My 25,000 miles Clarity review

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by craze1cars, Sep 29, 2019.

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  1. craze1cars

    craze1cars Well-Known Member

    This is long. Go pee first, if you don't get bored after the first few sentences and choose to just skip the whole thing...

    I’m writing this not so much for the benefit of forum regulars, but for the benefit of people who may be shopping for this car, or another EV or PHEV, who may not be regulars on the forum and are just drifting through on a Google search....this is written for lurkers and curiosity seekers. Most of us regulars here have expressed our opinions ad nauseum about this car among ourselves, but they’re so scattered among many topics I thought I’d consolidate most of my thoughts about the car right here in one place. I know other regulars here disagree with me on many things and agree with me on others. No problem I respect all opinions. Obviously all are welcome to comment and write your own, on my topic or start your own…whatever you think is appropriate. This is largely just stream-of-conscious writing…

    After about a year and a month, we’ve now passed 25,000 miles on our 2018 Green Clarity Touring. Probably 40% local commuting and 60% rather long road trips, including one extremely long one of about 4,500 miles all across the Midwest and over the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and other such states when the car was nearly brand new, and just last week we did another round trip from Indianapolis to Savannah GA and back. We drove straight through each direction without a hotel…more than 750 miles each day. This is how we often road trip….long distance days.

    Based on a quickie look a US map, my Clarity has now spun its tires in all of the following US States: IN, IL, IA, MO, NE, KS, WY, CO, AZ, UT, NM, TX, OK, AR, KY, TN, NC, SC, and GA.

    A little bit about me. I live near Indianapolis and I am probably not the typical Clarity owner. I’m not an EV enthusiast. Nor am I a hybrid enthusiast. Neither is my wife. I do not believe I am making the world or climate better in any way whatsoever by buying this car. I’m not a Honda or Clarity cheerleader and am brand loyal to no manufacturer or country of origin. I bought Clarity because I’m a car guy and I was intrigued by the technology, I also trusted Honda as a company that it would be reliable, I certainly hoped to save some fuel costs of transportation over my ownership time, and also because the Feds handed me a $7,500 down payment. And it seemed like a nice car the wife would enjoy. She test drove and agreed, so we bought.

    For reference this is mostly my wife’s car. She drives it most of the time locally, on electric as much as reasonable, and she also does many 200 mile loops within the state of IN. The majority of my driving this car has been on the long road trips, where I usually do most of the driving.

    Anytime I ask, she simply likes the car. Of course she says this about every single car she has ever owned so no surprise there. She just loves every car we purchase for her to drive, and Clarity is no different. Neither of us has regrets on the purchase, and we have no desire to trade or sell anytime soon. It’s quiet and comfy. Generally she drives around town on all electric but often exceeds range, so it burns a bit of fuel some days, and she makes a point to hit the HV button on interstate runs and tries to get battery down pretty low before bringing it home if she knows she’ll be exceeding EV range. That’s about all she does with button pushing.

    Neither of us “works” very hard at owning or driving this car. Usually we get in, hit the start button, and drive. We don’t play games with charging to random levels. We don’t track KW usage. We don’t change modes much. If we know we will exceed EV range, we try to hit HV for interstate runs. Sometimes we don’t and just let it run down and start the engine when it needs to. If the engine starts up because we accidentally accelerate too hard, we don’t care, and we make no effort to shut it off…just let it do its thing and it either shuts itself off eventually or we reach our destination and we park it. When it goes into the garage, it gets plugged in and topped off regardless of state of charge so it’s ready for the next usage. Time of day is irrelevant. We use a L2 220V Mustart charger from Amazon in our garage, works very well, charges the battery from dead to full in about 2 hours. Not uncommon for the car to see 2 top-offs some days, occasionally 3 per day, sometimes one per day. If it's mid-charge and we need to go somewhere, we just unplug and go. On the road we carry the OEM 110V and plug in when opportunity permits, but we don’t look too hard and just drive it in HV mode on gas if we’re not sure where or when it will be plugged in next. We have never used public charging stations. We own 3 cars…currently my sporty little stickshift Mazda 3 for scooting, my Silverado Crew Cab 4x4 for hauling/work/towing, and wife's Clarity. The Clarity replaced wife’s previous 2013 Honda Accord EX-L 2.4L. Between our 3 cars it is not uncommon for us to drive 60,000 or more miles per year.

