Comments from strangers about the Clarity - Another first

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by JCEV, Aug 19, 2018.

To remove this ad click here.

  1. Viking79

    Viking79 Well-Known Member

    Honestly, reviewers shouldn't comment on the style of the car in a subjective way, that is such a personal thing. Reviewers bashed the Nissan Juke for similar, then it sold incredibly well, and many reviewers stepped back on that realizing they were wrong (claimed it wouldn't sell well because it was ugly). Stick to reviewing the car, let people decide for themselves if they like it or not.

    I really like the front with the distinctive lights, the rear from the rear of the car. I am not a huge fan of the skirts, but don't really care either. They serve an aerodynamic purpose.
     
  2. To remove this ad click here.

  3. barnesgj

    barnesgj Active Member

    The wheel skirts are barely noticeable against the red paint.
    And I must not notice how distinctive the style is, because in large parking lots I have tried to open other peoples cars on more than one occasion.
     
    Taxdr1965 likes this.
  4. GTO 409

    GTO 409 Member

    The rear wheel skirts are, for some reason, far less noticeable in real life, in person, than they are in the photos!

    That's likely partly due to the reviewers drawing attention to them, so that dominates what one sees in looking at the photos.

    But, in person, not only less noticeable, they are even striking looking!
     
    Jaketesla likes this.
  5. Sandroad

    Sandroad Well-Known Member

    I took a trailer tire in to a Discount Tire yesterday for repair and both people there who helped me liked the Clarity’s looks and asked all about the car. One was so enthusiastic he may end up buying a Clarity.
     
    Jaketesla likes this.
  6. MPower

    MPower Well-Known Member

    I haven't bought my Clarity yet, but I kept reading reviews about the awful "skirts". I had to google what car skirts are. The Clarity just looked like it had fenders to me. Good grief.
     
    dalbeck and insightman like this.
  7. To remove this ad click here.

  8. Ray B

    Ray B Active Member

    I was reading in my car while L2 charging at an empty parking lot at a local college one evening and two ~14 year old boys who were on bicycles were passing through. I had my windows down and one said to his friend extra loud so I could hear: "Dude, is that a Tesla I see?! DUDE CHECK OUT THIS AWESOME TESLA!! WOW!" and as they cycled closer his friend mumbled, "No dude, it's a Honda." and the first guy said, "Yeah, looks awesome!". At that point they were passing by the driver's side and could see my door open and they bellowed "REALLY NICE CAR, MAN!"

    Lol - I didn't know whether to be happy that they were impressed with the look of the car, or to be insulted that the guy assumed it was a Tesla (I think he assumed it because it was plugged in). I laughed... :)
     
  9. Kailani

    Kailani Member

    Curious if they were approaching from the front or side off you. I’m pretty sure it would not be from the back. Personally, i think the car looks its best when viewed at a 45 deg angle from the front.
     
  10. dalbeck

    dalbeck Member

    PA
    Agree with what everyone is saying. Before I purchased the Clarity I was so heavy into the Volt. After test driving the Clarity I had to look into it more, every review on YouTube leads off with "This car visually is offensive"... I have never heard such extreme descriptions on the looks of a normal factory car haha. Personally, I love it. When I saw it in person I thought it looked so much nicer. The first day I showed up at work with it everyone was complimenting it, and this morning as I was backing out of the garage to leave for work all the neighbors were waiting around for the school bus to arrive and all of them were just staring at the car as I drove by and waived. I would like to think they also thought it looked great haha.

    I think the front looks great, the lighting is amazing, love the back of the car as well, and the skirts do not bother me at all.
     
