[bobwilson1977]

I currently own an 8 year old Volt. So far its been a pretty good car but the issue with it is the interior space. My wife is quite a bit taller than me and so are some of her friends and they have issues sitting in the back. Secondly, I've never been totally thrilled with its EV range or gas mileage. At best it will generally go 35-38 miles on EV and then get 33-35MPG. When the engine is running it definitely struggles up hills.


Anyway... The Clarity seems to push a lot of the buttons I like. Better EV range and better fuel economy and a bigger interior with more head space in the back.



I did have some questions for those who own these already.


A: What is the realistic EV range? The only way I can get the top range from my Volt is by driving it really gently. As in forget ever going actual freeway speeds. So question is if I drive a Clarity, say 65-70MPH, what am I looking at EV range-wise?


B: How is the handling and acceleration? Even though our Volt is a pretty heavy car its pretty peppy and handles surprisingly well.


C: How hard is it to change the oil? Its a royal pain on my Volt... I tell ya...


Any other thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Groves Cooke]

I can answer question A. I drive 25 miles one way to work. Some is on interstate at 70mph. I get an estimated 50 EV miles in the summer and 35 or so in the winter. I can charge at work.

I like the handling, but the Clarity is heavier than the Volt. I test drove a Volt before I bought the Clarity and I thought the Volt was a tad bit quicker. DSo does one of the comparison articles. I do not have any trouble merging onto the interstate.

I don't have any trouble changing the oil. Drop it of at my favorite independent service station and walk less than 5 minutes to work. Pick it up at lunch time!

 

[4sallypat]

Same here as Groves....

Drive is 20 miles each way and don't have charger at work so it gets plugged in every night.
With 50+ miles range, she does not use any fuel for her daily commute including local lunch runs.
Wife drives in bumper to bumper traffic both ways so she gets maximum EV range in slower speeds.
Taught her to switch to HV (hybrid mode) if traveling at over 60MPH.

Handling is on par with a conventional / naturally aspirated ICE - not a sports car by any means (I drive a BMW).
EV drive is very torquey - quick off the line but starts to decline over 50MPH.

Most economical method of drive used 90% = EV Econ mode.
High speed freeway drive = HV mode.
Most spirited drive = Sport mode.

Oil change I don't do any more - getting too old - used to do that myself when I was younger.
I got the Honda Care prepaid oil change and tire protection so a trip to the dealer is all this needed.

 

[[email protected]]

I had a Gen 1 and Gen2 Volt. We got a Clarity Touring last Nov. We get 42 - 44 miles of range always. I did a few months worth of research before I bought. Here is a list that I keep:

Pro:
5-seats (that fit adults)
Garage door opener
Power/Memory seats
Rear seat A/C vents
Dual zone A/C



Cons:
Different to drive in EV only
Regen button not as strong (deceleration)
No Wi-Fi hotspot
No emergency cell phone
No heated steering wheel
No blind spot radar (just a cool passenger camera) - nothing on the driver's side
No passenger seat height adjustment
Can't remote start from Alexa
The range loss is significant (for me)
Lack of tech reporting
Push button charge door
Rear camera useless in the rain


Surprising Omissions:

No front parking warning
No rear door sensors for unlocking
No rear traffic notification


Coolness:
Rear down vision camera for parking
The ride is plush

 

[bobwilson1977]

Thanks for the responses so far. As far as range...


So, we live in the SF Bay Area. It never really gets all that cold here. But I'd say for a good 4 months out of the year it will be 50-55 degrees in the morning, meaning its a bit on the cool side. But its cold enough to affect the range of our old Volt.



What has been the experience with those driving these in that level of temperature? If its going to get 35 miles at 50 degrees then that's not all that different from our current car and would give me pause.

 

[RobPaul]

I drove Santa Cruz to Mountain View 5 days a week for the past year. ALWAYS got to MV (35miles) on a full charge, even at a chilly 38- 40 degrees. But during the spring/summer it easily got 47-50 miles per charge. I could recharge at work in MV and in 8,500 miles I used a total of about 10 gallons of gasoline. That's because the car starts the ICE as you drive, once a month for a few miles, just to keep it in good shape if needed.


This is the most trouble-free car I have ever owned, coming from MBZ, BMW, and Audi former ownership experiences. Highly recommended.


