2021 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell

Best out of all the other plug ins!

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Ive owned plug-ins for the past several years - Ford Fusion Energi, Ford C-max, Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius. The Honda Clarity beats them all HANDS DOWN! I was seriously considering an all electric EV: Tesla or Chevy Bolt or Nissan Leaf but hated the thought of range anxiety when traveling back and forth from Palm Springs to LA. The Clarity is quiet quiet quiet and comfortable with great acceleration on the freeway. Ive been getting about 55 miles on a charge. It also has a huge trunk, something that the Ford Fusion did not have. The Clarity also has adaptive cruise, lane keep assist and other tech goodies too numerous to mention. I use the adaptive cruise on my frequent long road trips and it really is a lifesaver. Works amazingly well also in heavy bumper to bumper freeway traffic. No more constant foot to gas then brake then gas then brake. Its also good at keeping you in the center of the lane. WOW! Almost a self driving freeway car. One of the biggest drawbacks is learning all the tech stuff. All my other cars had NAV as well but it seems that all cars are different. The Honda is by far the best yet! The street names/text is very large which is great. No more squinting. My friend has a new Chevy Volt and he loved his car until he saw mine. So much bigger and luxurious and about 4000 less. GO BUY ONE! I got mine for 40,000 OTD but that did include an extended bumper to bumper warranty for 10 years which was additional 2000. Good luck.

Yet Another Affordable Green Luxury Review

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Factoring in the 7,500 federal tax credit, the Clarity PHEV is actually cheaper than a comparably equipped 2017 Accord Hybrid (2018 pricing not released as of this writing) and comparable to the Accords conventional ICE version. Moreover, the Clarity, with its 47-mile EV range, is cheaper fuel-wise than either Accord or Accord Hybrid. In urban/suburban driving its easy to achieve 90% electric miles, 10% gasoline miles. Otherwise, the Clarity has very similar dimensions to the Accord and is very easy to drive, even if youve never driven an EV before, like me. The downsides are relatively few. The Clarity, with its batteries and electric motors, weighs 800 lbs. more than the Accord. The extra weight impacts the crispness in the handling, particularly in sharp curves. Although the Touring version is reasonably luxurious, I noted a few instances in which cost-cutting was noticeable. Theres no sunroof, locking glove box, CD player (this is still listed in the owners manual!), lumbar seat-adjustments or turn-lights on the exterior mirrors. Also, the otherwise excellent 8-inch entertainment system lacks the physical buttons present on the 2018 Accord.

I looked until I found this amazing car!

Monday, January 22, 2018

I just got solar panels on my house and was looking for an all electric or plug-in car to put the electricity into. I wanted the car to be comfortable, and to have enough range so most daily errands and commuting could be run without using gas. and of course looking good wouldnt hurt. I went through every car out there, and didnt like any of them (mainly b/c of small car ride quality) except the Tesla (S), but even used that was too expensive for my taste. Then I saw a TV ad for this car, which seemed too good to be true. it was not easy to find one that was neither black nor white, but I did, and I have to say that I truly love this car. It runs and has the interior appointments of a luxury car - very quiet, almost posh. And there seem to be no compromises. If you want rapid acceleration, just put it into sport mode, and it will throw you back in your seat. if you want the ultimate in electric or gas economy, put it in eco mode, which blunts both acceleration and climate controls. I think it handles better than any car Ive owned, all of which have been Toyotas until this time. It is not a sports car, but it handles moderate curves at fair speed with virtually no body roll. It has the now standard electronic warnings for virtually everything that you can do, and even helps steer or brake the car away from trouble without getting in the way of your own steering. On top of this is the slightly unbelievable price, which is less than all of its higher rated competitors. For the first time, I didnt bargain with the dealer, because I thought the price was so reasonable for a car of this quality. After everything was thrown in, including taxes, dealer fees, and even the 2000 10-year warranty, I paid about 41K, which will be reduced to 32K after federal and state incentives. A luxury electric hybrid car for 32K new? And 400 miles range? And two hours to charge up from a 240V outlet (10 from a standard 110, from empty)? With regard to its exterior styling, I dont know what everybody else is talking about when they criticize it. I think it looks great, very cool. The panels at the top of the rear wheels? Nice touch, and who cares? Run, dont walk to get this car. There is nothing remotely close out there, Including the Tesla 3, which is not really out there, and I predict will have many more problems than this car.