Rod Johnson with the 2019 Honda Insight at Max Bell Arena parking lot in Calgary.Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia Hondas Insight was one of the first hybrid cars to hit the nations highways. Upon introduction late in 1999, it was a bit of quirky car. A low-slung, aerodynamic two-seater with body panels covering the rear wheels, the vehicle was something you either loved or hated.Rod Johnson of Olds, Alberta would place himself in the latter camp.I felt the first-generation Insight was kind of a homely looking vehicle, he says, and adds, I never would have considered owning one, even though I was interested in the fuel economy of the car, I wouldnt have wanted to look silly driving it.The latest iteration of the Insight, however, shouldnt be nearly as polarizing as the first. Third generation Insights rolled into dealerships halfway through 2018 as 2019 model year vehicles. Based on the chassis of the latest Honda Civic, the gasoline/electric Insight hybrid looks more like the automakers Accord sedan.Under the Insights hood lurks a 1.5-litre DOHC Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine coupled with an electric motor. Combined, they deliver 151 horsepower to the front wheels through an electronically-controlled continuously variable transmission. Now, this third-generation Insight really looks like a sharp machine, Johnson says. He recently spent a week behind the wheel of a $33,771 Insight Touring and was impressed with the experience.Johnson commutes daily from Olds to Calgary nearly 170 kilometres return, even more if hes running errands in the city. At one time, he also practiced what he calls mild hypermiling. This is where a driver uses a number of different driving strategies to squeeze as much fuel efficiency out of an engine. His best result was 964 kilometres on a single tank of gasoline from a 2002 Pontiac Sunfire equipped with a manual transmission.Even with the Honda Insight in Sport mode, and not driving like a hypermiler at all, I was still able to maintain close to 50 miles to the gallon, Johnson says.His regular commuting car is a 2006 Audi A3 while theres also a 2002 Honda Odyssey in the driveway. Johnson usually likes to shop used when he needs to upgrade a vehicle and cites his top three buying considerations as: Really good road feel, build quality and, to a lesser extent, brand reputation.Johnson says he was pleasantly surprised when he first rolled up on the all-new Insight.I think I had a different kind of vision, remembering the earlier generations, but this Insight looked like a higher brand of car, he says.Once inside, Johnson says the build quality continued to please as the cabin didnt look inexpensively put together and featured fine materials. At five-feet nine-inches tall, Johnson is of average height and he had no trouble adjusting the eight-way power adjustable drivers seat and the tilt and telescoping steering wheel to where he felt most comfortable. Also, it took no time for him to customize many of the Insights other settings and says everything was easily configurable.You can control what you see in the dash display, Johnson explains. I liked to see the power delivery, and noted when I was charging the battery, when I was driving purely on electric power and when I was using the gas engine.At first, Johnson thought the Insight was woefully underpowered.That was in Eco mode, and I wondered where the gas pedal was in the thing, Johnson laughs. But, after putting it in Sport mode, I decided that wasnt bad. You have to let the gasoline engine roar a bit, but it will perform better than expected.For a family sedan, in Sport mode, its got respectable performance and it gives good economy with no range anxiety.Johnson found it difficult to get used to the continuously variable transmission, though.To me its a funny feeling to push on the gas pedal and then have to wait for a response, he says. Braking was good, and Johnson experimented with the steering wheel mounted paddles that Honda calls Deceleration Selectors.The automaker says the paddles allow a driver to, Toggle between three different levels of regenerative braking performance. Tap the left selector to increase regenerative braking, and the right to reduce it. This system not only increases battery charging via regeneration, it also helps reduce stress on the brakes, and lets drivers tailor their regenerative braking level for different driving conditions.Johnson says the Insight handled better than he thought it would, and he was surprised by how composed the car felt in all driving conditions.I was really impressed by the amount of cabin space, Johnson says of the Insights overall utility. The trunk volume is the same as the Civic, but theres a very small opening to fit packages in there.He concludes, I think the Insight suits young or maturing families, couples of any age.I would consider it for myself because of my commute, and Id still be able to haul family around.DRIVER’S JOURNALDay One: Picked up the
Origin: Reader Review: 2019 Honda Insight Touring