2009 Honda FCX Clarity
Not Yet Ranked
Performance - What the Auto Press Says
Reviewers are surprised by how unsurprising the FCX Clarity feels to drive. Apart from the unusual silence of a vehicle without an internal combustion engine, the Clarity feels much like a conventional Honda sedan to driver and passengers. Its handling feels a bit electronic, some have said, but not so much as to mar the driving experience.
- "The FCX is just a really quiet Honda, since there's not even much wind noise at highway speeds. Fuel-cell cars are electric cars, loaded with low-end grunt. The Clarity won't snap your head back when you stuff your foot to the floor, but it moves out smartly just the same." -- Edmunds
- "As intense and complicated as all that sounds, you'd never suspect the FCX Clarity was anything but a run-of-the-mill Honda." -- Jalopnik
- "How does the FCX Clarity drive? Exactly as you'd expect an electric Honda Accord to: eerily smooth, flawless in operation, confident and lively. The whack-bang of an internal-combustion engine, with the myriad second-order vibrations and gear whine, is supplanted by the ghostly murmurings of distant electrons, and so the gestalt of the car is serene, even tranquilizing." -- Los Angeles Times
- "The car's video game feel must be intentional on Honda's part, as they're capable of endowing it with any level of steering, brake, and ride sensation. The Clarity is trace-like numb to drive, probably as a statement to its Zen-like location in the spectrum of possible automotive-versus-environment bargains." -- Motor Trend
Acceleration and Power
Since the FCX Clarity is powered by an electric motor, it feels much like other electric cars to drive. Reviewers say power comes on smoothly and quickly, but without the shifts associated with an internal combustion engine and a transmission. Acceleration is on par with that of a midsize sedan. Honda says the car manages the equivalent of 68 mpg in combined driving, but no government agency has tested the car's mileage.
- "Drive your foot deep into the accelerator, and you're gently, but relentlessly, pressed back into the driver's seat while a whine (sounding rather like the deployment of an airliner's wing flaps) fills the cockpit (this is the air compressor feeding the fuel cell)." -- Motor Trend
- "Much more impressive is how effortlessly the Clarity cruises. At one point the speedo indicated 53 mph and I was convinced I'd accidentally switched the display to metric. A moment later we passed one of those police "your speed is" contraptions that indicated 53 good old American miles per hour." -- Jalopnik
- "Honda says the power plant, fed with 100 kilowatts of electricity from the fuel cell, will propel the midsize sedan from zero to 60 mph in about 9.2 seconds - the same time recorded by the similarly sized 2008 Honda Accord sedan equipped with its 177-hp 2.4-liter inline-4. Yet we thought the FCX felt faster than this, and when we made a comment, someone from Honda quietly confirmed that the company is "conservative" in citing acceleration numbers. We didn't put a stopwatch to the FCX Clarity, but would guess that we got to 60 mph in just under 9 seconds." -- Edmunds
Handling and Braking
The handling balance of the FCX Clarity is unremarkable, in that it feels close to what a gasoline-powered Honda sedan offers. The suspension is softly tuned, and the wide stance and long wheelbase make for a comfortable ride, reviewers say. Handling is not sporty, but not remarkably unsporty, either.
- "The new FCX Clarity weighs in at 3,582 lbs, which is only about 175 lbs more than the similarly-sized 2008 Accord. Doing a ground up design around a fuel cell power-train has allowed Honda to optimize it for the purpose. That pays off in the ride and handling of the Clarity. While some other cross-over type fuel cell vehicles definitely feel more truck like on the road, this car is pure Honda." -- Autoblog
- "The ride, helped out by the long wheelbase, is outstanding." -- Jalopnik
- "The ride in the Clarity on the Coast Highway is smooth and even a little cushy, as the double-wishbone independent suspension has been tuned for comfort, not for sport." -- Edmunds