I promise not to abandon you guys completely.

[Fast Eddie B]

Many here know the backstory here, but here’s a condensed version.

By 2018 we had acquired 100 shares of Tesla. The idea was to eventually cash them in for the Tesla of our choice. When the price hit $350, we were ready to buy a $35k Tesla, but no new Tesla was priced anywhere near that. Being both retired, we rarely have enough income to take full advantage of a $7,500 tax credit, but 2018 stood out because of Capital Gains we had from stock sales to build a home in E TN. So sell the shares we did, and started looking around.

We test drove a Volt and liked it a lot. Went to view YouTube reviews, and at least a few of them were comparison tests against a car we had never heard of. You guessed it, the Clarity. We test drove one and were impressed. Main difference was the interior room. Major factor was the reliability of our prior and current other Hondas - a 2005 Element and a 2006 Ridgeline. So we bought our 2018 Clarity base model, and it’s been wonderful and reliable and very economical over the 62,000 miles it’s been driven.

But then Tesla fever started growing again, and on Jan 4 of this year we ordered a 2022 Tesla Model 3 Long Range in Red. Exactly one month later we took delivery at the Knoxville, TN Service Center on Feb 4.

In the first month we’ve put on over 2,000 miles, including a road trip to Tallahassee, St. Augustine, St. Simons Island, McDonough, GA and then home, a 1,450 mile trip.

Our original plan was to keep the Clarity - we love the car - but came to see it probably didn’t make a lot of sense. We’re almost always together, and in the rare case one of us had to take the Flex (about 22 mpg highway) on a trip $60 fillups would hurt, but the money from selling the Clarity would pay for a LOT of fillups. We need to keep the Flex regardless, since it’s the tow vehicle for our travel trailer - and gets about 12 mpg with the trailer in tow. OUCH!

Now, my son-in-law has expressed interest in the Clarity. In fact his wife has it on a road trip to VA now and I expect that will seal the deal! Keeping it in the family would be nice. I’ve directed my son-in-law to this forum, which he has checked out. Look for Silas if he decides to join.

Anyway, people don’t come to a Clarity forum to hear people go on and on about Teslas, so I won’t. Unless someone has a specific question. But in short, it’s a pretty cool car. The (nominal) EPA range of 358 miles solves much of the “range anxiety” problem, and on our FL trip we were surprised at how many Tesla Supercharger stations there were enroute.

That said, the Clarity surpasses it in at least 3 areas:

1) The Clarity handles LKAS better than autopilot most of the time. Details to follow only if you wish.

2) The Adaptive Cruise Control equivalent on the Tesla is pretty much unusable on 2 lane country roads, slowing abruptly when oncoming traffic, or even shadows are wrongly seen as a threat. For the most part works OK on interstates.

3) The road noise is noticeably higher in the Tesla. Smooth asphalt is fine, but the rougher macadam or poorly maintained concrete roads we encountered on our trip were quite loud - loud enough to mask soft passages in music and vocal nuance and clarity in podcasts.

I’ll close here, only going into more depth if someone asks me to. And I’ll keep this forum’s tab open and promise to check it at least daily to see if my input might be valuable to anyone. You ain’t gettin’ rid of Fast Eddie that easily!

 

[lessismore]

we took delivery at the Knoxville, TN Service Center on Mar 4

I think you meant Feb 4. It's unlikely you have put 2K miles on your Model 3 after taking delivery today.
But congrats! Thanks for sharing your experience. Did you notice any panel gap issues?

 

[Fast Eddie B]

I think you meant Feb 4. It's unlikely you have put 2K miles on your Model 3 after taking delivery today.
But congrats! Thanks for sharing your experience. Did you notice any panel gap issues?

Oops on the date. Corrected. Thanks.

So far fit and finish, including panel gaps, appear fine.

Waxing the car for the first time, I found a few small blemishes in the paint, but nothing major.

 

[David Towle]

We bought our BEV in May. The Model Y had some nice features but I just decided I could not stand the exterior look. So we bought the VW ID.4 and are very happy with it, 11,000 miles now. Electronics are definitely not as good as the Tesla and of course its far slower but that's all fine given the price difference.

 

[MrFixit]

1) The Clarity handles LKAS better than autopilot most of the time. Details to follow only if you wish.

2) The Adaptive Cruise Control equivalent on the Tesla is pretty much unusable on 2 lane country roads, slowing abruptly when oncoming traffic, or even shadows are wrongly seen as a threat. For the most part works OK on interstates.

With all of the emphasis on Tesla's vehicle automomy this is surprising. I have found the Clarity's LKAS to be very annoying and never use it.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

With all of the emphasis on Tesla's vehicle automomy this is surprising. I have found the Clarity's LKAS to be very annoying and never use it.

