I hadn’t really thought about how scarce these gen1 Honda Insights are getting until I saw this on the road today, coming back from Portland. I’m pretty sure there’s one or two around town, or there used to be. But I figured I’d peel off a quick shot, just in case. And it’s a car we’ve never really covered here. The Insight was a very uncompromising mileage master, and until 2016, it still held the record for the highest EPA mileage numbers (49/61/53, city/highway/combined) for a gasoline fueled car.
Although the Toyota Prius (gen1 CC here) was the first modern hybrid car, appearing in Japan in 1997, it did not arrive in the US until 2001. The Insight was new in 1999, and was first sold here as a MY 2000, as the first available hybrid. Honda approached the brief to make a high efficiency hybrid in quite a different way than Toyota. The Prius was a full five seater, and had a more ambitious “full” hybrid system, that allowed some operation in pure electric mode, as well as a greater degree of electric assist and regeneration. Fuel mileage was not as high (42/41/41), but it was an uncompromised passenger sedan, in terms of its size and capabilities.
The two-passenger Insight’s IMA system had a lower level of hybridization and smaller batteries, which were basically commercial-grade NiMh D cells in a pack delivering 144 volts to the 10 kW brushless motor attached to the rear of the engine. In 2000, only a five-speed manual transmission was available; starting in 2001, a CVT was optional.
The Insight’s high efficiency is more the result of its ultralight construction and very low aerodynamic drag than its modest electirc assist. Built largely out of aluminum, weight is as little as 1,847 lbs (838 kg). Its coefficient of drag of 0.25 may not sound that impressive, but it’s superb given its short length. And total aerodynamic drag is extremely low due to its very small frontal area. The Insight has not likely been improved upon in terms of its total aerodynamic drag, for a production car.
The Insight’s battery pack has not turned out to be as long-lived as the Prius’, and replacement is almost inevitable. New packs are available for about $2000. Some owners have disabled its hybrid system, and a few have even swapped in larger Honda fours to turn it into an ultra-light pocket rocket.
Total global sales during its six-year run amounted to 17,020 units; much less than Honda had projected. The Prius was a more practical solution, and has sold well over a million times.
Honda came back in 2011 with its second shot at a two-seat hybrid, the CR-Z, but it’s been barely more successful. It’s currently in its last year of production, so if you’re wanting one, better hurry. Or not.
I recall these having a ridiculously low maximum load capacity – two heavier people could easily exceed it even with an empty cargo hold. Speaking of which, there was hardly any luggage space in these, and it was mostly exposed through the windows IIRC. The Prius was so much more practical
I just looked up the specs, the GVM is 1015 kg/2238 lb and vehicle weight of 827 kg/1823 lb leaves 188 kg/415 lb load capacity; better pack light!
Not to mention the modified ones that replace the 3-cyl engine with a K24 better take out the batteries, or taking a passenger would put you overweight.
I wonder if Honda was ever really serious about hybrids. Awhile ago we test-drove the 4-door Insight; it had awful backseat legroom & didn’t seem too agile. No wonder Toyota ate their lunch here. BTW, Hyundai is now in play with the Ioniq.
A trade-off with all hybrids & EVs is space utilization, as mentioned in the above post. We like our Prius with its decent rear passenger room, but it has limited hatch volume & not many nooks & crannies compared to our Civic LX. But who can argue with its 44-55mpg?
Honda sells a hybrid version of the Fit/Jazz in several markets (not the USA, though).
http://www.cnet.com/uk/products/honda-jazz-hybrid/#!
Agree, Honda’s “undedicated” hybrids are more in line with competition.
I must say, if one does a lot of high-speed Interstate driving, you’re not doing much better in a Prius than a conventional C-class, now that many are rated in excess of 40mpg hwy. It’s suburban/city driving that the Prius really excels at, if you keep it in the Eco band & accelerate like an overloaded semi! It tries my patience doing this, but what’s the point of a hybrid if you don’t? Oh, and the EV mode is fun to experiment with, such as in parking lots.
BTW, Honda, like Toyota, now has a fuel-cell model out. We live in interesting times, automotively speaking.
Agred. A good friend of mine has a four door Insight, when I sit in the back seat, my head is almost touching the ceiling. Also, the AC compressor cuts out when the car is at idle. Last summer we took it into Manhattan. It was very hot sitting in a traffic jam without AC.
