Insight sedan’s funky looking exterior isn’t as dramatic as when the car debuted in 1999. But in its fifth-incarnation, Honda Insight isn’t the same bulky heavyweight either. Insight’s parallel hybrid powertrain includes a 1.3-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine, a 10-kilowatt DC brushless electric motor, a nickel metal hydride battery system and a continuously variable transmission. When compared to the 4th-generation Insight, the battery module count has been reduced from 11 to 7 modules and the power output per module has been increased by 30 percent. The fifth-generation Intelligent Power Unit (IPU)—representing the battery pack, power control unit, motor electric control unit and the cooling system—weighs 28 percent less and is considerably smaller in packaging size than the previous generation. Honda Insight’s gasoline engine turns off automatically during a complete stop (confirmation via gauge cluster ‘auto stop’ illumination), and the electric motor restarts the engine—all of which equates to reduced fuel usage and vehicle emissions. Insight’s battery system functions as a power source to the electric motor (when assisting the gasoline engine) and stores electricity produced by the motor during regenerative braking. Since the IPU is packaged beneath the rear cargo area, Insight’s newest design provides nearly 16 cubic feet of cargo volume. Although passengers have reasonable head, leg and shoulder space, in-vehicle noise is distracting. (In-cabin noise prods passengers to talk loudly and/or dial up the volume on the 6-speaker, 160-watt AM/FM/CD audio system on the Insight EX.) The new Eco Assist system—activated via a green-colored dashboard button—gives the driver real-time information for driving toward high fuel-efficiency. Insight EX earns estimated mpg fuel economy of 40 city and 43 highway and carries a MSRP of $21,300.