Honda Clarity test drive coming up…
Last Updated:
I am driving the Plug-in version of the Honda Clarity for a week.
(As the Hydrogen version is not available in the press fleet, and I am not really into the pure EV model which has a pretty small range)
So far, EV range has been around 43 miles in mix used (City and HWY)
And over 51MPG once the main batteries were empty.
(Both without trying hard at all.)
I will get more accurate numbers as I drive it more of course. But so far so good.
A very comfortable and roomy car with amazing mileage.
As usual, I will try to answer any question you might have.
I guess my only question is, can a car be uglier than this one?
How's the braking? It seems like hybrid vehicle brakes have gotten better to not feel squishy and often sensitive. Does it drive and feel like a normal car most of the time?
The infotainment system is from old Honda with no radio buttons and laggy screen, but not much one can do about it until the next mid-cycle refresh.
Even with 51 mpg I think total range is pretty low as it's only 7 gallon or so. Honda should have put a larger gas tank in the Clarity. Compared to EV it might be decent, but not so much compared to other PHEVs.
The total range of the Clarity is 340 miles.
I completely agree about the gas tank. I realize that batteries take up room, but this is built on the Accord architecture. If they wanted to distinguish themselves, they should have put the standard 14 gal tank in it and showed what massive range this could have in gas mode. After all, most of us live in the real world without available charging stations. In the Midwest, the ability to drive 500+ miles on one tank is a definite advantage.
I had one in the wash bay at work today and i can say for sure this is the ugliest car in existence.
Even if the car gets great mpg or anything else it doesn't matter it is too ugly to be driven in public