How Good is the Clarity?

[Landshark]

Y

Haha yes, and yes it does go into ev mode for a few seconds if using the cruise control. It is possible much of the time to avoid leaving EDM going down the overpass by increasing speed, but obviously this is normally not worth the hassle.

Could it be that EV is more fuel (gas) efficient than EDM?

EDM will disengage when the torque and speed conditions are not met. Temperature isn’t a measured parameter.

While many forum members are much sharper than the Honda engineers, most of whom likely spend a majority of their work day posting entertaining videos of their laboratory experiments on the internet, we’re pretty much left with a vehicle that operates as efficiently as it was designed by the engineers, despite our best efforts to make it more efficient.

 

[Landshark]

Touché. I interpreted it it as a range, not as an expectation or average, but yes it does reference 60mpg. I don’t think it was meant in the same context that you used it, however.

Yes, people often interpret the same words differently. My interpretation is that it is a claim of getting 55-60mpg while using HV Charge as opposed to a claim of getting 44mpg while operating in HV Mode, based on actual results from driving the same route in the two different modes. The context of my statement was based on a claim of fuel efficiency.

 

[David Towle]

Y
While many forum members are much sharper than the Honda engineers, most of whom likely spend a majority of their work day posting entertaining videos of their laboratory experiments on the internet, we’re pretty much left with a vehicle that operates as efficiently as it was designed by the engineers, despite our best efforts to make it more efficient.

I was an engineer for a big operation and I know many things get released before they are done, its just a fact of life. My main improvement on our current topic would be to slow down the switching from HV to EDM; when its switching modes every 4 seconds it just can't be good for either efficiency or equipment life. The opposite of the cruise control problem which reacts so slowly that it makes it way too annoying to use except on flat roads.

 

[Landshark]

The opposite of the cruise control problem which reacts so slowly that it makes it way too annoying to use except on flat roads.

Would you say that it reacts slowly, or accelerates slowly?

Those would be two separate issues which would require different solutions.

Aren’t you the member who hyper-miles to the tune of 70 EV miles? What is so annoying about a sluggish cruise control system?

 

[David Towle]

Would you say that it reacts slowly, or accelerates slowly?

Those would be two separate issues which would require different solutions.

Aren’t you the member who hyper-miles to the tune of 70 EV miles? What is so annoying about a sluggish cruise control system?

Reacts slowly. Starting up a hill, the speed can drop by as much as 3 or 4 mph, and then the powertrain overreacts and almost floors the accelerator to catch back up. Normal cars only let the speed drop by 1 mph and quickly/smoothly provide enough power to keep it from dropping further.

The annoyance is that it jerks me around for no good reason at all. Luckily I am done with that problem in flat Florida. Kinda similarly it slams on the brakes if the person ahead of you slows down for an exit ramp if you don't pay attention and force the accelerator down immediately. Its all the opposite of "hypermiling" which is basically driving as smoothly as possible.

BTW we mentioned highway overpasses being the highest spots in south Florida, I realize now that is actually incorrect, the highest spots are the landfills.

 

[Landshark]

Kinda similarly it slams on the brakes if the person ahead of you slows down for an exit ramp if you don't pay attention and force the accelerator down immediately.

BTW we mentioned highway overpasses being the highest spots in south Florida, I realize now that is actually incorrect, the highest spots are the landfills.

I drive with the nanny features disabled. LKAS and CMBS are awful and potentially dangerous, respectively. Miraculously, I’ve managed to survive more than 45 years of driving without such features, including nearly 40 years alongside LA’s angriest motorists and now Oregons meth-addled and stoned drivers. Maybe be not as dangerous as the day drinking geezers in Florida, but you get the point.

One day those landfills will be gated golf course communities. At least someone has the foresight to develop land that won’t be underwater.

 

[Tek_Freek]

You can hide the aerodynamic spats (probably works best with light-colored Claritys).

Hiding the spats. How to uglify a Clarity.

