Honda Insight facelift launched in Japan – features new Insight Exclusive variant with 1.5 liter IMA system

Honda Insight facelift launched in Japan – features new Insight Exclusive variant with 1.5 liter IMA system

Honda has officially revealed the facelifted Honda Insight in Japan, which now comes with a higher-end model called the Insight Exclusive that comes with a larger 1.5 litre IMA engine. Other than reworking the exterior and adding the new 1.5 litre engine option, Honda has also reworked the 1.3 litre IMA system in the regular Insight, which is now rated at a more fuel economical 27.2 km/L measured on the JC08 mode and 31.0 km/L measured in the 10-15 mode.

The company has also added more sound insulation and absorption materials to increase interior quietness. The suspension settings have been updated for a more comfortable ride, and VSA stability control is now standard on all variants of the Insight. On the inside, the shape of the rear seats have been redesigned for better passenger comfort and driver rear visibility.

Honda Insight facelift launched in Japan – features new Insight Exclusive variant with 1.5 liter IMA system

The Insight Exclusive with the 1.5 litre engine does 23.2 km/L in the JC08 mode and 26.5 km/L on the 10-15 mode. Exterior features unique to the 1.5 litre model include a different front grille with integrated LED accessory lights, a unique front bumper, side sill garnishes, a rear bumper diffuser, and a shark fin antenna. On the inside, there’s dark faux wood panels with silver accents. The steering wheel also has paddle shifters to manually control the CVT gearbox’s seven-virtual gear ratios.

Look after the jump for more pix of the facelifted Insight.

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • Jack Leong on Oct 27, 2011 at 2:19 pm

    Honda, the power of “keep” dream-ing =)

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  • Nissan on Oct 27, 2011 at 2:22 pm

    bring in at RM110K. Please.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • bring in 110k? so that they can mark up the crz to 120k++??

      damn… mayb this is honda malaysia’s strategy….

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • teelim on Oct 27, 2011 at 11:01 pm

      eh? whats with the 22 thumbs down vs. 3 thumbs up?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • civicEK on Oct 27, 2011 at 2:22 pm

    wOw nice move~ :D

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  • Flamps on Oct 27, 2011 at 2:25 pm

    Its still an ugly car.

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  • ish.. just got my new insight.. this facelift mush better… huwaaaaa… T.T

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    • Its goong to take sometime to reach our shores.. Even civic havent arrived yet

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    • taboogen on Oct 27, 2011 at 2:43 pm

      it is just a bodykit.. just wait for a while and there will be a lot at Ah Beng shop….

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  • civicEK on Oct 27, 2011 at 2:36 pm

    when will it coming to malaysia? price?

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  • vincent on Oct 27, 2011 at 3:00 pm

    That is another way for Honda to charge 10k more.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • alldisc on Oct 27, 2011 at 3:18 pm

      being facelift adds 3K to the original price.

      new 1.5 engine adds 10K, more power add 3K, more economical adds 3K,

      VSA adds 5K,

      new improved interior adds 2K.

      New Insight FL price = 125K. heh heh…

      i smell sarcasm…

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  • Diesel on Oct 27, 2011 at 3:01 pm

    let see if rumor is true after 5 years…

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  • BMW POWER FOREVER on Oct 27, 2011 at 3:06 pm

    i think it still looks great. now lagi power lagi best.

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  • l3ryan on Oct 27, 2011 at 3:27 pm

    Paul, any idea on when will this facelift reach our shores?

    planning to get myself an Insight next year before CNY but seems a good idea to wait for this facelift version if it won’t take too long to arrive.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Carl Wong on Oct 27, 2011 at 3:34 pm

    AMAZING. Usually facelift is just changing the appearance, but now they made quite a lot of improvements including fuel efficiency and performance…!! 1.3L for optimum fuel efficiency and 1.5L for more performance :).

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    • 4G63T DSM on Oct 27, 2011 at 3:55 pm

      Power is nice but its about time honda realised that the nvh quality of the insight (and most of current hondas for that matter—) is lacking

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • Carl Wong on Oct 27, 2011 at 5:27 pm

        They’ve added sound insulation and absorption materials to improve it which is a nice bonus, in the article. The current version is already good enough for me, unless you go flat out and rev beyond 4000rpm which most drivers don’t.

