PHEV Help: Prius Prime, Honda Clarity, or Volt

Sorry. Ill edit my words. I am just used to being able to adjust the air condition when needed.

 

You mean pressing these buttons?

 

Hm... sorry. My intent was not to incite the flames. You simply cannot turn off the air conditioning in reverse.

There is a bonus on the Prime. You can remotely activate the air conditioning cooling, defrost, or heat from your smart phone. This is through a safety connect subscription service. You get safety connect for 3 years when purchased new.

Here is the youtube tutorial link.

You also get remote vehicle finder.

 

It's easy to get that impression, but "definitely" isn't the case. It hasn't been for either of our Primes over the past year.

What would you be putting in back that would have the potential to obstruct?

 

The Honda does not have blind side warning. I was told when I test drove one.

 

For safety measure, I would suggest keep your eyes on the surroundings when you are backing up than making any adjustments of something that can wait.

 

I toss my luggage in the back when my wife drops me off at the airport. We carry groceries in the back on a regular basis. None of that has ever been an issue.

For trips where we travel (1,700 miles from MN to WY and back), we just drop the seats. There is usually stuff we transport to family, so the back gets loaded up with quite a bit of stuff.

Will you be purchasing & installing a level-2 charger? That can be expensive, depending upon your wiring circumstances.

Keep in mind, the 120-volt charger for Clarity is only 8-amp. That means a full night of charging to replenish the pack for the next day.

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We have two plug-in hybrids, a 2014 BMW i3-REx and 2017 Prius Prime. By coding the BMW i3-REx to European standards, 75% REx enabled and 2.3 gallon tank, the car cross country and mountain or hill routes are much improved. It still means stopping every hour and a quarter to hour and a half to refuel and keep the speed at or under 70 mph. This is where dynamic cruise control shines by following highballing trucks. The 72 mile EV range easily covers multi-stop errands and even reaching nearby cities, towns, and recreational areas:

• Why the BMW i3-REx | PriusChat

There are some 'edge cases' where the Prime can unexpected, run the engine. However, the community has investigated and documented these often avoidable cases. Still, the Prime is the cross country champion with enough range to drive through high-priced, gas areas. It easily drives beyond bladder range:

• Prius Prime Plus in my hands | PriusChat

Ultimately, you'll need to map your requirements, mandatory and the weighted options. Then ask 'she who must be obeyed' and be assimilated.

No one mentioned the Ford plug-in hybrids so I will. When I looked at them the cabin was comfortable and the ride 'American standard.' Perhaps not the most efficient, they have good creature comforts.

Bob Wilson

 

Volt is the smaller vehicle vs. Prime by almost 10-ft3.

Volt PAX Space 90.3-ft3
Volt Cargo Space 10.6-ft3
Total = 100.9-ft3

Prime PAX space 91.5-ft3
Prime Cargo Space 19.8-ft3
Total = 111.3-ft3

Now here's how to interpret the above numbers:
GM Volt is correct as stated - GM is not over-stating cargo space (because if they did, PAX space would look tiny)
Toyota is over-stating cargo space really closer to 12-14 ft3, and PAX space is really bigger.

So basically Prime has a full sized 2nd rear area (but only 2 seats there)
Volt has smaller 2nd row space but allows 3 smaller folks
Prime is slightly bigger cargo space.

Later I see what Clarity looks like volume wise:

>>Here is Clarity PHEV
Clarity PAX Space = 101.5-ft3
Clarity Cargo Space = 15.5-ft3
Total = 117-ft3

So Clarity is probably correct as shown (because it is the liftbacks that have the flexibility shift space to quote bigger cargo space)...Clarity is bigger vehicle yet.

 

No BSMS, Clarity only has LaneWatch which is a camera on the right side mirror, it is activated whenever a right turn is signaled. It can also be activated at any time by pushing the button at the end of the stalk.

Clarity only has two trims, standard and touring. No difference in safety features between the two.

 

It rides and handles like a rear wheel drive: precise steering and with windows up, quiet to a fault. It is very easy to exceed speed limit which encourages driving on cruse control.

