2 months and 2000 miles on the Clarity

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M. Shah

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Today marks 2 months and 2K (2094 miles) on my 2018 Touring. I was an accidental buyer, didnt hear anything about the Clarity until 3 months ago. I would always tell my father in law that owns a 2017 Volt that if they made a PHEV with the volt range and size of a Malibu I will buy it!

Things I love about the car:
1. The size. My previous car was a Ford Fusion Energi and this car is so much bigger. My toddler doesnt kick me :)
2. Range. The car was on half a tank at 1200 miles and my wife decided she should fill up gas. Only took 4 gallons and she thought something is wrong. I still have almost full tank of gas. So safe to say I used 5 gallons in 2 months.
3. The front of the car is wicked! I love the DRLs and the LED lights. Can be spotted from a mile away.
4. Fit and finish of the car is top notch.
5. Sport mode..Enough said
6. Fast charging with level 2. I have a 2012 Leaf as a commuter car for errands and it only has a 3.3KWH charger

Things I wish Honda would improve.
1. Regen braking. Regen on the car is weak and the paddles are a joke. The only way to have high regen is to be in sport mode all the time and use the paddles to maximize regen.
2. Blind spot. I wish Honda would have used the blind spot monitors instead of the camera and the mirror with the weird line.
3. Rear sensors. I have a curved driveway and a car parked outside. I cannot look behind and to the right in the garage while pulling the car out. Sensors would detect I am closing in on the car outside.
4. Rear view camera. THis is useless in rain and when dirty.
5. Front seats. I am one of the few people that think the seats are very uncomfortable. I dont like driving the car for over 2 hours.
6. Heated steering. This is an add on option even on the civic!
7. Dedicated EV mode.

Things I hate:
1. The app. It seems like an intern made it. Leaves so much to be desired.
2. The info entertainment system. You need to navigate through multiple screens for basic info. Touch screen for volume is ridiculous.
3. KWH usage. Cannot tell how many miles are on the engine. @40 mpg I would say I have maybe 200 miles on the engine. We need more EV information, things like how many KW were added, usage and other things.

Very happy with the purchase. Honda has a winner on their hands if they make a few changes and advertise the car better.
 
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M. Shah said:
father in law that owns a 2017 Volt
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I had a 2012.

M. Shah said:
My previous car was a Ford Fusion Energi and this car is so much bigger. My toddler doesnt kick me
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And I still have a C-Max Energi so it may not come as no surprise that I agree with nearly everything you said. Sold the volt cuz of the back seat issues and was so glad when the Clarity came out with more room and even more ev range than my gen 1; oh, and better appointed and cheaper too!
 
M. Shah said:
1. Regen braking. Regen on the car is weak and the paddles are a joke. The only way to have high regen is to be in sport mode all the time and use the paddles to maximize regen.
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I don't believe a PHEV with its smaller-than-BEV battery can take advantage of massive regen capabilities. Honda wants to provide a consistent feel. It wouldn't feel consistent and might actually be unsafe if you could use massive one-foot-driving regen one minute then found yourself having to unexpectedly stomp on the brakes the next minute when the battery became fully charged by the regen braking from the previous minute.

M. Shah said:
3. Rear sensors. I have a curved driveway and a car parked outside. I cannot look behind and to the right in the garage while pulling the car out. Sensors would detect I am closing in on the car outside.
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Our Clarity has the optional rear parking sensors which work well, but cross-traffic sensors would be nice, too. However, how many Clarity sales were lost due to the lack of cross-traffic sensors. Put another way, how much more would you have been willing to pay for your Clarity if it had them?
 
Good write up. I bought touring clarity in your city with your help on 6/1 and it is a huge upgrade from 04 Civic with 177k miles. Whatever you mentioned as a plus are luxury to me. Not missing any negatives since I never experienced those. So for I like the car. Gased up twice while driving the car from Chicago to Kansas City. Still more than quarter tank gas there. Today it is 1500 miles on it.
 
fotomoto said:
I had a 2012.



And I still have a C-Max Energi so it may not come as no surprise that I agree with nearly everything you said. Sold the volt cuz of the back seat issues and was so glad when the Clarity came out with more room and even more ev range than my gen 1; oh, and better appointed and cheaper too!
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I am guilty of owning over 25 cars on the past 20 years I have been driving. I remember you from the ford cmax energi forums. My last few cars have been the cmax energi fusion energi fusion titanium 2012 volt which I loved but had to sell after having kids. Right now we have the clarity that was mine but I have my wife drive it since she drives 32 miles a day with free charging at work. I bought a 2012 leaf with 9 bars for my 13 mile commute and we have a 14 qx60 for family trips
 
insightman said:
I don't believe a PHEV with its smaller-than-BEV battery can take advantage of massive regen capabilities. Honda wants to provide a consistent feel. It wouldn't feel consistent and might actually be unsafe if you could use massive one-foot-driving regen one minute then found yourself having to unexpectedly stomp on the brakes the next minute when the battery became fully charged by the regen braking from the previous minute.


Our Clarity has the optional rear parking sensors which work well, but cross-traffic sensors would be nice, too. However, how many Clarity sales were lost due to the lack of cross-traffic sensors. Put another way, how much more would you have been willing to pay for your Clarity if it had them?
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Ford Chevy and Nissan have a B mode that increases the regen. Drive 1 mile on regular and bump up the regen has always worked for me. Works very well in traffic. How did you get the rear sensors? If you dont mind how much did it cost?
 
insightman said:
However, how many Clarity sales were lost due to the lack of cross-traffic sensors. Put another way, how much more would you have been willing to pay for your Clarity if it had them
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Actually thats the main missing feature that made me hesitate buying the clarity (for backup situation, not for blind spot in traffic). Id have went with a fusion energi if I found nearer pricing for titanium, despite the fusion lack of any useable trunk. But the fusion would have been $10k more probably, although would have had more other features (cooled seats).

My 10yr old fusion hybrid had them already for chrissake. Rarely are useful, but when they are they have been REALLY useful alert of a car coming down the parking isle that I couldn't see.

Id easily have paid $2k more for the clarity just for the sensors.
 
Bender said:
Id easily have paid $2k more for the clarity just for the sensors.
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We have cross traffic warning on our Subaru and it really comes in handy in several situations where we just can't see thru objects (parked cars). For $2K? Probably not but bundled in on the Touring model? Yeah, I'd have sprung for that.
 
fotomoto said:
We have cross traffic warning on our Subaru and it really comes in handy in several situations where we just can't see thru objects (parked cars). For $2K? Probably not but bundled in on the Touring model? Yeah, I'd have sprung for that.
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I owned a '17 Subaru Outback with the RAB sensors. Hated it big time, as everytime I tried to back out of my driveway, the stupid system would think the street was a vertical object and would violently slam on the brakes if I didn't back at a creeping pace. Definitely do not miss the clatter of the boxer engine on cold starts. Glad to be rid of it.
 
Mowcowbell said:
would violently slam on the brakes if I didn't back at a creeping pace.
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I guess our 2015 doesn't have that as I only get an audible warning (or at least I've never come close to activating auto-braking).

Creeping pace backing out is good overall. In my C-Max that only has close proximity sensors and a rear view camera, I still managed to almost nailed an old lady walking/exercising on the sidewalk this morning as I backed out on my way to work.
 
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