[tff]

I'm strongly considering a '17 or '18 Volt Premier. I'm intrigued by the 'green-ness', electric range, the range extender, the general uniqueness of the car & I even like the styling. I've test driven one on a couple of normal (short) test drives. Overall I'm pleasantly surprised by how the car drives...

My concern... I'm coming from a Lexus IS350, I've owned Audi's previously. Will i be disappointed in the long run with any aspects of the Volt? In particular, I like a nice combo of sport/handling and comfort... will the Volt deliver in the long run?

Curious how many others have come from 'luxury' cars to the Volt and how has your experience been?

Thanks!

 

[saghost]

The Volt is not a luxury car, even in the Premium trim, and if you're accustomed to fancy features, you mostly won't find them.

Driving any EV for a while (including the Volt in its usual electric modes) will make any ICE car feel slow and lethargic.

I guess it's all about what is important to you.

 

[lagagnon]

Wouldn't a nice long test drive answer your questions best? Some dealerships will let you even have the vehicle overnight if you express serious interest and look as if you have the money to walk away with it.

 

[Steverino]

Get in one and take a test drive. That will answer a lot of your subjective questions.

 

[El Dobro]

Try it, you'll like it.

 

[don shaw]

i had the large Cadillacs for 15 years until i got the 2011 Volt. am now on my third leased Volt (2017 siren red -red ones are faster, and cannot tolerate ice cars. i don't feel deprived in any way.

don

 

[freshcut]

The Volt really isn't what I would call luxury, but it does have a lot of nice features found in a lot of luxury cars, mostly safety though. It doesn't have the soft cushy seats most luxury cars have, or the a/c thats pumped through the seat but it does have seat warmers and heated steering wheel which is nice in winter. Really the price premium is part of the technology and the fact that the Volt can really put a fair bit of power down, especially at take off. Operating the Volt is about as inexpensive as one can get as well, especially if you're fortunate enough to have cheap electricity in your area. My electric rate is about $.09/kW and I spend about $1/day to charge my gen 1 and drive about 25-30 miles/day. After having the Volt, I can say without a doubt I have absolutely zero intention of ever going back to a gas only vehicle. Regardless if it's green or not, the Volt suits my daily needs far better than I could have imagined and especially with the new $.12 gas tax implemented here in CA this past week, I love knowing that I can go weeks between trips to the gas station and only do so when I need to drive out of town.

If you can find a dealership that is willing to allow a 24 hour test drive I would highly suggest taking advantage of that just to see how you can get along with the Volt. Its a great car that tends to be overlooked.

 

[CalBear]

My last 2 cars were an IS300 (2001) and an ES350 (2012) before getting the 2016 Volt. There's definitely a difference -- the quiet ride, lack of rattles and overall refined interior are the things that you will notice. The single biggest thing for me, though, is the general level of service when you bring your car in. At Lexus, you feel like a VIP; everyone is super polite and they do their best to get you in and out of the dealership as quickly as possible and with a loaner car no matter how small the service. Things go a little slower at Chevrolet dealerships and I find myself having to exercise some patience. Still, I have no regrets -- the amount of time the HOV sticker saves for makes up for all those little things for me.

 

[tff]

There's definitely a difference -- the quiet ride, lack of rattles and overall refined interior are the things that you will notice.

Are you saying that the Volt is quieter, rattles less, more refined? (Reason i ask is that actually don't think my IS is that quiet and it does have a few dash creaks). So is the Volt good in those areas??? Thanks.

 

[jcanoe]

To drive a Volt you have to be willing to give up certain convenience and comfort features including: power seats, power steering wheel adjustment, memory seating position, sunroof, home link or similar vehicle garage, gate, lighting remote control functions, rear wiper. The back seats offer limited headroom and legroom. The rear seating should be fine for small children but you need to make sure that your car seat will fit with the front seat pushed back to your preferred position. Visibility front and rear is poor. The blind spot warning system helps with side visibility. The rear view camera and cross traffic alert when moving in reverse are very useful too.

The audio systems on the Volt LT and Volt Premier sound very similar. The subwoofer that is included in the Volt Premier Bose audio system adds some fullness to the sound. The Volt's audio system does not compare to the sound quality of the better sound systems available in premium automobiles. That said, the Volt's infotainment system is flexible with support for Bluetooth audio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Volt does not currently offer HD radio if you care about broadcast AM/FM. Sirius/XM satellite radio functions are very basic with no ability to rewind a song or tag favorites. The Volt's optional navigation system does not compare to the better built-in car navigation systems but most prefer to use Google Maps or Waze with Android Auto or Apple Maps with Apple CarPlay.

What you get in return is the convenience of charging at home, at any time, in any weather versus going to the gas station. Filling up with regular grade gas instead of premium octane fuel and rarely filling up at that. I fill up so infrequently that the price of gas can fluctuate more than $0.50 per gallon between fill ups. Fill ups in the Volt costing ~ $20 instead of $40 - $60. When some man made or natural disaster threatens oil production in the middle east or gasoline distribution here in the US and the price of oil jumps 30% in just a few days or weeks you can look at your Volt and know that it really does not affect you because you chose to skip the gas station and drive an electric vehicle.

Preconditioning the Volt in the morning, something you can do while the Volt is still plugged in, means never having to get into a cold or hot cabin again. It is true that you can remote start a conventional ICE vehicle but not while the ICE vehicle is parked inside your garage because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The luxury brands are currently lagging behind GM in electrification of their products but they will soon have comparable offerings. So if you like Volvo, Audi, BMW and Mercedes in a few years you will be able to purchase a plug in version of most models with perhaps 20 miles of electric range. That may be enough to meet your daily driving needs or it may leave you wanting more.

