DCFC isn't needed on this car. One Pedal driving is a future risk factor as people loose the muscle memory needed to hit the brakes quickly in an emergency. Regen in the Clarity is "low" by default so the car drives more like a traditional ICE slushbox.
Pros and Cons of 2018 Clarity
Hey guys. As a new Clarity owner, I just wanted to share some of the pros and cons that I've noticed from my brief ownership experience.
Keep in mind, this isn't my first electrified vehicle. I'm coming from a 2019 Nissan Leaf that I had to get rid of due to rapid gate and over heating issues in the summer. I also own a Lexus CT as my current project car.
Picked up my 2018 Clarity at around 70,000 miles used and have put around 2000 miles on it so far. So here's what I've seen.
Pros:
Cons:
Here are some optional luxuries that I would love to have in this car, but definitely aren't deal breakers:
Keep in mind, this isn't my first electrified vehicle. I'm coming from a 2019 Nissan Leaf that I had to get rid of due to rapid gate and over heating issues in the summer. I also own a Lexus CT as my current project car.
Picked up my 2018 Clarity at around 70,000 miles used and have put around 2000 miles on it so far. So here's what I've seen.
Pros:
- drive train
- 45 miles EV highway
- 48-52 miles everyday driving
- smooth quiet ride in ev, more planted than the leaf
- 48 mpg in real world hybrid driving (better than the 42 my CT gets)
- liquid cooled battery pack (the leaf does not have this!)
- interior
- comfortable and supportive seats
- spacious interior
- seat pockets and phone holders on both seats
- soft touch leather and wood in all the right places
- lots of storage compartments in the front seats
- large, size adjustable cup holders that fits all my bottles (leaf had pretty small cup holders where the bottles would shake)
- exterior
- base 18" allow wheels
- real vents that are actually used for aero (the previous gen civics were notorious for fake vents)
- infotainment
- apple carplay and android auto stock
- safety
- base led headlights
- amber turn signals
- auto brake hold
- adaptive cruise control with start, stop
- cruise doesn't abruptly slam on the brakes when the car stops in front of you (smoothly slows down from a safe distance)
- lane keep assist works well even at low speeds
- storage
- small compartment in the trunk area perfect for charging cable and other small necessities
Cons:
- drive train
- loud and droney engine noise when in hybrid mode (standard CVT stuff)
- revs are disconnected from the actual speed you are going
- small 7 gallon gas tank
- no one pedal driving
- cannot turn off regen completely with the paddles
- regen only stays when on sport mode
- no dc fast charging
- interior
- push button gear selector
- paint coming off of the buttons of gear selector
- no lumbar support
- exterior
- not a fan of the styling of the stock alloy wheels
- infotainment
- plastic infotainment screen
- no volume knob
- gps volume stuck at 11 max for apple carplay and android auto (so far I've found no way to fix this)
- low resolution cameras
- safety
- no spare tire
- no ac or heat while the car is charging
- no touch sensitive steering wheel for lane keep
- lack of real tire pressure monitoring for each wheel
- no parking sensors
- no rear cross traffic alert
- storage
- standard trunk instead of a lift back (this is my first sedan in a long while)
Here are some optional luxuries that I would love to have in this car, but definitely aren't deal breakers:
- no sunroof
- no cooled seats
- no 360 / satellite view camera
- no heated steering wheel
1 - 20 of 25 Posts
I absolutely agree, but DCFC would've been nice for any trips slightly further than 50 miles to not use a drop of gasoline. Around 100 mile trips or so. I don't think one pedal driving will ruin muscle memory. To me its more of a convenience thing when I'm stuck in rush hour traffic on stroads.DCFC isn't needed on this car. One Pedal driving is a future risk factor as people loose the muscle memory needed to hit the brakes quickly in an emergency. Regen in the Clarity is "low" by default so the car drives more like a traditional ICE slushbox.
Tesla is claiming that Autopilot is reducing Sudden Unintended Acceleration related crashes by 40%. Tesla Autopilot prevents ~40 crashes per day caused by SUA. I'd say this is evidence that one-pedal driving, which Tesla either pioneered or was an early adopter, is causing people to forget where the brake pedal is located. Muscle memory plays a huge role in driving safety.I absolutely agree, but DCFC would've been nice for any trips slightly further than 50 miles to not use a drop of gasoline. Around 100 mile trips or so. I don't think one pedal driving will ruin muscle memory. To me its more of a convenience thing when I'm stuck in rush hour traffic on stroads.
Just to be clear, the Clarity does not have a CVT. Their choice to call it "eCVT" was a very bad one.Hey guys. As a new Clarity owner, I just wanted to share some of the pros and cons that I've noticed from my brief ownership experience.
