[carebear1124]

My husband prefers that we take our 2010 Honda CRV because he said it's safer, have the wear and tear on the older car. I responded the reason we bought the Clarity Plug In is so that we can take on long road trips. Our Honda CRV gives about 22/mpg? It is bigger but what we'll be taking will fit in the trunk of the Clarity. He feels it would be safer with the CRV with the 2 kids in the back seat. I am trying to convince him that we should take the Clarity. Would appreciate any feedback from those who have made the long drive. Thanks.

 

[obermd]

I haven't made this particular drive, but I do have a lot of cross country windshield time on my annual treks from Denver to New Hampshire and back. My recommendation is to take the more car that's more comfortable to ride in. I can't compare the Clarity to the CRV but I suspect the Clarity is the more comfortable vehicle. From a safety standpoint I suspect the Clarity is also the safer vehicle, simply because safety features in general have improved that much since 2010.

 

[Rob43]

TAKE THE CLARITY....

It's safe, it gets great fuel economy, it's new so it won't fail you; Bring Sunscreen.



Have a great trip,

Rob43

 

[2002]

You're going to go through some mountain passes on that drive. And using the air conditioning. If you take the Clarity start the trip with a full charge and start out in HV and stay in HV the entire trip if possible, because even in HV it is reported that some of the EV charge will be "sipped" by the system as needed on a long drive especially during hill climbs. So don't be alarmed if you see the EV range slowly going down during the drive even though you are driving in HV. And remember after each stop at a rest stop, gas station, restaurant etc. when starting out again to push the HV button otherwise it will revert back to EV and you will use up your EV charge in no time when you get back onto the 70 mph interstate. Climbing hills with 0 EV range is no fun.

Also be sure to bring your charge cable with you in case you are able to charge at your hotel. Even without your cable you could charge at Chargepoint and other locations if needed. If in spite of all this you run out of EV range and have a hill climb coming up in say fifty miles, you will probably want to use Charge Mode (press HV button and hold it) which will charge up the battery to a little over 50%. Charge Mode is normally not a useful feature because it is not an efficient way to charge the battery, but it's a lot better than trying to climb a hill with 0 EV range.

And speaking of range, as you know the Clarity has a small fuel tank so plan for more frequent gas stops. It won't be a problem unless you forget to keep on top of it. And if you do use charge mode at any time that will be burning extra gasoline so be sure to factor that in when planning fuel stops.

I'm not trying to discourage you, people have driven trips like this I am just passing along the tips they say to follow to make the trip more enjoyable.

 

[fuelscience]

Also be sure to bring your charge cable with you in case you are able to charge at your hotel.

I recently took my Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid on a trip from Nashville to Lubbock and back, and I managed to find one hotel with a 110V plug close enough to charge my vehicle. It took some back-and-forth with the desk agent repeatedly going back to talk to her boss, but in the end they finally gave me permission to plug in and charge overnight. Good luck!

 

[obermd]

I recently took my Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid on a trip from Nashville to Lubbock and back, and I managed to find one hotel with a 110V plug close enough to charge my vehicle. It took some back-and-forth with the desk agent repeatedly going back to talk to her boss, but in the end they finally gave me permission to plug in and charge overnight. Good luck!

I carry a bright yellow 40 ft 10 gauge extension cord as well as my portable EVSE. I've never had a hotel tell me no. What I have had is a lot of "you can charge on 110 volts" surprised statements. The answer I've always received is if I can find a live outlet go ahead and plug in.

 

[Kerbe]

My husband prefers that we take our 2010 Honda CRV because he said it's safer, have the wear and tear on the older car. I responded the reason we bought the Clarity Plug In is so that we can take on long road trips. Our Honda CRV gives about 22/mpg? It is bigger but what we'll be taking will fit in the trunk of the Clarity. He feels it would be safer with the CRV with the 2 kids in the back seat. I am trying to convince him that we should take the Clarity. Would appreciate any feedback from those who have made the long drive. Thanks.

Not that I condone spousal abuse but, if you have a large enough stick, you might try to beat some sense into him.:grin:

 

[TampaClarity45]

Take the Clarity. We took our through the mountains in Colorado. We loved it. Dont worry too much about charging, HV mode, HV charge mode, etc. Basically, charge the car at night using 110v, drive it all day, charge it again. The car will perform in the mountains with or without the battery. I usually will drive HV mode on long distances, and have averaged 48mpg over 1700 miles. We have owned our clarity since October. We also own a Tesla Long range Model 3, and we love taking that one on long trips, although it takes an extra 5 mins per hour.

 

[obermd]

Take the Clarity. We took our through the mountains in Colorado. We loved it. Dont worry too much about charging, HV mode, HV charge mode, etc. Basically, charge the car at night using 110v, drive it all day, charge it again. The car will perform in the mountains with or without the battery. I usually will drive HV mode on long distances, and have averaged 48mpg over 1700 miles. We have owned our clarity since October. We also own a Tesla Long range Model 3, and we love taking that one on long trips, although it takes an extra 5 mins per hour.

How did it handle Eisenhower Tunnel and Vail Pass?

 

[150MPG]

Take the Clarity always gets great mileage and has Honda road side assistance 24hrs unless you are out of warranty. Only one problem a flat tire that the is not repairable the tires on the car are not readily available in rural areas you may have to go with an alternate. This happened to me having a tire destroyed in an area only having mom and pop shops and a wallmart.

 

[obermd]

Put your Clarity in HV mode as soon as you leave your driveway. When the Clarity runs out of battery the engine screams on mountain climbs. It's trying to both tap the EV motor for additional power, but when there's no battery power left, the car dips into the battery reserve and then boosts the ICE RPM to compensate to provide power to both the wheels and battery.

 

[claritypicker]

Stick with Clarity

If your current items and the things you plan to buy during the trip can fit, then go with Clarity. As many suggested stay in HV mode during the entire trip. Clarity has better fuel economy, better headlights (people always forget to mention how bright and wide its lights are), better sound system, quieter interior (sound insulation) and lane keep assist is always handy.


We have CRV and Clarity and love both. CRV is good because of ground clearance, better all round view and road grip, All Wheel Drive especially in snow and rain. Because the windshield is more vertical, the rain drops fall off faster making CRV easier to drive in rain and snow. The rear wipers also come in handy.