Best PHEV in America: Alex on Autos

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by Lowell_Greenberg, Sep 7, 2019.

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  1. Lowell_Greenberg

    Lowell_Greenberg Active Member



    Nothing new here- but a highly favorable recent review of the 2019 Clarity on Alex on Autos.

    He even compares the Model 3 with the Clarity. While they have different vehicle propulsion technologies with target markets, comparing efficiency, it would take 700k miles for the more efficient EV Model 3 to break even with Clarity- assuming all electric driving on the Clarity. Factoring in costly options on the Model 3, government incentives, etc- the Clarity represents a more economical purchase as a typical commuter car. For me, resale value and cost of parts is an open issue when comparing the two. And reliability is TBD. Safety may favor the Model 3- but Honda Sensing offers a strong feature suite.

    As for styling- at this point I prefer the Clarity's form follows function approach. I like it.

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  3. bulls96

    bulls96 Member

    I own both cars - Clarity and M3.

    I bought the Clarity for my wife last year and after that she really saw the value of going all-electric from an economic standpoint. And that's how I convinced her to let me buy the Model 3. We bought them about a month apart. And we have owned both cars for a year now.

    So the clarity became the "gateway drug" for going all in with a Tesla.

    The Clarity is a great first EV to buy. It's got great space too, much more than my M3.

    But it's all about range in my mind. You really never want to spend anything for gas anymore once you experience no gas to travel.

    And of course, the M3 looks sexy as hell.. But my wife don't care about that, as many other wives wouldnt, I suspect.

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  4. BeMurda

    BeMurda Active Member

    I find the Tesla extremely boring looking and economy car like. A perception not aided by seeing lots of them around town.
     
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  5. bulls96

    bulls96 Member

    To each his own #intheeyeofthebeholder

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  6. It really is the gateway for me. when I bought the clarity I figured it would be my last ICE car, but now regretting a little bit that there wasn't an all electric with almost the same entry price, especially with a good charging network.

    Don't get wrong I love my clarity, but in retrospect if I could have gotten an electric car anywhere near the price of the clarity I would have bought one. Unfortunately typically keep my cars for 15 to 20 years so I'm going to be running the clarity for quite some time, but at least I think charging stations will become even more ubiquitous, and therefore it'll mostly be used as an electric car.
     
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  8. Evfred

    Evfred Member

    83 dB? That’s super loud. I think there could’ve been a mistake there.
     
  9. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    The Clarity was going to be my gateway drug to the Honda e. However, Honda decided to deny North America that car so the Clarity will have to be my gateway drug to the only subcompact BEV coming across the ocean anytime soon (supposedly in March), the MINI Cooper SE (1 foot shorter than a Bolt and 2 feet shorter than a Leaf). I just upgraded my 40-Amp Bosch EVSE to a 48-Amp ClipperCreek CS-60 in anticipation. Honda has stopped offering some of the parts for my ol' 2006 Insight, so it's time for it to transition from a daily driver to a collector.
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2019
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  10. It is. In the comments he notes that it was 73
     
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  11. Sandroad

    Sandroad Well-Known Member

    Alex on Autos is my favorite reviewer. It’s great he thinks highly of the Clarity. We intended to keep ours only through the factory warranty, but it’s such a wonderful car we may go for the long haul. The deciding factor will be reliability.
     
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  13. bulls96

    bulls96 Member

    I'm subscribed to his channel. He's a geek with autos and uses a lot of stats many reviewers don't use. My type o guy for reviews. #respect

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  14. Mowcowbell

    Mowcowbell Well-Known Member

    Good drinking game: Take a drink everytime Alex says 'In America'.
     
  15. czbo

    czbo New Member

    I read somewhere that Tesla used industrial grade touch panels instead of automotive grade for their large display panel, which does not survive in some climates. They implemented cabin air temperature protection which helps in that regard. Do you have any experience with it or know of that issue?
     
  16. bulls96

    bulls96 Member

    I live in the southern US and don't have any freezing climates, but it handles our summers here well. It does turn in cabin climate control of needed.

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  17. fargledaer

    fargledaer New Member

    That’s still pretty loud. It’s in the bottom 30 or so of the 138 cabin noise measurements on his website. Interestingly he measured the fuel cell Clarity at 68 dB. I doubt the PHEV is 5 dB louder, especially when running on battery power alone, nor even in hybrid mode under steady driving on flat roads.

    It seems more likely that his measurements are not taken under controlled conditions and aren’t very useful for comparing models, but I have no idea what his methodology is. Just speculating.
     