I like the LKAS in the Clarity. Not so much for actually keeping lanes all the time, but for subtle nudge in the direction of a turn, kind of like power, power steering. And on the highway it can just manage to steer the car if I need 2 hands for a drink, let’s say.

The Tesla does a better job on the Interstate. But annoyingly, every time you change lanes, or nudge the steering wheel a little too much, it disengages completely and has to be reengaged once in the new lane. It’s only two downward pushes on the right stalk, but makes it seem much less seamless than in the Clarity. But the worst part is that on 2 lane backroads you never know when the car is going to spontaneously slow down aggressively. Different from the “phantom braking” incidents that are complained about loudly on the Tesla Motor Club forum and that the NHTSA is investigating. But still requiring one to constantly be at the ready with one’s foot over the throttle, making cruise control a lot less relaxing.

Tesla does push OTA updates somewhat regularly, so hopefully their programmers are working diligently to improve things.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

We bought our BEV in May. The Model Y had some nice features but I just decided I could not stand the exterior look. So we bought the VW ID.4 and are very happy with it, 11,000 miles now. Electronics are definitely not as good as the Tesla and of course its far slower but that's all fine given the price difference.

The looks of the Y don’t bother me, though the proportions do seem a little “off” to my eye. But form follows function and all that, and the proportions do allow for more storage space, which might be the deciding factor for a growing family. We just couldn’t see spending more money for a car with slightly less range. Plus, we have our Flex in cases where we need a big honkin’ SUV.

It was mentioned on the Tesla Motor Club forum that the Model 3 sits quite low, and it does. Noticeably lower than the Clarity. I’m 72 and Karen is a bit younger, and we’re both reasonably spry for some old guys. I have a friend who traded his lightly used Model 3 for a Y and is glad he did. As an aside, he got in trade just about what he had paid for his Model 3.

We tend to keep vehicles a long time, much longer than the 3 years we’ve had the Clarity. The Tesla has a 4-year warranty, and we plan on keeping it at least that long. But battery tech is improving so rapidly, and competition is moving so fast, that may change.

As an aside, we had a deposit on both the CyberTruck and the Rivian R1T. With the recent price bump, we’ve asked for the deposit back on the Rivian, even after they agreed to honor our original price. With the price bump we would have been looking a $93,500 for one spec’d out like we wanted, and that’s insane. Or at least more insane than our $80k pre-rise price. No telling what the CyberTruck will end up priced at, but we’re keeping our $100 deposit in place, mainly just to have “skin in the game”, as it were.

 

[Mowcowbell]

I think the regular OTA updates and reliable supercharger network is what really sets Tesla above the rest. Not ready to give up on my Clarity, especially right now with fuel prices in my area reaching $4/gal.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

So we bought the VW ID.4 and are very happy with it, 11,000 miles now.

I’m sure it’s a great car. VW, Hyundai and Kia all seem to be doing an admirable job moving into the EV space in force. We’ve acquired a small position in VW stock, counting on them being at the forefront in EV’s. Hope it does better than our small position in Rivian stock has done!

 

[Frankwell]

With all of the emphasis on Tesla's vehicle automomy this is surprising. I have found the Clarity's LKAS to be very annoying and never use it.

I also am very surprised. I am one of the minority, or at least on one side of the opinion of Clarity LKAS, I think it works surprisingly well compared to rental cars I have driven that had it. I have it turned on every time I drive, to me it's a good safety system, I try very hard to never be distracted but it can happen and it's good to have a backup. I often wonder if not all systems are calibrated the same. But it also depends on the road markings, so maybe where I live has roads that are better suited for the Clarity LKAS than other places. When I first got the car I was surprised to find that it is essentially capable of self-driving, at least to a limited extent. I have experimented with hands off the wheel when no other cars are around, and found that as long as it can see the markings it will drive the car down the road hands free, even around gentle turns, without the "ping-ponging" within the lane that I expected, most of the time keeping it right down the middle of the lane. Interestingly I found that as long as the car was actively steering, especially in a turn, it normally didn't prompt me to put my hands on the wheel. There are a couple of sections that I drive with some gentle back and forth curves and I have gone up to a minute hands free. Only when I reached a straight section did it disengage and prompt me to put my hands on the wheel. I suspect that when it is actively steering like in a turn it is less able to detect inputs on the steering wheel, i.e. it can't differentiate its own movements of the wheel from the driver's inputs.

It's not perfect, sometimes it drifts more towards the side of the lane than I would, which is one of many reasons that I didn't do these experiments with other cars around. But that seems to just be limitations in the software not the hardware, as there is an aftermarket product (quite pricey at around a grand) that plugs in via OBD and I think also via a CAM port, which uses it's own camera (but uses Clarity radar), and has its own software. It disables the hands on wheel restrictions, although it detects if your eyes are not on the road and will shut off after a few seconds if you take your eyes off the road. I have seen user videos on YouTube and it really seems to drive amazingly well. And it takes sharper corners than LKAS does, apparently the steering motors have more torque than the stock LKAS system takes advantage of. In my experiments I have found that anything beyond a gentle curve it disengages. Although one curve in my area is banked nicely and it handles that one pretty well.

