You obviously understand little of this car. Why you expected to be luxurious is beyond me. Just so you know, their luxury brand is Acura. You drive one of the biggest sedans available…and you expect to get good mpg when you do your crazy driving? I have a fairly heavy foot and still get to 40 mpg on gas and 40+ miles on ev…but cold will affect that range so if you’re in the NE i get it. I think they done a great job with the interior design and the car is fairly quiet especially on ev mode. As for your msrp remarks, why do you care? RV is low because of the credits…that’s the case for all evs. The market will discount any arbitrage. In CA you get the car at a cheaper price than an Accord …with more options.
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Yes this is correct.
Driving a full sized sedan identical to the Accord, with the largest cabin space of many of it’s PHEV competitors (Chevy Volt, BMW 530 & X540e, Mitsubishi Outlander, Toyota Prius Prime), and largest battery miles per charge among them!
This is definitely an engineer’s car and shows with the upgraded interior and exterior. Where can you get a “BASE” model trim and receive 18" wheels, seat heaters, CarPlay & AA ?
Glad to see this is a very unique Honda - made in Saitama Japan instead of Alabama where the rest of the models are made…
When the 3 years are up, I am up for keeping the car and buying it out. The 8yr battery warranty makes me want to keep this car for sure!
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just want to share my deal signed on 12/28/2018 again for anyone who’s in the market for this car. Current deal and incentive is different of course but with 2019 coming out soon I don’t see why anyone can’t duplicate or at least come close to the ones some of us got.
Clarity Base -
MSRP: $34295
Selling Price: $23xxx (can’t remember the exact numbers since I am at work)
Monthly payment: $345 including 7.75% OC tax
DAS: $0
Incentives: $7600 from Honda + $500 state employee
Month: 36
Mileage: 15000
MF: 0.00047
RV: 40%
Region: SOCAL (OC)
so far I’ve driven 2400 mile in 5 weeks since owning the car, getting an ave. about 44 to 52 mile of EV range (50/50 local and highway) and about 40-42 mpg in hybrid mode. I found the car to be comfortable, roomy, and the trunk even fits 2 to 3 sets of golf clubs plus backpack and misc. items.
I could’ve gotten a BMW 330e or other entry level luxury hybrid vehicles but after evaluating the pros and cons on all, Clarity is simply the best option for me personally. It has enough EV range for my daily commute, roomy interior and trunk space, Honda sensing is a plus, on top of all that it’s qualified for the new purple HOV sticker. Would love to have leather seat and lumbar support, but just don’t see the extra $3000 or so for Touring is warranted.
I hit some cords here, I take everything back, didn’t expect this car to develop a fan club, lol.
Seriously though, I get it has pluses, I enjoy the roominess indeed, I like the from design, even the back.
I enjoy the 30ish miles of fun EV driving, although it is not that quiet, road noise is omnipresent. Looking forward for the summer to improve the range.
Interior design is alright, main dashboard is simplistic and cool, Star Trek-like.
Android auto is great, I don’t even need the stock GPS.
I mentioned it because some members on the forum regarded it as luxurious.
I just expect more from a 37k car.
Minuses: Terrible windshield wipers, somebody pleeease agree with me on this one. Pretty important
The infotainment is a trickled down version of older Acura. (I own one too). The unit feels like an android tablet from Alibaba. It is quite slow and after the map update it slows down even more.
No apps available to install, people talk about how to hack it on forums.
No blind spot monitor?
Honda Sense makes you look like a drunk driver, or simply slow to react to traffic. Stops too short, slow to pick up, slams the brakes on you in crowded intersections. Lane assist is the better option.
For all that roominess, because of the batteries, there is an awkward truck space.
I installed cameras and I ran wires around the edges. It wreaks cheapness, has flimsy cover panels, has weird gaps around the dashboard, the ceiling trim is of poor quality and poorly finished at the edges. (I know I just described Tesla 3, lol)
No moonroof?
I am sorry, this car is a sham from Honda, something squeezed quickly through the design process. Not a 37500 car, not an engineering monument. The Insight seems much better overall and fair priced, sans EV capability.
2018 BMW I3 RV for 36/12 - 57%
Volt RV - 49%
Clarity Touring - 40%
Sorry about the rant, but people should also know what they get into if they plan to keep this car for a long time. You can complain about all this issues during the test drive to negociate a lower price.
