As my username states, loving the new look of these 2017's !

1913 Views 16 Replies 7 Participants Last post by mazda3-turncoat, Jan 26, 2017

mazda3-turncoat

Discussion Starter · Jan 24, 2017

Hi guys n gals,
I don't know where this forum originates from, but I live in Ottawa Ontario Canada. Are there any other members from around the Ottawa area that are members here? I don't have a volt yet, but I'm working on it 😏

I finally took notice of them recently when I saw a nice grey one in a parking lot.....started to reflect upon how much gas is costing me. Even though I have a Mazda 3 skyactiv. I drive about 700-800 kms per week, and costs me about $55-65 each fillip. PLEASE tell me the Volt won't cost nearly that much when the its gas generator and electric topuprecharge topup cost is factored in. Tell me it's less than that, and I'm sold !! 👍

This is probably where the most relevant answers to my questions I'll be asking here will be found. I tend not to put much stock in the manufacturers fluff brochures. I want to hear real world distance ranges, cost of electricity, maintenance, etc, from the people that are actually driving them, in realistic climates relevant to where I live....see your results.

Anyway, glad to be bore, and look forward to hearing from you all, and reading your threads.
Cheers,
Mike

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

mazda3-turncoat

Discussion Starter · #2 · Jan 24, 2017

Sorry for the spelling mistakes gang. I was typing this on my iPhone so the text kept disappearing from the screen. Then auto correct did its thing "rolls-eyes". Don't know why I can't edit my own post....but anyway..
I.e., "Anyway, glad to be HERE", is what I meant to say.
Also; "costs me about $55-65 with each FILL UP" was the other oopsie.

Anyway, there ya have it, that should clear things up. Waiting for your replies, and inputs gang &#55357;&#56835;

llninja

· #3 · Jan 24, 2017

It's easy. My commute is 65 miles per day and with a few shopping trips here and there added, and only charging at home I'm getting 70MPG lifetime on the dash in my gen 1. Convert that to Kilometers and liters and account for the longer range of a gen 2 and the volt blows away any other hybrid out there.

But here's the kicker, go test drive one and mash the accelerator to the floor just once, you'll be hooked.

On the flip side, when I bought my volt, I got it for more than 50% off new because of a state rebate, fed tax credit, and GM Card rebate. The car paid for itself when fuel was $3.50-$4.00 per gallon when compared to my gas guzzler Cadillac Deville. But with lower fuel prices and your Masha 3 already being fairly efficient, the math will never work out in your favor where trading in for a new volt will pay for itself. You have to just want it and feel resigned to pay for it.

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ClarksonCote

· #4 · Jan 24, 2017

llninja said:
But with lower fuel prices and your Masha 3 already being fairly efficient, the math will never work out in your favor where trading in for a new volt will pay for itself. You have to just want it and feel resigned to pay for it.

The exception I take to this statement is it assumes you'll keep your current car forever, and if that is normally your plan, then that's fine and this is true.

But if you buy a new car every 3-8 years, a Volt will be less expensive to own and operate than any non-plugin car you may choose. No car pays for itself, but the Volt can come close.

The cost to charge is, on average, approximately US$1.40 per US gallon equivalent when you calculate the cost of the electricity and how far it takes you. Oil changes are only once every two years. Brake replacements are rarely needed thanks to regenerative braking. And so on. Add in the instant torque and silent electric drive and it all makes for a very compelling case.

khalfyard

· #5 · Jan 24, 2017 (Edited)

I live in Toronto, Ontario, which isn't quite as cold as Ottawa, but is a reasonable start for 'good data.'

If you can plug in at both work and home, you will avoid using almost any gasoline even if doing 120km per day (60 each way on commute). If you plug in after hours, electricity is easily 1/3 the cost of gas per kilometer, even with delivery, global adjust and taxes on electricity. When it is below -10C, you can expect the engine to turn on automatically to heat the cabin, this is baked into the VOLTs controls, and you will burn gas on those days. This can add up a bit. During Spring/Summer/Fall and the warmer stretches of Winter, you can likely avoid Gasoline entirely with your stated distances and a Gen2 Volt.

The Provincial Gov't is offering >$10000 instant rebate on new EVs vehicles, so a 2017 VOLT LT is ~$30-$32,000 out the door, if you negotiate even a little bit.

You can drive in HOV lanes on 417 with only the driver. But if you are stuck in traffic or doing city driving, you will get more electric miles anyway, so win-win.

Way Lower Maintenance Costs than your Mazda.

*Most Important*: Really fun, quiet, fast to drive. EV literature never stresses this enough, it's a totally different experience, very relaxing.