Keep in mind, this isn't my first electrified vehicle. I'm coming from a 2019 Nissan Leaf that I had to get rid of due to rapid gate and over heating issues in the summer. I also own a Lexus CT as my current project car.
Picked up my 2018 Clarity at around 70,000 miles used and have put around 2000 miles on it so far. So here's what I've seen.
Pros:
- drive train
- 45 miles EV highway
- 48-52 miles everyday driving
- smooth quiet ride in ev, more planted than the leaf
- 48 mpg in real world hybrid driving (better than the 42 my CT gets)
- liquid cooled battery pack (the leaf does not have this!)
- interior
- comfortable and supportive seats
- spacious interior
- seat pockets and phone holders on both seats
- soft touch leather and wood in all the right places
- lots of storage compartments in the front seats
- large, size adjustable cup holders that fits all my bottles (leaf had pretty small cup holders where the bottles would shake)
- exterior
- base 18" allow wheels
- real vents that are actually used for aero (the previous gen civics were notorious for fake vents)
- infotainment
- apple carplay and android auto stock
- safety
- base led headlights
- amber turn signals
- auto brake hold
- adaptive cruise control with start, stop
- cruise doesn't abruptly slam on the brakes when the car stops in front of you (smoothly slows down from a safe distance)
- lane keep assist works well even at low speeds
- storage
- small compartment in the trunk area perfect for charging cable and other small necessities
Cons:
- drive train
- loud and droney engine noise when in hybrid mode (standard CVT stuff)
- revs are disconnected from the actual speed you are going
- small 7 gallon gas tank
- no one pedal driving
- cannot turn off regen completely with the paddles
- regen only stays when on sport mode
- no dc fast charging
- interior
- push button gear selector
- paint coming off of the buttons of gear selector
- no lumbar support
- exterior
- not a fan of the styling of the stock alloy wheels
- infotainment
- plastic infotainment screen
- no volume knob
- gps volume stuck at 11 max for apple carplay and android auto (so far I've found no way to fix this)
- low resolution cameras
- safety
- no spare tire
- no ac or heat while the car is charging
- no touch sensitive steering wheel for lane keep
- lack of real tire pressure monitoring for each wheel
- no parking sensors
- no rear cross traffic alert
- storage
- standard trunk instead of a lift back (this is my first sedan in a long while)
Here are some optional luxuries that I would love to have in this car, but definitely aren't deal breakers:
- no sunroof
- no cooled seats
- no 360 / satellite view camera
- no heated steering wheel
If you want to know what's inside the Clarity's gearbox, you can do no better than the videos by Professor Kelly at Weber State:
This is some great information to have. I had no idea. That naming convention is very confusing. Why not change the name to something else entirely?Just to be clear, the Clarity does not have a CVT. Their choice to call it "eCVT" was a very bad one.
If you want to know what's inside the Clarity's gearbox, you can do no better than the videos by Professor Kelly at Weber State:
My new Ford Lightning EV truck has those features but then I had to pay $78K for it.......Here are some optional luxuries that I would love to have in this car, but definitely aren't deal breakers:
- no sunroof
- no cooled seats
- no 360 / satellite view camera
- no heated steering wheel
If you think you had to charge a few hours for your Clarity, think 9-13 hours to charge the Lightning at home with the same charger.
And if you DCFC, it takes 45 minutes to go from 20-80% and costs a lot more than charging at home.
Back to the Clarity, since it has a 17kW battery, you don't need a DCFC since my L2 charger at home charges her up in 2 hours.
That's a sweet looking truck you picked up. I wish I had that type of money lying around. If I had a little more cash and some better luck with dealerships, I probably would've gotten a Kona EV over the Clarity. There are some Ultimate trims with replaced battery packs going for around $32,000 around me. All I would be really missing then would be the 360 / satellite view camera and a spare tire.My new Ford Lightning EV truck has those features but then I had to pay $78K for it.
If you think you had to charge a few hours for your Clarity, think 9-13 hours to charge the Lightning at home with the same charger.
And if you DCFC, it takes 45 minutes to go from 20-80% and costs a lot more than charging at home.
Back to the Clarity, since it has a 17kW battery, you don't need a DCFC since my L2 charger at home charges her up in 2 hours.
View attachment 1127
I’m sure it was a decision by the marketing department to make it sound snazzy. I doubt the engineers would have called it that.This is some great information to have. I had no idea. That naming convention is very confusing. Why not change the name to something else entirely?
One word...Marketing.This is some great information to have. I had no idea. That naming convention is very confusing. Why not change the name to something else entirely?
The marketing dept. should have come up with a even snazzier word for it because the way it works is truly remarkable. Unfortunately, though, it is not in any way a “continuously variable transmission”. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious comes to mind though…
Many of the complaints you have are pretty much shared by all on this board. Here are few others you may not know about yet:
Fast DC charging is probably not practical since it is only a 14kwh battery (plugin capacity)
7 gallons gets you 300 miles with the electric range included, so that is comparable with the standard range most manufacturers shoot for.
