Prius Prime (Adv) Vs Honda Clarity (Touring) Analysis

have you driven the clarity, ionique and volt?

 

No, I figure they’re designed to be small and light so they won’t be any more comfortable than Prime. Have you? My friend has a new Accord Hybrid so I’ll ask him to drive it.
New Camry hybrid LE gets 50+ on both city and highway. Pretty amazing. But it’s as low to the ground as Prime and the seat is just as short.

 

i haven't, not in the market. we love our 2013 hycam, but the seat could be more comfortable on long trips.

if there is a phev with good trunk space and long range next time around, we may consider it

 

Hmm, I couldn't find any incentive offered by Honda for Clarity in NJ even though Prius Prime rebate is at $4K now. Am I missing sth.?

Price aside, I'd say a 5-seater vs 4 is a huge improvement. Having Android Auto is great too. However, even at Touring there are some safety/convenience features missing on Clarity compared to PP Advanced (BSM, self-parking, cross lane warning, HUD etc). Overall PPA seems to have a bit more features.

One reason we'd never go for Clarity is its tires. We had a Honda Fit before. Great car, got significantly higher than stated mpg. But driving on horrible NJ roads we replaced a tire in an average of 5 months due to bubbles developing in the low profile tire (or it plains broke on the road). That was the main reason we sold our Fit and got a PPA. The Clarity tire is either low profile or close to one, and we'd never get those again - the hassle of replacing tires so often drove us crazy.

Also Clarity doesn't have a safety rating yet.

Lvl 1 charging has its advantage - installing lvl2 frequently costs you thousands (although it's an investment one probably eventually needs to make - but might not be to the current house).

Just my 2c.

 

The Clarity I looked at came with Michelin Energy Saver. Yeah, I am with you on replacing tires on Clarity. Even if it is cheaper than Prime upfront, in addition to more gas and more tax (higher base price) and more maintenance cost (no free maintenance service from Honda), adding the cost of replacing those low profile tire and they are 18 inch tires compared to 15 inch on Prime, I will be spending much more on operational costs for Clarity.

 

I thought I saw somwhere that cosumer reports said that the honda clairity plugin was the least reliable electric/plugin vehicle.

 

More likely they said they didn't have a reliability rating for it from the model being so new with no previous history. For the first year gen4/Prime, CR would give such a rating based on how the earlier models did. That is their usual SOP with new models that haven't been on the road long.

 

The latest CR lists “Hybrids/Electric Cars” giving Toyota Prius Prime a 91 score and Honda Clarity a 14. These are reliability predictions for 2019.

 

What is the difference between the Clarity's drivetrain and hybrid system vs. the Prime's (besides battery capacity)? (E.g., eCVT, parallel-serial, gas tank size, battery technology, etc.)

 

eCVT is a catchall term referring to an electric hybrid system that mimics a CVT in operation. So I think the Clarity also gets that label.

The short answer is that the Clarity, and other two motor Honda hybrids like the Accord, doesn't have a planetary gear set that the Prius Prime uses to balance ICE and M/G1 inputs. The Clarity has essentially a one speed transmission like today's BEVs have. It is closer to how the i3 REx works than the Prime, with the ICE running the generator for series hybrid operation. Except, the engine can clutch in to help drive the wheels directly. Usually at highway speeds where series operation becomes less efficient.

 

That's my concern as well. But as Clarity is less than one year old, it is too early to call.

 

If CR thinks the Clarity rates a 14 compared to the Prime's 91, that tells me that the Clarity has some serious problems. And they would be reflected in the resale price of the Clarity down the road.

 

I went to check offers on the Clarity when I saw that there was $3k on the table since I kind of want to replace my 2008 (and already have a Prime). Using Boston-area ZIP codes, the only offers I see on the Honda website are for 0.9% APR promotional financing. Am I missing a dealer incentive somewhere?

 

When I want to look at a local Honda dealer, the best deal they had on Clarity was 3 year lease. They had No money down $219/mo lease deal on base trim model. The price included tax and fees. That's $7884 total payment in 3 years. You can't even get into a Fit for that price. Not being sure of a long term reliability on this car, 3 year lease was just what I was looking for. I almost signed the deal, but backed down in the end because it was not the car I was looking for. I needed a car with large open cargo space not a trunk and wanted a car with AWD for winter snow driving. Clarity did not have either, And also considering it has 18 inch low profile tires, driving on snow may not be fun.

 

Or a lot of people have the same minor problem.
One of the common complaints for the Clarity is for a warning light coming on without there being a problem.

CR doesn't weigh reported car issues from their surveys; a bad window switch is treated the same as a faulty transmission.

 

I looked at Clarity forum and only found software bugs that has been fixed. No mechanical or electrical problems. If you look at Pacifica forum, it is a nightmare for many owners.

 

I have a Prime. I see nothing wrong with the Clarity or the Volt. Would not mind one of each.

Sorry for the Heresy.

Currently on my 3rd Prius.

 

banned!

 

Make that 3 standard Prius. 2005. 2007. 2011
And the 2018 Prius Prime.