Clarity Issues
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jdonalds
Well-Known Member
I duplicated this issue. I passed the info on to the Honda technician.
Tiralc
Active Member
Definitely the best way to go (climate pre-heat first). I think the earlier note was that if you just go out to the car cold (plugged-in) and you didn't think to pre-warm it (say going out to look at a feature or menu item on a whim), you cannot just turn on regular climate and get heat. There is fan action, but for some reason no heat, very odd. But the seat heaters do work. (for all our discussion of quirks and things that could be better, I should say that I am still very happy with the Clarity overall; it is a wonderful car).
Pushmi-Pullyu
Well-Known Member
Congratulations on finally finding the answer to this conundrum!
And I'm glad I resisted the urge to post uninformed guesses as to what you might try, as I never in a million years would have guessed that!
jdonalds
Well-Known Member
Perhaps someone can shed light on this subject. People always complain when a new car comes on the market that doesn't have Apple Play or Android Auto. The Clarity is the first car I've owned with Android Auto. Prior to this using Bluetooth was the way to connect music and the phone to the car controls. In the Prius, and now in the Clarity, Bluetooth seems to work quite well.
I finally found the time to try out Android Auto (AA). It requires a cable connection between the car and phone (which Bluetooth of course does not). AA attempts to lock my phone up when the phone is connected to the car (which Bluetooth does not). AA offers a very limited set of apps or functions (which Bluetooth does not). In general it seems AA sucks. What is the attraction?
The one advantage I can see is Google Maps can then be shown on the 8" screen. But the car has Garmin built in which we are familiar with. If the Garmin fails to give us good results we can turn to the phone and simply use Google Maps on the phone's screen. We have a magnetic mount so the phone is easy to see.
I'm aware there is an extension called Aha which tries to add more features, but all of those features depend on the phone, and don't seem to add anything the phone can't already do.
Please help me understand what I'm missing here. At the moment I've deleted the Android Auto app from my phone.
I finally found the time to try out Android Auto (AA). It requires a cable connection between the car and phone (which Bluetooth of course does not). AA attempts to lock my phone up when the phone is connected to the car (which Bluetooth does not). AA offers a very limited set of apps or functions (which Bluetooth does not). In general it seems AA sucks. What is the attraction?
The one advantage I can see is Google Maps can then be shown on the 8" screen. But the car has Garmin built in which we are familiar with. If the Garmin fails to give us good results we can turn to the phone and simply use Google Maps on the phone's screen. We have a magnetic mount so the phone is easy to see.
I'm aware there is an extension called Aha which tries to add more features, but all of those features depend on the phone, and don't seem to add anything the phone can't already do.
Please help me understand what I'm missing here. At the moment I've deleted the Android Auto app from my phone.
JyChevyVolt
Active Member
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JyChevyVolt
Active Member
Try the voice command. Something like,
" Ok Google, play Black Velvet."
"The nearest charging stations."
"Call Elon musk."
Basically, you get to use your phone in your car.
jdonalds
Well-Known Member
Sure all of those work on my phone. Is there an advantage of using Android Auto to do it too? The way we use it now is to have the phone connected by Bluetooth, speak OK Google commands, and the responses come out of the car speakers. It all seems to work without the restrictions of Android Auto. That's what I'm trying to understand.
dstrauss
Well-Known Member
My apologies for being away from the forum lately. Thanks for checking into this. I do not understand how the remote climate even works because I can use it from my office, far from blue tooth range, and it can't be the satellite antennae because it is covered parking? Hope they find a solution fro this one.
loomis2
Well-Known Member
I was able to use the wife's Clarity for a few short drives over the weekend and the one thing I don't think I will ever get used to is that stupid gear selector. Never mind the fact that every time I push the D button and put it into drive I immediately then try to move a phantom gear shifter into drive. The real issue I had today was trying to back out of my friends driveway who lives on a somewhat busy two lane street with kind of a blind turn on one side. Pulling out of there and switching to drive quickly is important and that is really hard to do with this push button system in the Clarity. I don't like it.
I'd do my backing into that friend's driveway in the future, but I know what you mean. At least in the Clarity (compared to the Prius PHEV) when you step on the go pedal, the car actually moves with some purpose and velocity.
Coming from the Prius PHEV (with the same flying bridge) I can live with the buttons. It seems to be a "bridge" feature in this year's Honda models. Fewer parts means lower costs.
Coming from the Prius PHEV (with the same flying bridge) I can live with the buttons. It seems to be a "bridge" feature in this year's Honda models. Fewer parts means lower costs.
jdonalds
Well-Known Member
I just had that discussion with my wife this evening. I miss having a gear shift. Every car I've owned since 1960 has had a gear shift lever except the Clarity. I'm not opposed to change, as long as it is good change.
I would be happier if the reverse button was like the drive button. Overall I'm not pleased with the Honda design of the flying bridge and gear buttons. The Odyddey is a bit better. A Prius-like shift up on the dash would be better to me. Then put some small storage bins in the area of the flying bridge. The whole thing is, in my opinion, a very poor design.
Yup. I still find myself fumbling and feeling for Park and Drive. Change for the sake of change?
We still love the car. As with any car, there are some design decisions you question, but the overall package still hits the mark.
dstrauss
Well-Known Member
I would agree with everything but the reverse button change - it would be far too easy to accidentally put the car into reverse with a "button" rather than than the pull down mechanism they use.
Overall, it is a BIG waste of space, when coupled with the flying bridge, compared to the Prius mini-shifter on the dash. Plus, there is NO REASON for the bridge to widen as it approaches the dash, encroaching on driver and passenger knee room. I know all manufacturers claim they do focus group testing, but if they had let 30 average drivers test the cockpit of the Clarity before going final for production, they would have caught most of these gaffes - if they had added 30 experienced Prius drivers, they would have caught all of the rest.
We also have "issues" with the Odyssey - there is far more front seat passenger foot room in my Clarity than the Odyssey because they hung the rear passenger HVAC fan low in the foot well of the front passenger seat, literally forcing your feet down and to the right in a small cubby. STUPID!
dstrauss
Well-Known Member
Honda does know how to do the "flying bridge" better: witness the 2018 Accord and 2018 Odyssey vs 2018 Clarity:
Personally I feel the Odyssey does the best job of giving you the maximum front seat space (other than front passenger foot space); Accord the better Infotainment system.
Personally I feel the Odyssey does the best job of giving you the maximum front seat space (other than front passenger foot space); Accord the better Infotainment system.
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dstrauss
Well-Known Member
I realize they don't want the car lines to blur (otherwise we would have just had an Accord PHEV), but steal that compact dash from the Odyssey and the Infotainment from the Accord, and it would be killer.
PS - I also really like the angled controls in the outside doors of the Accord.
PPS - I think my 2018 Clarity is MUCH better looking than the 2018 Accord!
PS - I also really like the angled controls in the outside doors of the Accord.
PPS - I think my 2018 Clarity is MUCH better looking than the 2018 Accord!
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