Honda Insight Exterior Features
- World-class aerodynamic body design
- Light-alloy wheels with aerodynamic covers
- P165/65R14 low-rolling-resistance mud- and snow-rated tires
- Dual body-colored mirrors
- Body-colored door handles
- Intermittent windshield wipers
- Rear window wiper/washer
- Halogen headlights
- Roof-mounted radio antenna
- Integrated, high-mounted brakelight
At highway speeds, the airflow around a vehicle becomes turbulent. Turbulent
air generates considerably more drag than smooth-flowing (laminar) air. In
addition, as speed increases, the power required to overcome turbulence-induced
drag rises exponentially. To combat the effects of drag, Honda engineers
designed the Insight's body to be highly aerodynamic. Its 0.25 coefficient of
drag (Cd) is one of the lowest of any mass-produced automobile in the world. In
comparison, the Honda Civic Hatchback, with roughly the same 1.9 square-meter
frontal area as the Insight, has a Cd of 0.36, and needs around 32 percent more
power to operate at the same speed as the Insight.
- One of the lowest coefficients of drag (0.25) of any mass-produced
automobile in the world
- Aerodynamically shaped nose, windshield and windshield posts
- Flat floor and underbody
- Tapered body with 4.3-inch narrower track at the rear wheels
- Low-drag door mirrors
- Low height, small frontal area and long, tapered roofline
- Strakes at the side- and rear-lower edges of the Insight's body help to
minimize aero drag by controlling underbody airflow
- Aerodynamic rear-fender skirts and disc-shaped alloy wheels smooth airflow
around the wheel openings
- The engine air inlet louvers are shaped to efficiently admit cooling air