Honda’s hybrid system used in the Accord is very serious. It’s the best one out there, more efficient than Toyota’s HSD. And the Accord’s Hybrid’s EPA numbers reflect that: 50 city/45 highway.
Unfortunately, it’s not selling as nobody cares about fuel economy these days. But it’s a very effective system.
It seems that every time Honda has tried a hybrid, it has felt the need to avoid “me-too-ing” the Toyota. The result has been that every Honda hybrid has been sort of off the beaten path. The buyers have spoken, and the Prius concept of what a hybrid should be has won out.
I remember the Accord Hybrid in the late 00s, where Honda added the electric/battery system to the big honking V6. A really fast Accord with slightly improved fuel mileage was not what hybrid buyers wanted.
While I agree somewhat with your conclusion, the fact that Porsche and Ferrari and others (including Honda with the new NSX) are building hybrids that allow enormous amounts of power and more importantly torque, says that Honda has/had a decent idea with the Hybrid Accord….it was just not the right car for the market. At the “lower end” of the market, folks think hybrid=fuel miser. At the upper end of the market, hybrid=power with reduced CO2 emissions (through lower fuel consumption).
I agree with another poster here that Honda seems to go out of it’s way to build cars that are just a “bit” different from those cars built by nearly every other car company. That used to result in some good or even great cars, but as is the case with the 2nd generation Insight, sometimes the resulting car is a “miss”.
As I understand it, the shortcomings of the 2nd-gen Insight make it a somewhat compelling used-car buy though, due to *far* lower resale price than the Prius. A fellow I know bought a 2 year-old Insight to use on his daily commute and has, as far as I know, been quite satisfied with it. Of course, he’s also got a V10 Ram and some sort of Lotus 7 replica for his “fun” vehicle, so pretty much the only thing he expected out of the Insight was lowest dollars per mile. The lower entry price helps that calculation out!
There are two Insights cruising about locally and multitudes of Prius.
Yep, there’s a guy who uses an Insight as a DD here. It looks pretty tatty, though.
I’m surprised these are scarce in Oregon as they’re, well … not common, but still regular, sights here in the Bay Area, though less so than 1st gen Priuses. Perhaps our warmer, but not hot, weather is friendlier for the batteries? Or our longer commutes encouraged more sales when new? Certainly there are far more 2 door Insights than CRX’s on the road, and I think more than CRZ’s as well.
This could have been the basis for a dandy next-generation CRX. Ditch the hybrid drive, stuff in a Civic Si motor and six-speed, and upgrade the tires and suspension to match. Oh, and lose those rear wheel skirts.
I agree, Honda should have “repeated” the CRX and added even a “regular” powered Insight, like the CRX had HX, DX, and Si models.
As far as the 2nd generation Insight being a good used car, apparently that can be said of tge Leaf, as well. I’m starting to see “newish” Leafs at the $9,000-$10,000 range.
Agree on the used Leaf being a good deal. Brother in Florida bought a 2013 Leaf with just 18k miles on it in November 2015 for $8300. Other then a couple of tiny scratches on the bumpers, it is like new.
I have seen a couple of original Insights around town, both looking pretty rough but it’s been about 2 years since I last saw one in these parts.
While living in Vermont back in the early 00’s I recall seeing a few of these running around. I seriously doubt that the temperature extremes up there treated the batteries well, although the heavy use of aluminum might have been a plus from a corrosion standpoint.
If not for the success of the Prius, I’m not sure the original Insight was good enough to maintain the electric hybrid as a viable power train. Besides the size and Jetsons look, it’s propensity to use up batteries (which was by design) would have done it.
I was on Toyota’s early adopter list and got one of the first 2001 Priuses in Sept. 2000. Replaced it with a 2010 – been a Prius daily driver fifteen years now.
Word at the time was the Insight was a rush job to beat the Prius to the US market, in an effort to preserve Honda’s image as the #1 greenest brand (remember that?). Between the short schedule and Toyota’s hybrid patents, Insight’s hybrid system was much simpler than Prius’, which accounts for the lower mileage in spite of all that aluminum. Insight was built on the same limited production line as the Acura NSX sports car. It’s hard to see how Insight could have been profitable for Honda.
I think it’s a really great looking little car, very futuristic.
