Accord to Clarity as a family car, thoughts?

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Phil C

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Im totally into Hybrid & PHEV after seeing my friend's Sonata PHEV. Really surprised after seeing him not put the gas for 3 months.
After many studies and reading the review, Clarity is the most flashing and wanna have feeling. PHEV and big interior side and much more... I'm totally sold.
However, Since I'm in Canada, Quebec, it is impossible to see the actual car. No dealership has in stock or on the floor to test drive. I have to reserve it and wait until the cars arrive to see the real car (and the waiting list is pretty long).
We are very happy with our Honda Accord 2007 EX-L. Very spacious interieur, decent cargo size and for more than 10 years, it didn't give me a big trouble. But the MPG is getting worst, car itself is getting old, so it is time to look for our next car. We are 2 adults and 1 baby (4 months) and planning to have a 2nd one near future. Question to Clarity owners, how is it as a family car? Is the cargo space is enough for 2 strollers and other stuffs like grocery bags? I'm not looking for putting 60" TV or IKEA stuffs since they aren't anyways going into my current Accord. But we would like to see if we can keep the same habits.

Your thoughts & recommendations are much appreciated. :)
 
When I first saw the Clarity I wondered why Honda decided to make the PHEV Clarity model instead of simply offering the same drive package in an Accord. The cars are very similar in space and size. I think the Clarity is an ideal family sedan.

It would be interesting to know the cargo space in your Accord for comparison. But the cargo space is pretty accommodating in the Clarity. It has 15.5 cubic feet and is one of the reasons we didn't even look at the Chevy Volt which has a much smaller cargo space.
 
According to Google, 2007 Accord has 14 cubic feet... which is smaller than Clarity! :) nice!
How is the rear space with 1 or 2 car seats?
 
Since you are in Canada, depending on your climate, I would probably recommend Accord hybrid over Clarity phev. EV range shrinks a lot in cold weather. You mentioned there is limited stock, too.

I'm single , can't comment on strollers. There are plenty of space though. They should be fine.
 
I think the Clarity is a great family car. Ample room in the front and back seats - I've had 3 adults in the back seat of mine and it has been fine. The trunk has plenty of space for groceries. While I haven't put in any strollers, I was able to fit 3 golf bags and a folding cart into my trunk. Over 10,000 km of driving I am averaging 2.89 l/100km (about 4500 km of highway roadtrips and 5500 km of virtually pure EV city commuting). I'm seeing about 75-85 km of pure battery driving per charge. I'm a big fan and highly recommend the Clarity!
 
I've also considered Accord Hybrid but that car doesn't qualified for provincial rebate. It will become more expensive than Clarity. Quebec government gives $8000 on Clarity which makes more interesting. Plus with my daily driving range (~10km/day), I won't see the gas station unless i go for a trip. So even I can get ~40km/full charge, it will be still good during the winter.
 
It would seem unlikely that you would see negative remarks about a Clarity on this board. I think it is an outstanding car and will work well for a family but so would a new accord. The main thing that took me to the
Clarity was the government money. I will get back 12,500 US so my cost of the car was the same as for the Accord LX. and that is a no-brainer. If you so not get any government money then I would lean to the Accord.
 
stacey burke said:
It would seem unlikely that you would see negative remarks about a Clarity on this board. I think it is an outstanding car and will work well for a family but so would a new accord. The main thing that took me to the
Clarity was the government money. I will get back 12,500 US so my cost of the car was the same as for the Accord LX. and that is a no-brainer. If you so not get any government money then I would lean to the Accord.
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The Accord hybrid was just fully tested by Motor Trend in the article "2018 Accord Hybrid First Test: High Expectations Exceeded" ( https://www.motortrend.com/cars/honda/accord-hybrid/2018/2018-honda-accord-hybrid-first-test-review/ ). In real world testing, MT got 53.3/49 mpg (city/highway) which are Prius numbers. Remarkably, MT measured a 0-60 mph time of 6.7 seconds, which is V-6 level times just a few years ago. The Accord is about the same size as the Clarity but offers more interior room and a bigger trunk because it has a much smaller battery. The Accord will also handle better because it is lighter. With incentives however, the Clarity will actually be less expensive to buy and cheaper to operate if you are EV most of the time. You can't go wrong with either choice. Just depends on your specific needs and tastes (even some Clarity owners are not crazy about the looks. I'm not one of them. I love the way it looks!).
 
I traded in my ‘16 touring accord for the clarity. With all of the incentives and dealer discounts it cost me ~$900 to get a brand new car that will save me at least $1k per year in gas since I can charge up at work for nothing. I hadn’t planned to trade in my car as I loved the accord but I couldn’t pass up that deal. Interior room really isn’t noticeably smaller for my teenagers. The trunk is smaller but should pass the stroller test. We also have a 2007 Accord and the clarity feels bigger in the back.
 
ryd994 said:
Since you are in Canada, depending on your climate, I would probably recommend Accord hybrid over Clarity phev. EV range shrinks a lot in cold weather.
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No matter how cold the weather, the Clarity PHEV will always offer 40 to 50 times the paltry EV range of the Accord Hybrid. If you have no place to plug in, or if you need to travel more than 600 miles without stopping for gas, the Accord Hybrid is your car.
 
