fotomoto
Active Member
Agreed, all those behaviors are normal for a hybrid. As Yannick says in on of the videos, "The car is just doing what it wants."=EXACTLY!
Clarity Issues
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Agreed, all those behaviors are normal for a hybrid. As Yannick says in on of the videos, "The car is just doing what it wants."=EXACTLY!
Robert_Alabama
Well-Known Member
I'll admit that I haven't paid complete attention to this thread, but from what I've seen I'd recommend that @Yannick sell/trade/donate his Clarity. He will not be happy with it ever, whether we agree it is misbehaving or not. For him, I'd say this is like the old movie Wargames, the only winning move is not to play.
MNSteve
Well-Known Member
Agreed, plus this forum is not exactly the best place to rant about the car and be unwilling to listen to any input.
CyberDyneSystems
Member
Sorry if this question is considered off topic, but this thread is really scaring me.
I am a mostly happy Prius Prime owner, that has been only unsatisfied with the limited real EV range of the Prime. (and the backseat configuration, but that's only a problem about 10% of the time)
My house is solar powered, so if I "upgrade" to the Clarity, I will be able to commute to and from work on EV powered by Solar.
I do consider it an upgrade for a number of reasons, amenities, EV range, passenger count, etc. and of course it does cost about $10K more than the Prime did.
I purchased my Prime in October of 2017, and coming on two years the car has been typical perfect Toyota, flawless,.. but that limited range is hurting me feelings! Every time the gas engine kicks in and my MPG score drops I die a little (Ok sorry for the hyperbole, but you get my point)
I am literally days away from trading in for the Clarity, but reading these threads about the power loss, the HV/EV idiosyncrasies, it sounds like Honda's implementation is half baked compared to Toyota's which really has been flawless. And Honda's silence on the scary power loss issue,. that really has me concerned about making this switch now.
Would anyone care to offer their point of view on making this potential switch?
Is there any evidence that the 2019 is less problematic than 2018?
(I was hoping to get a deal on a 2018)
On paper, the Clarity appears to be the perfect car. (it was announced literally DAYS after I bought my Prime, otherwise it would have likely been what I bought in the first place)
thanks in advance.
I am a mostly happy Prius Prime owner, that has been only unsatisfied with the limited real EV range of the Prime. (and the backseat configuration, but that's only a problem about 10% of the time)
My house is solar powered, so if I "upgrade" to the Clarity, I will be able to commute to and from work on EV powered by Solar.
I do consider it an upgrade for a number of reasons, amenities, EV range, passenger count, etc. and of course it does cost about $10K more than the Prime did.
I purchased my Prime in October of 2017, and coming on two years the car has been typical perfect Toyota, flawless,.. but that limited range is hurting me feelings! Every time the gas engine kicks in and my MPG score drops I die a little (Ok sorry for the hyperbole, but you get my point)
I am literally days away from trading in for the Clarity, but reading these threads about the power loss, the HV/EV idiosyncrasies, it sounds like Honda's implementation is half baked compared to Toyota's which really has been flawless. And Honda's silence on the scary power loss issue,. that really has me concerned about making this switch now.
Would anyone care to offer their point of view on making this potential switch?
Is there any evidence that the 2019 is less problematic than 2018?
(I was hoping to get a deal on a 2018)
On paper, the Clarity appears to be the perfect car. (it was announced literally DAYS after I bought my Prime, otherwise it would have likely been what I bought in the first place)
thanks in advance.
Is it a lease or is there another motivation behind the trade? It might be a good idea to suffer through one more year of Prius ownership to see what’s next. Clarity is an experiment and not everyone is going to be ok with the challenges that could come along with owning a low production vehicle for the long term.
Would a BEV work for your use case? I can say I get the very same feeling you described every time my Clarity engine starts knowing that if I was in a Tesla, I would have made the whole trip without it. It’s kind of like losing a game. It isn’t the end of the world, it’s just sad.
Would a BEV work for your use case? I can say I get the very same feeling you described every time my Clarity engine starts knowing that if I was in a Tesla, I would have made the whole trip without it. It’s kind of like losing a game. It isn’t the end of the world, it’s just sad.
LegoZ
Active Member
I have personally never had the power problem. Also due to the $7500 tax credit you may find the Clarity ends up being cheaper initially. You may hate the combined 340 range though.
I have had to car since Dec 2018 and have put 18,000 miles on it. There have been no occurrences that are like what your read. Based on the comments on this forum, which likely skews toward those that might have problems, I think it is a very small minority that have experienced power loss. EV range in warm weather is above 55 and even the coldest Boston days are ~40 (that is local driving- all highway is less). HV milage is always over 40mpg on the highway. 2019 is the same as 2018. I think it is the perfect car and after the rebates is only slightly more expensive than the Prime. (I am a previous owner of two Prius's and besides the extra EV, the car drives so much better than a Prius and is so much quieter on the highway. Go for it.
