5 Secrets You Didn’t Know About the Honda Insight
The Honda Insight was all-new for the 2019 model year, so it’s actually been out for a couple of years now. And while we all know that it’s a hybrid car that competes heavily with the Toyota Prius, as well as other hybrid cars, and gets superb gas mileage, there are a few little things that you might not know about Honda’s four-door hybrid. As we said, they may be small details, but here are five secrets you didn’t know about the Honda Insight.
The center cap is in line with the valve stem
On almost all new Honda models, the bottom of “H” on the center cap of each wheel lines up directly with the valve stem. This makes it a lot easier to find the valve stem cap when it’s time to add some air into the tires. It’s a simple insight on the Insight, however, it could make maintenance just a little easier for you or the tech at Honda. Of course, you could just look around the wheel and find the valve stem pretty easily as well.
It does not have a capless fuel filler
Honda started using a capless fuel filler system in most of its models over the past few years. However, the Honda Insight does use a gas cap. The reason being is that it’s a pressurized system, which Honda says increases the car’s gas mileage. We’re not exactly sure what the allure is of having a capless fuel system, considering it’s not hard to unscrew a gas cap like we have all been doing for decades, but we’ll leave to the engineers to decide what works best for the cars.
The 12-volt battery is not under the hood
Unlike other Honda models, the new Insight’s 12-volt battery is not located under the hood. The Honda engineers most likely did this to save space. However, instead of putting the battery in the trunk, like many European cars, they located in the center console. It’s a really random place to put a battery, but if it works, it works.
The side mirrors fold forward and backward
Yes, this is a very random secret to call out, but we think it’s pretty cool anyway. The Honda Insight has side mirrors that fold both ways. Typically a side mirror will fold backward, or toward the rear of the car so that the car can fit into tight spaces or so that the mirror doesn’t break off. However, the mirrors on the Insight also fold forward, or toward the front of the car. This is pretty handy in case a cyclist or something runs into the side of the car, in that case, the mirror won’t break off.
The center console Easter egg
In case you have purchased a Honda Civic in the past four years, you might actually know this one, or maybe not. Either way, Honda put an Easter egg in every Civic and new Insight. If you lift up the rubber spill mat in the center console and look at the backside of it, you’ll notice a really cool design etched into it. There are actually four different designs that Honda put into each one, so in order to collect them all, you would probably need to buy four new Insights or Civics.
It’s the little details that count
While these five secrets of the Honda Insight are minor details, we still think it’s cool that Honda put forth that little extra effort into building its cars. There’s a reason that Honda cars are so popular, and it’s not just because they are reliable or affordable, but also because Honda pays a lot of attention detail, and that’s what counts the most.