2009 Honda FCX Clarity

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• Exterior
• Interior
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Interior - What the Auto Press Says

The passenger cabin of the FCX Clarity is notable for its tremendous space and its unusual materials.  Honda developed a corn-based fabric for the seats and used many recycled plastics inside.  Some reviewers say that, aesthetically, the interior resembles that of the Honda Civic. 

• "Combined with the super compact vertical flow fuel cell stack that sits within the center console, the FCX has an almost limousine-like interior volume for four passengers." -- Autoblog

Seating

The seats of the FCX Clarity are covered in a unique corn-based fabric, and feature a built-in air conditioning system that Honda believes is more energy-efficient than conventional climate control units.  The rear of the Clarity features two seats rather than a three-seat bench.

• "Since the largest point of contact between the passengers and the car is the seats, Honda has chosen to provide a climate control system within the seats Fans draw air into the front seats where a thermo-electric device chills or heats it before blowing it through pores in the seat cushions. The end result is greatly reduced demand on the climate control system." -- Autoblog
• "The most remarkable thing about driving Honda's FCX Clarity prototype [is] the air-conditioned seats And those AC seats? They have built-in fans to blow thermoelectrically cooled air, so no ozone-killing chlorofluorocarbons are needed to chill your fat butt. Pretty neat. The backseats are especially spacious. There's plenty of legroom, and the door panels are scooped out, giving the back compartment a circular feel." -- Jalopnik

Interior Features

The passenger cabin of the FCX Clarity features most of the electronics expected on a somewhat upscale midsize sedan, including a satellite-linked navigation system with voice recognition, XM satellite radio and an audio system with MP3 capability.  The instrument cluster features a driver-training system that utilizes color changes to tell the driver when the car is being driven efficiently or inefficiently. 

• "Interior Honda designer Yozo Tagaki's four-place ‘futuristic cocoon' within the car is light and bright. The upholstery for the seats, door panels, flooring and ceiling is a recyclable, Honda-developed fabric made from fermented corn." -- Edmunds
• "The fully-appointed FCX is equipped with all the modern conveniences such as a satellite navigation system, adaptive cruise control, electronic stability control." -- Autoblog
• "The interior is extremely comfortable, nearly luxurious and made from all sorts of high-tech green materials, like corn. The instrument panel is similar to the current Civic but manages to crank up the Fisher-Price-meets-Buck-Rogers chic." -- Jalopnik
• "To underscore the car's eco-friendly mission, Honda uses petroleum-free resins and bio-based fabrics to construct the interior, and it really is wonderful stuff. Rich textures abound, including a tasteful wainscoting of walnut on the dash and doors. God only knows what all this costs." -- Los Angeles Times

Cargo

Trunk storage volume for the FCX Clarity is well beyond that of most experimental fuel cell cars, but a bit below average for conventional midsize cars.

• "That tall deck combines with a fuel tank mounted down low between the rear wheels to provide for much more trunk room than other converted fuel cell cars. Including the under floor compartment, the total storage volume is 13.1 cu. Ft." -- Autoblog