2010 Honda Insight User Reviews

Pros

excellent fuel economy

Cons

none

Purchased As New

i am averaging 47 mpg
excellent car
handles well
visually appealing
comfortable ride
great fit and finish

Pros

Good fuel economy, storage and styling

Cons

hatchback config. makes it a little hard seeing out the back

Purchased As New

Got this car 2 mos. ago and have already driven it 4000 miles w.o. a problem. It gets 46-48 mpg. on the open highway and does all right in town as well. Takes a while to get used to the power transfer when you stop at a light, but it's quiet and rides smoothly. Definitely recommend it.

Pros

honda Fit and Finish

Cons

An Abomination in design wise. Extremely Poor Rear Visibility

Purchased As Not Purchased

This is an abominable design. In the interior and the rear windows. the steering wheel blocks the speedometer. it rides quite harshly and is noisy but, all Honda's are noisy. The rear visibility is terrible and you wonder what pre teen designed and approved this completely unsafe design failure. Sorry Honda you obviously have lost track of your preeminant values in the last couple of years and are slowly fading into mediocrity. I have owned 5 Hondas and own a 2006 Odyssey EXL. I have driven over 2 million miles and am an expert about cars. This car is a failure and is unsafe because of the terrible rear visibility....read morehide

Pros

Top MPG, Great Resale, Honda Reliability

Cons

Buying experience, econo car feel

Purchased As New

Looks like only Prius owners rate reviews here. Pretty childish as there is good information here. My thoughts are just that. I purchased one and buy cars often for business so my views could be biased from owning heavier more expensive cars. I have had 5 Honda's since 1986.

Driven modestly without any hypermiling tricks my fuel economy average runs in the low 48's in mixed driving. That includes stops at the stores, drive ins etc. A mix of 75% highway and 25% city. I do see mid to high 50 mpg on Interstate use often nearing 60 mpg in nice weather. I was achieving these figures right from the start and at this time I do not consider the car broken in.

The radio on the EX is not so hot. Reminds me of the crummy radios on base Subaru's over the years. Your not paying for a $1000 radio but this not good on a $14000 car. So thumbs down. It is also a reach to the controls and would be best suited to steering wheel radio controls like the Element and everything else on the road.

Road noise is not as bad as I would have thought. Clearly less than half that of a Honda Element or CRV. Wind noise on my EX is above average. At 50 mph its pretty noisy. However the car has never been back to the dealer and manipulation of the window seal reduces the noise. I'm hoping it can be reduced by the dealership given these facts.

The car is on the harsh side as far as the ride. A better word would be too taunt like a BMW or a performance car. It has that over spring European feel that is OK on short drives but tiring on long drives. The engine noise is nothing to complain about. Typical 4 cylinder ruckus but subdued and unlike domestic cars of the 80's early 90's. I have large hills here and I find the wind noise far worse than the engine noise.

Inside the car looks futuristic and is very attractive. However Honda does not seem to offer darker fabrics which I prefer. Not supplying the $104 floor mats is typical Honda. Not appreciated either. The front seats are comfortable for this over 6 foot 300 pounder. I can put the front seat back so far I can not reach the peddles. Of course no one but a child can sit behind me. To be fair in my large cars they can not either.

Would love to see power seats as standard. The rear is tight but I actually can sit in the back for short trips as long as the front seat occupant is no taller than 5"8" or so. Entry exit for the front seats is really easy to negotiate thanks to the tilt-telescoping wheel.

I do have an issue with the tilt wheel. Where I need it to be (high) it interferes with the digital speedometer. So I have to alter the seat and wheel and compromise. I do prefer a basic speedometer and it to be put in the normal place. I also find all of the Eco data to be disconcerting and fear its like a person on a cell phone and not all your attention is focused on driving. I turn it all off. Its cute for the first few drives and then bothersome.

I purchased the car to screw over big oil. I did not compare it to Toyota because Toyota is not just 5 minutes from my house and as a third car I was also not willing to go over the low $20,000 range.

I am addicted to the Honda resale potential as I had done well with them over the years. I however do not understand why they retain more value as many domestics are just as well built and reliable. I am disgusted by the Honda buying experience. No floor mats, less features at higher pricing. No auto headlights when GM had them for 20 years or so. The attitude that they charge full retail and to come off a $100 brings on a crying spree from all who work there. If they want to be Saturn, then they need to inform people its one price for all. Its the sticker, take it or leave it.

In the end, its a nice car. My question I ponder is, A Hyundai Elantra is just as nice, better warranty and I know their reliability as I had several go well over 200K with no issues. Priced at $15K if your informed and deal and 33mpg. Less wind and road noise too??????...read morehide

Pros

If you drive it nice ,you get 52 M.P.G

Cons

none GREAT CAR!!!

Purchased As New

I love my car!It has everything you want.Its funny some one said its slow,sorry its not a race car its a hybrid.Its fun to try to get the best mileage ,its like a game.Gas will be up to $4.00 a gallon again soon ,mark my words ..I love this car .!!