I would not pay a penny more than $300/month, net payment
Peace, I’ll stay off your thread now. I will keep my opinion
yep…I claimed both CA 1500 rebate and SCE 1000$ rebate …effective payment reduced to 239$ (My leasehackr score card is posted above)
I wouldn’t call it luxurious, but the car definitely has better fit and finish than most other cars on my shopping list. I’d say it’s on par with higher trim Accord or Camry sans leather seats (at least on the base model I got). Honda should’ve upgraded the infotainment system to the latest one they put in their newer models, but it has android auto and apple carplay which is all I need and it’s relatively easy to use and responsive. I do agree the Honda lanewatch should be better designed and integrated though.
before settling on the Clarity. I also looked at BMW 330e (better handling but no HOV sticker), Niro/Kona PHEVs (not enough range to cover daily commute) , Prius Prime (again not enough EV range), Volt (good EV range but limited back seat and headroom) and Insight (seriously considered this but at the end no plugin means no HOV and frequent trips to the gas station). as you all can see, I place EV range and access to carpool lane high on my shopping list lol. At the end of the day, Clarity just strikes the best balance to me between EV range, roominess, amenities, and value (net payment for me after the rebate is $10125 for 3 yrs). We also have a Bolt that we got at the end of 2017 that my girlfriend absolutely loves. She gets close to 300 mile of range based on her driving. Both Bolt and Clarity just suits our needs better for now especially in socal’s traffic.
With all that being said, I still miss my fun/weekend car e39 530i that I sold a year ago.
“I just expect more from a 37k car.”
No one pays that…fact!
“Minuses: Terrible windshield wipers, somebody pleeease agree with me on this one. Pretty important”
They work just fine, they just move in different directions…but work just like all the others.
“The infotainment is a trickled down version of older Acura. (I own one too). The unit feels like an android tablet from Alibaba. It is quite slow and after the map update it slows down even more.”
Agreed!
“No blind spot monitor?”
Yes, very surprising! On the right side you have the mirror camera and that helps alot.
“Honda Sense makes you look like a drunk driver, or simply slow to react to traffic. Stops too short, slow to pick up, slams the brakes on you in crowded intersections. Lane assist is the better option.”
Granted i only tested this once it felt normal…will give it more tries.
“For all that roominess, because of the batteries, there is an awkward truck space.”
No way Jose. That truck space is more than ok.
“(I know I just described Tesla 3, lol”
You just didn’t…
“No moonroof?”
What do you need it for?
" The Insight seems much better overall and fair priced, sans EV capability."
Clarity 193″ L x 74″ W x 58″ H, 212hp, 232 lb-ft @ 0-2000 rpm, 7 gal tank, $22400 (in SoCal after all credits)
Insight 184″ L x 72″ W x 56″ H, 151hp, 99 lb-ft @ 0-2000 rpm, 10.6 gal tank, $22,930
Help me out man, i wanna see how the Insight is better…
“2018 BMW I3 RV for 36/12 - 57%”…electric only! Not comparable.
“Volt RV - 49%” …discontinued!
“Clarity Touring - 40%”…low balling by Honda. I bet most leases will have + equity at the end.
“…complain about all this issues during the test drive to negociate a lower price…”
Damn right about that! I never complained about so many made up issues on a car before…it helped.
“I would not pay a penny more than $300/month, net payment”
Agreed!..but for different reasons.
Now let’s give people some real issues!
It’s mainly my wife’s car so don’t dive it alot but Honda, WTF is with the gas engine coming on on full battery?! Did they somehow forget that they put a plug on it? You have to pull over, stop the car, start again and then it will go in ev mode again.
What about that pathetic charging schedule setup? Was it so hard to allow people to charge certain % of battery or adjust speed?
And that center console…why make is so wide and not have that space available for the driver’s knees?
Don’t get me started about that rear tire skirt…
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I lied, I am not leaving the thread.
Your issues are mostly my issues too. (but my previous issues are also real, lol). I noticed too that the engine comes on with full battery, if I briefly pinch the pedal, and it stays on for a long time. I guess it’s built in programming, like with Beemers, it goes into sports mode and stays there for few seconds in anticipation of aggressive driving. But here it stays on forever, forgets to go back in Eco mode even though it’s set on Eco. Much agreed, very annoying.
I haven’t used the charging schedule, I’ll take your word for it.
Yeah, the console looks nice at first impression, but not too practical. All the outlets are difficult to access too, especially if you are driving.
I read somewhere that the Japanese like the side skirt, it was primarily designed for their market.
quote=“Mark.ca, post:89, topic:90756”]
No one pays that…fact!
[/quote]
Correct, you gotta be insane to pay that. Honda however seems to think it’s worth it. If the incentives dissappear overnight, then what?
If Honda says it’s a $135000 car but you still pay $23000, would you feel you’re getting such a great deal?
