Can we take a moment to appreciate how beautiful the Japanese Insight is?

32874 Views 54 Replies 18 Participants Last post by insightfully, Oct 20, 2020

swaedo

Discussion Starter · Mar 3, 2019 (Edited)

2

Official Media:
https://www.honda.co.jp/INSIGHT/webcatalog/styling/3d/

Basically more chrome on the grille and an inherent spoiler built into the model.

The grille they get just absolutely captivated me when I first laid eyes on it.. it just looks so much more regal than the cheaper black plastic the western market gets, and it distributes the visual weight of the "flying wing" much better across the front. Heck, throw this style on the new Accord and I'm sure that will qualm a lot of heat on the Accord's nose. Here's to hoping they'll bring that design over to the states at some point, or at least make it an accessory option. Would anybody like to petition with me?

Thoughts?

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insightfully

· #2 · Mar 3, 2019 (Edited)

swaedo said:
The grille they get just absolutely captivated me when I first laid eyes on it.. it just looks so much more regal than the cheaper black plastic the western market gets, and it distributes the visual weight of the "flying wing" much better across the front. Heck, throw this style on the new Accord and I'm sure that will qualm a lot of heat on the Accord's nose. Here's to hoping they'll bring that design over to the states at some point, or at least make it an accessory option. Would anybody like to petition with me?

Thoughts?

We've been drooling in the forum for a while over the Japanese Insight, so there mentions woven through multiple threads.

Interior touches like sunglasses holder, rear passenger air vents and blind spot monitoring in the Japanese model would also be nice to have in the US!

Andrew28 stays really on top of the Honda Japan site and finds interesting pictures, descriptions, specs, and videos. He believes the Japanese Insight is produced in the U.S., unlike prior models which were built in Japan.

https://www.gen3insight.com/forum/7...on/1976-buy-now-wait-2020-model.html#post8380

swaedo

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 3, 2019

insightfully said:
We've been drooling in the forum for a while over the Japanese Insight, so there mentions woven through multiple threads.
Interior touches like sunglasses holder, rear passenger air vents and blind spot monitoring in the Japanese model would also be nice to have in the US!

Andrew28 stays really on top of the Honda Japan site and finds interesting pictures, descriptions, specs, and videos. He believes the Japanese Insight is produced in the U.S., unlike prior models which were built in Japan.

https://www.gen3insight.com/forum/7...on/1976-buy-now-wait-2020-model.html#post8380

I did notice Andrew28's comment earlier. I tried searching the forum querying 'Japanese' but didn't anything beyond that single comment.. maybe they were in the other forum categories or something.. I figured I'd start a dedicated thread about it although feel free to point me to the existing one if such a thread exists

insightfully

· #4 · Mar 3, 2019 (Edited)

swaedo said:
I did notice Andrew28's comment earlier. I tried searching the forum querying 'Japanese' but didn't anything beyond that single comment.. maybe they were in the other forum categories or something.. I figured I'd start a dedicated thread about it although feel free to point me to the existing one if such a thread exists

Searching the threads isn't the easiest. My prior complaint was the limited ability to search for short text.

You're right that a dedicated thread might be best. Prior references to the Japanese Insight are woven as editorial comments through these threads:

TV Commercial & Marketing Video Links
Things I Would Change
New Owner in San Diego
Lane Watch?
What Was the Main Reason to buy LX/EX Instead of Touring?
Plus the
"Buy Now or Wait for 2020" thread you've already seen.

andrew28

· #5 · Mar 3, 2019

I would had upgraded to the Touring if it was like the Japanese Insight as I have said before in other threads. Would I trade in my 2019 Insight for the 2020 Insight with these enhancements? That really depends on how much my current car has depreciated... :wink:

JK919

· #6 · Mar 3, 2019

Is it possible to retrofit the JDM sunglasses holder?

Verdier

· #7 · Mar 4, 2019

I personally think the American spoiler is much better looking.

