PHEV Newbie
Well-Known Member
The leather is likely just a byproduct of all the cows raised for steaks and hamburgers. A bigger impact is to get everyone to decrease their consumption of meat (we have). Some have said that the only real leather are the small perforated panels with the rest being leatherette. If that's true, I really can't tell the difference between simulated and genuine.
ralfalfa
Member
I bought the Base model Clarity about a month ago, after several test drives and about a year looking at other PHEVs (Prius Prime, Chevy Volt, Hyundai Ioniq). My reasons to go Base rather than Touring.....
1) I don't like electronically-controlled seats because I'm impatient. My wife and I are very different sizes (she's S, I'm XXL) and it is SOO much quicker to adjust the manual seat, particularly if you're going to the far ends of the adjustment spectrum. I hate standing next to the car hunched over, holding a button and listening to the seat go "buzzzzz"...... You still get heated seats, the materials aren't different in terms of comfort or looks in my opinion. I have no sense of style, however.
2) The nav system is the only other serious distinction, and my experience with built-in nav from other cars has been poor. I know it's pitiful to some, but I find Apple Maps more useful than any built-in nav I've ever used , and with Apple CarPlay built into the clarity it's a snap. Added bonus is CarPlay transforms the console touchscreen into a limited iPhone and suddenly my learning curve for the Clarity is gone. If the built-in nav had a head's-up-display I would have probably changed my mind.
3) Saved at least $3k. $3k is too much for a seat I don't like and a nav system worth $200.
One more word of advice for choosers- because this is a niche vehicle, some dealers (who live in eco-conscous areas) have steady overturn on Claritys while others (in more, ahem, "conservative" regions) have them sitting on the lots making the managers eager to get rid of them. Find one of the latter and make them a lowball offer for that one on the lot. I think I saved another $3k based on the fact my Clarity had been on the lot for almost two months. I only had to drive 40 miles to make that difference.
1) I don't like electronically-controlled seats because I'm impatient. My wife and I are very different sizes (she's S, I'm XXL) and it is SOO much quicker to adjust the manual seat, particularly if you're going to the far ends of the adjustment spectrum. I hate standing next to the car hunched over, holding a button and listening to the seat go "buzzzzz"...... You still get heated seats, the materials aren't different in terms of comfort or looks in my opinion. I have no sense of style, however.
2) The nav system is the only other serious distinction, and my experience with built-in nav from other cars has been poor. I know it's pitiful to some, but I find Apple Maps more useful than any built-in nav I've ever used , and with Apple CarPlay built into the clarity it's a snap. Added bonus is CarPlay transforms the console touchscreen into a limited iPhone and suddenly my learning curve for the Clarity is gone. If the built-in nav had a head's-up-display I would have probably changed my mind.
3) Saved at least $3k. $3k is too much for a seat I don't like and a nav system worth $200.
One more word of advice for choosers- because this is a niche vehicle, some dealers (who live in eco-conscous areas) have steady overturn on Claritys while others (in more, ahem, "conservative" regions) have them sitting on the lots making the managers eager to get rid of them. Find one of the latter and make them a lowball offer for that one on the lot. I think I saved another $3k based on the fact my Clarity had been on the lot for almost two months. I only had to drive 40 miles to make that difference.
Hope you like the base anyhow, but the power seats come with memory so you and your wife can have separate settings before you sit down. For those who have not bought one yet, I like the automatic seats for long drives that allow you to change seating positions dramatically which really helps my comfort. The Navigations system does have some advantages- it can work when you are in Canada and when there is no phone service. You don't have to plug in your phone. I was also surprised the black leather is not bad even in hot temperature because the AC cools the air remarkably faster than any other car I have owned. Also I spilled coffee and it cleaned right up. Dealers usually negotiate more off the Touring models as well.
