My lease is up on my 2015 Volt in four months. I had a 2013 before the 2015, so they were both first generation Volts. I am not familiar with Gen 2 Volts. Are there any pros and cons out there regarding a 2018 Volt. All comments much appreciated.
Considering 2018 Volt
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The Gen 2 Volt 1.5L ICE requires only 87 octane fuel. A backup camera is now standard. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support are standard. You can get a long list of safety and optional convenience features on the Premier model Volt:
Heated steering wheel (this is separate from the heated seats)
Blind spot warning and cross traffic alerting
Low speed emergency braking
Forward collision alerting
Full speed forward automatic braking (includes Adaptive Cruise Control)
Automatic Parking Assist
The Homelink feature is gone on the Gen 2 Volt (Homelink may again be available on 2019 Volt)
Heated steering wheel (this is separate from the heated seats)
Blind spot warning and cross traffic alerting
Low speed emergency braking
Forward collision alerting
Full speed forward automatic braking (includes Adaptive Cruise Control)
Automatic Parking Assist
The Homelink feature is gone on the Gen 2 Volt (Homelink may again be available on 2019 Volt)
G
Guest
·While there are a litany of one-off tech/safety features that are available on Gen 2 that were not on Gen 1, the big takeaways in the day to day operation of the car are.
1) As stated above -- more range. Rated at 53 vs. 35.
2) Faster off the line -- around 7.5 0-60 versus about 9ish in the old Volt.
3) Gets better fuel economy, and takes regular gas. Rated at 42mpg, but you can do better if you know how to drive a Volt/hybrid efficiently. I get around 46 on average so far (in the 5% of the time I've driven on gas)
4) Max regen paddle. There is a paddle behind the left side of the steering wheel that you can pull to engage max regenerative braking without using friction brakes at all. It is a cool feature, but if you're easy on the brake pedal, you'll be as efficient using the blended system on the floor pedal and your braking will be much smoother.
5) The Gen 2 engine/generator runs more smoothly and generally revs in sync with your gas pedal input like a normal car, as opposed to the more "random-feeling" battery charging moments in the Gen 1.
6) Overall, the car is quieter and more insulated.
7) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, and the entire center stack is a lot more normal looking and intuitive to operate.
1) As stated above -- more range. Rated at 53 vs. 35.
2) Faster off the line -- around 7.5 0-60 versus about 9ish in the old Volt.
3) Gets better fuel economy, and takes regular gas. Rated at 42mpg, but you can do better if you know how to drive a Volt/hybrid efficiently. I get around 46 on average so far (in the 5% of the time I've driven on gas)
4) Max regen paddle. There is a paddle behind the left side of the steering wheel that you can pull to engage max regenerative braking without using friction brakes at all. It is a cool feature, but if you're easy on the brake pedal, you'll be as efficient using the blended system on the floor pedal and your braking will be much smoother.
5) The Gen 2 engine/generator runs more smoothly and generally revs in sync with your gas pedal input like a normal car, as opposed to the more "random-feeling" battery charging moments in the Gen 1.
6) Overall, the car is quieter and more insulated.
7) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, and the entire center stack is a lot more normal looking and intuitive to operate.
I just turned in my Crystal Red 2015 lease. It was my second Gen 1 Volt. I leased a 2018 LT, with comfort package, leather and driver confidence package. That was my minimum configuration and I'm happy with it.
Now that I've owned if a few weeks, I'd say I agree with everyone below on its attributes over Gen 1. But for me, I'm just more at ease driving the newer car.
It's more fling-able in corners - less top heavy. I no longer have to think about braking, the new system is far more intuitive, and linear feeling. The handling is very neutral and safe, where the original car seemed to understeer more. The ride is far better with impacts being muted much better. Almost NO wind noise, unlike Gen 1. Far less sharp impacts are transmitted to the driver from the road. And finally, the steering is far more precise. Add it up and the new car is just easier and more relaxing to drive and the range increase is just what we needed. Do it!!
Now that I've owned if a few weeks, I'd say I agree with everyone below on its attributes over Gen 1. But for me, I'm just more at ease driving the newer car.
It's more fling-able in corners - less top heavy. I no longer have to think about braking, the new system is far more intuitive, and linear feeling. The handling is very neutral and safe, where the original car seemed to understeer more. The ride is far better with impacts being muted much better. Almost NO wind noise, unlike Gen 1. Far less sharp impacts are transmitted to the driver from the road. And finally, the steering is far more precise. Add it up and the new car is just easier and more relaxing to drive and the range increase is just what we needed. Do it!!
This is exactly what I felt when cross shopping gen 1's with a new gen 2. I'll also add the gen 2's feel much faster off the line than a gen 1, up to maybe ~30-35 mph.
