5 year reflection and assessment of Clarity

Same here. Was an incredible deal, works great and is so efficient on electricity and gas.


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I love my Clarity, too. After driving Honda Insights since 2000, though much larger, the Clarity was the obvious next step. I followed every rumor about the PHEV version after Honda began leasing its original sibling, the Clarity Fuel Cell, in 2016.

As soon as Honda announced the PHEV, I ordered it sight-unseen and was the first Clarity customer in Michigan. I was so stoked for this car I didn't even mind paying MSRP.

Honda must have lost money even at MSRP, based on there being essentially only one nationally broadcast commercial for the Clarity.


Note: More people would see this discussion if it was in the Clarity sub-forum.

 

We just arrived to our fifth anniversary together too, and I'm having a very hard time trying to find an appealing replacement for my Clarity. I fear the issues we might confront with the car getting older and in so short supply, but I can't find anything comparable to it in the market and I still don't feel ready to take the plunge into full electric, nor rich enough to have one car for city driving and another for long trips. I think PHEVs are the best suited for my needs, but it frustrates me that no car maker seems to be interested in developing this line further and come with anything better that the Clarity PHEV! Or if there is one, the cost is likely astronomic...

 

I agree with everything said above, but I hope the OP has at least changed their oil over the last five years!

I think I could sell my 2018 touring for close to what I paid for it, and that includes my original 8-year warranty.

 

Toyota's Crown PHEV is the closest thing to a PHEV car I've seen on the 'net, but Toyota is refusing to bring the Crown PHEV to NA.

Toyota can't keep up with the demand for their excellent RAV4 Prime PHEV, so dealers tack on big markups with that hard-to-get vehicle. It's beyond me why Toyota, one of the top-three automakers by volume, can't make enough of the PHEVs people want to buy. More puzzling: Why didn't Honda bring the CR-V PHEV to NA after seeing the unmet demand for the RAV4 Prime?

 

The Clarity has served us well. With incentives, it was a relatively low cost, efficient sedan. It certainly has a few quirks and strangely, what makes almost everyone’s wish list is a desire for more EV range. Where does that pursuit end?

PHEV’s typically have a battery sized between about 12-24kWh’s. With ever increasing frequency, those batteries are being installed in SUV’s, minivans and crossovers. Not the most efficient vehicles. They are, however, the money makers.

Stellantis sells nearly half of all the PHEV’s in the US. The Wrangler 4xe, Grand Cherokee 4xe and the Pacifica hold the top 3 spots. The Grand Wagoneer is slated to be offered as a PHEV as well. The Ramcharger PHEV truck may be available later this year. It breaks the mold with a 92kWh battery and 145 miles of EV range.

There are indications that the increase in BEV sales may be starting to stall. Electrified vehicle sales are increasing on the heels of PHEV sales. Buyers are demanding hybrids from dealers. Headlines of Teslas too frigid to accept a charge, isn’t helping their cause.

We recently experienced those temperatures with the Jeep 4xe. Below 15F the dash displays “Electric Mode temporarily unavailable” upon start up. When shutting down it shows “Plug in vehicle for battery conditioning”. Otherwise, it operates just like a conventional vehicle.

I’ve always considered a PHEV to be a much more elegant solution and a much more versatile vehicle than a BEV. Now, the needle may be moving in that direction. With the exception of the Ramcharger platform, we’re probably going to see PHEV’s with 25-35 miles of range.

Our Clarity will soon be sold as we anticipate the arrival of the Ramcharger. We’ll make do with the Jeep 4xe and the conventional truck until then.

 

Very logical questions indeed, that seem to lack any logical answers. I would add the logical follow-up question: Why American automakers not only refuse to step up and fill the market gap/niche with their own PHEVs, but even retire the few good ones they had at the beginning, like the Ford Fusion Energy, C-Max, or Lincoln Aviator; and GM's Chevy Volt and CadillacELR? To my knowledge only the Chrysler Pacifica remains, but I have no need for a van. The worst part was having to listen to that brilliant minded GM president Reuss bloating that customers didn't want more hybrids of any kind, "PHEVs made no sense" and "they slowed the vertical integration (whatever that is) of battery manufacturing necessary to scale up EV production..." No wonder they had to be bailed out several times. Now I have no clue about why foreign automakers refuse to bring specific models to the NA market (which used to be the most attractive) and choose instead to send them to China. But if one ties the two questions (lack of domestic PHEVs and refusal to bring foreign ones), you can't avoid to suspect Someone doesn't want PHEVs in America...

 

But now I just found this: https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1142159_gm-not-quite-all-in-on-evs-will-add-plug-in-hybrids-in-us
Perhaps a miracle has just happened and common-sense business thinking made its way through the ideological agenda-driven tree of decisions? On my end I would love to see for instance a small PHEV SUV from Cadillac. One can dream, can't we?

 

What causes the loss of ability to use a CA HOV sticker? I'm in FL so no clue about the rules there.

 

The stickers expire and/or vehicles lose their eligibility.

 

The miracle was 5 years in the making. The first article that you linked was from 2019. Conditions change and manufacturers find innovative ways to fulfill ever changing government mandates.

As an armchair CEO, you’re certainly aware that profits are an important part of the agenda. And the agenda of a politician is fooling people into voting for them.

Perhaps the Dodge Hornet PHEV might suit your needs.

 

I've had many Hondas since my 1976 wagon, and the Clarity has been the best. I recently read an article that suggested that GM should bring back the Volt because PHEVs are selling so well. I could only wish that Honda would do the same with the Clarity. I will get a free ticket from Space X before that happens.
Terry

 

You guys are making me feel bad. My car is now over 6 years old because I purchased it at the end of December 2017. My car was only the 3rd one in Salt Lake City and I struggled to get the price down to what was on the sticker. I paid over 40K for the car with some extras and an extended warranty. I realized later that dealers were discounting the sticker price by 10K or more by the end of 2018.
That said, I feel the Clarity is the best car I have ever owned. In 6 years I have had no problems. I'm retired and only drive about 4000 to 4500 miles per year and about 95% of that is at speeds 45 mph or less. In the summer I still get over 60 miles on a full charge (down from 65 when the car was new) and if I can avoid using the heater and only the seat heat in the winter I get about 40 miles. My last battery check a few months ago showed 50.92.
One other thing: I only put 3 gallons of gas in the car last year.

 

Have you seen the Prologue commercials? Honda doesn’t even acknowledge the existence of the Clarity!

 

Don't feel bad. The oil industry will be at your door, begging for donations, soon. Do you use non-ethanol gasoline? Do you put Stabil in your tank to keep that old gas fresh?

 

Yes, I did see that. Disappointing. Like the guy who doesn't acknowledge one of his own children.
Terry

 

Wait. In this Honda Prologue ad, at the 5-second mark, my silver gen-1 Insight turns into the hydrogen-powered Honda Clarity FCX, the precursor of the Clarity Fuel Cell, Clarity Electric, and the Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. Two seconds later, the Clarity FCX turns into the Honda Prologue. The ad didn't show the PHEV, but it did recall a version of the Clarity.

More importantly, why weren't Honda's first SUV, the 1984 Passport (the Honduzu) or Honda's first EV, the 1988 EV Plus, in the Prologue ad?