Prospective Buyer seeks advice

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ProspectiveBuyer

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I'm pretty close to taking the plunge and buying the Clarity Plug-In, but I've reading various threads here and am starting to get nervous. It seems that there are a lot of unaddressed issues such as the inaccurate HV and EV usage figures that are shown on the readout; frequency of warning light, emissions code warnings and check engine lights; the strange sound of "bees" when the battery is depleted, and so on. Do the benefits of this car measure up to these shortcomings????
 
ProspectiveBuyer said:
I'm pretty close to taking the plunge and buying the Clarity Plug-In, but I've reading various threads here and am starting to get nervous. It seems that there are a lot of unaddressed issues such as the inaccurate HV and EV usage figures that are shown on the readout; frequency of warning light, emissions code warnings and check engine lights; the strange sound of "bees" when the battery is depleted, and so on. Do the benefits of this car measure up to these shortcomings????
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Yes. By far.
 
I would say there are very few issues and it's a great car. The HV (hybrid Vehicle) mileage estimate does not work if you use mostly EV miles (which it seems most of us do). But that is the only real issue I have had and it is more of an annoyance than a problem. There are rare instances at low speeds where the ICE revs at high speeds, this is by design and not 'issue.' It has rarely happened for me and not really bothered me when it did (once I understood what it was). The warning light issue has been seen by some folks on this forum, but I believe by very few. I have never seen it.

If you are looking for a PHEV the Clarity had the best ride of any we tested (which was many). Now that the weather is nice we get over 50 EV miles per charge so we almost never use gas. I am old and this is the nicest car I have ever owned. Are there things I would change? yes. But they are not the sort of things that would make me nervous about buying one.
 
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Absolutely! 1,800 miles over 3 months with only 2 gal of gas used with none of these problems; not even once.
The vast majority of posters on this forum are not reporting problems and are extremely happy with their purchase. I can tell you my car has perfect fit and finish, is unbelievably quiet and economical, and has plenty of power in EV mode. Take an o/n test drive on a charged up car and you will see. It’s the best of both worlds: EV driving locally for 47m at 110MPGe and 294m at 42 mpg (using EPA #s which I esily beat). And did I mention NO range anxiety! The bonus is it’s a real full sized car with a very nice interior and ride. Currently I don’t think any PHEV out there can touch it fornfeatures and price.
Disclaimer: Like everyone, I too have the HV rage total miscalculation problem but that is a small price to pay for a car with so many great features.
 
6,000 miles on our base model.
EV range is generally spot on.
HV range is an issue but in reality more of an annoyance than anything - if your gas gauge is full you have several hundred miles if it's near zero stop and get gas.
I started the "Multiple Systems Warning" thread but the system reset by itself and the issue has not reoccurred after a couple of thousand miles.
Our other vehicles are a 1998 V8 Dodge Dakota, a 2002 CRV, a 2005 Accord and a 2005 Highlander and at its noisiest our Clarity has been quieter than those.
YMMV but we only have two issues with the Clarity:
1. Who gets to drive it
2. Do we buy another one or just keep waiting to see if the Hybrid CRV finally makes it to the US market.

Good luck,

geo
 
Also agree, if you recharge all the time and can drive at least half the distance in EV. Not sure where the daily range break-even point is between the extra cost of PHEV vs normal a hybrid.

HV and EV estimates are based on your own driving history.

EV is quite close I find.

I've only filled up twice - 7 ltrs and 12 ltr, which seems to be when the system recalculates the HV range.

After first fill-up HV showed 387km, and after the second one, now showing 1063km range. So it seems to calculate range based on your particular mix of EV/HV usage (ie: total distance / fill up * total quantity in tank after fillup). Have used 0 gas since last fillup.

Also read a lot of other forums, reviews and experience with the Clarity PHEV but have not seen anything about warning lights.
 
I agree with KentuckyKen. I purchased my Clarity in December and have yet to put in any gas. I have had none of the reported problems and I am currently getting about 65 miles of EV driving on a charge. My MPGe for the past month has been about 142 with a high of 164. The most electricity I have used in 1 month is $11.70 vs about $40 per month on my last car for gas. The car has plenty of power and is very quiet to drive.
 
Remember, people come to forums to complain or look for answers, negative stuff tends to get the most attention. When the car is working correctly, fewer people will say so.

I love the Clarity, it is a great car.

Some facts about mine:
1. HVAC fan made clicking noise, replaced under warranty
2. When battery is depleted the engine sometimes revs at high RPM for a short time. Buzzing sound, it isn't a fault really.
3. A vast majority of the time the car drives nicely, even on gas. I have 10,000 miles on mine, about 100 gallons of gas.
4. I get 33 to 45 mpg on gas at real highway speeds, for a 4000 pound large car this is amazing.
5. I have saved over 400 gallons of gas vs driving my minivan
6. Range issue, if you know it is there it isn't a problem
7. Best highway car I have had.
8. Great in the city too, have seen electric range up to 67 miles in town.
9. So quiet, quality is excellent
10. Fit is mediocre, my panel fit is not very uniform and some badges were crooked. Not enough that I cared.
11. Replace "I" above with "my wife", it is really her car, but she tells me if there is something she doesn't like.
12. Would I buy one again? YES
 
The clarity issues are quite minor, and infrequent.