Honda did a great job in figuring out what this car's market - daily commuting of 45 miles or less (I think the national average is under 25 miles) and still gives us a full trunk (just look at the trunk on a Ford Fusion Energi and you will see what I mean). If they had not ceased production last August I think they could have sold as many in the last 5 months of 2021 as the entire run from 2018 - 2021.
as far as the moonroof, see my post "moonroof on a clarity" from last year.
- No rain sensing wipers
- No blind spot monitors
- No backup or front proximity sensors
- No auto on/off high beams
Fast DC charging is probably not practical since it is only a 14kwh battery (plugin capacity)
7 gallons gets you 300 miles with the electric range included, so that is comparable with the standard range most manufacturers shoot for.
Honda did a great job in figuring out what this car's market - daily commuting of 45 miles or less (I think the national average is under 25 miles) and still gives us a full trunk (just look at the trunk on a Ford Fusion Energi and you will see what I mean). If they had not ceased production last August I think they could have sold as many in the last 5 months of 2021 as the entire run from 2018 - 2021.
as far as the moonroof, see my post "moonroof on a clarity" from last year.
I realize that no one is claiming that the Clartity SHOULD HAVE these things you complain about, BUT: What did you pay for the car? I paid $26,000 in 2018. For the additional $25K that a Tesla would have cost, I could have had all these bells and whistles. This is comparing apples and coconuts.Many of the complaints you have are pretty much shared by all on this board. Here are few others you may not know about yet:
After 14 months and 25,000 miles I really enjoy this car.
- No rain sensing wipers
- No blind spot monitors
- No backup or front proximity sensors
- No auto on/off high beams
Fast DC charging is probably not practical since it is only a 14kwh battery (plugin capacity)
7 gallons gets you 300 miles with the electric range included, so that is comparable with the standard range most manufacturers shoot for.
Honda did a great job in figuring out what this car's market - daily commuting of 45 miles or less (I think the national average is under 25 miles) and still gives us a full trunk (just look at the trunk on a Ford Fusion Energi and you will see what I mean). If they had not ceased production last August I think they could have sold as many in the last 5 months of 2021 as the entire run from 2018 - 2021.
as far as the moonroof, see my post "moonroof on a clarity" from last year.
Agreed. They picked the wrong time to terminate production. With the demand for new cars as it is now, they could easily have sold as many as they could have made. Also, I believe there is now heightened awareness and understanding of PHEV vehicles due to the marketing campaigns of certain manufacturers.Many of the complaints you have are pretty much shared by all on this board. Here are few others you may not know about yet:
After 14 months and 25,000 miles I really enjoy this car.
- No rain sensing wipers
- No blind spot monitors
- No backup or front proximity sensors
- No auto on/off high beams
Fast DC charging is probably not practical since it is only a 14kwh battery (plugin capacity)
7 gallons gets you 300 miles with the electric range included, so that is comparable with the standard range most manufacturers shoot for.
Honda did a great job in figuring out what this car's market - daily commuting of 45 miles or less (I think the national average is under 25 miles) and still gives us a full trunk (just look at the trunk on a Ford Fusion Energi and you will see what I mean). If they had not ceased production last August I think they could have sold as many in the last 5 months of 2021 as the entire run from 2018 - 2021.
as far as the moonroof, see my post "moonroof on a clarity" from last year.
Hi, I found one work around for no heat AC when charging:Hey guys. As a new Clarity owner, I just wanted to share some of the pros and cons that I've noticed from my brief ownership experience.
Keep in mind, this isn't my first electrified vehicle. I'm coming from a 2019 Nissan Leaf that I had to get rid of due to rapid gate and over heating issues in the summer. I also own a Lexus CT as my current project car.
Picked up my 2018 Clarity at around 70,000 miles used and have put around 2000 miles on it so far. So here's what I've seen.
Pros:
- drive train
- 45 miles EV highway
- 48-52 miles everyday driving
- smooth quiet ride in ev, more planted than the leaf
- 48 mpg in real world hybrid driving (better than the 42 my CT gets)
- liquid cooled battery pack (the leaf does not have this!)