You can find my Total Cost of Ownership thread here in the forum if you are interested in hard Canadian numbers: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread...umbers-(4-Years-Comparison)&highlight=numbers

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llninja

· #6 · Jan 24, 2017

ClarksonCote said:
The exception I take to this statement is it assumes you'll keep your current car forever, and if that is normally your plan, then that's fine and this is true.

But if you buy a new car every 3-8 years, a Volt will be less expensive to own and operate than any non-plugin car you may choose. No car pays for itself, but the Volt can come close.

The cost to charge is, on average, approximately US$1.40 per US gallon equivalent when you calculate the cost of the electricity and how far it takes you. Oil changes are only once every two years. Brake replacements are rarely needed thanks to regenerative braking. And so on. Add in the instant torque and silent electric drive and it all makes for a very compelling case.

If you trade yourself our car in every few years, then you're obviously going to take a bath on the trade in or continually lease. I don't agree with the no car pays for itself statement. The volt did when gas was $3.50 per gallon and my previous car was a gas guzzler and I was spending $250-350 per month on fuel alone. Alas maintenance costs on my volt were minimal, but for some odd reason, multiple trips to the body shop far outweighed any fuel savings. My car seemed to attract all sorts of flying objects during its first two years while I was making payments. Then I just paid the whole damn thing off 3 years lay and the flying debris damage stopped. I'm taking this as the big guy upstairs telling me to never borrow money for a car again.

Neromanceres

· #7 · Jan 24, 2017

From my description you can see that I'm from Kitchener, Ontario.

Currently I drive about 450 - 500kms per week. Right now my 2017 Volt costs me about $30 (Spring - Summer - Fall) to $40 (winter) in electricity costs (monthly). And about $5 a month (Spring - Summer - Fall) and $20 a month (Winter) in gas. So on average of ~$10 per week to run.

If I run the main electric heater hard in the winter I can see ranges as low as 60kms. If I leave the heater off and just use the heated steering wheel and seats for comfort I can see 80Kms range in the winter.

In the summer I typically see a minimum of 95kms range to as high as my record of 124Kms on a charge.

mazda3-turncoat

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 24, 2017

llninja said:
It's easy. My commute is 65 miles per day and with a few shopping trips here and there added, and only charging at home I'm getting 70MPG lifetime on the dash in my gen 1. Convert that to Kilometers and liters and account for the longer range of a gen 2 and the volt blows away any other hybrid out there.

But here's the kicker, go test drive one and mash the accelerator to the floor just once, you'll be hooked.

On the flip side, when I bought my volt, I got it for more than 50% off new because of a state rebate, fed tax credit, and GM Card rebate. The car paid for itself when fuel was $3.50-$4.00 per gallon when compared to my gas guzzler Cadillac Deville. But with lower fuel prices and your Masha 3 already being fairly efficient, the math will never work out in your favor where trading in for a new volt will pay for itself. You have to just want it and feel resigned to pay for it.

Hi LLninja
Thanks for the input man, as far as a test drive.....the salesman at my neighbourhood dealership told me they just can't keep them in stock. Once they get one, or a few, they're gone in a few days !! But he did tell me to stay in touch and he'll arrange to get me in the drivers seat before it's sold.

Can't wait to test one out after hearing what you said. I don't expect it to "pay for itself"....I'm just getting tired of getting raped by the rise and fall of our gas prices. Our finances already have car payments factored in to our monthly budget. So buying one won't be a problem. It just bothers me to be spending almost 250 per month on gas, then get raped on times like long weekends when the price of gas skyrockets 10-20 cents per litre.

mazda3-turncoat

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jan 24, 2017

ClarksonCote said:
The exception I take to this statement is it assumes you'll keep your current car forever, and if that is normally your plan, then that's fine and this is true.

But if you buy a new car every 3-8 years, a Volt will be less expensive to own and operate than any non-plugin car you may choose. No car pays for itself, but the Volt can come close.

The cost to charge is, on average, approximately US$1.40 per US gallon equivalent when you calculate the cost of the electricity and how far it takes you. Oil changes are only once every two years. Brake replacements are rarely needed thanks to regenerative braking. And so on. Add in the instant torque and silent electric drive and it all makes for a very compelling case.

Thanks for the comment Clarksoncote, I feel the same way. Stay tuned to my progress. I can't buy right now, but very very soon....just not soon enough for me though &#55357;&#56852;

mazda3-turncoat

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jan 24, 2017

khalfyard said:
I live in Toronto, Ontario, which isn't quite as cold as Ottawa, but is a reasonable start for 'good data.'