Imagine the list of things we don't see on the forums. Things like breaking, steering, breakdowns, or other major things.

The Clarity is the nicest, most comfortable, quiet, spacious, well equipped car I've ever owned. On top of all of that, given my previous experience with several Honda products, I expect super reliability too.

Just buy it.
 
Agree with K8QM. EV range is accurate, even though I tend to get more miles than the range estimate probably because I don't use the HVAC as much as I could. Most importantly, the battery charge gauge and the gas tank gauge on the dash are very accurate. So any HV range inaccuracy is a really minor issue. In both EV and HV efficiency, reviewers have exceeded the EPA estimates as have I, consistently. I was on vacation in CA last week and rented a 2017 Toyota Camry SE in pristine condition. That car was slower, handled worse, and had a harsh ride compared to the Clarity (only got 29 mpg on mostly highway driving). Was so glad to get back to my Clarity!
 
* The techie me loves it, always switching displays and pushing the drive modes and paddles.
* The non-techie wife uses it more and would tell me if there was something she didn't like. For her, it's just pressing start and driving in full comfort.

Saved 80 litres in 2 weeks from previous CR-V, or $115 at current prices here. Minus electricity cost around $20.
 
I don't let my wife drive my Clarity. I'm afraid I wouldn't get it back and I would then be stuck with her Lexus. Ugh.
 
I'd rather be annoyed that my HV range display shows an inaccurate 880 miles when I fill the gas tank because I drove almost 1500 miles on the previous six gallons than fill the gas tank every 10 days. I'd rather try to understand from others' experiences why the ICE comes on unnecessarily when the battery is full than have it on all the time because the car doesn't have a battery.

I have high expectations about the quality of the Honda I'm driving, and I would like them to fix the issues. But I'm still very happy to be driving it.
 
ProspectiveBuyer said:
I'm pretty close to taking the plunge and buying the Clarity Plug-In, but I've reading various threads here and am starting to get nervous. It seems that there are a lot of unaddressed issues such as the inaccurate HV and EV usage figures that are shown on the readout; frequency of warning light, emissions code warnings and check engine lights; the strange sound of "bees" when the battery is depleted, and so on. Do the benefits of this car measure up to these shortcomings????
Click to expand...
These are from a few of the thousands of buyers. I have never experienced any of these issues other than the incorrect milage on gas #, no gauge. Otherwise, the best car I have ever owned by a long shot-
 
I'm happy to agree with everything that's been said here already. Lots of minor annoyances - some of which I didn't realize were annoying me until I read about it on this forum. But an amazing, quiet car and hardly any gas used. I have made three long distance trips (over 300 miles) and have put in a total of less than 20 gallons while approaching 3000 miles on my base model. The reasons I bought it were clear and no other car comes close to meeting my needs so perfectly:

1. As a single-car family, I did not want a BEV where I would have to consider renting every time I needed to do a trip out of town or had a busy day of driving around town.
2. MOST of my driving is to work and back (<5 miles) and I wanted something that would allow me to stay on battery on all trips except when I head out of town. The EV range on this vehicle is perfect.
3. I wanted the safety features many modern vehicles have. I love the ACC, LKAS, CMBS, Back-up cam, traction control, etc. I wish it had blind-spot detection.
4. I wanted a comfortable, luxurious, quiet, 5-seater sedan. I was used to that with my 2009 Nissan Altima and would not consider downgrading. I didn't.
5. I needed a full-size trunk. I have no truck or other large vehicle and I need a trunk that will not only handle my skis, but also other large shopping items without having to borrow a vehicle from someone else.

Nothing else on the market meets ALL my needs so well.
 
Let us know how it goes — and what you end up with. Plus, if you don't mind, let us know what the out the door total cost was!

If I might piggyback on your thread...

Like you, I have had some misgivings about the Clarity (thanks to all who responded as your comments helped allay some of my fears)... I am still hesitating, though, because of concerns that the 2019 model will add knobs, blind spot detection, pedestrian, cross-traffic alerts, and clean up a few of the minor issues. I'd hate to buy it now and a few months later have a new and improved model come out with the features I’d like. Arranging the charger set up is another barrier or hang up (brining in an electrician, plugging it in, old house circuitry, etc.).

I'm also trying to figure out if it even makes sense to buy it given that we use less than 70 gallons of gas a year anyway with our current regular old Accord. We're half tempted to just get a Civic (also lacks the blind spot indicator, etc.) or Prius (full suite of safety features, but less than stellar crash tests) — both of which would give us better mpg and modern safety features — and let that tide us over for a few years until the EV, PHEV market shakes out more.

Any observations welcome!
 
Thanks, have been doing that! As the owner of an old Accord, it feels very familiar and would eliminate all the “complications” of the Clarity!

But still lacks BSM and RCTA!
 
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