My oldest sister is on her 2nd Prius, she bought a 2nd generation model and when it got to about 55-60 thousand miles she traded for a new one (3rd generation?). She thinks they are great cars, I think….well, I think the interior is a bit overstyled and the 4th generation car is worse. She owned a SN 95 Mustang and a 2000 MY Mercedes-Benz S-class, before the 1st Prius and doesn’t regret trading in the Mustang.
Considering how many cars get “good” mileage nowadays, the Prius wouldn’t make my top ten most wanted cars.
I was told that these cars were engineered around patents that Toyota held, and suffered because of it. I don’t know how true that story is, but I can say that a manual transmission Insite was one of the all around most miserable vehicles that I have ever driven. I couldn’t believe Honda put something like that on the road.
I know it probably genuinely helped with the drag coefficient, but the fender skirt always seemed like a very frumpy and questionable styling aspect to me. Especially in the early-2000s. The last picture with the newer CR-Z shows how much better that general silhouette looks with an open wheel arch. (as does the old CRX)
It’s also weird to think any hybrid is old enough to be in a junkyard now. Although it seems like the Gen1 Prius is one of those cars that will just run forever… aided by the fact that the typical owner is EXACTLY the kind of person who will go out of their way nurse an old car along for 20+ years for financial/ideological reasons. The Hondas have always seemed more tinny and chintzy, even the Gen2 Insight, and their vastly lower resale and production sends them to the scrapheap a lot sooner.
I know what NiMh stands for in a battery context, but the abbreviation always makes me think of this.
Same here–one of my favorite books as a child. Had a couple of sequels, even.
CC Effect strikes again! Saw a green Insight on Monday – first one I’ve seen in months. There are a few here, but nowhere near as many as there are Priuses (Prii?)
Seeing “1st gen” hybrids like this reminds me of the watercooler discussions we had at work when these cars were just coming out. The “general belief” was that all your gas savings would be lost when the batteries failed after 5 or 6 years. Someone always had a buddy whose brother was a mechanic (or the other way around), and who said new batteries would cost $10,000 to replace!
The initial hybrid battery replacement issue is quite interesting is that it’s directly related to the different hybrid approaches taken between Toyota and Honda, turning out to have a direct correlation to mpg figures. Toyota went for somewhat less fuel mileage as a trade-off for battery longevity.
Honda, conversely, went all-out for the best fuel mileage possible, not only in overall car design (fender skirts), but also at the expense of battery life. Two-seat Insights delve much further into the traction battery’s reserve which, although increasing fuel mileage, also significantly reduces battery life. If you want to brick a Prius battery, the fastest and easiest way to do it is to run it out of gas and continue driving on the battery, alone.
As it turns out, Toyota’s approach ended up having vastly greater mainstream appeal as Prius battery replacement is nowhere near what it is with the original Insight. Anecdotal evidence indicates that there are lots of first generation Prii still running well on their original traction battery, and those that have been replaced are due to non-routine circumstances, like some sort of errant damage or the aforementioned running out of gas. The same can definitely not be said of first generation Insights.
OTOH, the original cost estimates of Insight battery replacement turned out to be overstated. I vaguely recall that it’s currently much less than $10k and closer to the sub-$2000 figure for a Insight traction battery replacement. Plus, I think original Insights may be able to function on the ICE, alone, even with a dead traction battery. Such is not the case with a Prius. In the unlikely event that a Prius battery quits, you’re not going anywhere.
IIRC, there was someone over at CC’s sister website, TTAC, who owned a used, original Insight and routinely wrote about the experience.
I came across this one in Cambridge, MA in December. It’s a homely little beast…I don’t know how someone has stayed motivated to keep it on the road all this time.
Not to be too contrarian, but I have a 2002 Insight CVT parked outside as I write this. At 125K, it’s holding up well after all these years. Still gets over 50 mpg on the highway, and while its no Lexus, it’s a pretty comfortable car to take a long trip in.
And it holds a ton. Folks don’t realize there is a goodly around of storage available below the carpet in the rear, which about doubles the storage, maybe more if you pack intelligently. But it’s not a hauler, but it can keep up with traffic at 70 with the Air on, which isn’t too bad for a sub 1 liter, 3 cylinder engine. The hybrid motor kicks in and has a surprising amount of power to get over hills and past trucks, etc.
It drives very much like an early edition Miata and although it does not have a magic carpet ride, it does pretty well for what it is: a lightweight, hyper mileage pocket rocket that can beat a lot off cars off the line.