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        • M0Faz on Oct 27, 2011 at 11:13 pm

          Better NVH = more weight = more FC. That’s not what they want.

          Sacrifice everything for light weightiness, including a less safer car (they still crash well at low speed, but not as well as their conti rivals, which i think you know who i am talking about), that’s the philosophy of jap’s designs.

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          • Carl Wong on Oct 28, 2011 at 1:37 am

            It’s only 1201kg, very light for a hybrid just slightly higher than City thanks to a lot of lightweight materials like aluminum alloy rims. But it’s much much more fuel efficient while being more powerful compared to City.

            Along with fuel efficiency safety is of course top priority. Euro NCAP gave Insight full 5 stars for its crash test. So it should be one of the safest car in the class you can find on the road :]…..!!!

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
          • M0Faz on Oct 28, 2011 at 7:25 am

            Let’s take an example of Frontal impact of Euro NCAP. It’s tested at 64kph. I’ve already said it before, it will crash well at low speed.

            The car was engineered to be within the safe limit of Euro NCAP 5 Star but not over engineered. Their tolerance is different from their Conti counterpart.

            As you know it, Jap’s road has a speed limit of 120kph and They engineered their car towards that limit. Conti’s culture is at 250kph and they engineered at their limit of 250kph. So you understand my point of view?

            So let me say it again, it’s safe but it’s less safer than a conti (still better than a p1 or p2 car, that is of coz). Unless Euro NCAP start testing at higher speed, the cars of nowadays will easily get 5 star rating, including those soon to be china cars.

            But other than safety, I have admire the Jap’s ability to make everything as reliable as possible.

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          • 4G63T DSM on Oct 28, 2011 at 10:49 am

            Following your logic, then the ideal car would be a kancil. Lightweight… and compromise on safety, nvh and confort.. and in a way, is japanese designed.

            Sarcasm aside, if one would be paying 100k for a car, some refinement is in order. Good to see honda improving the nvh for a change….. but the thing is, they are doing this for othwr markets, since this is cbu we benefit as well. As for local ckd hondas, nvh is horrid for what you pay for. An almost 15 year old benz w124 has better nvh than a yr 2005 accord

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          • M0Faz on Oct 28, 2011 at 1:51 pm

            Yes, the ideal car for Jap philosophy.. And I am not quite fond of it..

            And do you know why a w124 has better nvh. It has some nvh components inside the door panels and etc, but the main reason is the weight of the car. The heavier the car (structure wise heavy, not equipment wise heavy), the better it is at absorbing vibration, but it will gives you crap FC also..

            If you follow some of the research on how weight affects the FC of a car, you’ll know weight is definitely a critical factor in a car with the same engine drivetrain. That’s how the japs are getting good FC (wtih some help from Hybrid). While the contis are getting it by using turbodiesel (with minimal weight reduction).

            FYI, start stops in city is the main culprit of affecting a car’s FC. Hybrids compensates when you do stop start by using e-motor power to drag you off the line while turbodiesel compensates because they have a lot of low end torque which you wouldn’t need to gas it to get going. Once hybrids are on highway, what FC gains that they claim are BS. That’s all gained by having a lighter structured car.

            Nvm, i give up on educating jap fanboys. I know we have a lot of it here, especially I am in the Honda thread.

            JAP POWER OF KEEP DREAMING!!

            Link to how weight affects FC and also how engine downsizing gains (if you are those who are educable):
            http://green.autoblog.com/2009/10/29/greenlings-how-does-weight-affect-a-vehicles-efficiency/

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          • Cars today including the conti are going lightweight. Not only it will improve fuel consumption but also the maneuver which is vitally important during emergency. Increasing weight only requiring more power and more weight which is not today’s standard. Even BMW recently announced their intention to go lightweight. Going lightweight WILL NOT compromise safety, I repeat it WILL NOT IF proper safety test is done. In fact having heavy badly designed car will cause more harm to passenger than the car in the event of accident.

