[Woodmann67]

I see that Honda has the Clarity EREV or PHEV available now. I could not help but think of the volt when looking at the spec sheet, there are many similarities, including the 1.5l ICE, and the SIMILAR Sized LION pack... EXCITING TIMES...!!

( I Just noticed I dropped this in the Gen2 Cat - My Apologies, should be under general EV discussion?)

 

[jcanoe]

I see that Honda has the Clarity EREV or PHEV available now. I could not help but think of the volt when looking at the spec sheet, there are many similarities, including the 1.5l ICE, and the SIMILAR Sized LION pack... EXCITING TIMES...!!

( I Just noticed I dropped this in the Gen2 Cat - My Apologies, should be under general EV discussion?)

There is an active Honda EV/PIHV forum that includes news/reviews on the Honda Clarity vehicle here http://gm-volt.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?354-Honda

 

[Breezy]

I like the Clarity and its larger passenger compartment. That's something many people have been asking for: A Volt, but bigger. The battery is large enough to get the maximum tax incentives.

Unfortunately it's a PHEV and not an EREV. I have some experience with both types of plug-in hybrids now (between the Pacifica and the Volt) and I much prefer the way the Volt operates. The Pacifica has just enough power to get up to speed without the engine coming on most of the time, but it requires paying attention to the power display.

 

[viking79]

I just bought a Honda Clarity PHEV and wrote a review for it here:
https://carswithplugs.wordpress.com/2017/12/18/2018-honda-clarity-phev-initial-review/

There is a very slight difference in how the Volt and Clarity operate, and the difference is with the Clarity if you request more power than the battery can provide with the go pedal, then the engine starts to provide the difference. It is still easy to drive the Clarity all electric for its entire range at any speed it is capable of driving.

I am keeping my Volt, but the Clarity replaces our minivan. With 40+ mile range and 40+ mpg with comfortable seating for 5 it was a pretty easy decision. The standard Honda Sensing safety features were also a huge selling point. Having ACC and lane keeping as well as automatic braking is really nice. If you never want the engine to start, buy a BEV.

However, the Volt is sportier driving, especially in L. It has heavier regen and the battery is capable of supplying more power. I also like some of the information screens better. I haven't driven Gen 2 Volt, but vs my Gen 1.

 

[Breezy]

I imagine the Clarity does better at staying all-electric than does the Pacifica. It weighs 4000 lbs and has 120 hp from the battery (33 lbs/hp) compared to 5000 lbs and 114 hp from the battery (44 lbs/hp). The Pacifica doesn't have any sort of detent in the accelerator pedal travel either, which would be nice feedback to have.

For me it's not a matter of never wanting the engine to start, otherwise I would have bought a BEV. But I'd still rather the engine stay off as much as possible on short trips.

 

[viking79]

Nice to know, I like the Pacifica as well, but I didn't end up driving one. I am glad to see more models like it. I agree with you though, I would rather be able to have EV only mode, but I think both of them are trying to market to general buyers and emphasize the cars are just normal cars, that happen to benefit from being plugged in. Chrysler and Honda both seem to be marketing that way.

 

[mr_raider]

How do you judge the trunk size? We need a family hauler for vacations (2 kids) and the volt does not cut it.

Is the trunk weird sized? On paper it's as big as Mazda 6.

The alternative is the outlander PHEV but the range on that is pathetic.

 

[Mr X]

One of the ugliest vehicles I've ever seen.

 

[VoltAP1]

How do you judge the trunk size? We need a family hauler for vacations (2 kids) and the volt does not cut it.

Is the trunk weird sized? On paper it's as big as Mazda 6.

The alternative is the outlander PHEV but the range on that is pathetic.

viking79's blog has great info on the Clarity. Here he posts on the trunk vs. the gen 1 Volt:

https://carswithplugs.wordpress.com/2017/12/23/2018-honda-clarity-phev-junk-in-the-trun/

IMO, the trunk is kinda oddly shaped, with a slight hump towards the front, and a very small pass-through into the passenger cabin. The braces to enhance the structural integrity really take up a lot of space, I wish they had squared off the opening more at the expense of maybe a few less N-m/deg twist in chassis stiffness that no one would be able to tell the difference in.

The Volt definitely has the edge on cargo carrying flexibility. Even if the Clarity maybe has more interior room, it'd be difficult to fit larger items in there.

 

[pdxman1]

viking79's blog has great info on the Clarity. Here he posts on the trunk vs. the gen 1 Volt:

https://carswithplugs.wordpress.com/2017/12/23/2018-honda-clarity-phev-junk-in-the-trun/

IMO, the trunk is kinda oddly shaped, with a slight hump towards the front, and a very small pass-through into the passenger cabin. The braces to enhance the structural integrity really take up a lot of space, I wish they had squared off the opening more at the expense of maybe a few less N-m/deg twist in chassis stiffness that no one would be able to tell the difference in.

The Volt definitely has the edge on cargo carrying flexibility. Even if the Clarity maybe has more interior room, it'd be difficult to fit larger items in there.