If you can plug in at both work and home, you will avoid using almost any gasoline even if doing 120km per day (60 each way on commute). If you plug in after hours, electricity is easily 1/3 the cost of gas per kilometer, even with delivery, global adjust and taxes on electricity. When it is below -10C, you can expect the engine to turn on automatically to heat the cabin, this is baked into the VOLTs controls, and you will burn gas on those days. This can add up a bit. During Spring/Summer/Fall and the warmer stretches of Winter, you can likely avoid Gasoline entirely with your stated distances and a Gen2 Volt.

The Provincial Gov't is offering >$10000 instant rebate on new EVs vehicles, so a 2017 VOLT LT is ~$30-$32,000 out the door, if you negotiate even a little bit.

You can drive in HOV lanes on 417 with only the driver. But if you are stuck in traffic or doing city driving, you will get more electric miles anyway, so win-win.

Way Lower Maintenance Costs than your Mazda.

*Most Important*: Really fun, quiet, fast to drive. EV literature never stresses this enough, it's a totally different experience, very relaxing.

You can find my Total Cost of Ownership thread here in the forum if you are interested in hard Canadian numbers: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread...umbers-(4-Years-Comparison)&highlight=numbers

T Y V M for that man !!! Gonna check out your profile n stats tonight when I get home. I only JUST signed up to this forum last night. I'll be in touch man. &#55357;&#56841;&#55357;&#56397;

mazda3-turncoat

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jan 24, 2017

Neromanceres said:
From my description you can see that I'm from Kitchener, Ontario.

Currently I drive about 450 - 500kms per week. Right now my 2017 Volt costs me about $30 (Spring - Summer - Fall) to $40 (winter) in electricity costs (monthly). And about $5 a month (Spring - Summer - Fall) and $20 a month (Winter) in gas. So on average of ~$10 per week to run.

If I run the main electric heater hard in the winter I can see ranges as low as 60kms. If I leave the heater off and just use the heated steering wheel and seats for comfort I can see 80Kms range in the winter.

In the summer I typically see a minimum of 95kms range to as high as my record of 124Kms on a charge.

W O W !!!! That's incredible !! Now I CANT WAIT to buy one !!! Thanks for your input. I may pm you later this week re the brake thing

Eddycurrent

· #12 · Jan 25, 2017

This is to the OP your only getting 700 to 800 km for $250.00 in fuel in your mazda 3. Something must be wrong with your car. I am also thinking of selling my car for either a volt gen 1 or 2 or the prius prime if it ever is available here in the great white north. I currently drive a 2008 mini clubman its great on gas 55 to 60 bucks to fill and i get about 715 km to a full tank. Problem with the mini is started to have a lot of mechanical issue these last 2 years and i can only see it getting worse.

mazda3-turncoat

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jan 25, 2017

Eddycurrent said:
This is to the OP your only getting 700 to 800 km for $250.00 in fuel in your mazda 3. Something must be wrong with your car. I am also thinking of selling my car for either a volt gen 1 or 2 or the prius prime if it ever is available here in the great white north. I currently drive a 2008 mini clubman its great on gas 55 to 60 bucks to fill and i get about 715 km to a full tank. Problem with the mini is started to have a lot of mechanical issue these last 2 years and i can only see it getting worse.

Hi Eddy,
Sorry, I was jumping all over when I was talking about the fuel economy on my Mazda. What I meant to say was;
- I drive 700-800 km per week, and each fillup comes to about $59-64 depending on the price per litre.
- the 250-270 I was referring to, was my monthly total, depending on how much I drive
- my car is averaging about 7L / 100 km.
Which isn't bad.....BUT it's obvious the Volt does better. PLUS I can plug the car in at work so I will hardly be using the onboard gas generator at all. Being my daily commute is 53km each way. So with a full charge leaving home, when I get to work, there will still be some juice left in the battery. I can plug it in once I'm there, and it should be topped up by the end of the day. I say "should", because it's only a 120 Volt outlet. No 240 Volt plugs outside

Hope that helps

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khalfyard

· #14 · Jan 25, 2017

mazda3-turncoat said:
PLUS I can plug the car in at work so I will hardly be using the onboard gas generator at all. Being my daily commute is 53km each way. So with a full charge leaving home, when I get to work, there will still be some juice left in the battery. I can plug it in once I'm there, and it should be topped up by the end of the day. I say "should", because it's only a 120 Volt outlet. No 240 Volt plugs outside.

This should work. You will have to set your car to charge at 12Amps every day, or if you have a 240V at home, you can set a single location GPS to default to this 'faster' charge with the portable ESVE. (This is of course that your work outlet/circuit is not shared with any other heavy load plugs.) A quirk of the Volt is that it defaults to 8Amps when trickle charging, which takes 20 hours to charge from low. But it can be set in the car's computer to 12A charging, in that case you'd probably have enough juice after 8 hours to get home, 53km, without turning on the engine.