The Gen 2 Volt will probably soldier on in the Chevrolet product lineup until 2020 when GM has stated they will introduce a small crossover or SUV using the Voltec drive system. Many current Volt owners would appreciate driving a plug-in vehicle with the Volt's benefits with a bit more room (especially in the rear seats), easier vehicle entry/egress, better visibility, sunroof option and a taller driving position. AWD is also desirable. Many Volt owners are able to drive 90% electric with the current Gen 2 Volt 18.4 kWH battery so a moderately larger battery capacity won't radically change things for these drivers. Those who want to be 100% gas free will choose another vehicle such as the Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf, or Tesla EV.

 

[VoltenRock]

Went from a near-luxury car to a Gen 1 Volt and now a Gen 2. Putting aside the creature comforts, Volt shares a similar "luxurious" quietness and solitude matched only by the best luxury cars. I was babysitting a '17 5 series BMW for a month and actually preferred the Volt's drivetrain. The lack of NVH/transmission shifts from the gas engine is hard to let go of, even with a power seat.

I wouldn't say the steering matches some of the best "sport sedans" out there (generally the older BMWs), but it seems many automakers are now relying too heavily on electric boosted steering systems. Gen 2 Volt suffers from this, but Gen 1 did not. Heck, even the new 5 series felt less sporty.

These are all subjective opinions. Maybe you can get a dealer to give you a couple hour/overnight test drive. I've had some willing to do that over the years.

 

[saltsman]

In my view: Give a low-milage used ELR a try. Much plusher interior, same great drivetrain. Same (or less) cost.

 

[DougGM]

You will be disappointed if you are looking for luxury. The Volt is decent car, but it's certainly not a luxury car.
Here's something to consider about electric/hybrid cars..... What's the cost of electricity where you are?

I like in California, (SF Bay Area) and our power companies rate are from $0.12 kWhr to $0.85 (yes about $1.00) kWhr depending on the rate plan, day and time. Better check what the cost of power is where you are. At $0.85 any idea what the cost would be to charge the batteries?

 

[Arcanox]

$0.85?! That's insane! We pay about $0.07 to $0.11 here.

But yeah, if you're looking for a luxury car, the Volt does cut corners on some things the others have mentioned. I know the things I find myself missing the most are power seats, self-dimming mirror, homelink, and AWD. However, there are a lot of hybrid options in the luxury department if you decide a Volt isn't for you. Toyota and Lexus have pretty much unmatched reliability on their hybrids, and I've heard that Acura's hybrids are very sporty and luxurious, so you're definitely not entirely out of luck.

 

[lagagnon]

You need a longer test drive to answer your concerns.

As above - if you drive up in your Lexus and show interest I'm sure they will let you take it home overnight for a longer test drive, as you're obviously not a tire-kicking time-water.

Make sure you have a good windy road and a high speed highway picked out for your test and that the vehicle is fully charged when you get it.

I own a Mazda MX-5 and I can say the steering and cornering in the Volt is almost as good.

 

[Jim H]

Previous replies have given you lots of information and I have only a little to add. We owned an ES350 before the Volt and an Audi A6 in the past. If there is one main driver, then power seats don't matter much. For me the Volt seats are just as comfortable as the Lexus and Audi. The ride is less "squishy" than the Lexus and about like the Audi. The interior of the Volt Premier is almost up their standards, but no wood trim. The ride is quieter and overall handling is better in the Volt, at least compared to the Lexus. I prefer the Volt's Infotainment system and the Nav system is lots better than our '07 Lexus but that could be just because its newer. The heated seats are better but the cabin does not warm up as quickly when in EV mode. If that's an issue, precondition or switch to Hold mode until the cabin is warm. I like that I don't have to stand out in the cold much refueling the Volt. It "refuels" in my garage! Hope this helps some.

 

[rand49er]

Buy domestic.

 

[tff]

There's definitely a difference -- the quiet ride, lack of rattles and overall refined interior are the things that you will notice.

Are you saying that the Volt has a quitter ride, less rattles, more refined interior? (Or the other way around). Ironically i don't think my IS's ride is very quiet and the dash has some creaks unfortunately. Thanks.

 

[JerryInSanDiego]

I came from a Lexus 400H to the Volt. Never looked back....

 

[ClarksonCote]

Are you saying that the Volt has a quitter ride, less rattles, more refined interior? (Or the other way around). Ironically i don't think my IS's ride is very quiet and the dash has some creaks unfortunately. Thanks.

To me, I think most would say that the interior is quieter, much quieter. That being said, as the vehicle gets a bit older, a very minor noise that you may not hear in a normal car (with the engine and its vibration etc.) is potentially more audible in the Volt. Some people have reported these sorts of things, and have seeked to correct them (and have done so successfully). Others report a nice quiet ride continuing for many years.

Generally, I think you'll find the Volt gives a much more luxurious ride, with no noise, no shifting, instant torque, etc. It has less luxury features than some luxury cars, but it's not badly equipped either. Some people don't like the lack of a power seat, it's never bothered me personally. Some people want a moon roof, to the point that some have installed one aftermarket (on the Gen 1, not really possible on the Gen 2).

If you really want luxury and don't care much about rear seat space, a Cadillac ELR is an option for you. But I think the Gen 2 Volt is generally a more refined offering and better overall despite less luxury features than an ELR.

Hope this helps. If you really want to experiment, go test drive a Bolt EV too. And floor the accelerator in both the Volt and the Bolt EV. Acceleration is very impressive in both, but the Bolt EV wins and has more interior space for passengers etc. Of course, it isn't styled as nicely outside as the Volt.

Wrapping up, the questions you've posed are very subjective, so you may want to do a longer test drive as others have suggested. Or just give it a try and buy it. Very, very few are disappointed. The Volt has been ranked the most loved car under $50k in the past (possibly still?), and there's good reason for that.