    Here are my opinions and observations with the understanding that I’m comparing this car to other cars. NOT just to other PHEVs and other EV’s, as I’ve never driven another besides our Clarity. So keep in mind I’m comparing it to other 4 door cars in general. These are pros and cons and observations all mixed randomly:

    1. The car has been flawless from a reliability standpoint. No gremlins, nothing weird. It works as Honda designed it. It has never gone back to dealer. I do my own oil changes and tire rotations. We replaced wiper rubbers recently with a pair from the dealer and the wipers now work perfect. I have no complaints about the washers or wipers as others seem to.

    2. The car is exceedingly quiet and comfortable to sit in and ride in. Cadillac/Buick/Toyota Avalon like. It feels big. Bigger and smoother and quieter than the Accord we replaced for sure. Probably the quietest car I've ever been in.

    3. On road trips I do have a button pushing regimen. Since I know I’ll be running 100% gasoline I push the following as soon as I buckle up: Start, Sport, HV, LKAS, and I make sure the ACC is set as close as possible for shorter following distance. Those are the settings I have grown to like for road trips. Then I don’t mess with them until next fuel stop and I reset them all again. It would be nice if it remembered them all, but it doesn’t. So I spend 2 seconds pushing those 4 buttons, and then I drive. Not a big deal. I generally set the ACC at 78 mph and just burn along. It all works great and the ACC and LKAS reduce fatigue and allow me to drive longer and farther very comfortably. Fuel mileage is like clockwork…39mpg on the flats of the Midwest. When things get real hilly like through the Smokey Mountains it goes up to about 41 mpg. Super steep mountain passes like the Rockies I’ve seen upwards of 50 mpg, with the caveat that usually those roads have some slower speeds due to curves. I do believe that the ability of this car to store gravity from long steep downhills in the battery is the reason it gets better MPG the steeper the hills get. I have recorded much lower mpg at occasional times with big long headwind/uphill runs, and higher at times with big tailwinds/downhill runs. I am 100% in agreement with the 40 mpg highway rating this car has. That’s exactly what it gets for me as a long term average. All those numbers are manually calculated with actual ODO and fuel usage. The MPG display is ALWAYS exaggerated by 7% to 9%. When it gets 39 mpg, the display says it got around 42.5. When it gets 41, the display says it got 45. Every single time. Yes if I slowed down I would get better fuel mileage. But then I would get there later. And I’d rather drive 78 mph, so I do.

    (Continued on next page as I exceeded character count)
     
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2019
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  3. craze1cars

    craze1cars Well-Known Member

    (Continued...)

    4. The 7 gallon fuel tank is too small for my comfort. This is my biggest true complaint about the car. For me it induces a different type of non-EV range anxiety with our tendency to just get on the interstate and drive relatively high speeds without wanting to stop. At 1/3 of a fuel tank I have the knowledge of having 2.3 gallons in the tank. That sorta sucks. If I’m getting 40 mpg I need to start thinking about my next fuel stop, ESPECIALLY if running extreme rural interstate where some exits with fuel are 50 miles apart. Skip one because you have ¼ tank left? You may really get yourself in trouble. I almost ran out once but didn’t. I am frankly sick of having to stop for gas every 240 miles on road trips…and maybe at 200 miles sometimes if I’m running a headwind…I don’t even need to pee yet and the low fuel light comes on! For this reason I am likely to start leaving this car at home for long road trips and driving a lower MPG ICE car or truck from our garage instead. I’d much rather have longer runs between stops and pay a bit more for fuel than to be constantly looking for gas to only be able to put 5 or 6 gallons in. This irks me. I’ve never had another vehicle with such a short fuel range. But I have proven it CAN cross the entire United States without charging once. This is nice for an "electric" (sorta) car. And when I do fill up it is semi-refreshing that it only costs $14. But I would MUCH rather have double the fuel range and double the fill-up price. I want a bigger tank.