- interior
- comfortable and supportive seats
- spacious interior
- seat pockets and phone holders on both seats
- soft touch leather and wood in all the right places
- lots of storage compartments in the front seats
- large, size adjustable cup holders that fits all my bottles (leaf had pretty small cup holders where the bottles would shake)
- exterior
- base 18" allow wheels
- real vents that are actually used for aero (the previous gen civics were notorious for fake vents)
- infotainment
- apple carplay and android auto stock
- safety
- base led headlights
- amber turn signals
- auto brake hold
- adaptive cruise control with start, stop
- cruise doesn't abruptly slam on the brakes when the car stops in front of you (smoothly slows down from a safe distance)
- lane keep assist works well even at low speeds
- storage
- small compartment in the trunk area perfect for charging cable and other small necessities
Cons:
- drive train
- loud and droney engine noise when in hybrid mode (standard CVT stuff)
- revs are disconnected from the actual speed you are going
- small 7 gallon gas tank
- no one pedal driving
- cannot turn off regen completely with the paddles
- regen only stays when on sport mode
- no dc fast charging
- interior
- push button gear selector
- paint coming off of the buttons of gear selector
- no lumbar support
- exterior
- not a fan of the styling of the stock alloy wheels
- infotainment
- plastic infotainment screen
- no volume knob
- gps volume stuck at 11 max for apple carplay and android auto (so far I've found no way to fix this)
- low resolution cameras
- safety
- no spare tire
- no ac or heat while the car is charging
- no touch sensitive steering wheel for lane keep
- lack of real tire pressure monitoring for each wheel
- no parking sensors
- no rear cross traffic alert
- storage
- standard trunk instead of a lift back (this is my first sedan in a long while)
Here are some optional luxuries that I would love to have in this car, but definitely aren't deal breakers:
- no sunroof
- no cooled seats
- no 360 / satellite view camera
- no heated steering wheel
1) plug into charger
2) Get in car, put ignition in Accessory mode
3) Load phone app, turn on climate through the app.
Hope this helps. You’ll get 30 minutes of climate per try, and need to be plugged into a 220 source.
#2 Is not a requirement to turn on climate through the app, but having some radio is niceHi, I found one work around for no heat AC when charging:
1) plug into charger
2) Get in car, put ignition in Accessory mode
3) Load phone app, turn on climate through the app.
Hope this helps. You’ll get 30 minutes of climate per try, and need to be plugged into a 220 source.
I have a jailbrpken phone and I haven't found a way around the detection as of yet. I have found that using the pre-conditioning from the key works though. But as fad as I know, there's now way to have that along with the radio. So while it is a workaround, it's still quite limited.Hi, I found one work around for no heat AC when charging:
1) plug into charger
2) Get in car, put ignition in Accessory mode
3) Load phone app, turn on climate through the app.
Hope this helps. You’ll get 30 minutes of climate per try, and need to be plugged into a 220 source.
I think the low price was one of the major factor for me buying this car.
There was a time when this car 2018 and 2019 models were being sold for $26k. I got my 2019 for $27k.
Then there was a $7.5k federal tax refund + $2.5k Oregon state rebate. I did have to pay for shipping it from CA to OR for $700, so ended up paying about $18k for a brand new 2019 base model.
Cons:
Rattles here and there. I did add foam tape backing on the tweeter speakers but still more rattles somehwere.
Infotainment GUI and hardware really sucks. It's slow and looks like an unfinished GUI project done by an intern.
There was a time when this car 2018 and 2019 models were being sold for $26k. I got my 2019 for $27k.
Then there was a $7.5k federal tax refund + $2.5k Oregon state rebate. I did have to pay for shipping it from CA to OR for $700, so ended up paying about $18k for a brand new 2019 base model.
Cons:
Rattles here and there. I did add foam tape backing on the tweeter speakers but still more rattles somehwere.
Infotainment GUI and hardware really sucks. It's slow and looks like an unfinished GUI project done by an intern.
Completely agree. I got a decent price on mine for the mileage. 25k for about 70k miles, but for the time I bought it, its good enough. But man oh man, that head unit is atrocious. Barely usable and freezes from time to time. I'm hoping to swap it out at some point. I think the 2016 aftermarket units should fit with a little finagling.I think the low price was one of the major factor for me buying this car.
There was a time when this car 2018 and 2019 models were being sold for $26k. I got my 2019 for $27k.
Then there was a $7.5k federal tax refund + $2.5k Oregon state rebate. I did have to pay for shipping it from CA to OR for $700, so ended up paying about $18k for a brand new 2019 base model.
Cons:
Rattles here and there. I did add foam tape backing on the tweeter speakers but still more rattles somehwere.
Infotainment GUI and hardware really sucks. It's slow and looks like an unfinished GUI project done by an intern.
I use the head unit for USB-sourced music and navigation exclusively. For those two things, it works better than any other head unit I've ever experienced.Completely agree. I got a decent price on mine for the mileage. 25k for about 70k miles, but for the time I bought it, its good enough. But man oh man, that head unit is atrocious. Barely usable and freezes from time to time. I'm hoping to swap it out at some point. I think the 2016 aftermarket units should fit with a little finagling.
1 - 20 of 25 Posts
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