 

[Tek_Freek]

I drive with the nanny features disabled. LKAS and CMBS are awful and potentially dangerous, respectively. Miraculously, I’ve managed to survive more than 45 years of driving without such features, including nearly 40 years alongside LA’s angriest motorists and now Oregons meth-addled and stoned drivers. Maybe be not as dangerous as the day drinking geezers in Florida, but you get the point.

One day those landfills will be gated golf course communities. At least someone has the foresight to develop land that won’t be underwater.

I use a comma 3 and those features are worlds ahead of the stock versions. I look at it differently. The older I get the more safety features I want.

 

[ralfalfa]

Reacts slowly. Starting up a hill, the speed can drop by as much as 3 or 4 mph, and then the powertrain overreacts and almost floors the accelerator to catch back up. Normal cars only let the speed drop by 1 mph and quickly/smoothly provide enough power to keep it from dropping further.

The annoyance is that it jerks me around for no good reason at all. Luckily I am done with that problem in flat Florida. Kinda similarly it slams on the brakes if the person ahead of you slows down for an exit ramp if you don't pay attention and force the accelerator down immediately. Its all the opposite of "hypermiling" which is basically driving as smoothly as possible.

BTW we mentioned highway overpasses being the highest spots in south Florida, I realize now that is actually incorrect, the highest spots are the landfills.

….. and on top of all that jerking around (which I totally agree is absurd); if you accelerate to go around someone (in denser highway traffic), you can’t coast once past them- the Clarity will brake then as well and continue braking until way below the set speed and beyond the set following distance. All of my much older, more primitive cars are fine to coast down below the cruise-control set point and then they’ll work to maintain speed. Not the Clarity; it is it’s own speed cop, with an almost panicky need to slow down. That’s a difficult behavior to moderate in denser traffic. The system seems designed to be at speed or slower but never, ever over, for any reason, for any length of time.

Mix that with the lane following which seems to need to weave left and right even on the straightest of roads and I find I use the cruise control very sparingly on the Clarity. Otherwise I love the smarts of the vehicle.

 

[rodeknyt]

….. if you accelerate to go around someone (in denser highway traffic), you can’t coast once past them- the Clarity will brake then as well and continue braking until way below the set speed and beyond the set following distance.

That doesn't happen with my 2018 Touring. When using ACC, if I need to goose it to get around someone, when I let off the accelerator the car slowly returns to the set speed—no braking applied by the car.

 

[Landshark]

and on top of all that jerking around (which I totally agree is absurd); if you accelerate to go around someone (in denser highway traffic), you can’t coast once past them- the Clarity will brake then as well and continue braking until way below the set speed and beyond the set following distance.

Utilizing ACC or CC may be a poor choice when attempting to join the cacophony of other special people who are waging battle to get ahead of the car in front of them while those other special people are practicing their lane guarding skills.

We’ve all seen such behavior.

 

[Robert_Alabama]

It sounds like a lot of us generally don't use ACC or CC very much. I'll use it occasionally when my leg gets tired on a multi-hour trip, but otherwise I prefer not using it. I get better gas mileage letting the car slow a little going up hills and speed up a little going down and it just avoids all the aggravations that people have posted about here.

 

[Landshark]

Mix that with the lane following which seems to need to weave left and right even on the straightest of roads

LKAS is a Lane Keeping Assistance System. The concept is to prevent the vehicle from departing a lane unless the driver has signaled for a lane change. It isn’t intended to keep the vehicle centered in a lane. The swerving and vibrating response from the LKAS that occurs when a distracted or incapacitated human is behind the wheel, could act as a warning to put down the phone or otherwise pay attention to the task at hand.

I tend to “work the lane” particularly on curvy roads, but also on straight stretches of interstate highways where a truck, or some dolt who is trying to let the car do the driving might need a bit of extra room. The last thing I want to do is fight a steering wheel that thinks it has a better idea or see or hear an alert from the vehicle. LKAS is disabled on the car.