So, not all bad and certainly unworthy of some of the comments made above.
Thanks for the insights on living with one. I’ve always had a soft spot for these.
My Brother-in-Law has had one of these for as long as I have know him. He drives it everyday to work, about 70 miles round trip. He has taken out at least one deer with it. Still runs like a top and gets better than 45mpg. Not to shabby, I think.
If you want to compete with the Prius , you better have the MPG numbers to compete. Honda , missed that point repeatedly. If you take Accords and Civics off the table , Honda would have starved. They’ve produced a number of duds , not counting their hybrids. Add to that a Acura division that has fallen in volume and prestige and you have a company that seems to be relying on past glory more than outstanding and creative new product.
And if you took Impalas and Malibus off the table at Chevrolet, that would kill Chevy.
Impalas and Malibus just got to the table. Chevy lives on trucks.
Accord, Civic and CR-V just happen to be perennial best retail-sellers in three of the four most popular market segments in the US. Without them, Honda would have the same US market share as Subaru.
here in Peterborough Ontario there are still a couple of insights toddling around, one of which seems to be driven by a young teenager! there are also 2 first generation prius’, one of which is currently for sale in a local “very used” car lot. all of these vehicles have been thru several harsh Canadian winters and bodywise seem to have minimal rust. I don’t know if they are still running their original battery packs but again, if they are, cudos to surviving our winters!
One of Insights with manual gearboxes was owned by a German therapist in Boulder, Colorado. She gave me a ride home after a weekend workshop in the mountains.
Two things that stuck to my mind to this day were the suspension and interior space. The suspension setting was on par to public buses or heavy duty delivery vans: real hard and unforgiving, especially over the not-so-stellar mountain road. The interior space was so cramped and dark that I exerted lot of effort to pighole myself in and at the same time not to induce the claustrophobic fit within me. The original Mini, despite its diminutive size, is hoot to drive or ride and does feel large inside. Not to mention awesome suspension, too.
Insight is on my personal list of the worst cars I have ever ridden or driven. I wouldn’t ride it again even if anyone dangles a carrot stick worth a million euros in front of me.
Like Caspar above, I have a 1st generation Insight – 2001 model with MT. I am also surprised about the amount of ill-informed, opinionated tosh that gets written about these cars, even on a motoring enthusiast website like this one.
The Insight was built to get maximum mpg (or l/100km where I live) in which it succeeded spectacularly. As a result, it has compromises in ride quality and performance and it has some flaws. Perhaps these could have been overcome with a higher priced car – but I expect Honda thought it had to try and make the car as affordable as possible and there wasn’t much budget left after the weight saving, aerodynamic, hybrid and lean-burn technology costs that went into it.
I love driving my car. I’ve had it for twelve years and may never sell it. It’s lots of fun to drive with light and direct steering, a great gear box and an engine that revs as smoothly as a sewing machine. It doesn’t have a lot to give, but gives its all willingly. It has been extremely reliable and I’m still on the original hybrid battery which is now over 15 years old. I can fit a lawn mower under the rear hatch or enough luggage for a weekend away for two with our dogs.
There are plenty of “ordinary” Insight owners out there, but it is probably a car best suited to an enthusiast of which there is a knowledgeable and supportive group at the Insight Central website. It’s certainly not a car for everyone, but for what I use it for, it’s perfect and its like may not be seen again for a very long time.
Kudos to Honda for building the G1 Insight. I can’t see they ever made any money out of it, but there’s a happy band of enthusiasts who’ll cheer them on for giving a very non-mainstream car like the Insight a red-hot go.
Good find Paul, the last time I saw one I couldn’t get a photo of it and they are not often seen here as only 45 were sold in Australia. Apart from a handful of initial sales, the list price of AUD$49,000 meant they sat at dealers for a long time before being discounted and sold.
The ICE motor doesn’t get on the cam until 3000+ rpm and the zero rpm torque of the IMA motor compliments it perfectly.
Hypermiling these quickly becomes an obsesion. I usually turn the IMA system off when I’m on the hwy.
I work near a Honda dealer and I see a red Insight quite often. I don’t know if it’s an employee’s car, or it’s in for repairs/service a lot. Other than that one, the last one I saw was a silver one on the back of a flatbed, totally pulverized and heading for the scrapyard. It had some writing on it, which appeared to be a case number, so I’m guessing someone inside was badly hurt or killed.