    5. The seats are comfortable, but lack take-for-granted adjustments. Mine is a Touring, which is the best you can get. Lack of lumbar adjustment is annoying. While it's generally fine and comfy, when I sit in one car seat for 750 miles I prefer a seat that gives me options to change the lumbar and the headrest angle just to relieve a pressure point or two for a while. This car does neither and that gets annoying. But the seats are comfy enough it’s not usually a huge issue.

    6. I’m totally fine with the infotainment screen, the lack of volume knob, the push button shifter is very intuitive and nice IMO, and never in my life have I forgotten to put it back in HV after a fuel stop. All good and I’m surprised at how often people complain about these things. Infotainment is typical Honda...I’ve owned a few.

    7. Wife wants a sunroof. I don’t care. They don't exist.

    8. Handling is floaty and below average, but comfortable. The suspension and small tires are clearly overwhelmed by the weight of this car in anything but straight driving and slow cornering. My pickup truck legitimately takes spirited turns better. In particular for example with CC set at 78 mph, and a good interstate curve comes up with bridge/overpass rises and drops that extend and compress the suspension due to the dips and rises in the roadway, this thing wallows around in a very unsettling way compared to most every other car I’ve driven. It holds its line and doesn’t drift, but it just doesn’t exude confidence. I agree 100% with Consumer Reports assessment of handling. There is nothing remotely performance oriented about this car. But those who like big floaty Buick/Cadillac type of ride may be fully satisfied. Just not really my style. Wife likes it better than I do, and she doesn’t complain about the handling. I do drive more aggressively than she does, and my other car is a fun little stick shift go-cart like hatchback that is more than half a ton lighter…so keep that in mind. But I still think even my crew cab pickup truck handles higher speed turns and big dips in the road better than this thing does. I feel the car just needs bigger tires/wheels and a much beefier suspension, and probably a stiffer chassis. It rides fine in a straight line and is a pleasure to just cruise most interstates in at any speed. It does handle fine as a plain old road trip car if you drive like a sane human being.

    9. Braking is fine. Feels good and natural. I don’t use the paddles much, other than descending mountain passes much like downshifting, and occasionally while slowing down on an interstate exit. Never used them around town much I see no point. I think braking to save brake pads is nuts. I brake to stop, and don’t care if the car is regenning or using friction brakes to stop or slow down. The car does stop well, and brake wear to-date is extremely minimal I expect all 4 pads to last my entire ownership of this car as most of my brakes do on all cars because of how much highway driving we do. We don’t brake as often as many do.

    10. Wife loves preconditioning and uses it often, especially in winter. Comfort trumps fuel/electric savings for both of us every time. We like hopping into a warm or cooled car depending on season.

    11. Range loss in winter was a bigger than expected. Not crazy about this car when it gets super cold out. We’ve seen EV range cut as much as 50% into the mid 20’s. But most of spring/summer/fall we usually can get close to 55 or 60 out of EV range.

    12. Trunk is plenty big for our trips and we do not pack light. Lots of suitcases, it’s roomy for a sedan. All seats are comfy. Passengers in back often comment on the generous size of the car and roominess.