I'd get on the vehicle upgrade in a heartbeat.

aboss

· #15 · Jan 25, 2017

Another Canadian Volt owner here... and I came from a SKYACTIV Mazda3 as well... I'm in the GTA and have a 110km round trip commute for work. SO basically was in your exact situation a few months ago.

I can plug in at work using the portable charge cord into a 110V outlet, and I haven't installed a proper charging station at home yet, so still charge with the portable cord there as well.

In the warmer months when I first got the Volt I was making it all the way to work and back no problem, with a few kms left over at the end of the day. Since the real cold stuff hit I have seen the mileage degradation that others have already mentioned. I DO use the heater (on ECO mode) because a few extra kms aren't worth freezing my butt off. I generally make it all the way to work, and a minimum of 3/4 (usually a bit further than that) of the way home on pure electric, and then us a little gas. I've put just over 12000 kms on it since October and I'm averaging lifetime mileage of 1.5L/100km, with mostly commuting, but a few longer weekend trips as well, where I used more fuel. It's also still showing 75% oil life remaining... where as I used to need oil changes every 8k in the Mazda. This saves not only money, but time. Same with the brakes -- I anticipate them lasting WAY longer than any previous vehicle with how little I use them.

It is also way more comfortable and quieter (because electric, but also just better sealed and way less wind/road noise) than my Mazda was. It's also faster. Pre-heating while plugged in is the BEST when it's super freezing out. My only real complaint is that I have several dash/panel rattles that I haven't managed to sort out yet.

The only thing I truly miss from my Mazda is the clutch pedal (this is my first non-manual) but the tradeoffs are worth it.

Also I got the full 11500 rebate on my LT, straight from the dealer. I don't regret the upgrade at all.

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mazda3-turncoat

Discussion Starter · #16 · Jan 25, 2017

khalfyard said:
This should work. You will have to set your car to charge at 12Amps every day, or if you have a 240V at home, you can set a single location GPS to default to this 'faster' charge with the portable ESVE. (This is of course that your work outlet/circuit is not shared with any other heavy load plugs.) A quirk of the Volt is that it defaults to 8Amps when trickle charging, which takes 20 hours to charge from low. But it can be set in the car's computer to 12A charging, in that case you'd probably have enough juice after 8 hours to get home, 53km, without turning on the engine.

I'd get on the vehicle upgrade in a heartbeat.

Will do, and thanks. Btw, I sent u a pm w email

mazda3-turncoat

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jan 26, 2017

aboss said:
Another Canadian Volt owner here... and I came from a SKYACTIV Mazda3 as well... I'm in the GTA and have a 110km round trip commute for work. SO basically was in your exact situation a few months ago.

I can plug in at work using the portable charge cord into a 110V outlet, and I haven't installed a proper charging station at home yet, so still charge with the portable cord there as well.

In the warmer months when I first got the Volt I was making it all the way to work and back no problem, with a few kms left over at the end of the day. Since the real cold stuff hit I have seen the mileage degradation that others have already mentioned. I DO use the heater (on ECO mode) because a few extra kms aren't worth freezing my butt off. I generally make it all the way to work, and a minimum of 3/4 (usually a bit further than that) of the way home on pure electric, and then us a little gas. I've put just over 12000 kms on it since October and I'm averaging lifetime mileage of 1.5L/100km, with mostly commuting, but a few longer weekend trips as well, where I used more fuel. It's also still showing 75% oil life remaining... where as I used to need oil changes every 8k in the Mazda. This saves not only money, but time. Same with the brakes -- I anticipate them lasting WAY longer than any previous vehicle with how little I use them.

It is also way more comfortable and quieter (because electric, but also just better sealed and way less wind/road noise) than my Mazda was. It's also faster. Pre-heating while plugged in is the BEST when it's super freezing out. My only real complaint is that I have several dash/panel rattles that I haven't managed to sort out yet.

The only thing I truly miss from my Mazda is the clutch pedal (this is my first non-manual) but the tradeoffs are worth it.

Also I got the full 11500 rebate on my LT, straight from the dealer. I don't regret the upgrade at all.

Hi Aboss,
Thanks for your input, as you said, because you are coming from the EXACT situation as I'm in. I have a few more questions about the travel stuff that is like to ask you. Can I pm you in the next few days? I'm building up my contacts here on the Volt forum so I can compile some personal stats for when I purchase my Volt.

As I said, I WILL be buying one within the next few months or sooner. Depending on the wait time from the dealer.
Cheers man &#55357;&#56397;

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