Phil C said:
Im totally into Hybrid & PHEV after seeing my friend's Sonata PHEV. Really surprised after seeing him not put the gas for 3 months.
After many studies and reading the review, Clarity is the most flashing and wanna have feeling. PHEV and big interior side and much more... I'm totally sold.
However, Since I'm in Canada, Quebec, it is impossible to see the actual car. No dealership has in stock or on the floor to test drive. I have to reserve it and wait until the cars arrive to see the real car (and the waiting list is pretty long).
We are very happy with our Honda Accord 2007 EX-L. Very spacious interieur, decent cargo size and for more than 10 years, it didn't give me a big trouble. But the MPG is getting worst, car itself is getting old, so it is time to look for our next car. We are 2 adults and 1 baby (4 months) and planning to have a 2nd one near future. Question to Clarity owners, how is it as a family car? Is the cargo space is enough for 2 strollers and other stuffs like grocery bags? I'm not looking for putting 60" TV or IKEA stuffs since they aren't anyways going into my current Accord. But we would like to see if we can keep the same habits.

Your thoughts & recommendations are much appreciated. :)
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What hasn't been mentioned much is the that the EV driving experience of the Clarity is sublime! You don't get that with the Accord. All the other issues are ones of degree, this one is all or none.
 
PHEV Newbie said:
The Accord hybrid was just fully tested by Motor Trend in the article "2018 Accord Hybrid First Test: High Expectations Exceeded" ( https://www.motortrend.com/cars/honda/accord-hybrid/2018/2018-honda-accord-hybrid-first-test-review/ ). In real world testing, MT got 53.3/49 mpg (city/highway) which are Prius numbers. Remarkably, MT measured a 0-60 mph time of 6.7 seconds, which is V-6 level times just a few years ago. The Accord is about the same size as the Clarity but offers more interior room and a bigger trunk because it has a much smaller battery. The Accord will also handle better because it is lighter. With incentives however, the Clarity will actually be less expensive to buy and cheaper to operate if you are EV most of the time. You can't go wrong with either choice. Just depends on your specific needs and tastes (even some Clarity owners are not crazy about the looks. I'm not one of them. I love the way it looks!).
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I’m surprised there was no reference or comparison to the Clarity. That would have been a useful and natural piece of the review. To be honest, I find the Clarity more attractive than the Accord.
 
I just traded in my 2002 accord for the 2018 clarity. The interior feels the same, but the trunk of the clarity is definitely smaller. I’m very happy with the clarity as my kids are older and don’t need car seats anymore. You can fit strollers in the trunk, but they’d have to be the umbrella type.

Good luck!
 
Moved from 2003 Accord LX to Clarity. Interior very similar (or better). Trunk by numbers actually bigger, strangely, but not quite as usable a shape, so looks and acts a bit smaller than Accord, but not much. I’d expect little/no problem. Pass through is considerably smaller, though.
 
jorgie393 said:
Moved from 2003 Accord LX to Clarity. Interior very similar (or better). Trunk by numbers actually bigger, strangely, but not quite as usable a shape, so looks and acts a bit smaller than Accord, but not much. I’d expect little/no problem. Pass through is considerably smaller, though.
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You found that the trunk is smaller than your 2003 accord? 2003 accord and 2007 accord has 14 cub feet and Clarity has 15 cubs feet, it should be slightly bigger, no?
 
Phil C said:
You found that the trunk is smaller than your 2003 accord? 2003 accord and 2007 accord has 14 cub feet and Clarity has 15 cubs feet, it should be slightly bigger, no?
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Yes, should have been clearer. "By numbers" the Clarity is bigger. However, it feels just a bit smaller, or perhaps the same, because it varies a small amount more from a nice rectangular space. Some of this is memory (I didn't ever own both at the same moment), and maybe once I get used to packing in it I'll get that extra 1 cu ft back, but I'd consider it basically "the same", I guess.

For your purposes: trunk size should not be the deciding factor, I think.
 
One car seat fits great, and two would certainly be fine. Not sure 3 would work well. It looks like there are latch anchors on the bottom for the outer seats not middle and 3 upper anchors. Moving from a compact car it feels super spacious to us! One (not umbrella) stroller fits easily in back although we don’t use it much anymore. We can easily pack for a week for 3 including camping gear in the trunk. If you’re used to an older accord you’ll have no issue. The hybrid accord trunk configuration with a flat bottom and larger pass through was appealing but honestly most people I know baby wear under one and stop using the stroller after 2 so the double stroller may be a short lived issue.
 
Cargo space was a major factor when I was searching for a car. We make summer runs to the beach where we packed the 2015 Prius with much more than the Clarity can fit. So the other features of the Clarity overrode our desire to have more cargo space. In the end we've had to make some adjustments to our beach loading and simply are not able to carry as much as the Prius. One of the biggest weaknesses is the 60/40 fold down seats only expose a pass-thru rather than a hatch-back type of spacious opening. There's no way our son's child sized kayak fits in the Clarity while it did the Prius.

On the other hand the shape of the 15.5 Cu Ft cargo space is quite good and we've been able to fit quite a lot in the trunk.
For a 1,000 mile recent trip
- 3 air mattresses and a pump
- 3 sleeping bags
- 3 pillows
- 3 duffel bags with five days of clothing
- Two backpacks full of electronics
- a coffee maker
- two bags of groceries
The trunk was full at that point and we put the small cooler in the back seat.
 
My friend has a new Lexus RX450h. Because it's an SUV it looks much larger than the Honda Clarity mainly because it's taller. But oddly enough it's almost exactly the same length and width of the Honda Clarity...off by half an inch in width. He was surprised at the interior roominess of the Clarity.
 
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