I expected Tesla to work at least as well and even better than the add-on system for Clarity. Very surprised to hear that it is apparently still somewhat unrefined. Perhaps that is why Elon Musk doesn't tout full self-driving like he used to. I remember at one point he said people were essentially "idiots" (he used less blunt wording) if they purchase a car without self driving capability because the car will soon be obsolete. Seems like he said that at least three years ago, wish I could find the quote.

 

[JustAnotherPoorDriver]

I agree with Frankwell. I'm a fan of the LKAS. It isn't perfect, and I'm always trying to stay fully aware, but it gives me some piece of mind, especially when I'm in the HOV lane (so only illegal merges and no lane changes) that if my concentration momentarily breaks it will keep me in my lane and if the car in front brakes, the car will slow down.

I also use the ACC to do one-pedal driving on the highway--although I wish it was smoother in stopping in stop-and-go (and I wish we had true one-pedal). This will be my last gas car, but considering I kept my last car for 18 years, I anticipate I'll have it for another 10+ years.

 

[Johngalt6146]

My 2018 Clarity Touring (under $30k after rebate) is now 51 months old, with no complaints. With gas prices rising, and more people finally realizing the merit of electrics, it may soon be worth close to what I paid for it. The only car I crave is an electric convertible.

 

[GringoViejo]

Many here know the backstory here, but here’s a condensed version.

By 2018 we had acquired 100 shares of Tesla. The idea was to eventually cash them in for the Tesla of our choice. When the price hit $350, we were ready to buy a $35k Tesla, but no new Tesla was priced anywhere near that. Being both retired, we rarely have enough income to take full advantage of a $7,500 tax credit, but 2018 stood out because of Capital Gains we had from stock sales to build a home in E TN. So sell the shares we did, and started looking around.

We test drove a Volt and liked it a lot. Went to view YouTube reviews, and at least a few of them were comparison tests against a car we had never heard of. You guessed it, the Clarity. We test drove one and were impressed. Main difference was the interior room. Major factor was the reliability of our prior and current other Hondas - a 2005 Element and a 2006 Ridgeline. So we bought our 2018 Clarity base model, and it’s been wonderful and reliable and very economical over the 62,000 miles it’s been driven.

But then Tesla fever started growing again, and on Jan 4 of this year we ordered a 2022 Tesla Model 3 Long Range in Red. Exactly one month later we took delivery at the Knoxville, TN Service Center on Feb 4.

In the first month we’ve put on over 2,000 miles, including a road trip to Tallahassee, St. Augustine, St. Simons Island, McDonough, GA and then home, a 1,450 mile trip.

Our original plan was to keep the Clarity - we love the car - but came to see it probably didn’t make a lot of sense. We’re almost always together, and in the rare case one of us had to take the Flex (about 22 mpg highway) on a trip $60 fillups would hurt, but the money from selling the Clarity would pay for a LOT of fillups. We need to keep the Flex regardless, since it’s the tow vehicle for our travel trailer - and gets about 12 mpg with the trailer in tow. OUCH!

Now, my son-in-law has expressed interest in the Clarity. In fact his wife has it on a road trip to VA now and I expect that will seal the deal! Keeping it in the family would be nice. I’ve directed my son-in-law to this forum, which he has checked out. Look for Silas if he decides to join.

Anyway, people don’t come to a Clarity forum to hear people go on and on about Teslas, so I won’t. Unless someone has a specific question. But in short, it’s a pretty cool car. The (nominal) EPA range of 358 miles solves much of the “range anxiety” problem, and on our FL trip we were surprised at how many Tesla Supercharger stations there were enroute.

That said, the Clarity surpasses it in at least 3 areas:

1) The Clarity handles LKAS better than autopilot most of the time. Details to follow only if you wish.

2) The Adaptive Cruise Control equivalent on the Tesla is pretty much unusable on 2 lane country roads, slowing abruptly when oncoming traffic, or even shadows are wrongly seen as a threat. For the most part works OK on interstates.

3) The road noise is noticeably higher in the Tesla. Smooth asphalt is fine, but the rougher macadam or poorly maintained concrete roads we encountered on our trip were quite loud - loud enough to mask soft passages in music and vocal nuance and clarity in podcasts.

I’ll close here, only going into more depth if someone asks me to. And I’ll keep this forum’s tab open and promise to check it at least daily to see if my input might be valuable to anyone. You ain’t gettin’ rid of Fast Eddie that easily!

 

[GringoViejo]

Nice report, and best of luck with your Model 3. I wish I had bought some Tesla stock when you did.

