Why did you buy a Honda Clarity PHEV?

Delivery of my Clarity is planned tomorrow. Why did I choose this model?

Well, I have always opted for energy efficient car (my first car was a Geo Metro 1992 :-) ). Have been interested in hybrids since the first Prius... finally in 2013 started to drive a Lexus ES300h which I loved. Average 6L/100 in summer, and 7L/100 in winter. Amazing for a car of this size. But funny how it makes you see things... now I consider anything above 7L/100 an indecent fuel consumption.

So for the next one, I really wanted to go one step further, closer to EV driving. Like many, don’t want the range anxiety however, and need a family car. Tesla is not in the range of what I want to spend on a car.

Have been interested in the Volt for a while, but it is a bit too small for a real family car. So here came the Clarity, this perfect combination of EV range in a real family car, with comfort. And I expect to do most of my normal driving on EV.

Of course, I have to compromise on some luxury items, like sunroof, heated sterring wheel and electric seats (yep - Canadian touring version) - but these are acceptable compromise for this great technology. And I was really impressed with comfort when I drove it - I would say it is really close to my Lexus!

Plus, I trust the Honda brand. Had two Acuras before and was 100% satisfied.

Finally, I think now the only other serious PHEV is the Volt - the others do not offer a sufficient EV range to be seriously considered I think. So given the Volt is too small, the Clarity was a clear choice!


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No Way! I didn't know the Canadian version doesn't have heated seats. That is an oversight to be sure.
 
So, up until 2014 I had had several Honda's. Civics and a Pilot and I've always been happy with the brand. In late 2014, I got interested in electric cars and traded in my 1-year old Civic SI on a Nissan Leaf (SI held its value amazingly well). I fell all the way for electric vehicles and have even volunteered for my local "Drive Electric" chapter where we dis Ride-and-Drive events for local dealers and go to events and tell people about driving electric.

The ultimate goal was a Tesla. I almost bought a Model S several times, but various concerns just kept me from spending that much money. I put my deposit in on the Model 3 on announcement day within a minute of the site opening (I had to work and couldn't drive down to wait in line). For the past two years, my family has gotten to hear over and over again about Tesla and the Model 3. I've been active on TMC and swore that I'd never buy another vehicle with a gas tank.

Fast forward to February. Continued disappointment with the interior of the vehicle, pace of the rollout, lack of any evidence of improvement in EAP or FSD, and significant disappointment with the fact that "line jumping" was wearing on me. When news came out about the build quality issues, I decided that my personal risk tolerance just wouldn't be a good fit for the Model 3. I consider myself a tolerant, early adopter, but the thought of driving 80+ miles through one of my least favorite cities (Denver) on a regular basis to deal with issues just broke the spell for me. I decided that I was just making too many compromises for my personal comfort. Some other things I didn't like: "iPad on a stick" console, no mechanical door openers for back seats in case of emergency, no-frame door windows, no Car Play, doors hard to close, having to baby the paint, etc..

So, on a Saturday morning, I started looking at other cars. As active as I had been in the EV community, the Clarity PHEV was a bit of a surprise for me when I found it on the website at the local Honda dealer. I knew about the FCV and the EV, but I was unaware of the PHEV. My wife and I went to look at it that day, but it had just been purchased. We then drove to the dealer in the next city over to look at a Grey model. It was sitting there in the parking lot, still covered in plastic and protective goop. It had just come off the truck about an hour before. I took a test drive sitting on plastic seat covers, got back to the dealership and after about a 30 second conversation with my wife, we bought the car. In between sitting with the salesperson and meeting with the finance person, I went online and cancelled my Model 3 reservation. I haven't regretted it at all since. Afterwards, my wife told me that she was very happy that I changed my mind. She didn't want to influence my decision, but she has been a Honda person longer than I have and she was much more confident with this purchase than she was about the potential of owning a Tesla.

I'm very happy with this car. I feel like I got most of what I love with just a little bit of what I don't. I drive electric almost exclusively. I've already done 1400 miles in the car and have used 11 gallons of gas, mainly because I had to go to the airport and back twice in that time. Other than those trips and my occasional drives to Denver for work, I will almost never use gas. However, after having a LEAF for 3.5 years, it's amazing to have a car that will go wherever the heck I want to go. If I want to drive back home to FL, I can. If I want to go to Canada, I can. All while riding in a very comfortable and quiet car. I enjoy it every day. This evening I made a special trip across town to buy coffee beans, mainly because I wanted to drive, even after a long day of work.