  18. Agzand

    Agzand Active Member

    A Tesla model 3 has much higher performance, but Clarity has 5 big advantages and some drawbacks:
    - It is much cheaper, about half the price of Model 3 once you consider incentives and discounts
    - It doesn't need a Level 2 charger at home (another $1000-$2000 in my case)
    - It has much better comfort (ride quality and space), Tesla ride is a bit brittle
    - It has better build quality
    - No matter what every one says, charging an electric car is not as convenient as filling a gas tank. In a road trip it means another 30 minutes. Sometime it doesn't matter, some time it does.

    Also Clarity has a more modern exterior design. The design will look better down the road.
     
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  19. The review was for the Best PHEV, so comparisons to a Tesla are irrelevant.

    I like options. We have solar panels and batteries on our main residence and a back up generator that runs on gasoline or propane. In the short amount of time we’ve owned the Clarity, I came home one night to a power outage, not at our main residence, that lasted until 4:00am. I had to leave at 5:00am. Had I come home with a depleted BEV, travel plans the following day may have been disrupted.

    With the Clarity, 7 gallons of gas or a trip to the gas station a half mile away eliminates a potential drawback that could occur with a BEV.

    Oops, that may have been a comparison between a PHEV and a BEV. Sorry.
     
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  20. Phil_Meyers

    Phil_Meyers Active Member

    For me it's about when the wife drives the car on a road trip. With a Tesla I wouldn't want her having to find charging and sitting there for an hour at each charge destination. With a Clarity, that's all removed. We drive mostly local so about 80% on EV which is fine by us.
     
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  21. David Towle

    David Towle Well-Known Member

    I would never trade the Clarity for an electric car. Here they cost much more to operate, plugging in is so inconvenient, and the price is no comparison. On top of that the Tesla 3 is just plain butt ugly. The Tesla lineup is strange, to me both the 3 and the X are hideous, but the 3 is quite handsome. But none of them are for me!
     
  22. Ken7

    Ken7 Active Member

    I’d disagree with some of your assertions, some of which are quite subjective. Full disclosure, I have a Clarity and a Model S. I think I can look at this somewhat more objectively than some here:

    - The base cost of a Model 3 is $35,115. This includes Tesla incentives. I don’t know of any Clarity selling for $17,557...certainly not the Touring edition.
    - The Model 3 does not ‘need’ a Level 2 charger, but it comes equipped with one. Just like my Model S, I can plug it into a good ol’ 110v outlet and just like the Clarity, it will charge much more slowly. Charging this way, the Model 3 will add about 50 miles overnight. But why do it that way if the Model 3 already comes with a Level 2 charger onboard? Sure you will need the proper 220v outlet, but that shouldn’t cost $1000-$2000. If an electrician gives you that kind of estimate, run, run very fast. My local utility just paid for my Level 2 JuiceBox we use on the Clarity. It was a $500 rebate. I’ve seen other utilities offering rebates like these too.
    - The fact is a Level 2 charger is hugely quicker than a Level 1 and should be seriously considered by any Clarity or electric car/PHEV owner who enjoys running their vehicle on electric. It is multiple times faster than a Level 1 and significantly more convenient. It’s one of the best investments you can make.
    - I only test drove a Model 3 once, and although its ride is firmer than the Clarity (many would call it sportier and list it as a plus) it certainly wasn’t uncomfortable. Initial Model 3s were firmer and Tesla altered the suspension to make it somewhat softer. So I would say ‘ride quality’ is in the eyes of the beholder. Many would call the Clarity too soft (I don’t).
    - The Model 3 handles better than the Clarity. It’s more nimble and I would argue more fun to drive than the Clarity when you consider its better handling and acceleration. Just as I find my Model S to handle better than our Clarity, the Model 3 is more nimble still and arguably even more fun than my S. Just being objective here.
    - Yes, the Clarity is unquestionably roomier than the Model 3, no arguments there.
    - Build quality on the Model 3, after initial assembly line issues, is actually quite good now. I’d say which build quality is better is subject to debate. With a gun to my head, perhaps I’d give the edge to the Clarity, but I really don’t think there’s much of a difference right now. Remember, based on the fact that there are tons more Model 3s than Claritys, you’ll hear of more issues. Much of that is just the nature of statistics.
    - Yes, charging an electric car takes longer than filling the gas tank. But I’d argue taking a break after 200 miles or so of driving is both safer and more relaxing. The Tesla SC network is impressive in size and convenience. I can drive from NY to Florida with zero concerns about charging. Tesla shoppers know that Tesla still offers periodic incentives for free supercharging.

    I just wanted to offer some counterpoints to this post. :)
     
  23. I'm sure Agzand was considering the $7,500 federal tax credit in his calculating. After September 30 that goes to zero for Tesla, right?
     
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