[2018Volt]

Hi all,

I've been on the forum since March 2016, but this is my first post. I've been interested in the Chevy Volt for several years prior to that. My wife recently paid off her 2012 Chrysler Town and Country and now is my turn for a new vehicle. I did quite a bit of research regarding hybrids before looking at the Volt. I was originally interested in the Prius after reading how good of gas mileage it got. I remember wondering why they didn't simply install a bigger battery so you wouldn't need to run the engine at all around town. That's when I ran across plug in hybrids. The Volt seems to me to have the best all around performance and range on battery and then on gas for longer trips. I'll be keeping my 2006 Dakota 4x4 for hauling stuff and for bad winter weather. My truck has a V8 and gets around 12-13 MPG in the city. My round trip to work is around 12-13 miles so I should save some money on gas. I don't do a lot of long distance driving in my truck now but I've been informed we'll be taking my Volt on some of the long trips going forward instead of the Chrysler.

Scott

 

[Kraven]

I’m sure by now, about 6 months give or take into your ownership, you’ve discovered how amazing the Volt is. Given how close you are to work I’m guessing you are probably just charging back up on standard 110 using the supplied EVSE which works great in certain use cases.

“...I’ve been informed we’ll be taking my Volt on some of the long trips...” pretty funny, guess your wife is really liking your Volt as well, smart lady! Congrats on the purchase and don’t be a stranger to posting...

 

[aceinsp]

Welcome to the forum and the purchase of a new Volt. I know you will enjoy your Volt on long trips I know we do. Later RJD

 

[colchiro]

My take is Scott won't own that volt until this summer.

 

[Coppersnowboarder]

You do not need to drive a Dakota for bad winter weather. My Volt functions absolutely excellent in severe mountain driving conditions and maintains more than 100 MPG average in winter under the coldest conditions. I also carry all of the outdoor gear that I need for a few weeks of camping every summer in the Volt, although I do burn about 100 gallons of gasoline annually.

 

[2018Volt]

My take is Scott won't own that volt until this summer.

Right. Sorry if my post was ambiguous, I won't get one until this summer. Looking forward to it though!

 

[2018Volt]

You do not need to drive a Dakota for bad winter weather. My Volt functions absolutely excellent in severe mountain driving conditions and maintains more than 100 MPG average in winter under the coldest conditions. I also carry all of the outdoor gear that I need for a few weeks of camping every summer in the Volt, although I do burn about 100 gallons of gasoline annually.

Thanks! That's good to know. I'll still keep it for hauling stuff (snowblower, chipper shredder, etc.). Plus, I have twins who will be 13 this March and may need to drive the truck along with what ever other car I get for them to share once they get their learner permits. Hopefully a truck won't be too big to learn to drive.

Scott

 

[jcanoe]

A Bolt might be better suited to your family than a Volt except for taking road trips of more than 200 miles. Road trips are one use case where minivans excel. Plus, your twins are not going to be able to fit well in the rear seats of a Volt for much longer.

 

[2018Volt]

A Bolt might be better suited to your family than a Volt except for taking road trips of more than 200 miles. Road trips are one use case where minivans excel. Plus, your twins are not going to be able to fit well in the rear seats of a Volt for much longer.

I don't think a battery only car would be a good idea. If I were only concerned about it as a daily driver, it would be great. I don't think my wife would be too happy if I bought another vehicle that we couldn't take on long trips. We already don't take the truck as it isn't as versatile as the minivan and the gas mileage sucks. We have relatives who are right at 200 miles away. Being in Iowa I doubt there are many places to charge it quickly. That's the reason I thought the Volt would be a perfect compromise. I will have to look closely at the back seat room if the boys are going to be sitting back there on long trips.

 

[Just_Jon]

I don't understand your wife's reluctance to using the minivan for long trips. I love my Volt, perfect for the daily commute, even good for 2 person trips. But four people and luggage is going to be a very tight squeeze.

My son, who is 6'1", sat in the back for a 4 hour trip with no complaints.

 

[2018Volt]

I don't understand your wife's reluctance to using the minivan for long trips. I love my Volt, perfect for the daily commute, even good for 2 person trips. But four people and luggage is going to be a very tight squeeze.

My son, who is 6'1", sat in the back for a 4 hour trip with no complaints.

It's one of those "Why do we always have to take my vehicle" attitudes. I had a Grand AM when we got married in 2000 and that was my car. She had a Dodge Colt. In 2002 she traded it in for a Grand Caravan and even though we both paid for it, it was her car. In 2006 I bought a Dakota and again it was my vehicle. We used to take the Grand AM on out of town trips as it was nicer than her Colt but when we got the minivan it was much more comfortable on long trips so it became our out of town car. Of course a 4WD pickup isn't going to be as nice as a minivan either so the Caravan stayed as the out of town car. We both can drive the other person's vehicle but she refuses to take the truck as it has no backup camera and isn't as nice as her Town and Country even though they both have power leather seats. Go figure...