Things I love about the car:
1. It's a Honda (Tokyo Plant) - Super reliable. Amazing build quality. Doors, trunk, hood, windows, everything line up and close properly with a satisfying sound.
2. It was cheap(er) - Very reasonable price after $7.5k fed and $5k state tax incentives.
3. It's very comfortable and quiet - It's not a Model S, but it's way nicer than the other EV/PHEV alternatives.
4. I think it looks great - Even the unique backside.

Things I tolerate about the car:
1. The Angry Bees - Someone on here called the engine that and it just stuck. I've never had a hybrid so the engine speed not matching the driving speed is very odd and a little disturbing to me.
2. The Battery Size - I wish they had put a much larger battery in the car. I'd love to be up around the 70-80 miles I got from the LEAF.
3. The Quirks - Infrequently the car won't attach to my phone, when preconditioning the bluetooth turns on, the HV range meter is fictional.
4. The "Detent" - I really wish there was a switch to keep the gas engine just stay off no matter how hard I push the pedal.

One thing I don't use as much as I thought I would is the Honda Sense/TACS/LKAS system. I recently changed the type of work I do so I don't drive regionally as much as I had been. These options are really only useful on the highway, so I enjoy them on the occasions I get to use them. They really help with the driving comfort. It makes me want to do a cross-country trip.

Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase. I'm going to keep it about 2 or so years until my daughter is ready to head off to school and give it to her. At that time, we'll see where Tesla is or if Honda has parlayed this stealth stunner of a car into something even more amazing.
 
AlanSqB said:
I'm going to keep it about 2 or so years until my daughter is ready to head off to school and give it to her. At that time, we'll see where Tesla is or if Honda has parlayed this stealth stunner of a car into something even more amazing.
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I have a 2013 Leaf and in about a year-and-a-half my daughter will turn 16. She will get the Leaf. I figure whatever range depreciation the car has at that time will be a positive instead of a negative. Can't have her driving too far away!
 
I had exactly the same intention with my 2015 LEAF but Nissan and I could not reach agreement on the value of the car at the time of my lease return. I think it’s a great car for young drivers.
 
Ugh, my wife stole the Clarity this morning and left me with her F-150. It's a fully loaded Lariat and it's beautiful, but it felt like I was being punished after a few weeks with my Clarity. It feels like the difference between gliding down the road and lumbering down the road.

I'm going to have to start going to work earlier.
 
I've had 4 hybrids (2 Prius, 2 Avalon) and each upgrade was as much about newer tech as gas mileage. I opted for the 2nd Prius over a first gen Volt due to the short EV range and the much lower hybrid mileage. The 1st Avalon was so much quieter and smoother to drive that it tempted me away from the smaller Prius. The 2nd Avalon had some cool driver assist features. I had always wanted a plug-in, and was interested when the Volt range finally increased enough to handle my average day trips; however, by then I was spoiled by the Avalon's size and features.
In December I received an offer letter from the Honda dealer to take test a drive for a free gift card. My sister was scouting cars for her son, so we took the letter into the dealership. The Clarity was sitting in a corner and after I realized it was a plug-in with a 47 mi range, I drove it. I did as much research as one can do in an afternoon and bought it the same day.
I love that it has most of the features of the Avalon with a more comfortable and quiet ride and more advanced driver assist features. The EV range makes up for the features I lost and the tax credit put me over the edge. (But I probably would have bought it anyway. :rolleyes:) As much as I would love an all electric, I cannot foresee a time that it would be a practical option in my rural corner of the country, with its long driving distances and nonexistent charging stations. So my new Clarity is the best compromise for tech and comfort.

PS: I used the gift card to help pay for a charging station.
 
I own a Chevy Suburban which drinks gasoline. When the Tesla Model 3 was announced, I was intrigued and paid my $1,000 to get in line to buy one. I figured with the $7,500 rebate, it would be fun to own and I could avoid the gas station. Since that point, I have read many articles about Tesla and electric cars. I learned that the $7,500 tax credit may disappear for the model 3 prior to me having a chance to buy one, due to selling an excess off 200,000 cars. When I began researching the credit, I stumbled onto plug in hybrid cars. I found a list of vehicles eligible for the federal tax credit. I read a few reviews of the Clarity and became very curious. I went and test drove one and bought it, about one month ago. We love the car.

