Scale from 1 to 10?

[JKroll]

Its 8.5 to 9 for me ... i just rue at its potential to get 10
Love lot of things about the car. Actually for me heavier is better and noise is also less.

Nobody mentioned the excessive trips to dealer for maintenance. The oil change frequency is irritating when ICE is not even used.Overall maintenance trips are just too much.

 

[Dataminn]

I have a 2018 Clarity Touring, purchased new, and I live in a cold weather state. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Clarity. I find the ride to be exceptional, I have had no problems, the seats are very comfortable, the interior is elegant, and the trunk spacious. The car has averaged around 100 miles per gallon, remembering that you are still paying for the electricity. Range is never an issue because you have the ICE for times when the batteries are depleted. I noted that the new issue of Consumer Reports has the Clarity ranked as the top midsized sedan, which is quite a change from its initial observations, which, at the time, I thought to be extremely unfair. The car they first described was not the car I was experiencing. As someone remarked earlier, nothing is perfect, so I give it a 9.5. I take away the .5 for exterior styling, although it is surprising the number of comments that I get about it having a "cool" look.

 

[Fast Eddie B]

Nobody mentioned the excessive trips to dealer for maintenance. The oil change frequency is irritating when ICE is not even used.Overall maintenance trips are just too much.

In just over 2 years and 44,000 miles, our Clarity has been to the dealer once*, for its first oil change/inspection - which was free. I changed the oil myself one year after that. Annual oil changes should suffice for most folks. I inspect the brakes and suspension when rotating tires every 10,000 miles. Not sure the extra trips to the dealer do a whole lot more.



*I took it in once when I thought I might have a warranty issue with wear on the nav screen, but that turns out to be wax buildup which I took care of myself and documented here.

 

[d99]

I just received Consumer Reports, the January 2021 edition. Based on survey responses to Clarity owners over the past three years, predicted reliability for the 2021 model is in hallowed territory. A score of 41 to 60 is considered average.

The Clarity scored 85, among the very best. Even better than the Honda Accord at 59, the BMW 3 series 72, and slightly better than the Toyota Camry.The Tesla Model S scored at 26. The UGLY Prius Prime scored an 88.

That confirms what most people in this survey say about their 2018-2020 models. Their maintenance costs have been peanuts. Other than two tires that had to be replaced (never had that before, but can't blame the car), my maintenance costs over the past three years have been peanuts.

 

[Landshark]

The Tesla Model S scored at 26.

This was brought up on an RV forum where a discussion about an EV truck alternative to a 1-Ton diesel dually for towing a 12-15K lb fifth-wheel devolved into a discussion about all things Tesla.

The Tesla aficionados dismissed the news as nothing more than another useless CR report. They refused to accept that their little darling had gone from hero, Tesla was CR’s #1 brand in 2015, to zero in a few short years. CR now puts Tesla at 25th out of 26. Ahead of only Lincoln.

Of course the Clarity is only a few years old. Time will tell how it holds up.

 

[Jimmy Vo]

As for my case, I made a mistake since I found out my driving fits more with BEV, so I would recommend people to evaluate their daily driving before buying PHEV. So for my driving, I would give it a 5 since I never use ICE during my driving.

As for a car, I love the Clarity. I like everything this car does, also the look. I would give it a 9. If someone has to buy PHEV, this is a car I would recommend.

 

[insightman]

I never use ICE during my driving.

If the Clarity's 47-mile EV range is sufficient for all your driving, can't you just pretend it's a BEV? Of course, the illusion will evaporate when the Maintenance Minder tells you it's time for an oil change. After the pandemic's over and you can go places again, you'll appreciate how quickly you can fill a 7-gallon gas tank compared to the time required to charge a Tesla at a Supercharger (I assume that's the BEV you wish you'd chosen instead of your Clarity). Do the new Consumer Reports ratings make it any better with the Clarity being one of the most reliable cars and the being Tesla second-to-worst?

@Jimmy Vo, when I replaced my 2-person family's second car (Honda Insight #3) this year, I didn't buy a second Clarity PHEV. I bought a BEV. So it is easy for me to understand your position. However, if our family were to keep only one car, it would be the more versatile Clarity.

 

[Bender]

Still looking at possible alternatives to replace my totalled vehicle... (none immediately near me to see in person, but I see prices look around $30k, then $6k tax credit for GT in non ZEV state). Any Clarity owners compared with the mitsubishi outlander PHEV? acceleration looks poorer, but it's AWD. Shorter EV-only range. reviews say it's not as quiet.
It's infotainment gets low marks but looks similar to Clarity.

Nada values (for 2-3yr old) look slightly higher than comparable Clarity touring.

Edit: actually, there's some 11 mi from me...

 

[d99]

I think the Clarity design works much better with a tint on the windows. This is 70% tint on the front windows (legal in California) and 35% on the rear. Ceramic wax makes the 2018 model look like new.

I've seen a white Clarity with tinted widows - that looks the best.

 

[Bender]

My kingdom for a volume knob!!

Have you seen Ford's approach? (In the Mach E)
Knob on top of a touchscreen surface.

