such a nice friendly laid-back no pressure atmosphere. I was quoted EX MSRP for a Touring (I am looking for White Exterior with Black Interior), which I personally think is a steal. The 2020 models should be rolling out soon so dealers are going to want to get rid of their 2019 models like someone above mentioned so now is definitely the time to be looking.

In regards to the droning, I honestly don't mind a little engine noise, and like you said Long Island is super flat and I am very rarely accelerating to the max. I don't think we would have to worry about the engine droning for a long enough time to be that much of a nuisance as to not want to buy the Insight.

I know you mentioned the Accord 2.0T, as you are probably aware they make an Accord Hybrid as well. I personally do not need the space that the Accord offers, so I didn't even look at it. I originally went to the dealership looking at the Hatchback in Sport Touring trim, but like you said the Insight is really growing on me! While I can easily get 30 MPG in my current Civic, if I can achieve 50 MPGs + in the Insight without even trying I know I would be thrilled.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns, I would love to help you in any way that I can along the way.

Best of luck to you as well!

 

[jasonsk287]

Good Evening Jason!

It is very nice to "meet" you neighbor! I have honestly never leased a vehicle before, my current 2013 Civic that I have now I financed, only because I don't like the idea of leasing and now I own the Civic outright and can do whatever I want with it, plus it is a nice down-payment for my next vehicle. I live in Bellport, and my commute to work is in Bohemia. I do travel to Brentwood, Selden, and Riverhead for school, so I do put a decent amount of miles on my car. I have test driven the Insight (3) times now. First time was an LX, second time an EX, and finally the third time was the Touring trim (which is the trim I plan on purchasing). I honestly felt a difference between the three trims, now part of it may have been psychological, but I definitely felt that of course the Touring trim was the most refined and the leather seats being the most comfortable out of them all.

I went to Atlantic Honda in Bayshore, and will NEVER go back there and I wouldn't recommend you to go there either. It is literally a factory from the minute you walk into that place, do yourself a favor and stay far away. My entire family have gone through Baron Honda in Patchogue and we honestly love it there, it is such a nice friendly laid-back no pressure atmosphere. I was quoted EX MSRP for a Touring (I am looking for White Exterior with Black Interior), which I personally think is a steal. The 2020 models should be rolling out soon so dealers are going to want to get rid of their 2019 models like someone above mentioned so now is definitely the time to be looking.

In regards to the droning, I honestly don't mind a little engine noise, and like you said Long Island is super flat and I am very rarely accelerating to the max. I don't think we would have to worry about the engine droning for a long enough time to be that much of a nuisance as to not want to buy the Insight.

I know you mentioned the Accord 2.0T, as you are probably aware they make an Accord Hybrid as well. I personally do not need the space that the Accord offers, so I didn't even look at it. I originally went to the dealership looking at the Hatchback in Sport Touring trim, but like you said the Insight is really growing on me! While I can easily get 30 MPG in my current Civic, if I can achieve 50 MPGs + in the Insight without even trying I know I would be thrilled.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns, I would love to help you in any way that I can along the way.

Best of luck to you as well!

Hi Jake,

Thanks for the nice reply! It's funny that you mention Atlantic Honda. That's actually where I leased my 2017 Accord back in 2016 and I got a decent deal and worked with a great salesperson. I actually worked at Baron briefly when I was in high school as a lot attendant, so lots of memories there. When I was looking for the Accord, I tried Baron first and they were very nice but they wouldn't go anywhere near the price I needed (which I thought was reasonable based on my research). So I've been hesitant to go back because I have this idea that they won't work with me on pricing - but your quote of EX pricing for a Touring is great! So maybe I will. Anyway, I had decided to try Atlantic that same day after leaving Baron and it ended up working out. I guess working with a factory has its benefits if you're ready to do something that day, which I was. In any case, I do love my Accord (with my long commute the mileage has been great, I average 35mpg combined) but it's a coupe and it's time to move to a usable 4-door car! I do have to say that the service department at Atlantic has also been fantastic over the past three years.

I did also look at the Accord Hybrid (but I didn't drive it) - but to me, the Accord only looks good in the Sport trim (with the darkened grille, awesome wheels and small spoiler). I love the clean, sophisticated look of the Insight, to me it looks much better than the Accord Hybrid. So if I'm going for a hybrid I'll do the Insight (as long as pricing works). I also don't really have a need for the extra space, but I do like the idea of the Hybrid's 212 total horsepower instead of the Insight's 151 total.

Based on research I've done , the Accord Sport 2.0T might lease better than the Insight, and payments might be lower, so I'll have a decision to make in terms of a better lease payment or better fuel efficiency.

