Did you consider the Honda Clarity before your Prius Prime??

The Honda Clarity seems like a good car but before you get your hopes up check availability. They are impossible to find new with a tax credit in most areas.

 

I've only considered and purchased Toyota's for the last 45 years. A large, perhaps largest, factor is the dealership is exemplary.

 

Thought about trading in my first PP for Clarity. It was a nicer car for sure. I liked the comfortable ride and the way it drove than PP. I was not too worried about the reliability issue everyone talked about Honda hybrid. After all, I drove Civic Hybrid for almost 10 years and it was the most economical car I have ever owned. (I wouldn't say it was the most reliable due to the failure of the IMA hybrid battery at 149kmiles. But it was replaced free under warranty.) That being said, two things made me decided not to get Clarity. No hatchback and shorter overall range. Also, Honda did not have as aggressive rebate offer as Toyota had on PP, making Clarity quite a bit more expensive even with a bigger fed tax credit.

 

I didn't consider the clarity as much as the ioniq. The reliability issues and the length of the clarity steered me away from it. Otherwise it would have been perfect with the ev range and interior. When I test drove it it was near silent and really smooth.

If I were to get a plug in now I would strongly consider the ioniq

 

I did not consider the Clarity. The Prius Prime had the advantage that I've been in Toyotas for 30+ years. The majority of the controls are the same position and function as my wife's Camry Hybrid. That got me looking at the new Prime.

I liked the features. I liked the ergonomics. I liked the fastback. Her Camry is lacking in ability to carry bulky things.

I looked up the stats and was suitably impressed. I suffer a little from range anxiety. I went through the 1973-74 Oil Embargo and remember the "8 gallons every other day" fuel policies. Even in recent years I've been trapped in traffic jams that took several hours to clear. The 650 miles per tank/charge means I don't have to worry about running out in those circumstances.

A few years ago I rented a Rav4 with the lane keeping feature. I hated it. The car and I disagreed as to where the center of the lane was. I don't have that problem in the Prime.

If I was less impetuous I would have done the math and gotten a 2019 instead of a used 2017. I would have cleaned up on all the rebates and credits and such, paying about the same for the new one as I paid for the used.

I've been very happy with the Prius Prime. We drive it much more than the other car. I'd buy another unless a much superior design comes to market.

Dan

 

Does the Prime have a log of every drive? The Clarity could be better for me if my trips are mostly within its EV range, but I need to figure that out. I need to be able to put a bicycle in the back. I'm not sure if I could do that with a Clarity or if I could, it might be more difficult than the Prime.

 

how are clarity sales, better than prime?

 

Not even close.
Toyota Prius Prime Crushes Honda Clarity PHEV Sales In U.S. May 2019

May 2019, Prius Prime sales checked in at an estimated 1,914 units. Meanwhile, sales of the Clarity PHEV only amounted to an estimated 816 units.​

 

No, I did not. I love the hatch back, and cargo space... just put 1,000 miles on my new 2021 prime

 

Leonardo Declan. I had looked at the Honda Clarity at the SFO auto show back in 2017 and the Prius. At the time I had a 2010 Prius. I drove a 2017 regular Prius for a rental for a week in New Mexico. I fell in love with the dynamic radar cruise control and mileage. I started looking for a used Prime since I can charge at work. I found a used 2018 Prime Advanced with 12K miles on it. I'm now at 60K miles and still love it.

 

PP also has 5 seats.

 

My last Prius (2002 gen 1) had seating for 5. There appears to have been an assumption that the 3 in the back were VERY close friends.
Dan

 

Doesn't help that the Clarity is only special order in most states now.

 

I just checked my local Honda dealers' inventories. All had at least one Clarity PHEV for each trim on a lot. Not many of them in stock, but that is expected. Still better stocked than Hyundai Sonata PHV or Kia Niro PHV in my local Hyundai and Kia dealers.

 

Well if available its worth a test drive to see if you like it. Hondas are well engineered cars. The Clarity is a larger more comfortable car so its not really in the same class and more expensive. I think the car is good but I don't think it sold well mostly due to its styling which is subjective.

 

I did and got the Clarity: 2018 Base. $33k MSRP, with discounts/credits at the time: $21k

At the time, I was cross shopping it, the Prime, gen2 volt (had a gen 1), and the new model Y (only $60+ k versions were being made at the time). Only a few top model volts had ACC so they were more expensive and smaller. The Prime was non-existent locally so no test drives nor discounts if ordered. We have a gen 4 and knew it has a smaller interior/hatch, and loud ride. No Tesla presence locally (service center was 3+ hours away) made going with them risky and very expensive. Test drives between the Clarity and Volt made the decision very easy for us as the Clarity was simply a better car overall (not just the PHEV tech).








As one can see, it has a very large and usable trunk (note: pic includes a large mini-spare tire I got from ebay for trips), much quieter than a liftback like the prime, volt, etc., nice fit/finish, CarPlay/Auto, accurate "guessometer", HV+ mode, EV range!, good MPG in hybrid mode, and a wonderful smooth ride and driving experience. Super fast refills (only 7 gal). Reliability has been very good. Like the Prime and Volt, the Clarity can also use OpenPilot bringing any car with it up to nearly Tesla AutoPilot levels for about $1,000. My personal downsides: no volume button, UI needs work, push button shifter, no cross-traffic alert, short 300 mile gas range, and the usual sedan limitations. Some mention engine/generator noise at high power levels but it sounded "normal" to me as someone with extensive PHEV and HEV driving experience. My wife never ever mentioned it so that also speaks volumes to me.

So, there's a lot we loved about it but even so we decided to trade it very recently for a loaded Pacifica hybrid. Many BEV owners keep a second vehicle for various reasons but I wanted to consolidate two main vehicles into one so I went looking for versatility with a capital V! It is also OpenPilot capable. We've had two vans previously (MPV and Quest) when the kids were young so very familiar with the platform. What do we miss feature-wise from the Clarity? We both miss the brake hold feature (get real use to that) while my wife also misses the right side camera (I don't).

Currently, Clarity PHEV's are being shipped to California only. You can order one. Overall, there have been no significant changes so getting a gently used 18 or 19 is a good option too. Look for prices in upper teens to low 20's; tremendous value in those. Once I saw one in person, I began to love the looks of the aero-styling. I think the car would look awesome with wider rear tires stuffed under the skirts and lowering the front end about an inch=wicked stance!

TLDR; Clarity terrific car. GOOD highway car. If it rings your bell, go for it! No regerts! (sic)

 

Nice review. Do the rear seats fold down so a bicycle could be put in there?

 

Yes, they are the typical 60/40 for pass thru. I never tried a bicycle but worst case you might have to remove the front wheel.