The 2019 Honda Insights have arrived at work. AMA

"Nymphicus Hollandicus" (nymhicus-hollandicus)
06/28/2018 at 21:10 • Filed to: Work, 2019 Honda Insight

I work for a Honda dealer and we basically got our first shipment of Insights. I’ve sat in all 3 trims and drove an EX model for about 10 minutes. If I wasn’t so adamant about getting a stick shift, I would’ve either waited for this or got the Clarity (I like the way it looks *dons flame suit*). What would you like to know about this Civic on steroids ?

DISCUSSION (26)

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Nymphicus Hollandicus
06/28/2018 at 21:17

The Insight is back from the dead?

Carbon Fiber Sasquatch > Nymphicus Hollandicus
06/28/2018 at 21:19

I really like it but I have a thing for non pretentious compact cars. I think the I nsight is the GTI of h ybrids right now

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
06/28/2018 at 21:20

It’s basically Civic Hybrid

Die-Trying > Nymphicus Hollandicus
06/28/2018 at 21:21

Kinja'd!!!

it is a SHADOW of its former glory........

Nymphicus Hollandicus > Carbon Fiber Sasquatch
06/28/2018 at 21:23

I totally agree, this was the main point of the design direction, I honestly cannot see why someone would prefer the styling of the Prius over this. I think it even drives better, has a less confusing interior and feels more solid.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
06/28/2018 at 21:24

Was the old one not basically a Civic Hybrid as well?

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
06/28/2018 at 21:26

No. Just no.

The second generation cars were absolute shitboxes.

C62030 > Nymphicus Hollandicus
06/28/2018 at 21:31

I’m with you. The Clarity looks cool. Hell of a lot better than a Prius, for sure.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
06/28/2018 at 21:31

You’re right. Apparently the old Insight and the CR-Z shared a dedicated Hybrid platform. I always thought they were based on the Civic platform.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Die-Trying
06/28/2018 at 21:40

The first hybrid in the US and it somehow still hasn’t been surpassed for highest EPA economy.

I have another burner, try to guess it! > Nymphicus Hollandicus
06/28/2018 at 21:41

Is it likely they'll release a hatch version in a few years?

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Nymphicus Hollandicus
06/28/2018 at 21:41

Think they will still sell with such a limited electric range?

Die-Trying > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
06/28/2018 at 22:19

YES...... i looked it up a little while ago, because the numbers had escaped me over time, but it was supposed to be able to pull in 61 mpg CITY, and 70 mpg highway. its just impressive how well it was able to pull it off...... thing was designed in a wind tunnel......

Stapleface > Nymphicus Hollandicus
06/28/2018 at 22:47

I have lots of questions.

Any chance you could post a window sticker of an EX model? I can’t seem to find any firm pricing from Honda

Driving impressions, this vs the Civic CVT.

How annoying is the transmission? Same as the CVT? Worse? I don’t even mind the CVT in my 15 Civic that much, but it makes the car feel glacially slow sometimes.

How’s the acceleration according to the butt dyno?

Is it available in actual colors, not just different shades of black-white? That red in the KBB video looked pretty nice though.

How’s the interior vs the Civic. Does it feel like the same amount of space? More? Less?

E92M3 > Nymphicus Hollandicus
06/28/2018 at 23:13

How does i t drive? The gas engine is just a generator right?

I like the way it looks too. Who would of thou ght the Insight would be the best looking sedan in Honda’s lineup?

Svart Smart, traded in his Smart > Nymphicus Hollandicus
06/29/2018 at 01:39

The taillights are all LED, right? I think it’s kind of sad that in 2018 Honda still sells a Civic sedan (see also: Hyundai Elantra) with all-incandescent brake lights because I know I’ll be seeing some in a few years’ time with two or all three brake lights burned out.

Nymphicus Hollandicus > Svart Smart, traded in his Smart
06/29/2018 at 08:21

I believe the taillights are all LED apart from the turn signal which is totally fine.
*Sidenote*: My old car was a 2012 Hyundai Elantra and it had 3 taillight bulbs on each taillight. I got so infuriated when one light went out that I replaced it with all LEDs.

Nymphicus Hollandicus > Die-Trying
06/29/2018 at 08:22

No one would ever buy this today.

Nymphicus Hollandicus > E92M3
06/29/2018 at 08:25

Nope, the Insight is a regular hybrid, the Clarity is the Plug-In . It drives exactly like a Civic which is a really good thing.

Nymphicus Hollandicus > C62030
06/29/2018 at 08:26

It definitely drives better than one as well.

Nymphicus Hollandicus > BaconSandwich is tasty.
06/29/2018 at 08:28

You’re thinking of the Clarity E lectric. That car is only sold in California which is fine since I saw like 20 of those while I was there a couple of weeks ago.

The Insight is a regular hybrid. That car will sell, and it’ll even start cannibalizing the regular Civic as well.

Nymphicus Hollandicus > I have another burner, try to guess it!
06/29/2018 at 08:29

More likely than a coupe variant but highly doubt it.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Nymphicus Hollandicus
06/29/2018 at 12:29

Right! My bad.

I’ d still like to know who actually bothered to buy a Clarity EV. I suspect it was created simply to get CARB/ZEV credits. It must be sad to work on a project like that, knowing it's essentially destined to be a political football.

Die-Trying > Nymphicus Hollandicus
06/29/2018 at 15:05

before the days of monster displays. and features for the sake of features. SEVENTY THREE HORSEPOWER!!! and a 1.0L 3 cyl engine. a 0-60 time of Eventually....... no one would buy it. but if gas prices spike again though, thing would be worth its weight in something valuable for all the money you would be saving by driving it. all those monster suv get parked when gas prices start getting up there. it’ll happen again here in a couple years, you’ll get to see for yourself....... all those crappy cars with small fuel efficient engines no one wants to drive now come out of woodwork. fun to watch.......

as long as we have cheap gas, no one will. get yours while they are still available......

Nymphicus Hollandicus > Die-Trying
06/29/2018 at 22:42

As much as I’d hate higher gas prices, I hope it does go up so what you described becomes reality. Hell, even if my car has 60k in 3 years I bet I could get 15k in a private sale.

Nymphicus Hollandicus > Stapleface
06/29/2018 at 22:59

The EX is about 25k, I can report back tomorrow with the exact figure.

Honestly, I don’t see the point of a CVT Civic anymore because the Insight drives exactly the same which is a good thing.

The 55 city figure on the LX and EX is fantastic. For reference I just filled up my 6-speed 1.5T hatch tonight. Got about 39mpg mostly highway and some hard acceleration runs (can’t help it).

Butt dyno confirms that the Insight has pretty good acceleration, it’s not anus-shattering but perfect for anyone who wants a good car. The CVT works good, just remember that this has a single-speed reduction gear (or simply direct drive) so it works better than the CVT. Again, I feel this car makes the Civic feel redundant. The Civic will need to be turbo only and 9/10 -speed auto to make it relevant. It’s more relevant if you have one with a manual .

Right now we have White Orchid Pearl, Cosmic Blue, Modern Steel or Polished Metal, and some sort of black. I know there’s a light blue color as well.

Interior is exactly like the Civic, again a good thing. The Insight has the updated Accord infotainment which works flawlessly (and is less buggy than the one on everything else).