Honda Clarity plugin hybrid

And how big are the tires, which are heavy buggers, counter to good mpg, and a lot more expensive.

 

I'd say trunk and cabin size is equally important when gasser shopping. Comfort was important for us no matter the type of car.

Buying a car is a personal choice no matter how many factors a person considers.

 

We are jumping ship. I've been communicating with the Honda dealer and have an out-the-door quote for the Clarity PHEV Touring model. They won't allow me to pre-order or otherwise lock in the car. We will go to look at it as soon as we can perhaps not until Dec 1 (Friday). It's actually on a truck today.

This car is a perfect fit for us. The 47 mile range is great. It has many of the features I want. And we can be assured of the $7,500 tax credit that may be eliminated 1/1/2018.

We drive 24 miles round trip to take our son to school. We'll charge the car before going to pick him up 6 hours later. Best of all we'll charge with out new solar installation.

I wanted a Hyundai Ioniq. It won't be available before the end of the year. Also I've learned some things on the Ioniq forum.

It seems the Ioniq has a tendency to use the ICE sometimes when in EV mode, and that tendency increases as the battery drains; much like our Prius behaviour. I want a car that stays in EV until the battery is depleted. The Clarity Plugin looks like we can drive around our small city without the ICE ever coming on.

Some negatives:
- no spare tire
- 15 Cu Ft trunk
- poorly designed trunk pass-thru
- short ICE range
- no volume knob
- most expensive car I've ever purchased
- Honda Sense won't fully stop the car in an emergency.

Even at this late date, just six days until it is available, there is a frustrating lack of available detail about the car.

The positives, for me, far outweigh the negatives. Too many to list here.

By the way the Prius Prime was never in the running. It seems Toyota and I have gone in different directions.

 

If you don’t mind sharing, did the dealer give you a discount to MSRP, is it asking a premium, or neither?

 

please share your dislikes of the prime, owners seem relatively happy, and they are selling well.

 

This car looks like a real winner! Good EV range for a PHEV, plenty of space (although I'd prefer a hatch-back), decent looks, and great value.

I'll be interested to hear how quickly the ICE kicks in when running in ECO mode, hopefully it doesn't unless you really stomp on the pedal.

 

The Ioniq PHEV seems to be following the PiP design theory of keeping costs down with a less powerful motor and maximizing overall efficiency. The pure EV operation only appears to only be a selling point in the US.

No spare is the only option with any plug in at this point. Could there be a volume control on the steering wheel?

The trunk size is average for a midsize sedan. The 2018 Camry is listed at 14cu.ft. on Fueleconomy.gov, and the new Accord at 17cu.ft., but it is now a large size car now. Seats up, the gen2 Prius was 16cu.ft. You lose the seats down cargo capacity, but are getting a roomier cabin.

Sounds like you'll only use the gas on long trips. Starting with a full charge, the range is going to be over 300 miles, then about 280 miles after that. It is less convenient than getting over 300 or more with every tank, but I bet you'd find less trunk space more objectionable.

 

We can't actually place a Clarity PHEV order today, but the dealer earmarked a car for us. We'll meet the salesman at 8am Friday when the car goes on sale to buy the car. We'll be selling the 2015 Prius.

Since it looks like the congress is going to kill the tax credit for EV (not finally decided but it looks like that will be the plan) we had only two choices in our town for a PHEV before the end of 2017. 1) The new Clarity PHEV 2) The Prius Prime. We had an interesting visit to the Toyota dealer today.

The dealer had 6 Prius Prime cars on the lot. They've been there for months. They aren't selling. They are cutting the prices.

I took my wife to see the Prime. I had already formed an opinion but wanted her to see it before knowing how I feel about it. She really didn't like the Prime. Her biggest complaint was that it is only 4 passenger. Beyond that she didn't like the interior seats, cargo space, instrument panel, bone white fixtures, shiny black fixtures, white or black seats, or the overall looks of the car.

So we step into the Clarity world and will leave priuschat after being a member for several years. The two Prius we've owned have been great. But with the new solar roof we want a PHEV so we can have near zero power cost. The only car that comes close is the Prime but it failed to impress us.

 

I've been doing some calculating. My conclusion is buying the Clarity PHEV and selling the Prius is purely a "want" on my part. It is not a good economic decision.

When I compare, to the best of my ability, the annual fuel cost (gas + electricity) to drive the Clarity vs the existing 2015 Prius we own, we only save about $550 at current gas and KWh rates ($2.85 gas and $0.15kWH grid electricity). It will take 31 years to pay back the cost of changing cars. And this is including the fact that we will be able to recharge the Clarity with free solar 75% of the time. The other 25% will have to come from the grid. Of course if gas prices rise it will improve the payback but never enough to really make a difference.

So I realize this comes from a desire to buy a much nicer car, and to be able to drive in pure EV mode roughly 16,000 of our 20,000 miles per year.

So my conclusion. We're buying a new car because I want one. The fact that it is a PHEV is a bonus.

We sign for the Clarity at 8am tomorrow morning.

 

You don't have to leave.
Hell, I don't even have a hybrid of any brand.

 

Seems to me 47 miles AER hits a sweeter spot for commuting than Prime's 25 (?) miles.

7 gal gas tank makes sense to me. We're trying to use less gas and carry around less of it, right?

Clarity PHEV a 5 seater. Prime only 4

 

time will tell, neither works for me.

 

I guess it would depend on individual circumstances. In our case we drive 11,000 miles (of a total of 20,000) a year just taking our son to school and picking him up. That's 24 miles each round trip so full EV all the way. Each individual case might not come out as well. My best friend said 47 miles wouldn't be enough for him just to drive to work and back.

I appreciate Honda using a small gas tank to allow for more cargo space.

I'm excited about how well the Clarity PHEV fits with my wants and needs. So many features are just great and all in one car. The only two design things I wish had been different are:

1) There is quite a lot of rear seat space and leg room. In my opinion more than needed. I wish they would have moved the seat forward 3 or 4 inches to provide more cargo space. The drop in cargo space from our Prius, at 21 Cu Ft, down to 15.9 Cu Ft was almost enough to kill the deal.

2) The center console, where the drive buttons are located, seems to be a big waste of space. That area could have been left open (it's sort of like the flying bridge of the Prius) so my wife could place her purse there. Honda has a more compact design, for the same buttons, in the new Odyssey.

I signed all the papers for the Clarity PHEV this morning but the car hauler truck hasn't arrived yet. Waiting...

 

congrats! can't wait to hear all about it. that hatch would be too small for me. when are you expecting arrival?

 

It's in the hands of the trucking agency. They said no later than Monday, but that means it could also show up today. They don't deliver on weekends.

Still Waiting...

 

any discounts or rebates? are there different packages? $7,500. tax credit is sweet.

 

Fresh info online 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid – The Versatile Hybrid | Honda

 

nice! base looks good and 26k after tax credit seems very reasonable.

 

Watch out for that $7,500 Tax Credit. It may only be good until the end of 2017. The new congress budget looks like it is killing that incentive.