I should have made a speculative reservation. So not liking my options for the unplanned clarity replacement...

 

[Landshark]

As for my case, I made a mistake since I found out my driving fits more with BEV, so I would recommend people to evaluate their daily driving before buying PHEV.

Since the 47 mile EV range of the Clarity is sufficient to meet your driving needs, any BEV on the market would also meet your needs.

Which would you choose, and why?

Also, Bender is looking for a vehicle to replace his recently totaled Clarity. Maybe you can work something out?

 

[Bender]

Also, Bender is looking for a vehicle to replace his recently totaled Clarity. Maybe you can work something out?

But there's no tax credit on used .

 

[Landshark]

But there's no tax credit on used

What if the used price is the same or less than the net cost of a new car after all credits and incentives?

Seems a few members have sold 1 year old cars for low-20’s. If your insurance pays $30K, you could end up with a lightly used car, and $7500.

 

[Agzand]

Have you seen Ford's approach? (In the Mach E)
Knob on top of a touchscreen surface.

I should have made a speculative reservation. So not liking my options for the unplanned clarity replacement...

Nothing else on the market provides same level of comfort, EV range, and price. We are looking for a second car and I test drove a few. Made me appreciate the Clarity more than before.

 

[Bender]

Seems a few members have sold 1 year old cars for low-20’s. If your insurance pays $30K, you could end up with a lightly used car, and $7500.

Good point. Kind of three separate exercises (negotiating ins. upwards, deciding on replacement, negotiating replacement.) On that note, going to look today at an Aug '19 in service date 2018 touring in white that's local (not too happy about the interior color on those).

 

[ashmtl]

EV mode is the default mode upon start up. Yes, I’m referring to a Clarity.



I understand why the engine may start under those conditions. The car gets negative points for this characteristic. It isn’t that I want the battery to be overcharged, I’d rather the car simply use the friction brakes in that situation and not start the engine.



A heavy right foot will send the car out of EV Mode, temporarily. There’s no way, other than properly modulating the accelerator, to guarantee that the car will stay in EV Mode.

Make sense?

I’ve scored the car a 7, as a whole, on its own merits.

Absolutely. If it will be done that way, the car would not respond to your "heavy foot" and will not give any performance, because this is not a Tesla, and it is not designed to run only on the batteries. Even if it would be done the way you described, it would make no sense at all, because your electric range (EV mode) would go down to maybe 20-30 km. Just by watching my foot (I was one of those heavy footers used to 5L engines) I achieved 90 km EV drive (in summer of course) without losing much on performance. This is not a car for young and fast drivers, it is more for retired or old ones like me .

 

[Bender]

This is not a car for young and fast drivers,

?? The acceleration times are on the fast side, compare to other phevs and compare to other sedans (but obviously it's not a sports car or a tsla model s plaid with 2s 0-60).
The infotainment is not great, but younger people would only use Android auto or apple carplay anyways, and those worked near flawlessly for me.

Sedans and quiet/ comfortable riding vehicles in general... probably skew older. Except for all the old people with compressed spines that insist on "sitting higher" are excluded.

 

[Landshark]

If it will be done that way, the car would not respond to your "heavy foot" and will not give any performance, because this is not a Tesla, and it is not designed to run only on the batteries. Even if it would be done the way you described, it would make no sense at all, because your electric range (EV mode) would go down to maybe 20-30 km.

I’m not following you at all. The car can be driven in EV, on just the batteries, with a careful right foot. It will accelerate just fine without engaging the ICE. Driving in this manner does not reduce EV range. I’ve driven more than 60 miles on several occasions using EV only. I’m not asking Honda for neck snapping acceleration. It couldn’t have been that difficult to map the accelerator differently or add a switch that would “lock in” EV mode and prevent the ICE from coming on. The car would accelerate just as it does while modulating the throttle, like an EV with a 121hp motor.

Just by watching my foot (I was one of those heavy footers used to 5L engines) I achieved 90 km EV drive (in summer of course) without losing much on performance. This is not a car for young and fast drivers, it is more for retired or old ones like me .

Agreed. I can live with even the limited acceleration from 121hp. One of my other vehicles is a 30,000lb motorhome with which we tow a 5500lb Jeep. Zero to 60 time is probably around 30 seconds. Yet we manage to merge onto freeways, change lanes, pass trucks and arrive at our destination. I don’t need or want a car that would encourage me to drive like a jack hole on public roads.

 

[ashmtl]

I am not saying it is a not a good suggestion. I would like to have that option too. Just trying to understand why the Honda would do it the way it is done. One other thing I do not understand is why the batteries do not get charged to max or at least to 90% in Hybrid-Charging mode.

 

[Landshark]

Just trying to understand why the Honda would do it the way it is done.

My guess would be that they did not want to limit a driver to having only 121hp available.

One other thing I do not understand is why the batteries do not get charged to max or at least to 90% in Hybrid-Charging mode.

My theory on this is that it is a moderately aggressive charging rate and Honda opted to cut off charging at ~60% SOC. DCFC’s seem to cut off charging at 80%. Honda took a more conservative approach.

There could be other reasons. That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.