The 2021 Honda Insight is an efficient but inconspicuous hybrid
The 2021 Honda Insight is the third-generation hybrid to bear the name. This one shares a platform with the Civic but manages to look more inconspicuous. [credit: Honda ]
Did you know Ars reviewed its first car 20 years ago? Back in the year 2000, Will Ryu tried out the brand-new Honda Insight, justifying it because the car married some impressive technology and a fun-to-drive nature-criteria we still look for today. Back then, the Insight looked like little else on the road. It had advanced aerodynamics, used lightweight alloy construction, and was the first parallel hybrid powertrain to go on sale in the US market. Today, we're revisiting the Insight, now in its third generation.
The differences are pronounced: what was cutting edge two decades ago is mainstream now. Instead of shouting its presence, the current Insight hides in crowds. And hybrid powertrains are commonplace and even seen as old tech in a world of 300-mile battery EVs and vehicles with hydrogen fuel cells. But proven technology has its upside. Today's Insight might look normal, but it's still remarkably efficient, even beating the old streamliner when it comes to city driving.
And it's cheap, too. That weird-looking Insight with the faired-in wheels cost just over $20,000 in 2000-just under $30,000 in today's dollars. The 2021 Insight starts at $22,930, and a Touring model loaded up to press-fleet specifications is still only $28,840. And you can actually fit people in its back seats, too.
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