Help - Prius Prime vs. Clarity PHEV

Probably not, they're two different animals. I would bet that most bought the Clarity because they wanted the increased EV range (among other things). That range wouldn't come from a regular hybrid vehicle.

 

You can't compare hybrid and PHEV. Hybrid will always use gas. PHEV can run on electric until the battery runs out.

If the max distance you travel is 120 miles, the Bolt EV is a good choice.

 

Zorro, Had we not purchased the Clarity my next choice would have been the Hyundai Ioniq PHEV. We drove the hybrid version last year and liked it. Hyundai has more space than the Prius. I see that you like the looks of the Prius so that is a big decision factor.

When we bought our first Prius back in 2008 there were three factors that drove our decision:
1) Just jumping on the bandwagon with new technology.
2) We liked the electronics and overall interior over our second choice.
3) Total Cost of Ownership savings over time which did prove to be true.

With the Clarity the decision was much different:
1) Buy before the end of 2017 due to the potential for the $7,500 tax credit going away on January 1, 2018.
2) We really liked the Clarity overall, both interior and exterior including the cargo space.
3) The EV range was a big factor.

But unlike our Prius decision Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) wasn't a factor. I never expect to reach a point in the future when the Clarity (even with roof solar charging the car most days) will be less than the cost of other car options including those that only have 1/2 the EV range.

If our daily drives had been more than the EV range of the Clarity and we would have ended up using gas we might not have bought it. Our Prius experience in hybrid mode was always near 50 mpg. When the Clarity is in hybrid mode it's closer to 42 mpg. We might have made the decision for the Hyundai Ioniq PHEV to get better financial factors overall.

What are the factors that are driving your decision? TCO? Cargo space? Comfort? Driving characteristics?

 

I was under the impression that the tax credits were remaining for 2018 and were part of the tax package.

 

In early December, the tax credit was not a done deal. The House nixed it; the Senate kept it. The final deal kept it but that wasn't made until after most of us had bought the car (knowing that by buying in December we'd get the credit for sure, but if we waited…). In the end we could've waited, but hindsight and all of that.

 

That is correct, but that wasn't known until the end of December, probably after they bought the Clarity. We did the same thing.

 

Yes, I was responding to jdonald's post, but upon re-reading it, I see I misinterpreted what he said. I thought he was implying the credit was still in doubt. That's what you get for speed reading.

 

My intention at the end of last year was to turn in my 2014 Camry XLE hybrid and purchase a new 2018 Camry hybrid. The 2018 has a much improved trunk space because they redesigned the rear end of the car and moved the batteries under the back seat and trunk instead of behind the rear seat. The 2018 Camry LE now uses LI batteries instead of the NMH batteries used in my 2014 but also in the 2018 Camry XLE, SE and XSE. The LE is now reported to get 52 mpg, the other models 46 mpg. My 2014 averaged about 39 mpg.
The reason I went to look at the Clarity is because I think Toyota has really screwed up the look of the front end of the Camry. Also, they changed the interior and made it uncomfortable and difficult. (Try to access the glove box from the drivers seat).
I am very happy Toyota screwed up the Camry because it caused me to look around and get a much superior car. The Clarity is really a pleasure to drive and since purchasing the car in late December, I have yet to put in any gas. Get the Clarity. You will be much happier in the long run.

 

The Camry Hybrid LE is stripped. To compare apples to apples, the Camry Hybrid XLE is equipped similarly to the Clarity Touring. Camry's MSRP is $33,145 and the mileage for the XLE is 44/47 mpg. It is slightly smaller than the Clarity and has a smaller trunk. It is also a bit slower than the Clarity. It does not have Apple Carplay/Android Auto and it is not designed to drive as an EV. As Dominick said, it does not benefit from tax incentives and rebates. The final cost of our Clarity Touring was $27,000 (including delivery/doc after incentives and $2000 discount). You can't buy the Camry XLE for that.

 

I got a call today from the local Toyota dealer informing me they are getting six (SIX!) Prius Primes in about a week. I'm sure they were just as surprised as I was at the news. I had to tell them I am out of the market for one. I found something better. (I didn't tel them that last part, but I almost did)

 

Should have!

 

Numbers don’t lie; the Clarity has the bigger trunk—15.5 cf. It’s wider, with a bigger back seat that comfortably sits 3.
OK, styling is subjective and beauty is in the eye of the beholder but, seriously, how can the Prius possibly look better than the Clarity?!

I challenge you to park them side by side and test drive each on the same day in both city, highway, and traffic merging. If you do and still say the Prius looks and drives better, I’ll eat crow and send you $10.
Whoops, reply to old post that just got sent. My bad

 

The first difference I told my friend about Clarity (which none of them know) and Prius Prime is Clarity is more an Accord family sedan, Prius family is more a Corolla compact, they are of different classes.

