Compare the2023 Volvo S60VS 2022 Honda Insight

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo S60 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Honda Insight doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The S60’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Insight doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the S60 and Insight have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S60 Plus/Ultimate/Polestar has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Insight’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Volvo S60 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Insight doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The S60 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Insight doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The S60 has standard Post-impact braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Insight doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The S60 has standard CTA Auto Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Insight doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The S60 offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Insight doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The S60 offers an optional 360° Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Insight only offers a rear monitor.

Both the S60 and the Insight have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Volvo S60 weighs 699 to 1463 pounds more than the Honda Insight. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volvo S60 is safer than the Honda Insight:

	S60	Insight
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	103	220
Chest Movement	.9 inches	.9 inches
Hip Force	212 lbs.	316 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	271	328
Spine Acceleration	50 G’s	59 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	38 G’s
Hip Force	490 lbs.	617 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The S60 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Insight’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The S60’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Insight’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the S60 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Honda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Insight.

Engine

The S60 B5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 96 more horsepower (247 vs. 151) than the Insight’s 1.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The S60 T8’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 304 more horsepower (455 vs. 151) than the Insight’s 1.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the S60 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Honda Insight:

	S60	Insight
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	7.7 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	15.2 sec	23.8 sec
Quarter Mile	14.6 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	98 MPH	86 MPH
Top Speed	131 MPH	114 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the S60 running on electricity gets better mileage than the Insight:

			MPGe
S60
	AWD	T8 Electric Motor	74 city/73 hwy
Insight
			MPG
	FWD	EX 1.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	55 city/49 hwy
		Touring 1.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	51 city/45 hwy

The S60 T8 can travel with zero emissions for 41 miles. The Insight has to start its internal combustion engine after only 1 miles.

The S60 has 5.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Insight (15.9 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The S60 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Insight doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the S60’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Insight:

	S60 T5	S60 Polestar	Insight
Front Rotors	12.7 inches	14.6 inches	11.1 inches
Rear Rotors	11.9 inches	12.6 inches	10.2 inches

The S60’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Insight are solid, not vented.

The S60 stops much shorter than the Insight:

	S60	Insight
70 to 0 MPH	163 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	136 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the S60 has larger tires than the Insight (235/45R18 vs. 215/55R16).

The S60’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Insight EX’s standard 55 series tires. The S60’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Insight Touring’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S60 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Insight EX. The S60’s optional 19-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Insight Touring.

The S60 has a standard space-saver spare (not available on T8) so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Insight; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The S60 has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Insight doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S60’s wheelbase is 6.8 inches longer than on the Insight (113.1 inches vs. 106.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the S60 is 2.1 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than on the Insight.

The S60 Plus AWD handles at .94 G’s, while the Insight Touring pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The S60 AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.8 seconds quicker than the Insight Touring (25.4 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The S60 has 1.6 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more rear headroom and 6.1 inches more rear hip room than the Insight.

Cargo Capacity

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the S60’s trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. The Insight’s useful trunk space is reduced by its intrusive beam hinge.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the S60’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Insight doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the S60 offers cargo security. The Insight’s non-lockable remote release defeats cargo security.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the S60. The Insight doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the S60’s trunk can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Insight doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

The S60 has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Insight has no towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Stability Assist on the S60 uses the Dynamic Stability and Traction Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Insight doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The S60 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Insight uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the S60, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver and front passenger’s seat positions and outside mirror angle. The Insight doesn’t offer a memory system.

The S60 Ultimate/Polestar has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Insight doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the S60 and the Insight have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the S60 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Insight prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The S60’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Insight’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The S60’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Insight’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the S60 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Insight doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The S60 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Insight doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the S60 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Insight doesn’t offer cornering lights. The S60 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

When the S60 is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Insight’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The S60’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Insight offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the S60 and the Insight offer available heated front seats. The S60 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Insight.

On extremely cold winter days, the S60’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Insight doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The S60 has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Insight Touring.

Both the S60 and the Insight offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the S60 has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Insight doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo S60 offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Insight doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The S60 Plus/Ultimate/Polestar’s Park Assist Pilot can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Insight doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Volvo S60 and the Honda Insight, based on reliability, safety and performance.