Enjoy it, I'm still really liking mine. Gen 2 Volts are a great value for a fun and economical new car.
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1,171 Posts
If you've been invested in the Volt for the first generation, you owe it to yourself to try out the second generation.
With the obvious pluses everyone's mentioned, I will say that you should consider how much you'll be driving on ICE. The EV mode is vastly improved--no hesitation for passing on highway and top-notch low-speed efficiency. However, I drove my 2013 Gen 1 on ICE a lot and, unlike Jonesy's experience, my 2017 Gen 2 is more unrefined overall on ICE than my Gen 1. The Gen 2 is quieter than Gen 1--unless your Gen 2 has the "backfire" (technically an "afterfire") issue. I have that, along with some other "chuggle-lite" symptoms, which is unacceptable and a sign of the ICE's lack of refinement. It is still not fixed in the 2018, although supposedly a fix is coming. It seems not every Gen 2 is affected by these issues, so definitely take it for an extended test drive to see if the car you're considering is ok.
The good thing, you'll be on ICE a lot less and hopefully won't notice it. But many of us Gen 2 owners are disappointed with the ICE operation. There's also less internal storage spots (like the center console hatch and the rear armrest if you had it in the Gen 1--that's gone), and I find it oddly less "sporty" to drive than Gen 1 despite being faster. This is subjective, but just my experience.
Definitely take it out. It's still the best out of the gas/electric plug-ins.
With the obvious pluses everyone's mentioned, I will say that you should consider how much you'll be driving on ICE. The EV mode is vastly improved--no hesitation for passing on highway and top-notch low-speed efficiency. However, I drove my 2013 Gen 1 on ICE a lot and, unlike Jonesy's experience, my 2017 Gen 2 is more unrefined overall on ICE than my Gen 1. The Gen 2 is quieter than Gen 1--unless your Gen 2 has the "backfire" (technically an "afterfire") issue. I have that, along with some other "chuggle-lite" symptoms, which is unacceptable and a sign of the ICE's lack of refinement. It is still not fixed in the 2018, although supposedly a fix is coming. It seems not every Gen 2 is affected by these issues, so definitely take it for an extended test drive to see if the car you're considering is ok.
The good thing, you'll be on ICE a lot less and hopefully won't notice it. But many of us Gen 2 owners are disappointed with the ICE operation. There's also less internal storage spots (like the center console hatch and the rear armrest if you had it in the Gen 1--that's gone), and I find it oddly less "sporty" to drive than Gen 1 despite being faster. This is subjective, but just my experience.
Definitely take it out. It's still the best out of the gas/electric plug-ins.
G
Guest
·I've test drove both. The Gen2 is faster because it's lighter. More steering wheel feedback (still light). Bigger centre screen is nice. Generally felt better in every way. I like the Gen1 styling better but in real life the Gen2 isn't that bad. The auto parking assist of the Gen2 Premiere is the cat's meow but not sure how often I'd actually use (need) it. What the others said. I was thinking of getting a Premiere but got a good deal on Gen1 instead.
G
Guest
·Sorry about this. I think my original post was poorly worded. I definitely think the Gen 2 ICE is a lot more refined than the Gen 1. I was mostly praising how the engine rarely kicks on "randomly" when at empty battery and operates/sounds more like a normal quiet modern 4-cylinder when matching your right foot, rather than coming on to recharge the battery when your stopped at a stoplight, which can be disconcerting if you don't know why it's happening.
But yeah, give the Gen 2 a shot. Test the Clarity too if you can get past the styling.
G
Guest
·The visibility out the rear is a little limited, but not much worse than a Gen 1, and for parking purposes, you're aided by a great backup camera standard on all models. The B-pillars are pretty thick too, but I haven't found them to be a real problem as long as my mirrors are properly aligned. Generally it's about the same visibility all around as a Gen 1, and a little worse out back, but nothing that should sway your mind on a purchase decision.
Especially if you get the cross-traffic alerts (for backing up) and the blind spot alerts...worth their weight in gold IMHO.
The backup camera with rear cross traffic alerts and park assist sensors make backing up super easy.
I'm more annoyed by the huge and long A-pillars, but all new cars have them to get more rollover and offset frontal impact protection. I've had pedestrians obscured until the last second way too often by the a-pillars. No issues backing up at all.
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I miss the lower back window in the hatch area in the Gen 1, but got used to the Gen 2 very quickly--like with all cars after I've driven them for a while. I also have the cross traffic alert (sometimes helpful, but often overly-sensitive), and all other safety packages, which (in my opinion) are absolutely worth it. At the minimum, get the blind spot monitoring which I find VERY helpful.
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