Perhaps the novelty will wear off, but spending a few seconds watching the seat reconfigure itself to my exact settings enhances the Clarity's car-of-the-future provenance for me. The other day, I backed our, er, my wife's, Clarity out of the garage and jumped out of the driver's seat so she could drive. I heard a "WTF?" when the seat didn't reconfigure itself to her settings. In the future, I'll remember to close the door after I get out because the power seat doesn't do its trick unless you're opening the door while in possession of the alternate key fob.
If adjusting the seats between drivers includes raising and lowering the seat, then the power seats are actually faster. Also, the power seats allow you to alter the angle of the seat bottom, an adjustment not available with the manual seats of the base trim model.
If adjusting the seats between drivers includes raising and lowering the seat, then the power seats are actually faster. Also, the power seats allow you to alter the angle of the seat bottom, an adjustment not available with the manual seats of the base trim model.
weave
Active Member
For $3,000 savings I'd fly across the U.S. and drive my new car home. It's basically getting a free vacation. I've been on several cross-country drives. If you stop once in a while it can be quite a lot of fun. For example, if it wasn't for cross country driving, I'd never have experienced the awesomeness of the Mitchell Corn Palace in South Dakota!
Nathan66669
New Member
not a single mention of the pre-conditioning? My work has level 2 chargers, so not only do I get a free return trip home, I don't burn my *** on the seats or sweat and burn my battery to cool it off.
Even further, probably cheaper to run the pre-conditioning off the charger than from battery storage (there is always efficiency loss storing then discharging) provided it's only run long enough to get to temp and not left maintaining.
Even further, probably cheaper to run the pre-conditioning off the charger than from battery storage (there is always efficiency loss storing then discharging) provided it's only run long enough to get to temp and not left maintaining.
Pre-conditioning is available on both Base and Touring model.
neal adkins
Active Member
After a little more research I think the seat and steering wheel material is leather. Invironment friendly leather refers to the tanning method used. Very nice feel either way.
WolfpackCL
New Member
I thought this was only on the Touring as well until I test drove the base model and found out that it had pre-conditioning. As soon as I found that out, it was a no-brainer. Along with others, the 3k difference in price was not enough to sway me as the cloth interior is actually very nice, I use carplay/android auto for music/nav all the time, and memory seats were a non-issue as I drive the car 90% of the time.
stanigu
Member
Touring. The leather, the "suede", and the power seats with memory made the car feel much more upscale. Plus I hated the plastic steering wheel on the base--it screamed "economy" every time I sat in one. Nav was not that important to me, but the other day I was in an area with weak cell signal and it came in handy, so I suppose it's useful from time to time...
I thought about the Touring a little (I'd love to have leather and power seats), but went with the base. The price difference really isn't that great so I do sometimes wish I went the other way. The nav doesn't really matter to me. I always used to use a Garmin dash top unit, once I got a smart phone I used Googlemaps, and now with Android Auto it is even less useful to have the built-in nav. Now, if a sunroof came on the Touring I definitely would have gone that way, but I guess it wouldn't really work with the center valley/indent built into the roof design (I guess that is for aerodynamic effect).
The touring model is more prevalent in my area but I opted for the base model. The main difference was lack of power seats, leather and navigation. This was not worth the extra $3000 to me. The manual seats are fine and the seats comfortable. I have been using google maps and waze for years as they are more accurate than systems such as Garmin. The integration with Android auto on my phone is seamless. Add other features like sunroof, rear backup sensor and it would've given me pause.
Yeahbut, no leather steering wheel -- worth $3K all by itself.
Tell me more about this "stripper" model.....
sorry. couldn't help myself...[emoji12]
Sent from my SM-N950U using Inside EVs mobile app
OK, so the Touring's leather steering wheel by itself is only $405.93, not $3K, but the 2-driver automatic seat adjustment is worth a lot to me and my wife. Even though I don't use the nav, I think the Touring's worth the extra money (I haven't accidentally laid a greased thumb on the white fake leather covering the dashboard yet).
A comparison of the controls on the two wheels might reveal a difference that would disqualify the Civic Si steering wheel.