So I think towards the end of this month I'll start going to these local dealers and see what pricing is like for Accord vs Insight, but after driving the Insight it's become #1 in my mind again.

Appreciate the "Insight" and will keep you updated!
Jason

 

[jasonsk287]

To get a feel for the higher-end of the engine noise spectrum on your next test drive, try depleting the high voltage battery level (left side meter on dash) to <3 bars. If the car doesn't 'naturally' get down to this level while you're driving, try selecting EV mode to preferentially use/drain battery level.

Once you're down to low battery level, any acceleration (with or without hill) will get the gas engine revving because it's both propelling the car and recharging the HV battery. The revving/noise only lasts until the gas engine recharges the HV battery to 4 bars or higher, but will give you a sense for the extent of 'drone' described in online reviews.

I didn't find the drone too bad on test drive, and it sounds like your environment won't have too many regular hills. Keep in mind that the longer the hill/climb, the more the droning noise will continue as the gas engine tries to balance energy use/consumption and storage. It's these longer driving stretches with the engine laboring that reviewers and forum members seem to most dislike.

Hi insightfully,

Thank you very much for that useful info! My commute is definitely as flat as it gets, but I can see myself needing more engine power while passing on the highway. I've also read some reviews where they claim that the droning might be more noticeable because the car is normally quiet by nature. It's definitely worth another test drive or two to really get the idea. Again I appreciate the useful advice!
Jason

 

[jkeis862]

Hi Jake,

Thanks for the nice reply! It's funny that you mention Atlantic Honda. That's actually where I leased my 2017 Accord back in 2016 and I got a decent deal and worked with a great salesperson. I actually worked at Baron briefly when I was in high school as a lot attendant, so lots of memories there. When I was looking for the Accord, I tried Baron first and they were very nice but they wouldn't go anywhere near the price I needed (which I thought was reasonable based on my research). So I've been hesitant to go back because I have this idea that they won't work with me on pricing - but your quote of EX pricing for a Touring is great! So maybe I will. Anyway, I had decided to try Atlantic that same day after leaving Baron and it ended up working out. I guess working with a factory has its benefits if you're ready to do something that day, which I was. In any case, I do love my Accord (with my long commute the mileage has been great, I average 35mpg combined) but it's a coupe and it's time to move to a usable 4-door car! I do have to say that the service department at Atlantic has also been fantastic over the past three years.

I did also look at the Accord Hybrid (but I didn't drive it) - but to me, the Accord only looks good in the Sport trim (with the darkened grille, awesome wheels and small spoiler). I love the clean, sophisticated look of the Insight, to me it looks much better than the Accord Hybrid. So if I'm going for a hybrid I'll do the Insight (as long as pricing works). I also don't really have a need for the extra space, but I do like the idea of the Hybrid's 212 total horsepower instead of the Insight's 151 total.

Based on research I've done , the Accord Sport 2.0T might lease better than the Insight, and payments might be lower, so I'll have a decision to make in terms of a better lease payment or better fuel efficiency.

So I think towards the end of this month I'll start going to these local dealers and see what pricing is like for Accord vs Insight, but after driving the Insight it's become #1 in my mind again.

Appreciate the "Insight" and will keep you updated!
Jason

Hello again!

Yes, Atlantic wanted me to buy a car that same day, which is something I wasn't ready to jump on just yet (I am still in no rush to buy a new car). My entire family and even my neighbors have gone to Baron and we always recommend each other and we all have gotten great deals, and I didn't even have to haggle for that price. You are averaging better MPGs in your Accord than in my Civic (I barely make it to 30), although my commute is much shorter and is usually bumper-to-bumper traffic in both directions (about 25 miles round-trip). This is one of the main reasons why I think I would benefit well from the Insight.

I totally agree with the design of the Accord, sport trim or nothing, and definitely the 2.0 over the 1.5 for sure. I honestly think that out of the three models, the Insight does look the best as it combines the best features from both the Civic and Accord and meshes them together into a handsome and affordable package. Also, I don't know if you called your insurance carrier, I know mine stated that the Insight would be the cheapest to insure out of the three, not by much but still adds up over time.

I think I am ready to pull the trigger on the Insight, I love the idea of a hybrid (even though I have received a lot of flack from family and friends about owning a hybrid), and I usually never treat myself to anything nice as I am the one doing for everybody else. I will probably be heading to the dealers like you said later this month to see what's the best I can do and take it from there.

Thanks again and best of luck to you as well!

 

[Alex]

Insight is a super car, the best in the class definitely.
If you "need" to buy a new car, insight is a no brainer.
However, if your civic still runs great, why bother changing your car? It may not be too economically helpful.