The Clarity is a huge car

In addition to that I think it helps them lower platform costs of the Fuel Cell vehicle by using essentially the same platform for all the PHEV and BEV. It also is different without being overly different. I like the LED light look, etc.

 

I didn't know this car even existed until I saw a YouTube video of a guy at a dealership giving a video tour of the car. When I saw how big the car was then saw how luxurious the inside was I was hooked, as I'm sure all of you were. That is how they sell this car. Like the title of this thread says, "The Clarity is a huge car". I'm sure people see "plug-in" and "hybrid" and equate it with a Prius or Volt: smaller cars with cheap plastic interiors. Honda seemed to go out of their way to really upgrade the interior of this (huge) car and then forget to tell anyone about it. That isn't even mentioning the full $7500 tax incentive. I don't even live in a state that offers it's own tax refund on top of the federal credit like some of you guys and that still was enough to get my attention.

 

For those in CA, don't forget to check with your electric company for additional rebates. Southern California Edison is offering $450. I've been waiting for my plates to arrive so that I can apply for the rebates and carpool sticker.

 

Hehehe, we're still waiting for those checks.

 

I like the "cheap plastic" in the Volt over the Honda Clarity Touring Model. I think the suede looks stupid and will be hard to clean if it gets dirty. Fortunately it is not somewhere that it is going to be touched a lot. I don't like the wood grain either. I haven't looked at the base model - I suspect I would like the interior better, but I want the memory seat feature, so I an only looking at the touring.

Don't get me wrong, the Honda does feel more luxurious than the Volt. For me that's mainly because of the seat comfort and quiet ride. It clearly bests the Volt in those areas. Oh and the size make it feel more luxurious, too.

Let me go into a bit more of my dislike for the suede. Think about cleaning the inside of the windshield. I use Invisible Glass brand spray. It cleans well and is supposed to not have ingredients that are harmful to plastic. So I spray and don't worry about overspray hitting the plastic dash. I just wipe down the dash afterwards with or without using plastic cleaner. How is the suede going to respond to overspray from the windshield cleaner or whatever cleaner you use for the rest of the dash material? I would cover it to be safe which adds a step to my cleaning process. I think it will also be a dust magnet.

Speaking of cleaning, did I mention that I hate the plastic things on the wheels? What a cleaning nightmare. It will probably triple the time it takes to clean the wheels when washing the car. I know it is supposed to be aerodynamic, but I am skeptical of any benefit. Do any other Hondas share the wheels? Anyone know how the wheels look with the plastic things removed?

 

I agree with pdxman1's sentiments about the suede. There are too many different textures and I don't think it adds any "luxury" feel. But I do think that the overall feel of the interior is very calming and spacious.

Regarding the Volt, we had one a few years ago and got the premium leather seats (but they had suede in the middle.) I hated those seats and regretted that we paid extra for them.

 

@pdxman1 and @teedee; to each their own. To me the interior is luxury level and far better than the Prius or Chevy Volt.

 

Totally agree with you when comparing to those two vehicles. I was deciding between the Clarity and Camry hybrid and thought the Clarity's interior was superior. I am very happy with this car!

 

So an update on the screwup with my NYS rebate. After several calls to and from the dealer, they admitted their mistake and will be mailing me a $1,700 check either this Friday or next Friday. I'm just hoping it was a 'mistake'.

 

Not only do dealers not push them, dealers have NO IDEA WHAT THE CAR IS!

Our salesman told us the Clarity PHEV takes 19 hours to charge, and is "3 feet longer" than the Chevy Volt. (It's actually 1 foot longer.) He couldn't tell us how to operate any of the safety/autonomy features.

Here's the story I wrote, documenting the process, and theorizing why the Clarity's not selling better: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bought-hondas-plug-hybrid-mystery-car-170138561.html

 

I think quite a few of us read that yesterday - nice write up. And you are right about the marketing. It doesn't exist outside of a few billboards - and one pretty corny commercial which was yanked from circulation fairly quickly. I've been driving some kind of PHEV for 6 years now, and few people seem to know much about them or how they fit into the grand scheme of electric vehicle sales. Unless a buyer knows they want exactly this kind of vehicle, they're not going to get much help from a salesperson. And that's not a great sales tactic.

When I bought my first PHEV the local dealer couldn't even set up the sale. And I don't live in a tiny burgh. I was lucky to find a sales manager who knew all about the car, what the pros and cons were, and that was that. Clarity? The first dealer couldn't even tell me when the next shipment was due. She kept referring to the Accord. It was such an obvious attempt to get me to change my thinking about a purchase that I had to leave. The next dealer couldn't tell me much about the car. He was at least honest and told us that he hadn't been trained on the Clarity yet. But he, too, kept making comparisons between the Clarity and the Accord.

So it makes me wonder just how serious Honda is about selling these cars, particularly when the other variants are only for sale in small areas of the country. Is the PHEV the model that Honda really wants to sell? Or are they just using the Clarity line as a way to meet state and federal fleet standards for the purposes of compliance?

 

California's system works a little differently. You purchase, then apply for a rebate. They look over your creds and run your income (for some sample size, apparently), and then send a check within 3 months. These refunds are essentially funded by California's Cap and Trade system which is essentially a carbon tax - though it's considered an incentive to reduce greenhouse gasses. There's been money in that pot since 2012. Last year, though, the money was held up, and many buyers had to wait up to six months for their rebate. There are new constraints this year on the income level of applicants. That will likely affect some affluent buyers, but at least the money is flowing again. One currently proposed change to the current law would be to hand out rebates at the point of sale. As of now, the rebate is non-taxable. That too could change if the law is revised to include a point of sale reduction on the price of a car (since there'd be a loss in sales tax revenue - not a great loss, but it all adds up…)

 

+1
suede cleaning would b nightmare . also i bought for same reason memory seats

 

What's truly astounding is that the Clarity is five passenger luxury mid-size sedan getting 50 miles EV (as weather warms up you'll see this as well - here in Midland TX I'm showing 54-62 routinely), with absolutely no range anxiety.

 

I've been watching the Winter Olympics broadcast on NBC, and Honda has a Clarity PHEV commercial that runs at least once or twice every evening during primetime. I don't watch any other TV so I'm not sure if that commercial is being shown at other times and with other stations. This is the Los Angeles market region, so that may also be a factor (Honda has a huge presence here).

Found the commercial on Youtube:

 

For those with a smaller income, I think about $60K or less, California will rebate $3,500. That is why they look over your income.

 

THATS WHY YOU BUY THE BLACK INTERIOR

 

WHAT IS AMAZING IS THAT THEY DON'T POINT OUT THE STRONGEST FEATURE OF THE CAR- 47 MILES ON A CHARGE THAT MEANS 80% OF THE TIME ONE NEVER HAS TO USE GAS. THEY EMPHASIZE IT GOES 350 MILES- WELL YOU CAN GET LOTS OF CARS THAT GO FURTHER. WHO IS MAKING THESE COMMERCIALS?