    13. Engine is quiet enough for me. It may rev up pretty good up extremely long mountain passes, but nothing unexpected or super obtrusive. It’s a rather unrefined sounding engine and it’s noticeable the few times that happens, but not much more than any other 4 cylinder. Realize that on normal interstate runs it’s extremely difficult to discern when the engine even turns on and off in HV mode if you’re not looking at the dash. I don’t notice it at all over the wind and road noise which are also very minimal. It’s a very quiet car through and through….engine, wind, and road noise are all very low. There is a learning curve with this car in regards to engine noise...it revs up a bit at odd times that are not in-line with your foot position on the go-pedal. After you learn to ignore this odd sensation, it becomes a non-issue. Give it a few thousand miles before you freak out about it, you do get used to it, and it's normal, and it's more frequent when the car is new. I believe the car learns and settles into a smarter rev pattern over time. Mine seemed to anyway.

    14. Maintenance is easy to DIY. Air filters and oil changes are simple to reach and everything. Maintenance minder is kinda weird but once you learn it, it makes sense. It is NOT asking for an oil change AND a tire rotation every time...even if you think it is. Usually one or the other, and they can be reset independently. Oil change intervals seem fine, but remember I drive 60% with the engine running.

    15. Backup camera is great and good quality in my opinion. Right mirror camera is a conversation piece and I see no use for it…it’s a Honda thing I’ve had several cars with it now and I still don’t hardly ever refer to it…right door mirror is just more natural and equally effective IMO, but keep in mind my other 2 cars that I drive more often are not Hondas anymore, so my habit is to use the mirror, not the screen.

    16. ACC is a bit more herky/jerky than I want it to be. It brakes a bit too abruptly and overreacts, and even in Sport it’s a bit slow to start accelerating. It’s not terrible, but I’d think Honda could do better. And I know for a fact after driving one that Toyota does a MUCH better job with making ACC work more like a natural driver and is much smoother. Honda’s LKAS however, works extremely well and I like it.

    17. After re-aiming them myself, headlights are very good on low beam. They are still too dim on high beam at any aim…they simply need more power and more projection distance. Mine were aimed too low for sure, and I believe most are aimed too low from the dealer. I suggest raising them up and they will work better on low beam without blinding anyone.

    18. I don’t care about appearances. I have no opinion whatsoever on the appearance of the car from any direction. I’m about function. Wife thinks it looks fine, no strong opinion there either, she says the wheel skirts helps her find the car in a parking lot on occasion, which I find odd but she’s my wife so I know she’s always right.

    19. Acceleration is average and adequate. Not very fast, but not too slow either. I compare the performance to the base engine in most any 4 door gas powered sedan, like our previous 2013 Accord 4 cylinder. I have never felt like I lost a single horsepower at any state of battery charge, from full to empty. These complaints from a few others have always surprised me. Mine always feels the same...and I do indeed get into that pedal in passing lanes and such semi-regularly, I'm not afraid to put any car to the floor, so I am in tune with this sort of thing.

    20. Would I buy another Clarity? No. Not because I don’t like it, but because I don’t hardly ever repeat purchase cars. And the fuel tank is too small. I’m not sure what’s next…when we’re ready to replace Clarity I’ll shop. Might be a gasoline car again, might be a PHEV if more are available…whatever trips my trigger. With the number of road trips we do I think maybe a regular gas engine car is a better choice overall than a PHEV, but we definitely use the electric aspect of this car for 40% of our mileage, which is nice…and it CAN and does do long trips with 750 mile driving days perfectly fine on a regular basis, unlike any EV can without a bunch of homework and down time for charging. So I’m fully writing off EV’s for my immediate future, but I’m certainly not writing off a future PHEV with a larger fuel tank, nor am I writing off going back to a conventional engine car or a standard hybrid. Time will tell. But I expect we will drive this Clarity for several more years before I need to worry about it. It’s a nice car.
     
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2019
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  4. Sandroad

    Sandroad Well-Known Member

    A fun read. Thanks for taking the time. I did have to take a pee break; that’s about every 500 words for me. But, I can’t say you didn’t warn me.
     