 

[Dan Albrich]

For the collision mitigation system (lane/road departure), I permanently leave that stuff off. I live on a curvy road shared by pedestrians with no side walk. So one must routinely leave their lane to give way to a pedestrian. Since its a daily drive for me I just leave that stuff off 100%. Separately, I don't use LKAS often (the one you can press with the lane lines for use with cruise control) but have used it infrequently on a long drive of mostly straight driving (i.e. Interstate).

My 2018 adaptive cruise control works fine for my uses. I use it on every long trip but I do admit I just turn that stuff off (all of it including cruise) when in traffic.

 

[jazdean]

I get frequent emails from my Honda dealership wanting me to contact them about a vehicle service contract (VSC) for my 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV w/ 32,000 mi. No idea of cost. Does anyone have an opinion or data showing it is worth it? I haven’t called because I don’t want to hear the schtick unless I feel I need it.


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[Landshark]

For the collision mitigation system (lane/road departure), I permanently leave that stuff off.

Doesn’t the CMBS default to “ON” each time the car is made READY to drive, and therefore require a press of the button to disable?

LKAS, a separate annoyance, can be disabled and remain disabled until the button is pressed a second time.

 

[Landshark]

I get frequent emails from my Honda dealership wanting me to contact them about a vehicle service contract (VSC) for my 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV w/ 32,000 mi. No idea of cost. Does anyone have an opinion or data showing it is worth it? I haven’t called because I don’t want to hear the schtick unless I feel I need it.


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The subject has been well covered and has proven to lead to spittle laden debates. It is unlikely anyone will have “data” sufficient to convince you that it is “worth it”.

Should you decide to purchase such a contract, be sure to read and understand what is, and is not, covered. Those who have purchased a contract have done so through Hyannis Honda, for one, who offer the contracts for about half the price of many other dealers. A Honda VSC, purchased through a Honda dealer, will be honored by any Honda dealer. There are 3rd Party contracts available which may be something to avoid.

 

[Dan Albrich]

CMBS for the real collision mitigation stuff does indeed need be turned off each time you get in. And actually I *do* want that part turned on, so I leave it on. There's a separate thing called road departure (button down by your left knee) which can be turned off and left off which is what I do. It does not need to be toggled each time you get in. So the piece of this I care can be turned off and left off easily.

RE warranty question: As Landshark mentions, search these forums, issue discussed at length with great points on both "sides." Statistically speaking extended warranty is always a bad investment, but that's considering all potential buyers, not *your* situation, and *your* car. So my own position is "hell yes!" I bought the warranty for $1550 at Hyannis (8yrs, 120K). The $1550 is less than the cost of the part to replace one front headlight. So do what you like, I don't get a kickback from Honda.

Edit: One more quick comment on this. *If* you decide to buy extended warranty, its possible (and likely) your dealer will quote more than double the price mentioned here. Some dealers will match Hyannis, but since Hondacare is national you just buy it where-ever and it works where you are. Special restrictions apply in a couple of states (CA, FL I believe) and may cost more there.

 

[insightman]

The subject has been well covered and has proven to lead to spittle laden debates. It is unlikely anyone will have “data” sufficient to convince you that it is “worth it”.

Should you decide to purchase such a contract, be sure to read and understand what is, and is not, covered. Those who have purchased a contract have done so through Hyannis Honda, for one, who offer the contracts for about half the price of many other dealers. A Honda VSC, purchased through a Honda dealer, will be honored by any Honda dealer. There are 3rd Party contracts available which may be something to avoid.

Is a Vehicle Service Contract the same as an extended warranty? My extended warranty from Honda doesn't include any kind of service other than repairing stuff that breaks.

 

[Dan Albrich]

I think VSC is Honda's name for "HondaCare." Some dealers sell their own service contracts but the official Honda one is transferrable and refundable on a pro-rated basis. It's also honored nationwide. So if you buy it one place and get service somewhere else, no matter. Also if you move you still qualify for HondaCare (the official VSC version). The HondaCare includes roadside assistance.

When I've used mine, the dealer always marks the repairs as $0.00 for me, and "billed to VSC"