Pros

I am getting an average of 51 mpg

Cons

wish the back seat had more leg room; ok for kids though

Purchased As New

When I purchased this I was deciding between this and the Prius. After test driving both vehicles I chose this one for a couple reasons. First it is roomier and second, the Prius didn't handle well. I didn't like the turns.
I have been very pleased with the fantastic mileage. Granted, I use the rules of kinetic when I drive so I have always done better than the average on a vehicle; but, this is giving me approximately 51 mpg over the 45 I was quoted to expect. I do 17miles hwy,then 5miles city one way every day. I also took advantage of the hov plates that I was entitled to with a hybrid and I save time in traffic that way....read morehide

Pros

Great styling and great mpg

Cons

needs steering wheel controls for the radio

Purchased As New

I got in white. I love the gas mileage. I have been averaging about 45 mpg. The dash is really cool, especially at night. True, not a rocket when taking off, but that little car is teaching me how to drive smarter. Love the report card at the end of a trip. Tip: in hot weather driving, don't drive with the ECO button on. When you make a stop, not only does the engine turn off but so does the A/C. My Insight is so much more handsome than the Prius. By the way, to all you potential Insight buyers, the Insight was not produced to battle it out with the Prius. The Honda answer to the Prius is actually the Civic hybrid. And while the shape may remind you of the Prius, it is not a Toyota invention. This shape has been around for many years prior to Prius....read morehide

Pros

Fuel economy, handling, value hybrid

Cons

Hard seats, no merging power

Purchased As New

After having owned the Insight for a month, I'm generally happy with the vehicle. My other vehicle is a 350z, and the Insight was purchased to replace my wife's V8 Ford Explorer.

While I would have preferred a cheaper Fit or Civic, the trendiness of a hybrid appealed to my wife, and I'd rather spend a few thousand more for better fuel economy rather than luxury features, size, or horsepower that we don't need. Test driving the Prius, the local dealership made us feel like they were doing us a favor or something. It's just a car - a good car - but not a work of art. While bigger, more comfortable, and slightly more fuel efficient than the Insight, for me it's not worth thousands more. While the base Prius is comparable in price to mid-trim Insight, just *try* to find one at that price.

I *really* like the handling of the Insight. While test driving the Prius, I thought its steering and general road-feel was numb. With the Insight, I can really feel the road. It feels nimble, though cornering at higher speeds, you can feel its weight. Acceleration from a stop feels almost peppy. But at highway speeds, stomping on the accelerator yields disappointing results - the high noise of the engine at 6000 RPM is not accompanied by a correspondingly significant pulse of power. While fuel economy and peak horsepower are trade-offs in engine design, it's disappointing that Honda wasn't able to generate more than approximately 85HP from the gas engine when not in "eco" mode. It feels no better or worse than the Prius in terms of acceleration. In fairness, neither is supposed to be a sports car.

I live in central Texas, where there are significant hills/grades on the local and state highways. The 100 degree weather also means the A/C is most always running. In a typical mixed driving in a 20 mile drive into work, I get about 40mpg in eco mode. On flat interstate driving in eco mode, 65mph, with the A/C off, I'm seeing upwards of 60mpg. So there is quite a bit of variability.

My only real complaint is the seat comfort. I am 5'10" and 155lbs (positively average), fit, with no back problems. As with all small Hondas, but worse, I find the seats to be hard, unergonomic, and uncomfortable. It's only noticeable on longer drives (not the test drive!). My 1993 Ford Escort had better seats. In analyzing the source of the discomfort, the foam is too hard. Also, it has no lumbar adjustment, which is bad, because the hard lower back of the seat sticks out too much. Further, the base of the seat is too short and too upright, leaving almost all your weight compressing the base of the spine. Honda makes great cars, and I expect the Insight to provide reliable transportation for a long time. But how can they get something so wrong? I do expect that the problem can be solved at least partially by after-market seat cushions, but this should not be necessary. This is why I gave only two stars for comfort. Other aspects of comfort such as design of the controls and interior are excellent. I really hated the Prius in this respect - things are not where they're supposed to be.

With respect to the hybrid technology, I expect that it should be very reliable. IMA is very simple, tested, and should be very durable....read morehide

Pros

MPG, ride quality, sleek look, economode, IMA computer

Cons

Too much cheap plastics on dash, feels like my Kia!

Purchased As New

MPG is 46.8 after 2500 miles, better then EPA suggests!
Smooth ride, economode is great! Brakes are perfect, nice stereo, great styling in and out :-)

Pros

high quality engineering, fit and finish. No doubt it will be astoundingly reliable.

Cons

typical Honda road noise & no headlight delay/auto on option.

Purchased As New

Traded 2007 Ridgeline for new Insight when driving pattern changed to mostly city commute. Totally happy with this vehicle. Fit and finish is superior to locally assembled Hondas. Fuel economy ( 3 months) has been way above EPA of 40/43. Average is 46.6 mpg in Arizona summer with superb auto A/c always set at 72. Rented Prius twice before deciding that the Honda was the better vehicle to enjoy driving. CVT can take a bit of getting used to and overtaking on highway and hills require forward planning and desire to hear the little VTEC sing. Secret is to squeeze the gas pedal rather than jump on it OR place in S mode and use awesome paddle shift with pretend 7 speed gearbox. Shape reminds me of a 1970's Citroen GS!...read morehide