Still have my name in the hat to buy a Model 3. Ill see what I do when and if my number is called.
 
I was all about getting a Prius Prime (long line of Prius owners) but they were impossible to find in Texas; luckily while doing my research I stumbled on to the Clarity PHEV and it became an obsession to get one: bigger, more EV miles (47 vs 25), more comfortable, better trim, better looking, you name it. Thank goodness Toyota blew it.
 
dstrauss said:
I was all about getting a Prius Prime (long line of Prius owners) but they were impossible to find in Texas; luckily while doing my research I stumbled on to the Clarity PHEV and it became an obsession to get one: bigger, more EV miles (47 vs 25), more comfortable, better trim, better looking, you name it. Thank goodness Toyota blew it.
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What he said.
 
Wanted to update my "why" comments with this picture (from ExtremeTech) which sums my view of the styling of the Clarity, which so many auto websites diss, but in reality it IS an Accord with some aerodynamic green-car trimmings - I am SO SICK of the usual "the car is great but fugly" comments:

$
 
I actually bought a Clarity Touring but backed out of the deal because it took over 3 months to deliver, and by that time I’d realized I wanted a car with more stowage (suffering minivan withdrawal). I considered the Pacifica PHEV but it had a flaw compared to my 2010 Sienna which I knew would drive me crazy: The 2nd row seats can’t stow under the floor bc of the battery, but they also don’t flip forward. Then I learned about the 2019 Volvo V90. I’m holding out till I can order one of those!


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So here's why I'm getting a base one hopefully next week..

Price - after the tax credit, costco pricing gives a cost of about 500 more than a Prius Prime or Chevy Volt. Cannot find an Ionic PHEV or Fusion Energi to test drive
Comfort - Had a 2009 Accord and been driving a 2011 Outback for the last 6 months. The other two options are sub compacts.
Range - not as good as the Volt, but much better than the Prius
 
With federal and state tax credits this car is a far better deal than an Accord. It's almost like getting a top trim Accord for a mid trim Accord price. I don't understand why this car isn't sold out everywhere. It should be taking sales away from Accord.

Also the complaints about the Clarity exterior are unfair. I often mistaken the new Civic for Clarity when I see one they are so similar. This is Honda's overall design direction not something just for Clarity.
 
Was looking at BEVs incl. Tesla Model 3. At the time, Didn’t really understand that a plug in hybrid, if it has enough battery range relative do daily drive, is essentially a BEV for 97% of the time—everything except road trips. (Anyway, because of range/charge anxiety/charge time, BEVs are not that great yet on long trips).

Was struggling with Model 3($$$) vs Leaf (tiny) vs Bolt (cheap feeling, tiny). Was resigned to a hybrid; liked Hondas. My wife mentioned the Clarity that she had heard of....

Love at first drive. Fantastic car. Tax and state credit helped too.
 
1. High Quality build
2. Tax Incentives
3. Technology

The vehicle is built like a train, I understand people being concerned about the engine rev not being in sync with vehicle speed, but the car uses technology similar to train that uses a diesel to recharge its battery to feed electric motors. Its a better design and results in greater efficiency. Honestly, it would seem that Honda sees this car as a huge opportunity to analyze the data generated by our driving patterns to decide what works and what doesn't. My hope is that this will mean updates in the future that may further increase efficiency.
 
clarityplugin said:
Also the complaints about the Clarity exterior are unfair. I often mistaken the new Civic for Clarity when I see one they are so similar. This is Honda's overall design direction not something just for Clarity.
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And this Civic generation has been selling better than ever. The target audience might be the reason, Civic is for younger people who look for good price and style. And personally I think the new Civic looks great.
The Camry and Accord crowd are probably more conservative, if not boring, in styling for family sedan.
I think it's great that Clarity is not just another boring looking car.

I was looking for a family sedan that can be used for commuting to work and also road trip.
BEV is out of question, I don't want to worry about getting charged in road trip and have to map out the superchargers along the way.
There is no incentives for hybrid anymore which brings PHEV price down to much more attractive after incentives.

While everyone usually say Prius when talking about hybrid, Prius Prime is never considered which is the weakest of the crowd other than the name plate.
Was going to buy Ioniq which has just enough range for wife to commute to work daily (and mechanically I like it's auto transmission rather than CVT of others) before Clarity came on board. It has more tax credits, roomier, longer EV range for our weekend drive and larger trunk to accommodate the stuffs for our kid.
 
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