About the wipers. It’s not wiper direction that bothers me, in NY, in dirty conditions they don’t clean well, the sprinkler are awkwardly build in the wiper. They just don’t clean well.
Volume is OK, the shape bothers me a lot. That bump in the posterior half makes it annoying with groceries, I have to cram them in the back if I use the front part. Not a serious issue though. Just impractical. Did’t try suitcases, but doubt it performs like the Accord.
Just joking about earlier model 3s and all their early issues.
Would love one now.
About the moonroof, I don’t know, I just got used to it, I don’t use it often, but on a nice summer night, it feels good in town.
Indeed, more Civic sized. Ok for the solo driver though. But has newer generation infotainment (they reinvented the volume knob, which is GOOD), nicer dashboard, has better hybrid mpg, moonroof, optional parking sensors, front and rear. No side skirts, I find it looks better. And yes, you nailed it. It costs the same amount as Clarity after incentives. But do you find the additional EV capability on Clarity is worth about $10000? Forget what we pay for a second. Take a step back, something doesn’t click. The Insight also has some serious technology. Plus, it was the original hybrid, before Prius stole the market, has some history.
Nope. All of them, actually 2018 and 2019 too. 58% for 36/10, hence 57% for 36/12. Straight from the man.
Volt being discontinued now is irrelevant. That’s what they were valuating the car at when it was alive.
I’ll keep the car for now as a buffer, until something else comes along.
Again, any car is OK for the right price. It’s just upsetting to see people pay 300+ for base. Honda should increase the residual a little bit, instead of dropping it monthly for the past 2 months, but that’s how much they believe in this project.
Yeiks! BMW is taking a bath on the i3 with that residual! But then again that can also reflect their need to move them not necessarily how much they will be worth 3 years later.
You make fair points. Not sure why you get hang up on the artificial msrp. If the credits would disappear overnight Honda will definitely adjust the prices down and/or the residual up. We just saw Tesla doing it last month. why worry about it when all works in your favor?
Just like i said before, when you consider all credits and rebates, the base is at around $250…which is well worth it. My deal is at $228 and after gas savings it’s probably close to $170. The NE deals are even better. I didn’t like the exterior design at first but every man has its price…and on darker colors it’s actually ok. You know what they say, if you can’t beat them, join them.
I get passionate about BS sometimes
Sorry for the delay. I live in the valley and ultimately I picked up the Clarity at Honda of Woodland Hills. Speak to Arbi. Also, If your willing to drive further up to Ventura I would also highly recommend speaking to Jose Nava in DCH Honda of Oxnard they seemed very eager to sell! Good luck!
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You might want to get it checked.
My engine doesnt trigger when i am running on battery only.
It triggers only on HV mode and i was told by the sales guy that to not feel underpowered on inclines you need to shift to HV mode when you have 14-16 miles left on EV
I am getting almost 40 miles on EV 50/50 driving and the engine has never kicked in even when i am going high inclines on the 118 East
It’s mainly my wife’s car so don’t dive it alot but Honda, WTF is with the gas engine coming on on full battery?! Did they somehow forget that they put a plug on it? You have to pull over, stop the car, start again and then it will go in ev mode again
I noticed after driving many miles on EV, the ICE kicks on to keep the fuel lines running and making sure the engine operates as if it goes into a test mode since I have not used any fuel since picking up the car!
That’s neat not to use any gas. I heard from prior Volt owners that it’s a good idea though to recicle the gasoline from time to time, don’t know if it’s folclor or science though. I guess gasoline has a shelf life too.
Regarding ICE starting during EV, for me it kicks in if I “Rev-up” above the 5th or so. I feel the car switches into a Sports Mode or HV while in Eco, and it stays there until I turn off the engine.
Definitely a design flaw, no need to run it that often. Just do it like the Volt does it. They both run the fuel out before it goes bad.
You guys can read on it here:
Got a great deal on a Base model in SoCal, 36 mos/12k, only first payment DAS, $335 tax included, PM for dealer details.
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Great deal for a Zero DAS (almost)…
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I was able to get 36k/3yr base for $320/month and approximately $900-1000 DAS with 4sallypat’s guidance in the OC area. I was able to match in one IE dealer as well. PM for details
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My deal signed on 2/10/2019
Clarity Base -
MSRP: $34295
Selling Price: $24345
Monthly payment: $340.95 including 9.25% LAC tax
DAS: $1500
Month: 36
Mileage: 15000
MF: 0.0002
RV: 39%
Region: SOCAL (LA County)
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Very good for 15K lease miles!
Congrats!