FWIW, I don't use cruise control or the equivalent on any car, so none of that is an issue for me; however, there is wind noise and tire noise on the Model 3, especially if you have 19" or larger wheels. On the other hand, it's a lot of fun to drive.

There's no need for me to comment on the Clarity here except that I wanted to buy one when they were first introduced but couldn't wrap my head around the idea of Honda making such an uncomfortable front seat, say compared to any Accord.

For prospective EV buyers out there, the Model Y is much smoother and quieter than the Model 3: really solid, but in spite of actually being faster than the Model 3, it's not quite as much fun to drive. (Now that we have two, my wife only lets me wash the Model 3, but getting in and out of the Model Y is much better for my knees, etc.)

 

[su_A_ve]

What do you think about interior size? Recently someone at work traded his Clarity for a 3 - his commute was longer than what the Clarity would do in EV mode and got tired of the engine revving up so much (told him many times he would need to learn to switch between EV and HV modes but..) One thing he mentioned was the 3 felt smaller than the Clarity.

 

[GringoViejo]

What do you think about interior size? Recently someone at work traded his Clarity for a 3 - his commute was longer than what the Clarity would do in EV mode and got tired of the engine revving up so much (told him many times he would need to learn to switch between EV and HV modes but..) One thing he mentioned was the 3 felt smaller than the Clarity.

According to the stats on Edmunds.com, the Clarity has slightly more interior volume (117 vs 112 cubic feet) and cargo capacity (15.5 vs 15.0 cubic feet) and is about 8 inches longer and an inch wider and an inch and a half higher.

How does your friend like his new car now that he has it for a while?

For me, at least, the Model 3 has a much more comfortable (and adjustable) front seat and is a lot of fun to drive. Both cars have their quirks, as noted. Again for me, the main thing was getting used to the Tesla interface, which took about two weeks. Now that I know where things are located, and how to access most of them with voice commands, I no longer miss seeing instruments through gaps in the steering wheel. The Model Y interface is nearly identical except for additional backup features.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

What do you think about interior size?

It feels to us about on par with the Clarity for roominess. It does sit noticeably lower, which makes getting in and out a bit tougher, more like a sports car.

I haven’t tried it yet, but it appears a bicycle or other large object might be easier to stuff in the trunk with the rear seats folded, due to the full-width pass-through compared with the relatively narrow one in the Clarity. Similarly sized under-trunk storage, plus the frunk, which I use to mainly carry the EVSE cable when traveling and a few adapters.

 

[Frankwell]

Looking at interior dimensions, in the front seats each has their advantages, an inch more headroom in the Tesla, and half an inch more legroom. However Clarity has about three inches more hip room and shoulder room.

Dimension - Clarity - Model 3

Front Head Room (inches) 39.1 40.3

Front Leg Room (inches) 42.2 42.7

Front Shoulder Room (inches) 59.7 56.3

Front Hip Room (inches) 55.8 53.4


No surprise that Clarity is a little nicer for rear passengers. Although Clarity has a half inch less headroom it has an inch more legroom, and again three inches more hip and shoulder room.

Dimension - Clarity - Model 3

Second Row Head Room (inches) 37.1 37.7

Second Row Leg Room (inches) 36.2 35.2

Second Row Shoulder Room (inches) 57.3 54

Second Row Hip Room (inches) 55.6 52.4

Of course for many people rear seat dimensions are meaningless, but for people who sometimes carry adults in the back it seems to be a tiny bit more luxurious in the Clarity for rear seat passengers.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

As an update, we just yesterday signed the title of the Clarity over to my son-in-law. I gave him a "family discount" and let him have it for an even $20k. I think that's fair, given the accident history that darned deer caused, but otherwise pretty much routine wear and tear for a 3-year-old car with 62,000 miles. He's been driving it for over a month, and is loving it and saving a lot of money on gas compared to the Honda Pilot he'll be selling.

We just did our second road trip in the Tesla, again to FL but pretty much just to Tallahassee and back. Spent $54 on Supercharging. Still pleasantly surprised at how conveniently located and available Supercharger stations are along that route. Charging usually takes around 20 minutes - when the battery is reasonably low the charge rate can exceed 1,000 miles per hour! And in that 20 minutes we usually just find a nearby place to grab coffee and a snack or whatever. Really have never felt unduly delayed by needing to charge.

Once I adapted to "Autopilot", mainly realizing its limitations, it works reasonably well. This is NOT Full Self Driving, which is now a $12,000 option. Its more akin to the Adaptive Cruise Control and LKAS in the Clarity. It does both a bit better than the Clarity - EXCEPT when it suddenly slows down rapidly for no apparent reason which can still a bit disconcerting.

Anyway, I'm still seeing this Safari tab open, and will check in periodically to chime in when appropriate. If you ever find yourselves near Knoxville and want to stop by, maybe for a quick charge, just give us a head's up!