Around The Web
The Insight's cabin has interesting architecture, but it is utilitarian in spirit very much in the characteristic fashion of Honda as a whole.
Edmunds »
The Insight’s cabin is light and cheerful.
Car and Driver »
an attractive and tidy 5-port hatchback
Road & Track »
a practical hatchback design with a horizontal-split rear window, similar to that on the Honda CRX of the late 1980s
Consumer Reports »
STYLING | 7 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
The Insight's cabin has interesting architecture, but it is utilitarian in spirit very much in the characteristic fashion of Honda as a whole.
Edmunds
The Insight’s cabin is light and cheerful.
Car and Driver
an attractive and tidy 5-port hatchback
Road & Track
a practical hatchback design with a horizontal-split rear window, similar to that on the Honda CRX of the late 1980s
Consumer Reports
The 2011 Honda Insight has a silhouette, if not details, that look a lot like that of the Toyota Prius. That's no mistake; it's the shape carved to cut through the air with the least resistance. Yet the silhouette allows a hatchback practicality, and Honda manages to incorporate an impressive degree of design detail for such a low-priced vehicle. The Insight's thin projector-beam headlamps are a distinctive break from the large, overwrought designs of recent years, and the front grille is complex but simpler version of what we've seen in Honda's larger vehicles like the Pilot SUV. Also, distinctive LED taillamps adorn the rear, and at the back is a tinted window that plays a styling role and allows improved visibility for the driver. Smooth lift-up door handles are a nice alternative to the chunky, trucky versions expected even on small cars, and the beltline in general is a little lower it could be—a nice touch at a time when hulking sheetmetal and cavernous interiors seem to be the norm.
A Civic-influenced, two-tier, two-tone instrument panel greets you inside, and is situated quite far forward to permit a spacious feel for those in front. Center-stack controls—except for the sound system and nav display—are angled toward the driver, and climate controls are similar to those in the Fit, centered in their own round area just to the right of the steering wheel, rather than in the center.
Conclusion
It's easy to write the 2011 Honda Insight off as another Prius, but there's some eye-catching complexity in the Insight's exterior that sets it apart.