2023 Honda Insight: New Honda Insight e:HEV Platform Expert Review

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2023 Honda Insight The Honda Insight 2023 is technically a Honda Civic, but with a fuel-efficient hybrid powertrain positioned in the engine bay.

Most frugal, the 2023 Insight returns over 50 mpg in a mix of city and highway driving, all while delivering a Civic-inspired level of agility and ride comfort along the way.

Only a few cars, like the Toyota Prius and Corolla Hybrid, offer the same level of fuel economy as you get in the Insight.

For better or for worse, the Insight gets around in the body style of a relatively incognito sedan. We’re just saying worse because the hatchback will add an extra level of utility and increase cargo space.

However, as it stands, the Insight 2023 offers plenty of passenger stretch space for an adult in the front or seat, and about 15 cubic feet of luggage volume. The rear seats also fold in a 60/40 split for added convenience in carrying cargo.

2023 Honda Insight Review

The third-generation Honda Insight that debuted in March 2018 could be a short-lived model, and perhaps, the same can be said about the nameplate. The all-new Honda Civic Hybrid is coming to showrooms in 2022, and its launch could mark the end of the Insight journey.

2023 Honda Insight

Honda may develop the All-New Civic Hybrid in Japan. Reports say that the partially camouflaged eleventh-generation Civic test mule recently spotted in the country is a hybrid variant. This test mule, shown in the spy shot in this story, is in the Hatchback version and has the same design as the petrol variant.

Honda challenged the Toyota Prius when the Civic was in its tenth generation by introducing the All-New Insight (derived from the Civic platform) instead of the usual variant. In hindsight, that turned out to be not the right move as Insight has yet to see the success that Toyota is enjoying in the hybrid market.

In the first three quarters of 2021, while Toyota sold 51,038 Prius in the US, Honda shipped 16,267 Insights. Sure, the vast majority (22,407 units) of those Prius are plug-in hybrids, but even the hybrid variant alone (28,631 units) has a strong advantage.

In Canada, Insight demand is down to where Honda is discontinuing the vehicle at the end of the 2021 model year.

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2023 Honda Insight Redesign: Will There Be A 2023 Honda Insight

With the Honda Civic recently undergoing a complete redesign, it’s very likely the 2023 Insight will benefit from a ground-up makeover of its own.

Based on the latest Civic, the Insight should provide a smoother ride, better powertrain sound management (meaning the outgoing Insight can be noisy when working hard), and a modern interior with extra inches for the legs, arms and elbows.

How this relates to the powertrain and any significant gains in fuel economy remains to be seen. The 1.5-liter 4-cylinder hybrid powertrain could be carried over to the new Insight, or Honda might opt for a version of this engine with the addition of an electric-only driving range.

Previously, a hairy-footed approach could make about 1 mile of EV driving out of the Insight at low speed.

It’s also possible the 2023 Insight could adopt the body style of the available Civic hatchback, or even omit the Insight name altogether and be badged as a Civic Hybrid. We’ll be getting more details closer to the arrival of the next Insight later this year, so stay tuned for lots of updates.

2023 Honda Insight Powertrain

Honda has confirmed that it will equip the next Civic Hybrid with its original two-motor hybrid system and market it as an e:HEV model.

2023 Honda Insight

Starting with the fourth-generation Fit hybrid variant, Honda began to affix the e:HEV badge on its hybrids. Another example is the CR-V Hybrid available in the US, which Europe gets as the CR-V e:HEV.

Reports say that the Honda Civic Hybrid 2023 could feature an improved version of the Insight engine. The latter pairs a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 107 horsepower and 99 pound-feet of torque with a permanent magnet synchronous motor that produces 129 horsepower and 197 pound-feet of torque.

The resulting system power is 151.5 hp. The compact 1.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack stores electrical power for the PMSM. Insight provides EPA-est. fuel economy 55 mpg city/49 mpg highway/52 mpg combined.

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2023 Honda Insight Release Date

2023 Honda Insight For Sale Bringing back the Civic Hybrid variant, which was last available in the ninth generation, is no guarantee of success.

After all, Honda had discontinued the Civic Hybrid for the same reason – poor sales. Hoping for a change of fortune, it will go forward with the relaunch of the Civic Hybrid in its eleventh generation. The company could launch the all-new Civic Hybrid or Civic e:HEV in the US as the MY2023 car.

2023 Honda Insight Price

We expect the base version of the Honda Insight 2023 to have a starting price of around $26,000 when it goes on sale.

Of course, as we’ve already mentioned, the Insight name itself can be ditched for something as simple as the Civic Hybrid.

At the top, Insight 2023 (or whatever you want to call it!) should be around $30,000. The price of the Honda Civic Hybrid 2023 can start at around USD 26,000.