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PHILBERT

· #8 · Mar 4, 2019

Maybe I'm the exception here, but I like the black American design and think too much chrome is gaudy. Nothing against Touring model owners, but I don't even like the chrome sash on the back bumper. I do like a little chrome, like around the windows. And the H logos are ok being chrome. I think I like contrast between white and black better for my needs. Contrast is dramatic.

Vents for the back seats, and even a USB and 12V socket for the back would be welcomed. Heck, how about some map pockets?

Spoilers? Not my thing. Not at all. Some glued on plastic junk makes the car look like a piece of plastic toy. That's just my take. I know a lot of people like them, but I'm glad it's "optional" and not "stuck" on my baby, Baby.

Phil

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andrew28

· #9 · Mar 4, 2019 (Edited)

3

Verdier said:
I personally think the American spoiler is much better looking.

(Honda offers both American/Japanese spoiler for Japan)

I kind of like the Japanese spoiler better cause it seems to flow more with the design of the car. It's more subtle than the American spoiler which I like.

PHILBERT said:
Maybe I'm the exception here, but I like the black American design and think too much chrome is gaudy. Nothing against Touring model owners, but I don't even like the chrome sash on the back bumper. I do like a little chrome, like around the windows. And the H logos are ok being chrome. I think I like contrast between white and black better for my needs. Contrast is dramatic.

Vents for the back seats, and even a USB and 12V socket for the back would be welcomed. Heck, how about some map pockets?

Spoilers? Not my thing. Not at all. Some glued on plastic junk makes the car look like a piece of plastic toy. That's just my take. I know a lot of people like them, but I'm glad it's "optional" and not "stuck" on my baby, Baby.

Phil

I like the chrome grill they have on the front on the Japanese Insight. Mainly cause I like the way light bounces off it compared to plastic. It makes the Insight more classy(in my opinion) during the day with sunlight and while night driving passing street lights.

I never had a spoiler on my previous cars because they never seem to be part of the car's design. I'm happy without a spoiler on the Insight cause the rear trunk design is perfect.

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PHILBERT

· #10 · Mar 4, 2019

Agree on the back being perfect. It has that little curl upward at the end. That's enough of a spoiler effect for me, and it doesn't look "stuck on". Maybe I would like spoilers better if they were molded as part of the trunk lid.

I've never felt a car was perfect until this car. Sure, my white with black leather interior 82 Mustang fastback came close for that time period. It was a 4 banger 5 speed manual shift. People always wanted to race me in that car. It looked the part, but was not a 302. And a white 300 Z will always look contemporary...always. That is a timeless design. Cars like the Dodge Intrepid, Seabring, and Sonota/Elantra look good to me from the back, but not so much from the front. But the 2019 Insight looks good at every angle, and gets incredible mileage to boot.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Different strokes...

Phil

Reactions: 1

insightfully

· #11 · Mar 18, 2019

andrew28 said:
The Japanese Insight have power folding side mirrors. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MlB9z_jxRQ ^You can see the button at 4:43.

(moving my comments here to tie with the "Japanese Insight" thread...)
Loved the video tour; you have a real talent for staying on top of info on the Japanese Insight!

New things I noticed on this tour of the Japanese EX-black model:

Rear seat belt indicator
Extra display row on driver interface for digital clock
Hard-touch (non-cloth) arm rest on door
New map light design and/or converted to LED (?)
Tire repair kit comes with more items than the US model
Fuel door is on passenger side, and has Civic-like spring latch (versus door release button)
I like the suede interior that's available on the EX Black
Dual attempt to latch the trunk (i.e. seems like a common/design issue?)

My high school Japanese is a little rusty, but of the things I could read/track in the drivers display, I preferred their concise (single screen) view of Honda Sensing status, including blind spot monitoring. And of course, there are other nice-to-have features on the Japanese Insight that have been called out before on the mid-level trim, like sunglasses holder, rear console-mounted air vents, glove compartment light, and side mirror turn signal lights.

