Civic vs Insight

[Ziyang]

Hello,
This is mainly based on my own experience after having my 2017 Civic Sedan 1.5T MT for 2 years and test-driving my friend's insight for many times. He bought the car right 1 yr after me in Sept 2018, and we both get the EX-T/EX trim. The civic sedan 17 and 18 really has no difference so I guess it's a fair comparison between 18 Civic and 19 Insight as of in Sept 2018.

Let's see which one wins more points. I'll skip the aspects they share and tell no difference at.

Price: OTD was $21750 for Civic VS. $25000 for Insight. That's $3250 difference. Civic +15 pts.

Exterior:
Insight EX has full LEDs but Civic EX-T doesn't. Insight +2 pts.
Civic EX-T gets 17" wheels vs Insight EX 16". Civic +1 pt.
Insight gets new accord-like front grill. Personally I think it's more modern and attractive than Civic. Insight +1 pt.

Interior:
Insight EX has 8" new infotainment screen vs 7" older one on Civic. Insight +2 pts.
Insight EX has more updated instrument cluster panel than Civic. Insight +2 pts.
Civic EX-T has front seats heating. Civic +2 pts.

Safety:
Insight comes with Honda Sensing standard. Civic doesn't. Insight +7 pts.
Insight comes with better reverse/side cameras: improved resolution and dark imaging quality. Insight +1 pt.
Civic has backup tire, but Insight doesn't. Though, you can definitely buy the same one and put it in the trunk of Insight. Civic +1 pt.

Driving:
From Alex on Autos testing, 0-60 for Civic CVT Touring is 6.6 s; expect 215mm tire ~6.9 s? Anyway faster than Insight 7.8 s, especially better acceleration at highway speeds. Civic +3 pts.
Insight has a similar driving feel as EV below ~40 mph. That means no turbo lag, quiet cabin, linear acceleration and probably quicker 0-30. Insight +2 pts.
Civic is only 1/2~2/3 fuel efficient in city driving. Though, not much difference above 45 mph cruising. Insight +2 pts.

Maintenance and others:
Insight has regenerative braking so less brake wear than Civic. Insight +1 pt.
Here in New Haven Insight has free street parking. I guess similar policy applies to many cities. Insight +1 pt.

Let's summarize the points and see...
Civic 22 pts vs. Insight 21 pts!
So I'd say Civic is a slightly better deal overall, but not much difference in terms of their value. Or, I should say Honda set the prices so carefully...
You can just view Insight as 'Civic Hybrid'.

Sponsored

 

[Vexels]

Hello,
This is mainly based on my own experience after having my 2017 Civic Sedan 1.5T MT for 2 years and test-driving my friend's insight for many times. He bought the car right 1 yr after me in Sept 2018, and we both get the EX-T/EX trim. The civic sedan 17 and 18 really has no difference so I guess it's a fair comparison between 18 Civic and 19 Insight as of in Sept 2018.

Let's see which one wins more points. I'll skip the aspects they share and tell no difference at.
Price: OTD was $21750 for Civic VS. $25000 for Insight. That's $3250 difference. Civic +15 pts.
Exterior:
Insight EX has full LEDs but Civic EX-T doesn't. Insight +2 pts.
Civic EX-T gets 17" wheels vs Insight EX 16". Civic +1 pt.
Insight gets new accord-like front grill. Personally I think it's more modern and attractive than Civic. Insight +1 pt.
Interior:
Insight EX has 8" new infotainment screen vs 7" older one on Civic. Insight +2 pts.
Insight EX has more updated instrument cluster panel than Civic. Insight +2 pts.
Civic EX-T has front seats heating. Civic +2 pts.
Safety:
Insight comes with Honda Sensing standard. Civic doesn't. Insight +7 pts.
Insight comes with better reverse/side cameras: improved resolution and dark imaging quality. Insight +1 pt.
Civic has backup tire, but Insight doesn't. Though, you can definitely buy the same one and put it in the trunk of Insight. Civic +1 pt.
Driving:
From Alex on Autos testing, 0-60 for Civic CVT Touring is 6.6 s; expect 215mm tire ~6.9 s? Anyway faster than Insight 7.8 s, especially at highway speeds. Civic +3 pts.
Insight has a similar driving feel as EV below ~40 mph. That means no turbo lag, quite cabin, linear acceleration and probably quicker 0-30. Insight +2 pts.
Civic has much better passing ability at highway speeds than Insight. Civic +2 pts.
Civic is only 1/2~2/3 fuel efficient in city driving. Though, not much difference above 45 mph cruising. Insight +2 pts.
Maintenance and others:
Insight has regenerative braking so less brake wear than Civic. Insight +1 pt.
Here in New Haven Insight has free street parking. I guess similar policy applies to many cities. Insight +1 pt.

Let's summarize the points and see...
Civic 22 pts vs. Insight 21 pts!
So I'd say Civic is a better deal overall, but not much difference. You can just view Insight as 'Civic Hybrid'.

Previous generations of the Insight were its own unique car, but yeah, the current day Insight is definitely just a Civic Hybrid without the name, controversial styling, or aftermarket/community of the Civic.
Honestly if someone’s just looking for a car and not wanting to mod it, etc. the Insight’s probably the better option as a commuter.

 

[Drake]

I wonder what the reasoning was behind going with the "insight" name rather than just calling it the "civic hybrid" (like the accord hybrid). Does differentiating it from the civic lineup lead to more sales?

 

[Vexels]

I wonder what the reasoning was behind going with the "insight" name rather than just calling it the "civic hybrid" (like the accord hybrid). Does differentiating it from the civic lineup lead to more sales?

Exterior styling is a lot more "mature" (if not a little bland), I bet Honda has different target audiences in mind for both models

 

[Drake]

Exterior styling is a lot more "mature" (if not a little bland), I bet Honda has different target audiences in mind for both models

Yeah, it's probably for the best, I wouldn't want to share this forum with a bunch of tree-hugging insight owners anyways

 

[Ziyang]

I wonder what the reasoning was behind going with the "insight" name rather than just calling it the "civic hybrid" (like the accord hybrid). Does differentiating it from the civic lineup lead to more sales?

After all they chose to give Insight a different exterior design, so you cannot call it Civic Hybrid --- they look totally different at first glance.
Also I agree with the saying that they are indeed targeted at different groups of people----if you want more mature looking and no after-market stuff but just a reliable commute car, then you might choose Insight but a 'Civic hybrid' is not on your list.

 

[cammyfive]

Good write-up! We've mostly narrowed down my other half's next car in a month or so to a Civic Touring sedan or Insight Touring.

 

[David9962000]

But a Insight is more money than a Base Civic LX. The saving of buying a base Civic will pay for a lot of fuel and in 10 years the base civic will be a lot less to repair. Just a thought.

Sponsored