2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid - Review 2022

The Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) is role of a larger alternative-fuel family that also includes the Clarity Electrical Vehicle (EV) and the Clarity Fuel Prison cell (FCV). Save for the fact that the Clarity PHEV has a gasoline engine, at that place's not a lot of difference among the trio. Merely considering it has none of the fueling hassles and range anxiety associated with EVs and FCVs, the 2022 Honda Clarity PHEV may hit a sweet spot for many environmentally conscious auto buyers.

Pricing and Design

The 2022 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid comes in two trim levels: base of operations and Touring. Both come with a 103-horsepower 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine and a 17-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, for a total of 212 horsepower. An electronic continuously variable transmission (East-CVT) drives the front wheels.

The car has an EPA-rated 47 miles of electric-but range, and the bombardment can fully charge in two.5 hours using a Level 2, 240-volt charger or in 12 hours using a supplied 120-volt charging cablevision. It also has an EPA combined rating of 110mpg when powered by both electricity and gasoline, and 42mpg in gas-only way.

The base model starts at $33,400 and comes well equipped with xviii-inch aerodynamic alloy Michelin Energy Saver tires, automatic LED headlights, LED taillights and plough signals, and body-colored and powered side mirrors. Information technology likewise has keyless entry on the outside and button-button ignition, dual-zone automatic climate control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, cruise control, a tilt and telescopic steering column, illuminated steering wheel controls, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated forepart seats, and a multi-bending rearview photographic camera with dynamic guidelines on the inside.

Standard tech features include Bluetooth for hands-free calling and texting, an LCD instrument cluster, an 8-inch in-nuance touch screen, HondaLink smartphone integration, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 180-watt audio system with eight speakers, AM/FM Hard disk drive Radio, satellite radio, Pandora, Bluetooth music streaming, dual USB ports, and an aux-in jack. Standard commuter assists include forward collision warning with emergency automatic breaking, lane departure alarm, lane keeping assist, road difference mitigation, adaptive prowl control, and Honda's LaneWatch system.

The Touring trim that nosotros tested starts at $36,600 and adds an eight-way powered commuter seat with two-position memory, a four-way powered front-passenger seat, perforated leather-trimmed seats, and a navigation organization with vocalisation activation and HD traffic info. With a destination and handling charge of $890, the final sticker price came to $37,490.

The outside of the Clarity PHEV is identical to the FCV and EV versions, except for dissimilar badging. With its aerodynamic design, the Clarity is hands the virtually futuristic motorcar in the Honda's lineup, although the shrouded rear bicycle detract from its sleek wait. The interior is spacious and has expert visibility, and the Touring model has tasteful faux-woods trim and soft suede-like textile on the dashboard and door panels that adds a luxury impact.

Infotainment Interface and Connectivity

The 8-inch Brandish Audio touch screen has the tablet-like await that'southward becoming common for infotainment displays and a good graphic interface with fast response to impact input. Unfortunately, it also has the touch-only interface we reviewed in the 2022 Honda Fit EX-L With Navigation and find difficult to employ.

Even simple controls similar volume, and the Dwelling and Menu buttons force you to take your optics off the road for much longer than physical knobs and buttons. Thankfully, some of the master controls and even advanced functions such saving a preset radio station can exist performed via steering bicycle.

In addition to features such as atmospheric condition info and a companion smartphone app that tin can show battery-charging level, bombardment range, the car'southward location, and more, the HondaLink organization offers local search that ties into the navigation system. It as well has Apple CarPlay and Android Machine support for access to your phone'south calling, messaging, music, and navigation functions, every bit well as popular streaming apps such every bit Spotify and iHeartRadio.

Forth with the eight-inch in-dash display, the LCD instrument cluster is too a nifty source of data without being too chaotic. In between gas and bombardment gauges on each side is a middle display that tin show electric current speed, fuel economic system, EV and hybrid range, and more than.

Performance

The Clarity PHEV's 212 horsepower is more than nearly four-cylinder midsize sedans, and it needs this oomph to propel the extra weight of the bombardment and hybrid bits. While dispatch is not impressive, information technology'due south adequate for most situations, although when we pushed the car up a hill or to pass, the engine felt and sounded taxed.

That said, it felt surprisingly agile on winding mountain roads and provided a shine ride on highways and urban center streets. Although the Clarity uses what Honda calls an ECVT, information technology's actually a direct-bulldoze, single-speed transmission with a clutch that engages when specific situations demand extra traction, and thus has less drone than typical CVTs.

Honda lets you lot choose between three bulldoze modes. Sport way livens up the throttle response, Eco dials dorsum dispatch and climate control to save free energy, and Normal sits betwixt the two.

The vehicle besides has ii bombardment-charging modes. In Hybrid Vehicle fashion the gasoline engine and electric motor and bombardment piece of work in tandem to save fuel, while Hybrid Vehicle Charging mode tin can be engaged to recharge the motorcar's bombardment, in addition to 5 separate brake-regeneration modes.

The myriad modes allow you to determine how much fuel y'all want the car to sip (or guzzle), and even without trying hard we achieved 75mpg. More impressively, after a half mean solar day of driving through Napa Valley, the EV range remained at near capacity since the gas engine and the electric motor generally worked in combination.

Conclusions

The $36,600 base price of the Touring model can be reduced with a potential $7,500 federal tax credit and additional incentives in sure states. We recommend considering the base model that costs $three,200 less, however, as yous only lose a few comfort features and conveniences such as the navigation system, which can practically exist replaced with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

The 2022 Honda Clarity PHEV has the best electrical-merely range of whatsoever nonluxury plug-in hybrid sedan. Its 47 miles of EV range is topped but past the Chevy Volt, with 53 miles. But the Volt'southward a hatchback, and the Honda Clarity PHEV has a nicer and larger interior. The Hyundai Ioniq likewise has a PHEV variant, only its electric-only range is but 27 miles.

PHEVs are frequently misunderstood. But the 2022 Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid could go a long way in irresolute that perception, getting PHEVs more respect and Honda more than sales.

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/review/19087/2018-honda-clarity-plug-in-hybrid

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