FIRST DRIVE
2018 Honda Clarity PHEV
The electrification of the automobile is heating up big time. The latest comes from Honda in the form of the Clarity plug-in hybrid. It’s a roomy ride with ample space for four adults, and a cabin that’s summed up in two words: simple elegance.
At the heart of the Clarity is a 1.5-litre Atkinson-cycle fourcylinder engine, two electric motors (one for drive, the other is a generator) and a large 17kWh lithium-ion battery. It takes 2.5 hours to charge the battery using a 220-volt outlet, but that time rises to 12 hours if using a 110-volt household outlet. The electric-only driving range is up to 76 kilometres and a total driving range is up to 547 km.
The gasoline-powered engine produces 103 horsepower and 99 pound-feet of torque, but the electric motor delivers the lion’s share of the total power, giving the driver access to a total of 181 hp and 232 lb-ft of torque anywhere from zero to 2,000 rpm. Where the Clarity differs from most hybrids is that it’s ostensibly an electric vehicle with a gasoline range extender/power enhancer.
In normal driving situations, the electric motor does all of the driving. For most, it will be the workhorse 90 per cent of the time, and the fact the gas tank measures a tiny 26.5 litres tells a story. If the battery gets low, the gas engine fires up and powers a generator to feed the battery or power the motor. The gas engine really only powers the vehicle itself under sustained cruising conditions at around 100 km/h — it’s more efficient for the engine to direct drive the car than it is to act as a generator to charge the battery — or when the driver plays hooligan with the accelerator pedal.
What dictates how the power, and which source, is used is governed by a detent toward the bottom of the accelerator pedal’s travel. If the driver uses the travel before the detent, the Clarity runs on electrons; pushing through the detent sees the gas engine spring to life to boost performance.
There is a choice of driving modes. Econ focuses on fuel efficiency, which takes some of the edge off the drive. Normal balances the need for performance with the desire for fuel economy and is, for the most part, the mode of choice. In Sport mode, the engine comes in much quicker and stays with things longer, giving the Clarity a more urgent feel. Booting down the few twisty roads to be found in Arizona proved the Clarity to be an entertaining drive. Finally, the HV mode allows the battery’s power to be saved for future use or, when the button is held longer, it goes into charge mode to top up the battery.
Driving normally, the pulling power from the electric motor is impressive. It has a strong launch and that work ethic continues on through the mid-range when in Normal mode. Pushing past the detent picked up the pace smartly.
Regenerative braking plays a big part in the Clarity. The brake pedal has some real semblance of “feel” in a segment where so many are numb and difficult to modulate. Two paddle shifters allow the driver to tailor the amount of regenerative braking when lifting off the gas. There are four settings, which progressively ramp up the slowing power. For the most part, the maximum setting is the best, as it delivers decent slowing, although it is far from being a one-pedal drive. The nit to pick is it always defaults back to a mild setting, so the driver has to pull the left lever three times every time to get back to maximum. Once a regenerative stage is selected, it should become the default.
As for the handling, the Clarity balances comfort with body control very well; it is compliant without rolling through a corner. The battery’s placement in the middle of the platform keeps the centre of gravity low, so the Clarity feels nicely planted. Throw in a solid steering setup and meaty P235/45R18 tires and the Clarity fairly whips through corners. The suspension also did a pretty good job of masking the Clarity’s mass (it tips the scales at a hefty 1,843 kilograms).
The simple elegance is found in the cabin and its materials. All are classy and the information is presented in a clean and uncluttered fashion. The touch-sensitive infotainment screen not only shows the view to the right (thanks to Honda’s Lane Watch system) and rear-view camera, it gives access to all the options, along with Apple Car Play and Android Auto.
The lone nit is the lack of a volume knob; it uses a tetchy, touch-sensitive slider. The saving grace is the toggle switch on the steering wheel. Honda fixed this in the Accord, and should have for Clarity as well. Likewise, blind-spot monitoring is missing, which is odd given the standard Honda Sense system includes forward-collision warning with automatic braking, lanedeparture warning and lane-keep assist. The only sacrifice to utility is found in the form of a hump in the trunk over the gas tank below. That said, there’s still 439 L of cargo space and split/folding seat backs, so the economy upside far outweighs the hump.
The Honda Clarity plug-in hybrid is a solid proposition. The cabin is comfortable, the handling sorted in spite of curb weight, and it has more horsepower than its peers. The real plus, however, is in its fuel economy; a drive average of 5.8 L/100 km surprised me, given the pace of the drive.
The Clarity is already in showrooms and will be offered in base ($39,900) and Touring ($43,900) models. Both qualify for the maximum government rebate of $5,000 in B.C.