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Wanted to go kick some tires on the new 2019s to see what's different. For anyone with a Gen 2 thinking about stepping up, I thought I would share my impressions. I didn't leave feeling like I "had" to have it. Less profound changes overall.
I'll first say that the dealership was great--no pressure, easy to work with, no blank faces when talking about the operation of the Volt. They knew enough about them, which is sometimes unusual.
The Volt was Pacific Blue with the Porcelain Blue interior. Sharp looking--although I prefer the Kinetic Blue. I'll start with the impressions of each area:
PLUSES
Clean display--more simple. Still provides all the same useful information. I'm not familiar enough with the Infotainment 3 to give a verdict since I was still getting to know it. I did NOT notice anything significantly changed with the energy app compared to the earlier Gen 2s besides the layout. However, there was a lot I didn't get through.
Climate controls altered slightly to allow easier logical use.
Power seat always good, of course the faster charging.
Had garage door opener installed as a "dealer option" (for like $400 which is crazy).
NAV had the Bolt EV "range prediction" feature. I didn't use it, but looked possibly useful.
SEATS
Could just be the breaking in, but the seats felt more stiff/less comfortable. I sense that would change over time since this car had virtually no use (it was in the showroom).
While a power seat is always nice, I was underwhelmed with the lumbar support--I prefer to be able to adjust it up/down and to me it felt more "subtle" than other power seats with lumbar support I've used. It was certainly better than nothing, but a 2-way lumbar support is just limited overall.
DRIVING
The steering was even more boosted for low speeds than my 2017. I didn't think it could get more, but it was. It tightened up at speed, but the steering felt very removed from the road. However, body roll felt fairly controlled. Too limited of a test drive to give a fair verdict though.
Regen was definitely BETTER (i.e. stronger). Almost a complete rapid stop in LOW. I couldn't notice a difference with the paddle, although GM claims they improved it. I would need more time behind the wheel.
I didn't have enough speed to see if the regen was still maxed at 50-60 kW.
My goal was to see if LOW was any smoother. Definitely not. For whatever reason, I found the Gen 1 LOW gear to have the best programming overall (although also had less regen). I still couldn't get it to "coast" in LOW like I could in the Gen 1. Just a personal preference.
Sport mode seemed unchanged.
I tried mountain mode to get the gas engine to run (the battery was empty). I noticed no changes to the vibration/harshness of the gas engine although it oddly seemed a little louder.
I tried to hear the new "Darth Vader" pedestrian sound but no luck.
FIT/FINISH
I don't know why, but this particular Volt felt VERY cheap. More misaligned panel gaps, along with very hollow sounding doors. Even the opening & closing of the trunk just felt less "solid." Not sure why. Sometimes it's just a particular Volt that may have a problem, but my 2017 felt more put together. However, I still think the Gen 1, especially the earlier model years, were the most solid Volts ever made.
The porcelain blue interior is interesting and I definitely like it--but it is a VERY subtle blue (more just light gray); however, I slightly favor the brandy (which I have). Personal preference.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
I was glad to test drive the 2019 since it is the most significantly updated Volt in almost 4 years, but I wouldn't say it was "vastly" different than other Gen 2 models. There was no upgrade like adding "hold" mode to the 2013, or boosting the battery capacity (that I could tell). Instead, it seems that there are some very specific upgrades that may be valuable to some drivers. I didn't feel like I was "missing out" by not have a 2019, but the charging upgrade and garage door opener are not must-haves for me. Power seat is nice, but I still didn't think the seats felt much better. But again, that's also a personal preference.
Regarding price, they were definitely not budging much. I got them down to about 37K on a 41K Premier, with an offer of 20K on my 2017. Not terrible, but not good enough with way cheaper 18s down the street. In terms of value, I felt satisfied leaving in my lowly 2017 Gen 2 and if for whatever reason wanted a "new" Volt, the '18 would be just fine.
I'll first say that the dealership was great--no pressure, easy to work with, no blank faces when talking about the operation of the Volt. They knew enough about them, which is sometimes unusual.
The Volt was Pacific Blue with the Porcelain Blue interior. Sharp looking--although I prefer the Kinetic Blue. I'll start with the impressions of each area:
PLUSES
Clean display--more simple. Still provides all the same useful information. I'm not familiar enough with the Infotainment 3 to give a verdict since I was still getting to know it. I did NOT notice anything significantly changed with the energy app compared to the earlier Gen 2s besides the layout. However, there was a lot I didn't get through.
Climate controls altered slightly to allow easier logical use.
Power seat always good, of course the faster charging.
Had garage door opener installed as a "dealer option" (for like $400 which is crazy).
NAV had the Bolt EV "range prediction" feature. I didn't use it, but looked possibly useful.
SEATS
Could just be the breaking in, but the seats felt more stiff/less comfortable. I sense that would change over time since this car had virtually no use (it was in the showroom).
While a power seat is always nice, I was underwhelmed with the lumbar support--I prefer to be able to adjust it up/down and to me it felt more "subtle" than other power seats with lumbar support I've used. It was certainly better than nothing, but a 2-way lumbar support is just limited overall.
DRIVING
The steering was even more boosted for low speeds than my 2017. I didn't think it could get more, but it was. It tightened up at speed, but the steering felt very removed from the road. However, body roll felt fairly controlled. Too limited of a test drive to give a fair verdict though.
Regen was definitely BETTER (i.e. stronger). Almost a complete rapid stop in LOW. I couldn't notice a difference with the paddle, although GM claims they improved it. I would need more time behind the wheel.
I didn't have enough speed to see if the regen was still maxed at 50-60 kW.
My goal was to see if LOW was any smoother. Definitely not. For whatever reason, I found the Gen 1 LOW gear to have the best programming overall (although also had less regen). I still couldn't get it to "coast" in LOW like I could in the Gen 1. Just a personal preference.
Sport mode seemed unchanged.
I tried mountain mode to get the gas engine to run (the battery was empty). I noticed no changes to the vibration/harshness of the gas engine although it oddly seemed a little louder.
I tried to hear the new "Darth Vader" pedestrian sound but no luck.
FIT/FINISH
I don't know why, but this particular Volt felt VERY cheap. More misaligned panel gaps, along with very hollow sounding doors. Even the opening & closing of the trunk just felt less "solid." Not sure why. Sometimes it's just a particular Volt that may have a problem, but my 2017 felt more put together. However, I still think the Gen 1, especially the earlier model years, were the most solid Volts ever made.
The porcelain blue interior is interesting and I definitely like it--but it is a VERY subtle blue (more just light gray); however, I slightly favor the brandy (which I have). Personal preference.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
I was glad to test drive the 2019 since it is the most significantly updated Volt in almost 4 years, but I wouldn't say it was "vastly" different than other Gen 2 models. There was no upgrade like adding "hold" mode to the 2013, or boosting the battery capacity (that I could tell). Instead, it seems that there are some very specific upgrades that may be valuable to some drivers. I didn't feel like I was "missing out" by not have a 2019, but the charging upgrade and garage door opener are not must-haves for me. Power seat is nice, but I still didn't think the seats felt much better. But again, that's also a personal preference.
Regarding price, they were definitely not budging much. I got them down to about 37K on a 41K Premier, with an offer of 20K on my 2017. Not terrible, but not good enough with way cheaper 18s down the street. In terms of value, I felt satisfied leaving in my lowly 2017 Gen 2 and if for whatever reason wanted a "new" Volt, the '18 would be just fine.
) Volt, so it's pretty amazing to us just as it is. Never even had a non plug in hybrid before, only 100% ICE vehicles.