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  5. jdonalds

    jdonalds Well-Known Member

    In many ways you and I are alike craze1cars. I also am not a tree hugger, don't care much about the way a car looks. I'm more a practical guy. It was the technology of the drive train that was most interesting to me, and I wanted to step up from a hybrid to a PHEV so we could make better use of our house solar system to charge the car.

    On the other hand there are ways we are different. Our Clarity usage differs from yours. We drive about 60-70 miles per day average in two to three trips. We charge between trips. Both of us are retired so always return home after short trips. We take 300 mile round trips about every six weeks, and one or two 1,100 mile trips each year. So the vast majority of our time driving is local. The engine never starts for six weeks at a time.

    You had much to say about the small gas tank. It doesn't bother me at all. On our once or twice a year 1,100 mile trips we used to stop for pee breaks at rest stops, then gas stations when needed. With the Clarity we simply have substituted gas stations for freeway rest stops. Same number of stops and gassing the Clarity is very quick as it usually only needs about 5 gallons. I say this for the sake of others who may be reading this. For some the small gas tank is an issue. For others not so much.

    The other thing I noticed was your four buttons each time you get into the car on road trips. Pretty much the same for me except I have also the habit of using Break Hold. For short trips around town it's just hit Start, then Break Hold (love that feature).

    Thanks for the long story.
     
  6. craze1cars

    craze1cars Well-Known Member

    Thanks for comments! FWIW I'm not a brake hold guy...probably because most of my driving is still in a stickshift, or my Chevy truck which doesn't have the feature...so I'm simply used to having one or both feet crammed on a brake or clutch pedal when stopped most all the time. My previous scooter was a 2016 Civic Turbo CVT which had the same brake hold feature too so I'm very familiar with it. Even then I played with it a couple times and didn't like it...so I didn't and don't use it. Everyone's different.
     
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  8. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    A fair review from someone who has demonstrated his considerable knowledge of cars. Your standard 4-button routine makes it easier to remember the HV button. I seldom press any buttons so on the rare long trip I'm more likely to forget to press HV after a stop. I find the regen paddle perfect for adjusting my speed when the car in front of me slows a bit.
     
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  9. Sthomasa

    Sthomasa Member

    The fact that you had such a relationship with a Clarity is most interesting. Involved. Like having a cat instead of a dog. I agree with your vision almost 100%.
    But why am i reading about a car?
     
  10. 2002

    2002 Well-Known Member

    Definitely a thorough and easy to understand review, and you make it clear which opinions are based solely on your personal preference, not necessarily how it should be for everyone.

    I was wondering what you think about performance under just battery power. I know you don't mind ICE coming on occasionally and neither do I, but it seems to be a huge annoyance for those who spend a lot of their time on trips within EV range, and it can be frustrating for them if ICE comes on when they press the accelerator pedal too far by accident. The comparison with Volt is inevitable, regardless that Volt is now discontinued. It has been used as a negative in reviews and unfortunately may have pushed some people away from Clarity when they hear that it cannot be driven in "pure" EV mode like the Volt.

    My thinking is Honda should have made Econ mode run pure EV, i.e. pedal to the floor will never trigger ICE, similar to Volt. Many new owners seem to think that's what Econ mode does anyway (until they find out otherwise). Normal mode would be mapped to use the detent, and Sport would work as it currently does.

    However - I don't know if there is enough power just with battery alone. There is for me, as I rarely trigger ICE accidentally even with what I consider heavy acceleration. But I am not necessarily representative. It seems like under battery power only, hard acceleration would either be:

    1. Not great but okay for many people. Those who insist on driving EV only would find it worth the tradeoff that full acceleration will be limited in Econ mode, and many if not most would accept it. I don't count that they could switch to Regular or Sport when needed, because times of hard acceleration are often unplanned.

    2. Not very good at all, only a diehard EV purist would accept it, and even then they would complain about it all the time, or at least they would complain any time they press the pedal to the floor and max out on power.