Cheers,


Rob

 

[Miles777]

Living in the Phoenix area, the high temperatures over the winter are typically in the 60s, and the low temps are in the 40s, averaging in the 50s. My car is garaged so I never have used remote climate control (but might start doing so this summer).

I bought my Clarity in November, and have been getting actual range in the high 40's during the winter, and in the low 50's so far this spring. With A/C season upon us, I expect it to decline back to the 40's but that remains to be seen. About half of my driving is at 65 to 75 mph on freeways, and the other half is around 35-50 mph (stop and go due to traffic lights) in suburban streets.

Your EV mileage should be roughly similar, I'd think.

 

[Amoocow421]

My two cents.... Hubby is 6’9”, and the Chevy Volt was too small for him. We looked at the Volt and Bolt because his cousin is a GM engineer. He’s able to fit in my Clarity. I’m only 5’0”, so the Clarity is roomy for me. I’ve had three passengers in the back seat of my Clarity comfortably.

I wanted a PHEV. The two places I go the most both have charging stations, and I charge while I wait for my daughter. Living in the boonies, I knew I needed the gas backup. The Clarity was the perfect fit for me.

I have almost 17K on my Clarity since purchasing it at the end of October. My older vehicle is a 2006 Pathfinder. I love my truck, but the gas usage was eating me alive. I love not having to fill up every other day!

 

[150MPG]

I also live in the Phoenix area the range is about the same as previously stated between 38 and 47 miles depending on temp on pure EV. The car always gets 43mpg running in HV mode. High speed always uses the battery faster. The car loves stop and go traffic and the cruise control is very nice also in traffic. Oil changes are easy filter and drain plug no problem after removing the lower engine cover. It takes a bit of reading and u tube watching to learn how everything works on the car but the car almost drives itself with the radar cruise control and lane assist on. If you are one that likes to tail gate the car will give you warnings all the time unless you turn off the safety features. We have owned nothing but Accords for 25 years the clarity rides just a little bit harder unless you have 5 people in it.

 

[60Hertz]

I just bought my Clarity last week, so I don't have a ton of experience with it yet and none in cold weather. Living in Wisconsin, I will find out about cold weather range in a few weeks... (From what I have read, it depends greatly on how cold you are willing to tolerate the cabin temperature.) As for highway driving, my daily commute is just over 30 miles one way, half of which is 55-60 mph on county highways and the remainder 70+ mph on interstate. I can charge at work, so I am always going each way starting with a full battery and have plenty of electric range left when arriving at work or home. I don't see the range suffer noticeably when running on the interstate at 70 mph with the cruise on. I have engaged the HV mode a couple of times when needing to mix it up in traffic at 75-80 so as to not burn through the battery so fast, but I have also driven up to 80 mph in EV mode with no issues. Bottom line is that it is a fully competent highway car. It won't be mistaken for a sports car, but has ample power in any mode for hills or passing. In sport mode the power is very responsive to the pedal.

IMO it is the best PHEV drive train on the market. Some of the electronic gadgets I am still experimenting with but so far find less impressive: The lane keep assist seems to wander and hunt. The adaptive cruise slows down sharply if a car changes into the lane in front of you, even at a reasonably safe distance and pulling away from you, and then takes too long to recover, which starts stacking up cars behind you who now want to pass because you keep slowing down. The lane departure warning triggers at unexpected times, even with it set on the lowest sensitivity. These are gadgets that I am perfectly happy driving without, so I may just stop using those features. The cruise works fine in the standard, non-adaptive mode, and I usually just drive with my thumb on the cancel button.

 

[obermd]

Realistic EV range for the Clarity PHEV is high 40s to low 50s, about 5 miles shorter than the Gen 2 Volt. On the highway however the Clarity is definitely more efficient.

 

[Bob Oz]

I jut got my 2018 Clarity yesterday.
I had a 17 Chevy Volt that I loved, but it left me stranded along the highway TWICE on my annual migration from Florida to Wisconsin. I have enough faith in Honda that this will not happen (I had a Civic hybrid for 13 years and put 260k problem-free miles on it, many or them on the same annual trip)
So far I'm loving the plush ride and am still learning about the ACC and other hi-tech goodies.
I'm sure my over-6-foot-tall friends will appreciate the extra room. I do miss the Zippy ride of the Volt, and leaving muscle cars far behind at stop lights (and passing on the highway). I can't speak yet to the EV range, but often got 55+ miles when I drove the Volt conservatively.