Is Clarity for me? Or is it a straight Hybrid?

S

Scott Bleier

New Member
Howdy. I drive 100 miles a day, 50 miles per way, every day! 20 miles are local 30-60mph and 30 miles are highway 70-90mph. In NJ/PA.
I have an Acura RLX Sport Hybrid and its a great car but I'm approaching 100k miles and I will lose my equity soon. So I'm taking the plunge to something more economical.
Choices are simple; Avalon hybrid, Accord hybrid, Clarity PHEV.
If I end up getting 40-50 mpg with my driving habits in the Clarity it would be a waste and the other straight hybrids would make more sense. But it I end up at 60 or more combined then it makes sense.
Your advice is welcome and thanks!
 
Scott Bleier said:
Howdy. I drive 100 miles a day, 50 miles per way, every day! 20 miles are local 30-60mph and 30 miles are highway 70-90mph. In NJ/PA.
I have an Acura RLX Sport Hybrid and its a great car but I'm approaching 100k miles and I will lose my equity soon. So I'm taking the plunge to something more economical.
Choices are simple; Avalon hybrid, Accord hybrid, Clarity PHEV.
If I end up getting 40-50 mpg with my driving habits in the Clarity it would be a waste and the other straight hybrids would make more sense. But it I end up at 60 or more combined then it makes sense.
Your advice is welcome and thanks!
Click to expand...

So you’re not going to see anywhere near 60 mpg in the Clarity, and especially not with your described usage.
Why not look at a BEV such as the VW ID4, or a Tesla, or a Kia Niro? The Clarity is the most efficient PHEV in the US (as I recall), and likely won’t fit your needs. That being said, I don’t believe Avalon or the Accord will either. Although both will be a lot more comfy, and a hell of a lot faster! G’luck!
 
I HATE those little cars like the Niro or Kona. I won't own a Tesla as I don't want to be a driving data center and their cars are mostly POS's. I will not spend 60-80 grand on an electric like an Audi or Jag for obvious reasons. This leaves me with few choices. The Sonata is nice but like the Clarity, NO SUNROOF! I must have a sunroof but would have forgone it for the Clarity. Guess its the Avalon then! But I really like the concept of all electric around town! ARRhhhh....
Can someone find me a PHEV with at least 50 mile electric range, a sunroof and costing $50k or less? Am I the only one in this market? Is that why it is so underserved?
 
Maybe the Clarity sounds better if you use the battery to cover all of the 40 miles of local driving. Depending on how cheap your electricity is, you might effectively get the 60mpg that you're targeting.
 
If you can charge at work, the Clarity PHEV would be a no-brainer. Did you see the Hyundai Ioniq 5 BEV introduced yesterday? It's pretty slick (in an eco rather than luxo way), but the US price has not yet been revealed.
 
You should be able to complete half of your commute in EV and half in HV without charging at work. At 90mph you’ll get crappy mileage in anything. We’ve seen ~36mpg at 80mph on long trips.

You should easily cover the 40 mile round trip portion at the 30-60mph speeds in EV and have some EV range to spare. If you can keep the highway driving closer to 70mph, you’ll probably make the round trip on about a gallon of gas. So, 100mpg. Easily 80mpg.

Of course in winter, EV range will be reduced.
 
I do not have charging at my work so if I can accomplish aprox 40 miles on EV then Hybrid for 60 and use 1 gallon of gas? The only thing I need is a sunroof! Can anyone find me one with a sunroof????
 
Sunroof is not an option.

As far as the one gallon estimate, you should be able to get 45-50 miles of EV range in warm weather with 40 miles of driving at 30-60mph speeds. At 30-60mph I regularly get more than 50 miles in EV when temperatures are above 50-60F. The other 50-55 miles in HV would consume a bit more than a gallon at 70mph.

Best case you’d average 100mpg.
More likely, 80mpg.
In winter, 50-60mpg.

In all cases, you will exceed the 40-50mpg of a standard hybrid.
 
Agree here - you should see roughly 40-45mpg at highway speeds on gas plus the "free" EV range.

Even if you can't use an L2 at work, sometimes there are outdoor outlets...
 