    3. Underpowered enough to be dangerous, thus not feasible at all with the current electric motor.

    Obviously very subjective, but I'm thinking of the general audience. If #1 is true for many people then Honda could have made Clarity act Volt-like in Econ mode and maybe ruffled fewer feathers. However if #2 or #3 are true then no, and unless they change power train items Honda just has to continue to endure the complaints like they already do.
     
  11. Thank you. I love unbiased reporting and yours is probably the best I've read. Two thumbs up.
     
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  13. jdonalds

    jdonalds Well-Known Member

    I like the accelerator as Honda designed it. I can easily avoid kicking the ICE on. The detent is quite noticeable. There have been times when I needed the extra boost by pushing past the detent. I wouldn't want to have to push another button to get that extra power. To me it is a safety factor.
     
  14. Dan Albrich

    Dan Albrich Well-Known Member

    Thank you for the long and well written review.

    The PHEV type of vehicle is a fit for my usage. Most of my driving is short trips that are all electric. My electric cost is low, and gas cost is relatively high (Oregon). Before I bought Clarity I had never owned a hybrid or PHEV. I admit to being impressed with the cost difference for fuel. This will shape future vehicle buying decisions. i.e. Maybe I'd buy a traditional hybrid (or another PHEV), but not a gas-only vehicle.

    Electric only? Maybe in years to come. I'd only consider this when refueling is just as fast and convenient as gas.
     
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  15. craze1cars

    craze1cars Well-Known Member

    @2002, I find EV-only acceleration to be a bit too anemic for my type of driving. Probably 20% of the time I’d like a bit more oomph than it provides. This leads to me regularly pushing the pedal a bit too far and the engine kicking on, which is fine. If engine accidentally comes on it’s not really a waste because it’s extending Ev range as it runs, especially with today’s cheap gas, so no big deal. But for around town I admit I usually leave it in Normal mode to lessen this frequency. Sport mode is just too sensitive if I’m trying to keep the engine off...accidental activation happens to me often in Sport mode coming away from stoplights. If in HV mode anyway I go ahead and use Sport because I’m not trying to prevent engine from running, in expecting it. The lethargic performance of Econ mode drives me nuts, and neither my wife nor I use it anymore for any driving. Of course I’m a bit accustomed to higher powered cars and trucks than this one is. Others here we know from the past are perfectly fine with Econ. I’m not a fan so I just shut it off. If Honda made Econ a pure EV mode, I still wouldn’t use it.

    I do think the way they designed with the gas pedal detent is perfectly fine. It’s easy to avoid activating the engine in Econ with that detent.

    That’s how I see it.
     
  16. 2002

    2002 Well-Known Member

    Assuming you are replying to my comment, as I mentioned I don't expect anyone to push buttons to get power, because you normally don't anticipate when you will need to floor it. You would drive in the mode of your preference, only those who never want ICE to come on at all unless they run out of EV would use Econ mode. Now maybe someone wants some of the other benefits of Econ mode but also wants ICE to come on past the detent, well like some other things maybe Honda should separate out some of the features from the modes so you can more custom tailor what you want, but that's a separate subject that I didn't bring up because I don't want to hijack craze1cars thread.

    I was just wondering if you think it is so underpowered that it would not be safe to allow an option for essentially "Volt mode" for those who want it. The comparisons to Volt on this are endless, with the assumption by many that Honda was just being dopey to not let someone drive in EV mode all the time like the Volt does, and like the Volt only activate ICE for system maintenance. My guess is probably GM made that a goal for Volt and that is part of the reason it was sized what it is so that with the lower weight you would have adequate maximum acceleration in EV and never need ICE for additional power. Whereas Honda felt that size and comfort were more important (of course somewhat dictated by the size of the FCV version of Clarity). Probably Honda made the right choice overall but I still wonder if they should have still allowed an optional Volt-mode for those who want it, which would have eliminated one of the big criticisms by many about the Clarity. Although if my #2 scenario is correct Honda wouldn't have gained much because then everyone would complain about how terribly underpowered the car is in Econ mode.
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2019
  17. Excellent write up.