After tax credit and rebate, they're about the same price and Clarity offers more goodies, choice is simple to me.
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But not everyone needs a family sedan. If you want a smaller car to go around the city, better MPG and no one question your choice of car, Prius Prime is the safe choice.
(I'm not kidding, if you got Clarity and had problems, you would hear words of why not getting a Prius...)
(When I said I was going to buy a PHEV, my friends would only say Prius. That's everyone's go for car for hybrid. I'm sick of explaining why I didn't get a Prius)

Before I bought Clarity, I'd been looking at various PHEV including Ioniq, Niro, Prius Prime and Clarity.
Basically Prius, Ioniq and Niro are all in the class of Civic and Corolla by its exterior size and interior materials.
Since we need to fit a baby stroller (folding seat down is not an option as we have car seat), all of them can barely fit one and leave us very little extra space.

I'm never fond of Prius (any trim) and in fact, I hate its super large screen. Don't need something screaming I'm different.
Both Ioniq and Niro are good and better warranty. I was settling on Ioniq because I prefers its look and interior is better than its sibling Niro. Niro doesn't have larger trunk as a CUV.
But since our purchase plan changed, so I got more time to wait for Clarity PHEV to the market and it basically checks every our requirements.

Last but not least I value driving experience more than those MPG values. Cars are built for a purpose and sometimes you need to sacrifice MPG. I have a Miata for my daily drive and a Wrangler for rough road trips and home depot, now a Clarity for my wife and family.

 

I have owned a 2010 camry hybrid. I really loved the car. The bottom line to consider is the versatility of the clarity. My clarity shows a 52 mile electric range. It is an efficiecy beast. The Pius prime has a 26 mile ev range. The clarity wieghs in at just over 4000 lbs.the prius prime felt like a bubble on wheels. I'm a large man and the clarity was head and shoulders above the prius prime in ride and performance. It does take some time to understand the functions on the clarity. The problem i had during the test drive is the dealership didnt charge up the battery. So the gas motor was working to charge it and hampering the overall perfomance.one advantage the prius prime has is the hybrid/ev battery would be less expensive to replace. If the clarity is registered in california or other green states, you get a 150k mile or 10 year warranty. Otherwise it is 100k or i years.

 

Prius prime was our 100% pick before we changed our mind and got clarity.

On test driving prime we found
- ride was rough
- pick up was meh
- we need 5 seats, but we’re willing to concede it for prime
- EV range was much shorter than our 40 mile daily round trip, we were willing to concede it as well
- wife felt claustrophobic and refused to test drive
- hated the large screen as we were interested in Premium trim. Also the fact it could not be turned off. Some folks mentioned serious glare issue due to its size and location


On the other hand test driving clarity all the above issues were gone, the biggest concern was long term reliability which we felt will be less than prime. We are not happy with our current accord that seem to be on its last legs at 120k miles, yet decided to purchase Clarity. Will be purchasing extended D80 warranty.

We also test drive Camry hybrid, that we liked but for XLE trim sh h we wanted Clarity was a better purchase.

We like the car, but wish our electricity prices were cheaper they are (23c kWh, 48c kwh, 56c kwh for different tiers). If I charge at home it will be at 48c kWh which is way (twice) expensive than gas currently at $3.7.per gallon. So plan to mostly charge at work (15c kWh) till I get Solar.

So I don’t think you’d go wrong with either car.

 

I bought both the prius prime (premium) and the clarity (touring). I gave my wife her choice and fortunately she chose the prius! The prius is a fine car but lacks the higher end feel on the honda. We typically use the clarity when we go out together. The ride is significantly smoother and quieter. The cabin appears more spacious and looks like a cross between an Acura and a honda. Comfort is about the same in the front of both cars although the clarity does not have lumbar adjustment for driver. Both infotainment systems use touch screens rather than knobs. Both cars sacrifice external style for lower drag coefficients. In your DFW climate for 9 mos of the year the prius with go ~30mi and the clarity ~60 mi per full charge. The clarity has much better power and acceleration. I also use the regen paddles on the clarity. IMO, the honda delivers a much more satisfying driving experience than the Toyota at roughly the same cost if tax incentives are included.

 

When you test drive the Clarity, be sure to 'put that thing in Sport'. I find it has plenty of pep in Sport mode. My kids drive it exclusively in Sport Mode and love it over the Civic (older) that they usually drive.

 

I agree fully, and have not seen much loss in miles (I always have extra at the end of the day so even if it uses a little extra the added pleasure around town is worth it (plug regen stays on all the time saving brakes)