2019 Honda Insight Hybrid
The 2019 Honda Insight Hybrid looks nothing like what we’ve come to accept as that ‘hybrid look’. When I picked the Insight up, I had to do a double-take.
Because the Insight Hybrid looks like an Accord from one angle and a Civic from another angle. When in reality it’s really a blend of both! But still, it looks nothing like a hybrid.
Check out the pics below while listening to my podcast review of this quiet, comfortable and stylish fuel-sipper.
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Introduction to The 2019 Honda Insight Hybrid
This is a four-door sedan that’s also a hybrid. Which is a very easy-to-forget point when looking at the vehicle.
That’s simply because it looks like a four-door car. A normal sedan. Not a half-bubble space-shippy thing – like hybrids have and some still do look like.
So, when the new Honda Insight Hybrid first came out there were a lot of billboards promoting it. And they proclaimed something like “proof that a hybrid can be stylish”. And you know what – those billboards are spot on.
The 2019 Insight is a great-looking ride. If you’re familiar with the current Honda model line-up; at first glance, the Insight might have you thinking it’s a sophisticated Accord or maybe you catch the angle where it looks like a sporty Civic – and both would be correct. As the 4-door Hybrid was given elements of both vehicles.
2019 Honda Insight Trims & MSRPs
Honda keeps it simple with the Insight Hybrid this year offering three trim levels:
- The base model – LX starting at $22,830.
- The mid-level – EX starting at $24,060.
- And the top-of-the-line Touring starting at $28,090.
As always, in our iDriveSoCal reporting, these prices are MSRP – manufacturers suggested retail price.
You need to get yours equipped to your liking so the price will be a bit different.
2019 Honda Insight Hybrid driver profile.
Back to the 2019 Insight. Again, easy to forget, it’s a hybrid. And as I mentioned Honda keeps it simple with the three trims LX, EX and Touring. Each of those has the following in common:
- 1.5 liter, Inline 4-cylinder engine putting out 151-horsepower and 196-lb-ft of torque.
- So the car in any trim level is quick with all that torque.
- They also share the same transmission which offers three modes:
- Economy
- Sport
- EV – electric vehicle.
Honda Insight Hybrid Fuel Economy
Now they basically all have the same great fuel economy the only difference being the Touring gets a combined 48-MPG to the LX and EX’s 52 combined.
- The LX and EX get 55 City, 49 Highway and 52 combined.
- The Touring gets 51 City, 45 Highway and 48 combined.
My near-certain assumption is that the extra features that come on the Touring add weight that decreases the fuel efficiency just a bit. Nevertheless, awesome fuel economy across the board.
So let’s dive into this review – shall we?
The 2019 Honda Insight Exterior
First, let’s talk exterior. You probably picked up on this earlier – I love the exterior styling of this Honda hybrid. It offers the refined look of the new Accord with sleek sweeping clean lines with a bold grill.
It’s notable that all trim levels include LED lighting – headlights and brake lights. Now, this not only makes the car look great but let’s face it – that lighting makes the vehicle easier to notice by other drivers and thus easier to avoid potential accidents.
That’s just my safety thoughts – I’m sure there are studies on something along those lines someplace but I’m going with common sense here.
“It’s hard to tell that it’s not mid-sized and even harder to tell that it’s a hybrid at all.”
So again, going around the outside of the Insight, it really does look like a sophisticated yet sporty sedan and you might have to look twice to see if it’s a luxury brand or not.
It’s hard to tell that it’s not mid-sized and even harder to tell that it’s a hybrid at all.
Inside the Good Looking Honda Hybrid
Going inside the 2019 Honda Insight it’s pretty much all Accord styling that, for the Touring trim level I drove, felt very close to a luxury manufacturer rather than a Honda.
“There’s no actual gear shifter sticking out of the center console. That adds to the high-tech feel inside.”
One of the first things you notice inside is the push-button gear shifting and driving modes – there’s no actual gear shifter sticking out of the center console. That adds to the high-tech feel inside.
Another tech feature that’s cool is what looks like paddle shifters at first glance but they’re actually paddles on the back-side of the steering wheel that allows you to adjust the regenerative braking that recharges your battery.
2019 Honda Insight w. red non-eco effect.
And adding to that nod to luxury inside are softer leather surfaces with handsome double-stitching. Very nice touches for a Honda hybrid that doesn’t look like a hybrid at all.
The Insight seats 5 adults. There’s legroom in the back – you’re not crammed in. The back seat folds down to give you more cargo space from the trunk which is a great versatility feature of this Honda Hybrid.
Again, you forget it’s a hybrid because the hybrid battery doesn’t take away from the vehicle’s interior spaciousness.
The Bells and Whistles
I have to touch on the Insights tech because it’s significant across the board. The LX, EX, and Touring all come with Honda Sensing standard. That includes:
- Collision Mitigation Braking System.
- Road Departure Mitigation System.
- Adaptive Cruise Control.
- Lane Keeping Assist System.
- Traffic Sign Recognition
Now, one safety tech feature you only get on the EX and Touring is Honda Lane Watch.
2019 Honda Insight cockpit.
Also, only on the EX and Touring in the tech category is Honda Link which delivers some of my favorite features including Android Auto and Apple Car Play. These are the tech features that allow you to integrate your phone into the vehicle’s dash. So if you want to display Waze navigation from your phone onto your dash or listen to your audiobooks through your app – viola.
Only the Touring trim level is going to give you dual climate control and some other interior creature comforts.
“One other notable interior feature that does come with all trim levels is the handy and versatile center console armrest.”
But, one other notable interior feature that does come with all trim levels is the handy and versatile center console armrest. Great for tucking away the random items you don’t want to leave out in the open for curious potential thieves.
So that leaves the drive itself.
Insight’s Hybrid Driving Modes
“The vehicle has plenty of torque so acceleration is quick and seamless.”
As I mentioned the vehicle has plenty of torque so acceleration is quick and seamless. And there’s plenty of power to feel comfortable merging onto the highway and passing slower traffic.
Plus the optional driving modes transition the gearing of the vehicle instantaneously so if you want even more oomph at certain times you have that option too. And one other thing I liked when switching driving modes was the background light in the dash changed from green to red to remind you when you’re in the sport mode.
2019 Honda Insight Hybrid Top-3
And now, we’ve come to my top three things I like about the 2019 Honda Insight Hybrid.
- Hands-down the styling – the car is clean looking, four-door, sporty sophistication.
- The interior – both space and styling. It punches above its class here.
- The fact that it’s a hybrid that doesn’t scream “look at me – I’m taking better care of the planet than you are because I’m driving a hybrid!”
The 2019 Honda Insight Hybrid is simply a great-looking 4-door sedan that happens to be a hybrid and delivers killer gas mileage.
