[Lieblet]

As a new owner not sure when you might want to use the Sort Mode other than use up gas. Appreciate thoughts as to why and when you might use the Sport Mode.

 

[Purity]

Welcome to the forum. And aside from maybe using it to get up to merging/passing speeds on the highway, I doubt most owners will spend much time in it.

 

[Cruiter]

X2 on previous reply. I've tried it to see how many ponies are stored in reserve and it does offer a moderately quicker charge from stop but agree with others it's not generally needed. This car is designed by default to give it enough 'get-go' from stop. Due to the way it effects the throttle response you have to ask yourself if the extra punch is worth the worse miles per gallon.

 

[HondaFan]

Sport mode and maintaining regen setting

Not yet an owner, one of the quibbles I have with the quirky engineering decisions on the Clarity is the way that regen braking is implemented. I know that one -pedal driving is difficult with PHEVs in general, but the fact that it is only in Sport mode that I can retain the setting has me thinking that using Sport is the way to go. Only have about 30 minutes driving one so my information is shallow

 

[Cruiter]

Trying to understand your issue. Can you be more specific? Regular or H/V mode offers plenty of power meaning it can accelerate and pass in a reasonable manner as long as you understand it's designed for great economy and not high performance sedan track times.
Thanks

Not yet an owner, one of the quibbles I have with the quirky engineering decisions on the Clarity is the way that regen braking is implemented. I know that one -pedal driving is difficult with PHEVs in general, but the fact that it is only in Sport mode that I can retain the setting has me thinking that using Sport is the way to go. Only have about 30 minutes driving one so my information is shallow

 

[HondaFan]

Trying to understand your issue. Can you be more specific? Regular or H/V mode offers plenty of power meaning it can accelerate and pass in a reasonable manner as long as you understand it's designed for great economy and not high performance sedan track times.
Thanks

The issue is that the regen mode does not carry over from one braking event to the next EXCEPT when in sport mode, or at least I have read

 

[Cruiter]

Ok, maybe I'm just thick, but still trying to figure out what you mean by 'one pedal' operation and 'not carrying over from one braking event to the another. Personally I've only used sport mode to try it out and it seemed to work fine. As most of 'my' driving is inside of 10 mile destinations near home, I leave it in E/V mode unless going further and/or on the highway then I select H/V. Other than doing that it's just normal driving as in any other car.

The issue is that the regen mode does not carry over from one braking event to the next EXCEPT when in sport mode, or at least I have read

 

[HondaFan]

Ok, maybe I'm just thick, but still trying to figure out what you mean by 'one pedal' operation and 'not carrying over from one braking event to the another. Personally I've only used sport mode to try it out and it seemed to work fine. As most of 'my' driving is inside of 10 mile destinations near home, I leave it in E/V mode unless going further and/or on the highway then I select H/V. Other than doing that it's just normal driving as in any other car.

https://insideevs.com/2018-honda-clarity-phev-test-drive-review/

Here’s where things get a little more confusing. See those paddles on the steering wheel? They aren’t shift paddles, but instead control different levels of regenerative braking. Hitting either one turns the system on, the “-” paddle on the left increases the regen level, with “+” working you back up to no regen at all (yes, we agree that it sounds counterintuitive). Speaking of which, should you activate the regen in normal, Econ, or HV modes, it only stays on for as long as you aren’t applying throttle input – the minute you’re back on the gas, the system turns off. But in Sport mode, the regen holds, so you can dig into the throttle as long as you want, and not have to turn the function back on. All that said, there’s no discernible difference between the four levels of regen. Even at its strongest setting, it barely feels like it’s working.

 

[stanigu]

I might be more of an exception here, but I find the regen function kind of annoying when left on full time. Regen happens when you depress the brake pedal anyways. When I constantly feel the artificial "drag" whenever I lift off the gas pedal (well...maybe we'll call it accelerator like the British since there may be no gas involved), it just feels pretty unnatural to me. I do use the paddles on long descents so that I don't have to "ride" the brake pedal. Maybe it's just a matter of getting used to...

 

[tom]

To the original question, I find sport mode useful when I am passing on the highway, or anytime I just want a bit more "snappiness". Sure, the gas engine kicks in when you hit 3/4 throttle, but in sport mode, it is always there. So I also use it when I want to have fun, feeling more responsive performance or showing off the car to friends. Since I am pretty focused on hardly ever using gas, I don't use it much, but I can see where someone who wants to feel spunkier performance (like a younger me) would use it a lot.

Regarding the behavior of the regen paddles, at first I did not like them, but now that I understand how they work I like them a lot. And I do get a bit annoyed that they stay in a fixed setting in sport mode, which was not my original feeling.

...the more I drive this car, the more I appreciate the engineering trade-offs made by the Honda design team.