Honda debuted a refreshed 2012 Insight hybrid for Europe at the Frankfurt auto show earlier this year, and now that car’s updates have made it to the U.S.-market car. Honda’s changes to the Insight include a handful of styling tweaks and minor interior improvements similar to the freshening the popular Fit subcompact also received for 2012, but the nip and tuck is definitely minor.
The biggest changes are to the Insight’s styling, which is toughened up by larger and more aggressive intakes on the front fascia, new head- and taillights, and new wheel designs. EX models are still the only Insights that ride on aluminum wheels, but all trim levels get a new grille with a blue stripe that Honda says is representative of the car’s “high-tech hybrid identity.” There’s also a thinner rear spoiler that affords more visibility through the split rear window. Functionally, the tweaks to the front and rear bumpers and underbody contribute to a 1-mpg boost in the Insight’s city, highway, and combined fuel-economy numbers. The final figures are 41 mpg in the city, 44 on the highway, and 42 mpg combined; those numbers are still well short of the Toyota Prius’s (51/48/50), but the Insight is a far more involving car to drive.
Honda improved the Insight where it needed to most: the interior. The company didn’t make any drastic changes, but it added thicker sound insulation, classed up the seating surface materials, and added an updated navigation system with an integrated backup camera. Those changes should address at least some of the complaints we levied against our recently departed long-term Insight; most of our barbs were reserved for the hybrid’s loud operation and dated nav unit. One of the things we did like on our long-termer was its seats, and Honda has added synthetic leather to the chairs’ bolsters on EX models and fancier cloth for the thrones in the LX. Honda also tweaked the rear-seat area and headliner to eke out a bit more room for back-seat passengers, and refreshed the look of the gauge cluster.
The 2012 Insight is powered by the same Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system as last year. IMA combines the efforts of an 88-hp, 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine and a 13-hp electric motor to move the car with no authority whatsoever (60 mph arrived in 10.9 seconds at the beginning of our long-term test and a leisurely 12.0 seconds at the end).
A 2012 Insight will cost you marginally more dough than a 2011 model. The base Insight costs $150 more for a total of $19,120; mid-level LXs see a $225 increase to $20,895; and an EX is $325 dearer at $22,585. The Insight’s nav system may be new, but Honda has kept to the practice of making it a hugely expensive option that’s only available on the top EX model; an EX with navigation costs $24,310—$275 more than last year. The 2012 Insight should hit Honda dealerships soon.
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