    KentuckyKen likes this.
  11. barnesgj

    barnesgj Active Member

    I was at the dealership today and a car stopped and asked me how I liked my Clarity. Of course, I told them what a great car it's been, etc., etc. Then I noticed they were in a Volt. He said they were a family of 5 and the Volt is just too small (no surprise). The interesting thing is that they have been looking at the Clarity for quite a while, but had not seen one in use or met an owner. I recommended this forum, in case they wanted some expert owners' advice and suggested they test drive one. There was a white one about 10 feet away, so they probably will (if they haven't already).
    And on an off topic note, mine is red and I've always regretted that I wasn't able to get a white one. This was the first time seeing a white one in person. While I still like the white one, the back end doesn't look so pronounced on my red. I think I like it better, now. :)
     
  12. To remove this ad click here.

  13. Ben Washburn

    Ben Washburn Member

    I guess basically I'm just not attuned to car styling at all. Obviously if someone points out something like that I can see it, but in general to me the Clarity just looks like every other car out there.
     
    jorgie393, David A and K8QM like this.
  14. Eddgie

    Eddgie Active Member

    I can see why some reviewers don't like the car, but I have received a very large number of compliments and "Futuristic" has been mentioned in almost every conversation I have had about the styling (not by me, but by the other party(s) in the conversation).

    At night with the lights on, the view from the front is quite exotic. I am sure people seeing it in their rear view mirror go "WTF is that!"

    I went to the Seattle Worlds Fair in 1962 and have always considered myself a "Futurist" and the first time I saw the Clarity, that was my own sentiment. It looked (and looks) futuristic to me.
     
  15. Akinto

    Akinto Member

    There were three men working on the parking garage near where my car was charging today. One asked me how much it cost to charge it. I said it was super cheap at night, ~$1 for a full battery, plus fees and taxes.
    “How far will it go?”
    “80km on battery, then it switches to hybrid “
    “Wow”
    There’s some sort of assumption out there that an EV is expensive to run. I told them that there was no reason to stay away from an EV, especially a plug in hybrid. They seemed impressed.
     
  16. I'm sure it's all about the wheel cover, while it's already very little compared to the original Insight.
    Average people usually do not easily accept something that's out of their imagination that's why they're average :)

    I got the first compliment when my wife and I took our kid to a swimming class, the guy came asking about the car, didn't know this car from Honda and it looked great.
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2018
  17. jeff10236

    jeff10236 Member

    I've had a lot of curious and interested questions about my car, but no one has said it looks good (actually, my cousin's wife did now that I think about it). I actually think it is a little ugly (not terrible, but enough that I did consider that when deciding to buy or not). The front is fine, but I don't like the 1980's Buick style half skirt on the rear wheels, and the bulbous rear when looked at straight on looks like the Crosstour, and from the side kind of reminds me of the first generation Ford Tempo/Mercury Topaz (for you younger folks, I guess it will take an internet search to know what I'm talking about).

    Not repulsive, but not a great looking car. All that said, I agree with those who say that it is growing on you, I still think some parts of the car are kind of ugly, but ugly in a cute way (if that makes sense), like a pug, not butt ugly like a Prius or Prius Prime :) (which I also strongly considered despite the looks)
     
  18. ASFMon

    ASFMon New Member

    Just got a Clarity, and I kinda like the rear wheel well covers. Here are a few examples from bygone days. IMG_4360.JPG IMG_4362.JPG IMG_4364.JPG IMG_4374.JPG


    Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
     
    Vezz66, Clarity_Newbie and Ray B like this.
  19. PHEV Newbie

    PHEV Newbie Well-Known Member

    I've gotten a bunch of positive comments and thumbs up on our white Clarity. Of course, I don't expect anyone to come up to me and say how ugly it is (they'd have to have to be some psychopath to do that) :confused:. That being said, the Clarity combines huge passenger and trunk space with serious aerodynamics. It's hard to make the car pretty when you have to work within those constraints.
     
  20. Mark W

    Mark W Active Member

    CT
    Went to a pool supply store. Guy inside said, is that electric? I said yeah, it's a plug in hybrid. He asked how I liked it. I told him I loved it, but didn't like the rear fender. He said, "yeah, I wasn't going to say anything about that... but.. why do they have to do that with electrics? When you drove in, from the front, I said, that's a cool looking Honda, but then you turned into the parking space. "
     
  21. kcsunshine

    kcsunshine Active Member

    I get a lot of looks because they never seen a Clarity. I guess you could say it is a rarity. I drive a car to get from point A to B in some comfort and safety. The wheel skirts don't bother me unless it is with changing tires which I haven't tried. Maybe a darker color would hide it better.
     

Share This Page