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          • Carl Wong on Oct 30, 2011 at 2:50 am

            For me a lighter car is a safer car to a certain extend because you have better acceleration and deceleration (shorter stopping distance). Prevention is better than cure so a car that can avoid crashes is safer than a tougher but heavier car which could crash more. It just have to be safe enough for rare collisions if you get hit by other morons, Euro NCAP of 4 stars + is very good already.

            For crashes under ultra high speeds of 100-200km/hr, the survival rate should be quite low even if you’re in the toughest/hardest car (Volvo/Mercedes etc.). So if a crash is really inevitable just jam the brakes and steer away with both hands. The speed should be reduced to less than 80km/hr which will reduce the damage and injury.

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          • Carl Wong on Oct 31, 2011 at 1:13 am

            “The speed should be reduced to less than 80km/hr which should reduce the damage and injury.”
            Assuming if you’re not speeding excessively………………………………….

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          • Carl Wong on Nov 04, 2011 at 1:29 am

            ………to a certain *extent*

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  • Wisdom on Oct 27, 2011 at 4:08 pm

    Not really ‘in’ to their new rims design…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Carl Wong on Oct 27, 2011 at 5:34 pm

      Ya, but sometimes different countries get different rims lol so we should get a slightly different one again :).

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  • Next Insight will be a bicycle

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  • carazy on Oct 27, 2011 at 6:04 pm

    why need to put running led light? it still consume power even though in small amount..this car should save more battery juice as much as possible, dont waste ur juice for stupid accessory that dont works, you dont need light in the sunny day!!

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    • if u want to sell in europe, new cars must have DRL light, LED is popular choice because less power compared to bulb

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  • Fiction hero on Oct 27, 2011 at 7:09 pm

    The design is so-so only, could get Ford Fiesta more power and magnificant design.

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    • Skunk2 on Oct 27, 2011 at 11:52 pm

      haiya..fiction hero..always mention fiesta in honda blog..maybe u like ford just becos of fiesta?
      why not mention cortina,laser tx3,capri n so on…

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    • Ford is even worst! H and F both are craps !

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    • Are you a retard? If you want to compare, apple to apple please. Fiesta is not hybrid, birdbrain!!

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  • yh Inc. on Oct 27, 2011 at 8:06 pm

    This is the most unlike so called “hybrid ” car in the market. Driving this car nothing different with driving a normal car. I bet this is going to be more than 100k, but with smaller engine than the Saga FLX which is 1600cc. Wao, wake up people!

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  • if u’re big and tall u won’t feel comfortable in the car esp the headroom….

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  • I’m so excited. This is honda’s fastest car in the line up now. duh!

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  • Jamban door handles still there.

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  • teelim on Oct 27, 2011 at 11:05 pm

    Nice upgraded parts IMO. But the dark faux wood is not to my taste (not like it really matters). Its too Toyota if you ask me.

    The exterior of the 1.5 is quite sporty (at least sportier than the 1.3). I would imagine the interior to follow the same theme, instead they put faux wood.

    Anyway, I feel abit disappointed that Honda did not offer the manual as an option (like in the CR-Z)

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  • normal_user on Oct 28, 2011 at 7:38 am

    27-30km/L is a bit optimistic for real world conditions. According to statistics from fuelly.com which compiled data from 254 honda insight owners, the FC is around 19-20km/L.

    Nevertheless, its a very good figure for a hybrid car (FC score same with Prius). European diesels are a good alternative for hybrid in terms of FC. The Golf diesel comes close, at 17-18km/L.

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  • antibeng on Oct 29, 2011 at 3:42 pm

    Ah bengs sure like this….

    Add some “mugen” spoiler and kit, you get a more powerful Honda BENGsight!!

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  • Impiankitchen on Mar 12, 2012 at 7:48 pm

    Nice article..

    Been using honda city and satisfied with the performance and most important high trade in value. Just bought new insight fl this month and compare to city, this insight finishing touch is much better..

    Conti car got better handling but low resale value huhuhu… I’m a type of person who like to change car within 3 years periods hihihi..

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