    I agree that a larger fuel tank would be an improvement. Perhaps 10 gallons. I wouldn’t trade 3 additional gallons for less EV range. The 20ish mile range of many other PHEV’s was a non-starter for us.

    A full tank allows at least 3 hours of driving time (at 80 mph). It may take a few additional minutes to fuel up, use the rest room and switch drivers as opposed to just making a stop at a rest area. Also, if you begin the trip with a full charge and run in HV mode, you’ll have an additional 40-50 miles of EV range available. Single use only.

    I may have you mixed up with another member, but I recall you mentioning that you run less tire pressure than recommend on the door jamb. What pressure are you running when traveling with the wife and a fully loaded car? Inflating to 36 or even 38 may alleviate some of the poor handling conditions you’ve mentioned. It’ll never be a sports car.

    I believe the PHEV is the best combination currently available. Local trips on EV, cross country trips on HV and everything in between without any special planning. Unfortunately, the PHEV seems to be a money loser for manufacturers and not terribly popular with consumers. Will they be available in the future or will our only options be BEV, ICE and non-plug in hybrids?

    I also wonder why some believe that more acceleration/power is necessary to get oneself out of a bind or somehow makes thing safer. It is probably what got you into a pickle in the first place. Remember what you are driving and give the brakes a try the next time you’re in a tight spot.
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2019
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  18. craze1cars

    craze1cars Well-Known Member

    I do bump pressure up to 36 or 37 for our more heavily loaded trips. Usually leave it at 34 or 35 for around town and majority one-person runs.
     
  19. Mowcowbell

    Mowcowbell Well-Known Member

    craze1cars: Thanks for taking the time to compose and post your thoughts about your Clarity. I'm in full agreement with you about the ACC being over sensitive/over-reactive, and while the low beams are good... a slight adjustment may be necessary to get optimum output.

    Also agree on would I buy another Clarity? While I really like the car, I never repeat purchase cars. I'll probably go full EV the next purchase as I rarely make road trips and just plug in each night in my garage and start off with a full 'tank' every morning. I've grown accustomed to the quiet ride in EV mode. If I really need an ICE car for a road trip, I'll rent one.
     
  20. craze1cars

    craze1cars Well-Known Member

    @2002 safety of acceleration is not a concern of mine. There are plenty of little econoboxes out there with slower acceleration than Clarity provides in EV, and they’re all street legal. It just wouldn’t be quick enough for me, so I wouldn’t like it.
     
  21. Lowell_Greenberg

    Lowell_Greenberg Active Member

    My guess is that historically ICE manufacturers have been able to improve average 0-60 times across model generations. Today's 4 cylinder turbo is faster than a 40 year old V8- and much more efficient Yet, the automotive press and public wants more power- as if what was safe then is not safe now. And Tesla, leveraging tech and market savvy- has created cars with unsafe levels of power and possibly torque. In the end, cars of the future will need to be efficient above all- and drivers 30 years hence, will be dumbfounded over the drive to power. That is my prediction. Safety is not the issue. In fact safety is what drives people to heavy SUVs- they think bigger and heavier is safer. But this then creates a kind of parity. Two Silverados colliding must not be pretty.

    Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
     
  22. The bigger and heavier is safer comes into play when it is Yukon v Fiat.
     
  23. craze1cars

    craze1cars Well-Known Member

    As long as humans maintain competitive spirit and a desire to outdo other humans, they will want a faster and/or bigger car. This competitive spirit hasn’t changed since God invented the human and gave it free will, and will certainly not change 30 years from now. As long as personal cars still exist, the desire for fast and powerful cars among a notable percentage of the market will coexist with them. The “need for speed” is permanently ingrained in many, obviously not in all.
     

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