Did you notice that the back of the Clarity back seat has a metal piece that sticks up. It is part of the latch that holds the seat back. When the back seats are folded down you could put a pretty large object on top of them, except that metal piece is sticking up.

 

[VoltAP1]

Did you notice that the back of the Clarity back seat has a metal piece that sticks up. It is part of the latch that holds the seat back. When the back seats are folded down you could put a pretty large object on top of them, except that metal piece is sticking up.

Yep, it really just looked like a difficult car to haul anything with. I personally find myself putting a large-ish item in my car much more often than I need to transport 5 people, which was a win for the Volt in my book. When you fold the seats down, you get a ton of usable space to move cargo.

 

[Eagleco]

Did you notice that the back of the Clarity back seat has a metal piece that sticks up. It is part of the latch that holds the seat back. When the back seats are folded down you could put a pretty large object on top of them, except that metal piece is sticking up.

Yep, it really just looked like a difficult car to haul anything with. I personally find myself putting a large-ish item in my car much more often than I need to transport 5 people, which was a win for the Volt in my book. When you fold the seats down, you get a ton of usable space to move cargo.

The Volt is exactly the right size for us and the hatchback is a real bonus compared to our previous compact sedans with conventional trunks. The Clarity is not as bad as the Fusion PHEV regarding the trunk but It's bad enough that it would have been a problem for us.

 

[Doctoss]

Now that the weather is improving down here in Tennessee mu Gen 2 Volt is back up to over 60 miles per charge. I like the size of the Clarity, what are people getting in miles per charge with the warmer weather?

 

[mr_raider]

Just saw the clarity in the flesh. Took it for a test drive. A few observations:

The trunk is pretty good sized.for a mid sized sedan. Bigger than the accord Hybrid, and about the same size as a Mazda 6. Its bigger than many compact sedans like an Ats or our Volvo S60.

The passthrough is tiny. Its really not much of home Depot car. Seeing as we usually have two car seats up in the back its not a if deal for us. The car is ideally suited for road trips and stuff. I could fit a stroller and out family's luggage easily fora weeks vacation.

The interior is nice. Really nice. And I have a 17 volt with two tone leather interior. Its nicer than many Acuras I've seen. The base clarity has all the kit you need and I view as the upgrade to the touring trim as superfluous.

The detent in the accelerator pedal is very firm. Its impossible to inadvertently start the gas engine. I was able merge on the highway with minimal effort in EV mode. Acceleration is less brisk than the volt. Especially off the line until 50km/h.

Canadian claritys have a battery heater. Its possible to drive in pure EV mode below 0. If there is a cut off point for the engine to come on, I don't known where it is. But it's not a set temp like volt Erdtt.

All in all I really like the car. I'm considering it as our second car, and I like it way more than the Outlander PHEV.

Now.if Incan convince the wife to give up the CUV idea.

 

[VoltAP1]

I had the engine coming on roughly half way to the decent with 25-35% battery charge. It surprised me, and was a little disappointing.

The interior is super nice. I found the Base seat bottoms uncomfortable though. The angle was very flat, so I had no thigh support. I thought the Touring was worth it. You also can’t precondition the interior with the Base from what I saw. Seemed a stupid thing to option out since it’s so integral to a PHEV experience.

 

[mr_raider]

I had the engine coming on roughly half way to the decent with 25-35% battery charge. It surprised me, and was a little disappointing.

The interior is super nice. I found the Base seat bottoms uncomfortable though. The angle was very flat, so I had no thigh support. I thought the Touring was worth it. You also can’t precondition the interior with the Base from what I saw. Seemed a stupid thing to option out since it’s so integral to a PHEV experience.

Difference in trims? In Canada the base has Honda Link.

 

[VoltAP1]

Difference in trims? In Canada the base has Honda Link.

In the US the base model definitely does not have remote pre-conditioning, only the Touring:

https://automobiles.honda.com/clarity-plug-in-hybrid#specifications


I was also not a big fan of the base model steering wheel. It felt especially cheap to me during the entire test drives I took in it. It jumped out at me since the rest of the interior is so nice. Which would push me towards the Touring.

 

[css28]

Another difference market-to-market is I believe the US gets power seats with the Touring.

 

[VoltAP1]

Another difference market-to-market is I believe the US gets power seats with the Touring.

Canada doesn't? That stinks, the power seats made them much more comfortable to me since the seat bottom went down about an inch lower in the back and you could adjust the angle. The Base manual seats were way too high at their lowest setting, to where I had less headroom than in the 2G Volt. I'm 6' 3", so it was getting a bit tight. The Touring seats gave me at least 1" more headroom and opened things up quite a bit around the noggin area.

 

[mr_raider]

From what I saw the touring did not have power seats. The touring gets a leather wrapped wheel and sued dash inserts. The base gets vinyl dash inserts, vinyl wheel, and suede/fake leather combi seats.

In Canada the touring and the base each have different color options, buy only two each.

But from what I read the major difference is the electric battery heater. The clarity seems to run erdtt based on battery temp on not external temp.

Looks like I have to buy one to figure out the details ?