Scott - Welcome to the forum! You can get a sunroof in a RAV4 Prime SE or XSE, which is one of the options I am considering when my car comes off lease in June. With the current dealer incentives in NY and NJ, I am also considering getting another Clarity, since it is such a good value. The performance of the RAV4 Prime will also likely be closer to your Acura, although you will be giving up Fuel economy relative to the Clarity. And both the Clarity and RAV4 Prime qualify for the $7,500 Federal Tax credit if this applies to you. Note: RAV4 Primes are still in high demand but can be found if you are willing to expand your search area...good luck!
 
My logbook shows 2 consecutive round trips of 109 miles. Average mpg those 2 days was 75 and 78. On both days there was 10 miles or more of EV range remaining, because I used HV a bit too much.
 
I love that Toyota has a plug in other than the Prius but I dislike the small SUV form factor!
Am I allowed to ask what the incentives are for the current Clarity in NJ/PA? I've heard about 8k?
Tax credit is nice but that doesn't make the determination.
BTW there are a good deal of low mileage used 2018's Clarity's out there for about $20k...
 
My preference has always been Sedans but when I test drove the RAV4 Prime I appreciated its Power (302hp) and a higher level of amenities over my Clarity Touring - however, I was not willing to pay a $20k premium over the Clarity Touring along with my remaining lease payments so I figured I would re-visit in June when my lease comes due..

I believe there is currently a $5k manufacturer-to-dealer incentive in place for a '21 Clarity in the NY metro region through 3/2/21. for the NY metro region ('20 Clarity's have a $7.5k incentive but hard to find new on the East coast. I also believe there is low-interest rate financing. I was recently quoted $30,995 before taxes and tags on a '21 Clarity Touring so after total cost after taxes and factoring the 7.5k Federal tax credit as approx $25k. If you don't need Leather, a Power Driver and Passenger Seat, and Navigation you can get a base model Clarity for 3k less. Hope this helps!
 
Can’t confirm, can’t deny. If it’s hidden the dealer won’t tell you. Many folks find the available incentives through Costco.

If it comes down to $7500 v $8100, you’ll have to decide if you’re shopping for a car or a discount. There was a prospective buyer awhile back who had a target price in mind. It was about $10K off MSRP. Other buyers we’re picking up cars for $9500 off MSRP. He wanted $10K. Don’t know how the story ended.

The Clarity isn’t perfect. If you can get $7500 off plus a $7500 tax credit, it’s a pretty good car for the price.
 
My best quoted price, from dealers with multiple Touring units in stock, is only about $3k off...
But again, there are a fair number of 2018's with under 20k miles for about $20k.
Should I keep away from 2018?
 
Scott Bleier said:
My best quoted price, from dealers with multiple Touring units in stock, is only about $3k off...
But again, there are a fair number of 2018's with under 20k miles for about $20k.
Should I keep away from 2018?
Click to expand...
I don't know any changes made after the 2018 model that have been for the better. For 2020, Honda made the pedestrian warning louder (which, I guess, is better for the pedestrians) and the Cruise Control no longer slows the car to maintain the set speed when going downhill. You should have a Honda dealer perform a Battery Capacity check. Also, if you like the very dark green Moonlit Forest Pearl paint, that's no longer available.
 
Scott Bleier said:
Should I keep away from 2018?
Click to expand...
There are a few differences between 2018 and newer models, as @insightman noted above. Please note that the 2018/2019 models are nearly (exactly?) identical, and likewise for 2020/2021, where the latter two model years have louder pedestrian warning sounds and no automatic braking downhill with Adaptive Cruise Control.

There are not any reasons to stay away from the 2018. However, you should make sure that it has all of the latest service bulletins performed (like 18-069, and some others that I'm sure helpful users will supply). A 2018 model with low miles for ~$20k sounds like a deal to me if you are struggling to get significant discounts off of new models, as I did in my area.

Cheers
 
One downside with a 2018 is that you may be purchasing a vehicle that is no longer covered by the 3/36,000 warranty. My understanding it that an extended warranty can be purchased prior to the expiration of the factory warranty.

Another consideration is that some owners have found it necessary to replace the OEM tires with as few as 20K-30K miles on the car. Something to keep in mind.

On the upside, with the used car, the $7500 Fed credit is already factored into the price. You’ll only need to come up with ~$20K plus TTL. With a new car, discounted to ~$34K, you’ll need to come up significantly more money, as the tax credit will not be realized until a later date. The new car will have a warranty, new tires and may be the color of your choice.
 
The green paint had a few peeling problems I understand...
The most important factor is obviously the warranty!
Also resale for this model is very poor due to its complexity. That will reverse when gas is $5gal...
 
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