So my dealer is trying to steer me towards a Pacifica instead of a Volt. The think goes 33 miles on charge alone, which is comparable to a gen 1 Volt. That means around town it costs the same to drive this as a Volt. Aside from the fact that it's a big, ugly mini-van, what's not to like? It seems like the best of both worlds.
Chrysler Pacifica
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I was very seriously considering the Pacifica Hybrid vs. a Volt. I think it boils down to how much space you really need and whether you can get by with the Volt on trips. I was also concerned about the Pacifica Hybrid being a "first year" introduction and what that could mean in terms of reliability and potential teething problems. I solved my "space" issue by purchasing a very lightweight aluminum trailer to haul my kayaks and standup paddleboards and I will be borrowing my neighbors utility trailer for trips to the dump for recycle and garbage. So I talked myself out of the Pacifica Hybrid. It's a very good looking vehicle though and darn good highway mileage for its size. I hope that it works out well and gets more folks interested in BEV and Hybrids.
. If it was an SUV instead of a mini-van, I'd be there already. As old as I am, I still can't bring myself to drive a mini-van...As a person who has owned a first year Chrysler product, I would strongly suggest you do not buy anything first year from Chrysler. If you look at brand reliability reports, Chrysler is pretty much at the bottom of the list.
http://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability/car-brands-reliability-how-they-stack-up/
With that said, when searching for the above information, I came across another CR page that said the Volt was not recommended due to it's declining reliability. So there's that to consider.
http://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability/car-reliability-survey-2016/
http://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability/car-brands-reliability-how-they-stack-up/
With that said, when searching for the above information, I came across another CR page that said the Volt was not recommended due to it's declining reliability. So there's that to consider.
http://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability/car-reliability-survey-2016/
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How did you come to this conclusion? I would estimate the Pacifica to be heavier than the Volt. The means it takes more energy to move it from point A to point B.
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I was and am seriously considering the Pacifica. Having said that, I am simply going to be VERY patient. I was hoping to lease, but could never get a straight answer, and it kept looking like the leases were going to be WAY more expensive than i would ever be willing to pay. If all goes well, I may purchase one in two or three years. Or I might lease if the lease rates come way down. It seems to be an excellent machine that is getting great reviews. My wife and I actually talked about this in great detail and simply decided to keep her Saturn Outlook for now and trade my 2012 Volt for a 2016 if the price was right. Well, the price was very right so I purchased a 2016 Premier Volt for a total cost of 8,350 excluding taxes (and including the tax credit). I couldn't have come close to that with the Chrysler at the moment. Maybe in a year or two...
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AC is electric; however, heat is kind of mixed. It does have an electric heater, but if a lot of heating is needed, it will fire up the engine to assist.
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Basically the Pacifica Hybrid meets the original Volt. The EPA estimates 33 miles all electric for the Van and the original Volt was rated at 35. I would call that close enough.
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To satisfy my familes transportation needs we bought/own:
2017 Volt Permier MSRP $40,920 purchased for $29,500 used for our DD needs as a city/urban cruiser. 99.2% all electric
2017 GMC Acadia Denali MSRP $49,195 purchased for $36,650, used for our long distance family travels 3/4 time a year, plus other home owners needs
My total out of pocket for both vehicles came to $66,150
Why can't someone make a vehicle that can carry 6 folks plus gear and get a minimum of 50 electric miles for about $55K to $60K MSRP? I could get by with just ONE vehicle. The Pacifica comes close. Dangerously close. Am monitoring real world reviews on it's reliability, electric range and sales reports. FCA maybe on to something.
2017 Volt Permier MSRP $40,920 purchased for $29,500 used for our DD needs as a city/urban cruiser. 99.2% all electric
2017 GMC Acadia Denali MSRP $49,195 purchased for $36,650, used for our long distance family travels 3/4 time a year, plus other home owners needs
My total out of pocket for both vehicles came to $66,150
Why can't someone make a vehicle that can carry 6 folks plus gear and get a minimum of 50 electric miles for about $55K to $60K MSRP? I could get by with just ONE vehicle. The Pacifica comes close. Dangerously close. Am monitoring real world reviews on it's reliability, electric range and sales reports. FCA maybe on to something.
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One of you is talking about range -- the other is talking about efficiency.
EPA rating for the Pacifica is 0.40 kWh/mi vs 0.35 kWh/mi for the 2013-2015 Volt.
No doubt. But given the small cost of the electricity, the difference would be negligible. I think the MPGe is 85.
You and I think alike. Frustrating, isn't it.
I'm also considering the Acadia Denali to replace our 2016 Equinox. Can you tell me how you got 25% off MSRP? Best I've seen is the 16% off from GMC. If you don't feel appropriate to post here, a PM would be fine. Thank you!!
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I saw the CR and find it hard to fathom.Most of the indivdual items were above average. It was only the overall average that was low. I've owned 2 Volts and both have been more reliable than a BMW, a Lexus, an Acura and a Toyota. Granted, just my experience, but I've heard similar reports from other firends that own Volts.
You really have to dig into these survey numbers to make sense out of them (and I sure don't ascribe that expertise to CR). I would fathom that many Toyota owners don't give a hoot about their cars, and so small things that go wrong may not even get reported (or noticed?). BMWs are notoriously bad, but then again BMW buyers tend to be nit pickers. Then you have to differentiate between little annoyances, and things that cause your car to die. Having said all that, Toyota (and Lexus) certainly have excellent reputations for quality. And all makes have improved so much over the last decade or more that the rankings are actually very compressed and therefore less meaningful. But going forward, as cars get more technological (both drive train and auto drive features) the harder it will be to keep quality up. Many of these sub-systems are outsourced, and you need a programmer rather than a technician to diagnose and fix them.
I think it all depends upon size needed. The Volt has been a great car, but is cramped for 4 adults and impossible for any more. The mini-van will use more power but give you stating for 6 and possibly 7 with more cargo area. Personally we prefer a smaller car but it depends upon needs.
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NP, I'll share this as I got the best deal I ever gotten a NEW vehicle. I took a screen shot of the dealers web page to have on my phone in case they tried any monkey business.
We walked in at 2:45 pm on Friday April 7th and drove off the lot at 6:00 pm with a brand new GMC Acadia Denali (this is the gen II not the out going Limited). We wanted Red but in the hour or so it took us to drive from our home in IL to St Louis they sold the red one, they had two Black Cherry Metallic with the exact options we wanted, one with the black interior and one with the Cocoa/Shale. Wife took one look at the one with the Cocoa/Shale interior and said "that's the one". We love it. We got it with the 2+2+2 seating, and ALL the tech features, ACC, LKA, Blind Side alert and the new surround camera view. They also gave us $18K for our 2016 Equinox. I wound up borrowing just at $32K. You can read my FB comments on the Dave Sinclair GMC Buick FB page.
Seating is for 7: 2-2-3
Being a daily driver with a 60 mile to/from commute I average 48~50 miles per charge on my 2013 Gen 1 Volt, so the 33/35 miles is not really equal. I agree with the others here on Chrysler and their first year reliability problems. I'm not a fan of vans and especially mini-vans, but to each his own. I picked up my used Volt for $16K and 21K miles on it. Makes for a quick pay off and a nice car to drive for the next 6 years until I retire, and saving a ton of money over what my Chevy Avalanche 2500 (8.1L) does with gasoline.
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