I signed up through Honda's website, and they are having an event about 30 minutes from where I'm lived (so no Honda salesmen giving me the hard sell). I test drove a Volt about a year ago-- and curious what I should be expecting (currently driving a 2009 Civic Ex-L) for driving a bigger car. Also I live in a condo with a parking garage (trying to get the HOA to allow me to charge using the 110V outlet/they rejected me once before but I have tried to address their concerns). Is it easy to drive a Clarity through a garage (the space I have is rather large so I don't have an extremely tight fit)? Thanks
At 15 feet wide and 45 feet long the Clarity is a challenge for most parking lots. It is 2018. Where do you live that they are giving you a hard time about charging station? For most areas in NA I would think that one day soon they have to start allowing it.
Before the Clarity our fleet consisted of a 2002 CRV, a 2005 Accord and 2005 Highlander. The Clarity feels a lot more solid and heavier (because it is) than any of those but it certainly is responsive enough and handles well. I was on very curvy two lane roads in the mountains of Virginia this weekend and never felt like the handling struggled at or slightly above the posted speed limits. I haven't noticed any particular problem parking - in fact if you want to see your position in the space you can pop the car into Reverse and look at the back up camera. Good luck with the HOA. geo
I was driving a 2004 Lexus ES and find the Clarity is fine everywhere, but it fits noticably tighter in my garage and smaller parking spaces. Data from NadaGuides.com: Code: +--------------------------------------+------------+--------------+ | | Civic 2009 | Clarity 2018 | +--------------------------------------+------------+--------------+ | Turning Diameter - Curb to Curb (ft) | 35.4 | 38.4 | +--------------------------------------+------------+--------------+ | Wheelbase (in) | 106.3 | 108.3 | +--------------------------------------+------------+--------------+ | Length, Overall (in) | 176.7 | 192.7 | +--------------------------------------+------------+--------------+ | Width, Max w/o mirrors (in) | 69 | 73.9 | +--------------------------------------+------------+--------------+ | Height, Overall (in) | 56.5 | 58.2 | +--------------------------------------+------------+--------------+ | Track Width, Front (in) | 59 | 62.2 | +--------------------------------------+------------+--------------+ | Track Width, Rear (in) | 60.2 | 62.5 | +--------------------------------------+------------+--------------+
I also transitioned from an 09 Civic EX. I noticed more then additional length than the additional width. Just something to get used to.
As noted above, while large, the Clarity is just a wee bit smaller than 15 X 45 feet. HOAs are notorious for being slow to change and make allowances for plug-in cars. A small campaign to address their safety concerns might do the trick.
My son found a way to beat the HOA in his condo complex. They were spending money like the govt does...hey we got it so let’s spend it. So he got on the board of directors and now helps them make more intelligent decisions.
His HOA is not opposed to giving up a space for an EVSE (parking is unassigned) but will not pay for its installation or the electric bill for it since the non EV owners don’t want to foot the bill. So it would be rather expensive for one person to have it done in his case. I’m glad I have a garage.
Took my test drive. It was a discussion of the car following a few turns out the parking lot, on the street and back in a Touring. Acceleration seemed fine, was comfortable to sit in, much roomier than a Volt (even at 5'10", I can fit into the Volt, but it seems a bit cramped).
I would strongly recommend against any sort of plug-in vehicle until you get the charging situation sorted out at home.
