I bought a new Clarity Touring about a month ago and have about 800 miles on it. It's Crimson Red with beige interior. The first things I did was tint the windows and install splash guards. I also bought a Honda non-slip pad for the lower center console so my cell phone wouldn't slide around. I live in the Palm Springs area of California and the temperatures have been averaging 100-115 the last few weeks. My air conditioner is running all the time and I'm still getting between 50 and 65 miles on a full charge. I've put gas in the car one time just to top it off. I just installed a Chargepoint level 2 charger in my garage and my charge time went from 12 to 14 hours for a full charge down to 2 to 2.5 hours. I love everything about this car, the quietness, smooth ride, handling, space and of course economy of use, just to name a few of the attributes. It is missing a few of the amenities that I'm used to but I understand Honda's reasoning to keep the price cheap enough so more people would be able to afford it. The only detriment that I have with the car is the squared off rear wheel wells. Anyway you look at it, Honda has got a winner here IMO.
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I bought the EVSE (Charger) and the installation service from Amazon.com. The electrician had to install a new 40 amp breaker and a 240 volt outlet which was quite a distance from the breaker panel. There was about a 45 foot run of wire and metal conduit. The total charge was about $1440.
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I'm an old car guy with the emphasis on old. I finished my 1st Navy tour in Jan of '68 and shortly after that was in the car business. The opportunity to buy a trade-in wholesale was too easy and before long I had sometimes up to three 90 day notes running. Some cars I turned over fast, some I wanted to keep and enjoy for a while. Some times I'd buy a hot new model as they were coming out and my wife would drive it for awhile. Long story short, I've owned north of 200 cars. I'll insert here that I'm twice retired. After 20 years in the new car retail business, I returned to the U S Navy to finish my 20. I did, just six weeks short of my 60th.
Now I'm down to one, my Honda Clarity. With over 3000 miles now, I thought I'd sign on here and offer a few comments and/or opinions. Flaws; so far none except for the w/s wipers. Very little comes out of them, maybe some of you can speak to that and your opinions on that. It's not a Porsche or BMW, so I won't speak of that type of power. It has enough to leave the light with instant electric torque and keeps up with traffic quite well. The ride and handling can be compared to a full size Lexus with very little to none roll in a turn or dip if braking hard. The long wheelbase helps the rough roads. Visibility is much better than most of the cars I've had, especially with the right hand mirror camera. The interior room is excellent front and rear and my guests have remarked to that in the positive. The Lexus models I had the 'follow on cruise' seemed to be slightly better but it's close so I won't complain. The way it tells you to get back into your lane is slightly annoying but it's growing on me. On the highway, I've decided the ability to steer you back into your lane or even safely take a bend in the road can be a real safety bonus. It annoys me, but... I keep it on while on the highway and away from the city. It actually works! I wish the panel in the rear window didn't have to be there so I could load some really big things like in hatchback or SUV but the car is so heavy I think it has to be there for structural integrity. I won't complain harshly for something like that. I've had so many radios with the built in nav system by now, trying to pick a best is a mixed bag. All together, it's not bad at all especially with the free upgrades in the nav dept. More on that in another post probably.
I should have labeled that 'pro'. I'll call this one 'con'. No sunroof, but I didn't use it that much anyway. No turn signals in the outside mirrors but the front and rear turn signals are both very visible from the side. I've learned on my past cars to be really dependent on the rear cross alert sensors. They're very good to have but the near 90 degree back up camera and my old bones swiveling my head around will have to do. I think they will probably be standard someday but maybe they wanted to keep the cost down at the beginning. My 1st car had 'three in the tree' (maybe some of you know what that is). Then automatics and three to eight speeds manually or full automatic shifters. I'm purposely not going to complain about the push buttons controlling the tranny because I knew it had them when I bought it, so I have to accept it. But it's really hard to get used to LOL.
Everyday I drive the car, I discover something I really like from a feature to something it just does differently than any other car I've had. Being retired, I've bought very little gas for the 1st 3000 miles. I feel like I have to go down the highway in HV mode occasionally just to use some so it doesn't get stale. Instead of pumping 17 or 18 gallons, I'm just putting in two or three (on occasion) and smiling at the folks ogling it as I leave the COSTCO pumps LOL. I've not gone below a quarter tank yet, but it seems that if I were going cross country I'd have no problem getting 350 or more maybe miles per tank.
