Not criticizing at all, just pointing out the smarter choices they made compared to other brands. One of the competing brands doesn't have electric heating in the PHEV models, so you would completely lose preheating and cabin heat in electric, which probably surprised some buyers. Likely a big shock to a new owner.
The Optima/Sonata PHEV twins are very different from the Clarity. They are mostly ICE driven cars because their electric motors are very weak (only 67 hp! vs 181 hp in the Clarity) so they can depend on ICE heating. Unless you drive like my kids' 90 year old grandmother and stay off highways, you can't stay in electric mode at all. Because of this, they actually have 6 speed dual clutch transmissions whereas the Clarity has no shiftable transmission at all. The Clarity relies on its electric motors to accelerate from 0-45 or so before the clutch can connect the drive wheels with the ICE (if you are not in EV mode). The Clarity and Chevy Volt are the only PHEVs designed so that you can stay in EV mode in everyday driving. The BMW i3 with the optional range extender is also different because it is mostly EV plus a tiny 3 cylinder engine that works as a generator to give you a little bit of extra range but you have to drive it gingerly in that mode because it's underpowered.
Thanks Viking for the clarification. Of course, the other difference is regardless of the peak output potential of the electric motor, they are limited by battery capacity. Thus, the 120 hp of the Clarity without a boost from ICE electric generation needed to take it to 181. That makes most other PHEVs even worse in EV mode alone (all but volt have smaller batteries) and generally impractical to stay in EV mode in normal driving unless you drive like a 90 year old grandmother
.No, I was always able to preheat my PHEV Sonata.
But only using the ICE, yes? I understand that the car has no electric heater.
I actually can’t recall if it was the ICE or electric. I do recall the heat came on quite quickly, so I’m really not sure how the heat was produced.
My brother-in-law has a very difficult driveway to back out of, especially at night. My previous car, a 2014 XLE Camry gave me a clear picture from the backup camera at night. The Clarity is very dark and worthless for backing up at night. I don't know if the camera was better in the Camry, if it had more light from the backup lights, or if it had infrared light built into the camera. It just worked on the Camry and not on my Clarity.
Same with our 2018 Honda Odyssey and that's where the analysis really breaks down - if they HAVE a better camera, then us it. Same goes for radio/infotainment system. ALL 2018 models should have the radio knobs and controls of the 2018 Accord. It's like - we made this "model" from the late 2016 Fuel Cell Clarity, so "oh well"...
Absolutely. Low light sensitivity and clarity do benefit the driver as you back up. At night, the difference between these cameras can be quite dramatic.
Honda put all the money into the big battery, the hybrid powertrain, and the amazing lightweight/high-strength construction. Many of the rest of the Clarity's parts, such as the cameras, come from the Civic.
For night time rear view , if you press the day/night on the bottom left of the screen it has a very much brighter and better picture. As far as the right camera there is a setting that can make it brighter also... not quite sure where I found that 8 months ago but it is there and makes a difference.