[ronnie]

I've had my 2019 Insight EX for nearly15 months and have almost 27,000 miles from several trips across the country (from Washington state to Ohio to Texas, etc.). The "loud" engine noise for me is rarely noticeable when cruising on the highway nor for basic driving in town. It mainly occurs when going up steeper inclines or accelerating quickly for some reason. These are short lived experiences. I previously owned a 2015 Honda Fit (purchased new in 2015 and traded it in for this Insight). Compared to that, the Insight is noticably quieter overall. The "loud" noise that people are talking about is relative to what you had before. If you had a $50,000 Mercedes before, you will notice it more. This is a $24,000 car with incredible gas mileage, and the cost of 5-year ownership will be very very low considering the low purchase price, not much gas usage, and the likely Honda reliability. The tech is amazing. The adaptive cruise control, Apple Car play, walk away locks, remote (from up to 400 feet away) cabin cooling (or warming in winter) and more still amazes me after 15 months.

PS - My lower Fuelly stats that you see in the footer of this posting are due to my wife and I driving at speeds between 80-85 mph across Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, etc. where posted speed limits on the interstate are 80 mph in many places.

 

[Wifey'sInsight]

Honestly, you get used to it while under load pretty quickly. Especially if you've ever driven any car with a cvt. It's just a stark contrast from how quiet the insight usually is. It's a small motor, and rev's quite high.

 

[Moviemike]

Back in Feb. '19 when I took a test drive, a first impression was how very quiet this gen 3 Insight is! I also noticed the oddity of when the engine was on/off or low/high rpm. Later after buying it and driving for awhile, that oddity feeling gradually faded away; as I came to think of the gen 3 as an electric car that carries around its own gasoline powered generator! With this new way of thinking, engine noise has gotten lost in the enjoyment of XM music, or calm/peaceful conversation with passengers.

 

[BlueSerenity]

Honestly, you get used to it while under load pretty quickly. Especially if you've ever driven any car with a cvt. It's just a stark contrast from how quiet the insight usually is. It's a small motor, and rev's quite high.

I agree. Today I was riding in the 2019 CR-V and noticed how loud it was. I realized that is "sounds" like it struggles on the same hills as the Insight. The primary difference is that the CR-V always has some engine noise whereas the Insight does not.

As for the Insight, I think I'm more bothered by the fact that the engine kicks in than the sound. The sound isn't that bad but its a reminder that the engine is on and I want the car to always be in EV mode... this is unrealistic of course but its nice to have a dream :smile:

 

[kitguyy]

Just to update, I just purchased my first brand new car.. 2019 Insight Touring 😛

Went back and forth between the Insight and a used Mazda 3 GT. Almost closed the deal on the Mazda but the last test drive and a few details the dealership omitted made the deal go sideways. The Mazda was closer to my last car (Audi A3) but just didn’t feel a good enough replacement/upgrade so I went with the Insight 🙂

Took my dad for a test drive in the Insight, and the smile on his face compared with the Mazda sealed the deal for me. He wasn’t bothered by the droning, which leads me to think I should stay away from this forum otherwise I’ll keep reading about things that will bother me with the car lol 😛

Cheers

 

[insightfully]

Took my dad for a test drive in the Insight, and the smile on his face compared with the Mazda sealed the deal for me. He wasn’t bothered by the droning, which leads me to think I should stay away from this forum otherwise I’ll keep reading about things that will bother me with the car lol

Actually... you sound like the majority of us forum members who've now owned the car for the while and aren't bothered by the noise reviewers complain about (because there's little else for them to find?). Congrats on your purchase!

 

[lauko]

I did a few trips over Donner summit pass of 7200 feet (Sierra Nevada mountains)from Reno to Sacramento and back. What is interesting for me is that annoyance for my brain was more in relation to by pressing gas pedal and increased engine noise not corresponding with speed of vehicle linear way but after I started using adaptive cruise control it stopped annoyance. Automation does better job than my foot.Most of times I use normal driving mode.My average millage going 70MPH is 45MPG for both ways.My engine does not roar at all going downhill.That is new to me.

 

[galora]

In general the car is great the only thing that I hate is the CVT, when I need power the car is annoyingly loud that´s why I try to use a different car for highway driving.

 

[insightfully]

In general the car is great the only thing that I hate is the CVT, when I need power the car is annoyingly loud that´s why I try to use a different car for highway driving.

Do you experience this while in Sport mode as well? I find the car pretty responsive and peppy (and fun) in Sport mode on highways (though less fuel efficient). Sport mode brings a different piped-in engine sound rather than the CVT strain, but the power is there.

 

[bryan]

During the holidays, I took my ‘19 Insight for a drive down California Route-1 along Big Sur, and I gotta say, it rides fantastic.

Sure, the engine roars going uphill can be a little annoying. But, when I got to the twisties, the regen pretty much kept the battery full, and I got punchy torque every time I needed it.

The handling is great for the amount of comfort there is. I guess this 3000 lb car with simple struts is good enough for me, as opposed to a 4000 lb car with some ultra sophisticated set-up.

Lastly, the ride is pretty quiet. I could hear only soft wind noise and slight road noise, but the most noticeable is the hybrid battery vent fan.

P.s: I got 52 mpg for the whole trip. Super happy.