The ONE thing I saw and prefer on the US model is the "tactile buttons" on the infotainment display. I think it makes it easier to find the buttons by touch, and get feedback on what has been pressed without looking.

Anxious to see what if any of these will be included in the US model that comes out in ~3 months...!

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andrew28

· #12 · Mar 18, 2019

Looking at the pricing for the Insight in Japan. It seems like the car is marketed differently there. The LX model is more expensive than the touring model here in the US.

LX - $29,273 USD
EX - $31,403 USD
EX Black Style - $32,568 USD

insightfully

· #13 · Mar 18, 2019

andrew28 said:
Looking at the pricing for the Insight in Japan. It seems like the car is marketed differently there. The LX model is more expensive than the touring model here in the US.
LX - $29,273 USD
EX - $31,403 USD
EX Black Style - $32,568 USD

If it's produced in the US as you thought, maybe the upcharge in Japan is for import/export from US -?

andrew28

· #14 · Mar 18, 2019

insightfully said:
If it's produced in the US as you thought, maybe the upcharge in Japan is for import/export from US -?

There are no import tariffs on cars, for example, while the U.S. and European Union impose 2.5 percent and 10 percent tariffs. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/11/us-cars-japan/544991/

^Found this article saying Japan doesn't charge import tariffs on cars. Looks like they have a better dealership experience, too.

J. Bond

· #15 · Mar 26, 2019

So, the $64,000 question.

If the 2020 Honda Insight in the U.S. includes all those spiffy features of the Japanese Insight, including BSM and RCTA and the items Insightfully listed (and the sunglasses cubbyhole), would you trade in your 2019 model for it?

Please speculate, too, about which features would lead you to upgrade so soon!

I'd like to see Lane Watch combined with BSM and RCTA, although I think that's not going to happen. What I worry about is that they'll only make the spiffy set of good features available on the Touring, which would rule that out for me, as I need the headroom, not a moonroof!

But if they brought those features to the 2020 model, along with a front camera for parking, I’d be tempted to upgrade, even though it would cost us several thousand. I like the car that much!

——————————

P.S. Of course, this is hypothetical,marmmchair speculation and wants!. When actually confronted with the reality — how much it would
cost, what would be lost on a trade-in, and which features were added — I might not be so bold!

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Verdier

· #16 · Mar 26, 2019

It's possible you might be able to piece some of the parts on to your current insight. I would probably do something like that first. I have considered buying the 2018 Honda Accord heated steering wheel and having it installed in my current touring model, but I worry it might void my extended warranty.

insightfully

· #17 · Mar 26, 2019

J. Bond said:
So, the $64,000 question.

If the 2020 Honda Insight in the U.S. includes all those spiffy features of the Japanese Insight, including BSM and RCTA and the items Insightfully listed (and the sunglasses cubbyhole), would you trade in your 2019 model for it?

Personally, I'm pretty happy with my 2019 Insight EX as-is, even though there are new features and nice-to-haves in the Japanese Insight. Maybe this comes from my history of buying new and keeping cars a LONG time... but I've grown to ignore what I could have and focus instead on appreciating/using what I do have.

mgldan

· #18 · Mar 27, 2019

If I were to get rid of my first new car after one year, it would need to be because my bonus covered the difference!

I would be tempted by one of the BMW PHEVs, or the Genesis G70 if I could get over the mediocre MPGs.

andrew28

· #19 · Mar 27, 2019

I would be jealous but I know it wouldn't make financial sense. Also the less I have to deal with the dealership the better.

J. Bond

· #20 · Mar 27, 2019

Yeah, I know... it'd be really indulgent and financially a hit. And, yet...

Think of all those goodies! And a cubby for the sunglasses!

Also, fortunately, we have a great dealership with no-pressure sales people, so an upgrade would be no hassle.

Still, I agree with insightfully, it's always good to appreciate what you have rather than think about what you don't have (that's true for much of life!)

I really like what the 2019 provides... And, yet...

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