I've installed a Level II charger in my garage. I ordered it from Home Depot. My city requires a permit so I interviewed contractors to install it and found a good licensed electrician who did a great job including installing a new breaker and the permit included for $330. Estimates ran up to over 2 grand for the labor. The unit cost me just over $700 with tax.
I'm sure I could say more but most have probably stopped reading by now anyway so....
I think it's a great car, a great idea as other manufactures will be coming out with more PHEV's next year, and I've driven it far enough to feel like saying I highly recommend it.
As time permits, I'll be back with stories and photos. Fair warning for those nearing retirement: You'll have less free time than when you were rising early and staying late to make a few dollars. All of your friends, and your church will know you're retired and take advantage of your time. Ha Ha, bet you though that was a negative. While I have been heard to say "I'd like to do all over again", I wouldn't trade my life today for anything. Life could for sure be worse.
Be safe and enjoy your rides
Now I'm down to one, my Honda Clarity. With over 3000 miles now, I thought I'd sign on here and offer a few comments and/or opinions. Flaws; so far none except for the w/s wipers. Very little comes out of them, maybe some of you can speak to that and your opinions on that. It's not a Porsche or BMW, so I won't speak of that type of power. It has enough to leave the light with instant electric torque and keeps up with traffic quite well. The ride and handling can be compared to a full size Lexus with very little to none roll in a turn or dip if braking hard. The long wheelbase helps the rough roads. Visibility is much better than most of the cars I've had, especially with the right hand mirror camera. The interior room is excellent front and rear and my guests have remarked to that in the positive. The Lexus models I had the 'follow on cruise' seemed to be slightly better but it's close so I won't complain. The way it tells you to get back into your lane is slightly annoying but it's growing on me. On the highway, I've decided the ability to steer you back into your lane or even safely take a bend in the road can be a real safety bonus. It annoys me, but... I keep it on while on the highway and away from the city. It actually works! I wish the panel in the rear window didn't have to be there so I could load some really big things like in hatchback or SUV but the car is so heavy I think it has to be there for structural integrity. I won't complain harshly for something like that. I've had so many radios with the built in nav system by now, trying to pick a best is a mixed bag. All together, it's not bad at all especially with the free upgrades in the nav dept. More on that in another post probably.
I should have labeled that 'pro'. I'll call this one 'con'. No sunroof, but I didn't use it that much anyway. No turn signals in the outside mirrors but the front and rear turn signals are both very visible from the side. I've learned on my past cars to be really dependent on the rear cross alert sensors. They're very good to have but the near 90 degree back up camera and my old bones swiveling my head around will have to do. I think they will probably be standard someday but maybe they wanted to keep the cost down at the beginning. My 1st car had 'three in the tree' (maybe some of you know what that is). Then automatics and three to eight speeds manually or full automatic shifters. I'm purposely not going to complain about the push buttons controlling the tranny because I knew it had them when I bought it, so I have to accept it. But it's really hard to get used to LOL.
Everyday I drive the car, I discover something I really like from a feature to something it just does differently than any other car I've had. Being retired, I've bought very little gas for the 1st 3000 miles. I feel like I have to go down the highway in HV mode occasionally just to use some so it doesn't get stale. Instead of pumping 17 or 18 gallons, I'm just putting in two or three (on occasion) and smiling at the folks ogling it as I leave the COSTCO pumps LOL. I've not gone below a quarter tank yet, but it seems that if I were going cross country I'd have no problem getting 350 or more maybe miles per tank.
I've installed a Level II charger in my garage. I ordered it from Home Depot. My city requires a permit so I interviewed contractors to install it and found a good licensed electrician who did a great job including installing a new breaker and the permit included for $330. Estimates ran up to over 2 grand for the labor. The unit cost me just over $700 with tax.
I'm sure I could say more but most have probably stopped reading by now anyway so....
I think it's a great car, a great idea as other manufactures will be coming out with more PHEV's next year, and I've driven it far enough to feel like saying I highly recommend it.
As time permits, I'll be back with stories and photos. Fair warning for those nearing retirement: You'll have less free time than when you were rising early and staying late to make a few dollars. All of your friends, and your church will know you're retired and take advantage of your time. Ha Ha, bet you though that was a negative. While I have been heard to say "I'd like to do all over again", I wouldn't trade my life today for anything. Life could for sure be worse.
Be safe and enjoy your rides
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