UncheckedException
Member
This is a topic of active debate in this forum, and I have to assume there’s some degree of variability among Clarities because I’ve seen none of these issues myself. Officially, the only time when you might experience a loss of power would be on a steep, prolonged incline with no battery in reserve (2 bars or less). If you anticipate climbing a literal mountain, save some battery for the climb or use HV Charge to build some reserve beforehand.
My advice to you would be to try to find a Clarity on the lot with 2-bars of power or less and test drive it. You’ll be seeing that particular car at its worst since it’s been sitting, and if you’re fine with it then it won’t be a problem for you.
To add my personal anecdote to the mix, I drive my Clarity primarily as a hybrid, and over 21,000 miles and multiple long, hilly road trips, I’ve never had a loss of power. But I suppose your mileage may vary, if you pardon the pun.
Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
CyberDyneSystems
Member
Thank you for your prompt replies. I was hoping that this was a small percentage issue, but of course, for whatever reason, it was the first thread on this forum I read! Bad place to start!
Yeah, the overall range is pretty sad considering it is half what a Prime gets, but I have only taken my Prime on two long trips in two years, whereas I drive to and from work daily. I have to prioritize that. I did get a rebate on the Prime,. but with the longer range, the Calrity gets me 2,500.oo more for the rebate.
thanks again.
Yeah, the overall range is pretty sad considering it is half what a Prime gets, but I have only taken my Prime on two long trips in two years, whereas I drive to and from work daily. I have to prioritize that. I did get a rebate on the Prime,. but with the longer range, the Calrity gets me 2,500.oo more for the rebate.
thanks again.
@CyberDyneSystems :
Since you asked for a personal point of view, here’s mine:
Forums like this one tend to attract people who are passionate about their cars. There is love and there is hate, and there isn’t a lot in the middle. The specific expertise you can find here is wonderful, but the experience of those who post isn’t necessarily that of the average owner.
I’ve greatly enjoyed my Clarity, and have had few problems. You’ve done your research. Take the plunge.
Since you asked for a personal point of view, here’s mine:
Forums like this one tend to attract people who are passionate about their cars. There is love and there is hate, and there isn’t a lot in the middle. The specific expertise you can find here is wonderful, but the experience of those who post isn’t necessarily that of the average owner.
I’ve greatly enjoyed my Clarity, and have had few problems. You’ve done your research. Take the plunge.
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
From the perspective of an owner for the last year and a half, I would say don’t be alarmed by some of the negative reports here. Mine has been flawless with never a lack of power and never any “angry bees” high engine revs.
Remember that most owners don’t join this forum and so don’t post anything. Thus you get a very skewed amount of problems vs. happy campers. Personally, I think some problems may be operator errors in not understanding the concept of a PHEV such as letting the battery deplete to 0 EV and then trying to go at very high speeds, up hills, or fully loaded. Any trips over 50 miles, I just put it in HV and get 49 mpg on gas. Then I go loooong stretches in town all electric. I haven’t pumped gas since July 4 of last year.
Hands down this has been the best car I have ever owned. One and a half years and almost 10,000 miles on less than 20 gal of gas. And all in roomy near luxury comfort with plenty of room and no range anxiety. I charge mine by solar too, so I say my car is fusion powered. I’d buy it all over again in a heartbeat. If you’re risk adverse, you can always do what I did and buy the Honda Care D80 8 year warranty for only $1,304.
Jump on it!
Remember that most owners don’t join this forum and so don’t post anything. Thus you get a very skewed amount of problems vs. happy campers. Personally, I think some problems may be operator errors in not understanding the concept of a PHEV such as letting the battery deplete to 0 EV and then trying to go at very high speeds, up hills, or fully loaded. Any trips over 50 miles, I just put it in HV and get 49 mpg on gas. Then I go loooong stretches in town all electric. I haven’t pumped gas since July 4 of last year.
Hands down this has been the best car I have ever owned. One and a half years and almost 10,000 miles on less than 20 gal of gas. And all in roomy near luxury comfort with plenty of room and no range anxiety. I charge mine by solar too, so I say my car is fusion powered. I’d buy it all over again in a heartbeat. If you’re risk adverse, you can always do what I did and buy the Honda Care D80 8 year warranty for only $1,304.
Jump on it!
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Agree, 40,000 miles and no real issues (4 minor repairs, "2" of which were software updates, multiple updates).
Power loss and engine starting are hybrid concerns, could probably experience with any hybrid.
I have low serial number car of 1347, part of first wave to US.
Edit: other 2 repairs were noisy climate fan blower, replaced, and a recall for faulty climate computer and water valve or something. Those never exhibited issue for me, but were replaced/fixed.
Power loss and engine starting are hybrid concerns, could probably experience with any hybrid.
I have low serial number car of 1347, part of first wave to US.
Edit: other 2 repairs were noisy climate fan blower, replaced, and a recall for faulty climate computer and water valve or something. Those never exhibited issue for me, but were replaced/fixed.
