• The Honda Insight hybrid car was introduced to the American market on March 24, 2009, one month after it was released in Japan. The initial 2010 Honda Insight was priced at $19,800 for the base LX model, making it $2,200 cheaper than the competing base model Toyota Prius. The 2010 Honda Insight topped the Consumer Reports 2009 list of most reliable vehicles on the market. However, the magazine did not recommended purchasing it. Despite being reliable, subscribers and reviewers felt the car was sluggish.
  
  

Dimensions

• The 2010 Honda Insight is 172.3 inches long, 66.7 inches wide and is 56.2 inches high. The wheelbase is 100.4 inches, with a distance between front tires of 58.7 inches and between rear tires of 58.1 inches. It weighs 2,273 lbs. including a fluids and a full tank of gas, with 58 percent of the weight distributed in the front half of the vehicle.
  
  

Interior

• The five-seat 2010 Honda Insight offers 85 cubic feet of passenger capacity, including 15.9 cubic feet of cargo volume with the rear seats up and 31.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded down. Passengers have 38.4 inches of front headroom, 35.9 inches of rear headroom, 42.3 inches of front legroom, 33.5 inches of rear legroom, 52.7 inches of front shoulder room, 50.4 inches of rear legroom, 51.6 inches of front hip room and 48.7 inches of rear hip room. The interior of the 2010 Honda Insight is cloth, with bucket front seats and an adjustable-height driver's seat. The only available interior color is Pale Warm Gray.
  
  

Powertrain

• The 2010 Honda Insight is powered by an 1.3-liter, inline, four-cylinder aluminum alloy engine. The motor creates 98 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 123 foot-pounds of torque at 1,000 to 1,500 rpm. It redlines at 6,200 rpm. It is a front-wheel drive vehicle with an eight-valve SOHC valve train. The engine has a bore and stroke of 73 mm by 80 mm and a 10.3-to-1 compression ratio. As a hybrid, the 2010 Honda Insight also draws power from an electric generator. Running off DC power, the electric generator creates 13 horsepower at 1,500 rpm and 123 foot-pounds of torque at 1,000 to 1,700 rpm. Its nickel metal hydride battery is rated for a capacity of 5.75 hours and has an output of 100.8 volts.
  
  

Safety

• Standard safety features on the 2010 Honda Insight include three-point seat belts for all five passengers and adjustable front seat belt anchors to accommodate different heights. Air bags in the vehicle include front airbags, front side airbags with a detection system to determine if a person is in the passenger's seat and side curtain airbags. Both front seats also include active head restraints.