The relatively short wheel base makes driving and parking a joy. However if your highways have ‘joints’, you can get a rocking motion. Change the speed a couple of mph and it goes away.

The two cylinder ICE is quiet compared to the traffic around the car. Only at speeds around or under 20 mph do I notice it. Below 6 mph, it stops.

Bob Wilson

 

Before doing in-depth homework and test drives last December, I was sure I would be buying a Volt. I really wanted to be patriotic, and "buy American", and I wanted the larger battery capacity (along with the accompanying larger tax credits). After digging deeper, however, I chose a Prius Prime. The main reasons were:

• The Prime had much more room in the hatch area than the Volt. I frequently have to transport boxes of books or other things, and often make longer trips with my wife with all our luggage. While the Prime's cargo area is reduced from a standard 2017 Prius because of the raised floor for the battery pack, it is still seems wider and longer (from the back of the rear seats to the hatch) than the Volt's.
• The Prime gets significantly better gas mileage when the gas engine is needed. Many of my trips are 200+ miles in a day with no opportunity to re-charge, so I would need to use gasoline with either the Volt or the Prime. Cost number games can be played to give either car an advantage, but, for me, the simple difference in MPG was the number that meant the most.
• The Prime's total range on a charge + full tank of gas is vastly better than the Volt's. That will only be an issue for me a couple of times a year when we take longer vacation trips, but we know it will be important to us when we do go on vacation.
  
• The Prime has a "charge mode" to charge the EV battery from the gas engine. The Volt, as best as I could determine, can only charge the EV battery by plugging it in. This is very important to me. I am often in an area where I cannot conveniently plug in for days at a time. While I could run either the Volt or the Prime as a gas-powered car, I feel that the Prime's hybrid mode when not able to plug-in for several days is vastly superior to the Volt's gas-powered mode. Add to that, is the Prime's ability to self-charge the EV battery means I can charge up when driving relatively steady speeds on a highway, and benefit from pure EV mode when driving in town, all without ever plugging in. The Volt cannot do that (at least I could not find a way to).
• I found the Prime seats for the driver and front passenger to be more comfortable than the Volt's. That's purely subjective, so others might feel the opposite is true. We seldom have rear seat passengers, so that was not a concern, but my wife and I did sit in the back of both cars, and also preferred the Prime's rear seats to the Volt's. Giving up the middle passenger position in the rear seat was a non-issue for our needs.

I did not look at the Honda Clarity in detail. It does not have a hatchback model, which eliminated that car for my needs and preferences. I also ruled out looking at the Tesla 3 because of availability and not having a gas-engine mode for longer trips. I did take a close look at the Hyundai Ioniq plug-in hybrid. it is also a hatchback. I liked it better than the Volt for space and comfort, but still not find it to be as good as the Prime's space and comfort (even with the raised floor in the Prime's cargo space).

The car I was replacing was a 2005 Prius which we had bought new in 2004. That has been a fantastic car, and it was not an easy decision to let it go (but our daughter and son-in-law needed a car, and our old Prius was a perfect choice for them). My wife and I have found the '17 Prime to be even better in almost every way from our '05 Prius. It rides better, is quieter, gets even better gas mileage in hybrid mode, and it is fantastic in EV mode. However, we very much miss all the little nook-and-cranny storage spaces that our '05 Prius had. Toyota made a big mistake when they removed all the little storage spaces in the Prius Prime.

BTW, we also own a 2012 LEAF, which we bought new. That is also a great car, but it is strictly an around-town errand car, and not for our frequent longer trips. We have considered replacing the LEAF with another pure BEV that has a greater range, but our old LEAF is adequate for how we use it, and it depreciated so fast that the cost difference to replace it just doesn't make economic sense. We will probably keep it as a second car for many more years. A used first-gen LEAF is so inexpensive now, that it might be a great second car for lots of people to consider.

Those are just my thoughts and opinions, but I hope it helps others who are comparing Primes and Volts.

 

doesn't #1 eliminate prime?

 

Yea .... & standard safety drive features & 5-star crash worthy-ness is apparently chopped liver too

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