If you only take about 1 long trip a year, you might consider looking at a 100% electric vehicle and perhaps renting something for those long trips. The majority of those on this forum do indeed have the PHEV, but there a few here that have the BEV version. Where you live will dictate to some extent the BEV choices, but CA and OR tend to have the most (and that is where the Clarity BEV is available).
If your usage pattern would be covered by a xxx mile (89, 150, 200, etc) EV with he exception of your long trips, the amount you save in maintaining the ICE might come close to being a wash.
UncheckedException
Member
I have definitely depleted the battery to 0 EV and then floored it to high speeds, no problem. I’m starting to suspect that, to some people, the engine coming on and spinning up to a high rev makes the car *feel* slower. If you’re used to quiet, electric drive, the drone of a relatively small Atkinson engine/generator sticking at a specific rev might sound like the car is struggling.
Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
Rajiv Vaidyanathan
Active Member
As others have mentioned, I think you're falling victim to the availability bias and over-weighting a low probability event. If you're one of those people who gets nervous about flying soon after there is a widely publicized crash, then this may be an okay way for you to operate and you may be comfortable with making decisions on the basis of emotional reactions to limited information (honestly, I do not mean this to sound as condescending as it does - I honestly think sometimes emotional decision making based on incomplete information leads to more personally comforting outcomes).
But, I am one of those MANY people who have owned the Clarity for a year and a half and have never experienced any of the power loss issues. I bought my Clarity in January 2018 and it has been as close to perfect as I can imagine. As a one-car family, I needed a car that I could operate mostly on EV (I live 3 miles from work), but had the ability to take me on longer trips to places like the Twin Cities (2.5 hours), Chicago (7.5 hours) and Madison (5.5 hours). It's been perfect for that. I needed a car that would fit my skis and also comfortably seat visiting relatives in the back seat. It's been perfect for that. I wanted a car with some modern safety features like LKAS and ACC. It's been perfect for that. I admit to being spoiled by a little luxury and wanted a sedan that would be luxurious, smooth, quiet, and comfortable. It's been perfect for that.
There have been some minor annoyances and I can certainly find the time to gripe about the infotainment system, the lack of blind spot detection, the awful wipers, the initial charging problem (which has now been fixed), and others. But, hardly a week goes by without my commenting out loud to my partner how much I love this car and how perfect it is for me.
There will undoubtedly be something better to come along within the next few years. But at the moment, I find it hard to believe there is a vehicle that meets my needs as well as the Clarity.
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I have 5000 miles on my 2018. Been flawless for me. Best car I’ve owned at this stage in its life. Overdelivers on EV range and mpg. A bargain after the $7500 incentive and about $3000 off MSRP and $1000 from Con Ed (So Cal utility). I think the “reliability” issues for 2018 are either driver errors or a couple software updates to take care of the HV mileage estimate issue in July 2018. If one is annoyed by a small ICE engine starting up from time to time, one shoild buy a BEV, not a PHEV.
David Towle
Well-Known Member
When I bought mine in Oct 2018 I compared extensively to the Prius Prime and there is no comparison (unless maybe you lean towards a very small car for NYC say). The Clarity is way bigger, for both people and luggage, more comfortable, and when I was shopping way cheaper too. The reports of engine revving have died down, I think they may be a case of the car being put in a situation it had not encountered before and not having enough data yet. 15,000 miles and very happy at this point. As I posted elsewhere I got an indicated range of 82 last EV fillup.
JFon101231
Active Member
Long and short from someone who came from a Fit EV - go for it! Other than the initial trip to the dealer to fix the range indicator etc, and the minor annoyances (ICE coming on even when full, regen preferences don't 'stay'), I've been very happy and have 10k miles on it since Dec 31, roughly 90% of that electric. I would have kept my Fit EV for the $200/mo if I could have but otherwise very happy with the purchase. Car is more comfortable than the Fit and IMO feels much more luxurious than the Insight.
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I've been sampling PHEVs and one EV the past five years or so, Volt gen 1/gen2, Bolt EV, Clarity Touring, and now Clarity Base. Clarity is my favorite by far, no problems, no issues (well I fixed a small rattle).
Someone will correct me if wrong, but these Clarity models (PHEV) share a lot of chassis, suspension, and body components with the $60k Hydrogen version, meaning the cabin is near Acura class, if not there. I never had a Prius, but I am guessing that you will find the cabin trim and ride exceptional by comparison.
Be sure to review the price thread, there a still a lot of good deals to be had.
Someone will correct me if wrong, but these Clarity models (PHEV) share a lot of chassis, suspension, and body components with the $60k Hydrogen version, meaning the cabin is near Acura class, if not there. I never had a Prius, but I am guessing that you will find the cabin trim and ride exceptional by comparison.
Be sure to review the price thread, there a still a lot of good deals to be had.
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