[jakesterpdx]

I just got back from a 2,500 mile road trip to Colorado, and this car ran like a dream. I've owned it for 18 months, but this was the first really long trip, and I have to say how incredibly impressed I was. I left it in Mountain driving mode pretty much the whole time, and even going 80+ mph up mountain highways were not a problem at all. It had pickup when I needed it, and performed flawlessly while averaging 44 mpg. Had plenty of room in the back for our family of 4, and everyone was very comfortable. I also loved the on-board maps when we didn't have service combined with using CarPlay when I looked up something on my iPhone and then could just plug it in and go. Really pleased - great job, Chevy!

 

[jbakerjonathan]

Gen 1 is good, too. I averaged 42.6 mpg (91+ octane) in 10,000 miles. I never bothered to use MM, just kept my speed at 65 mph on CC. No CarPlay or AA in the Gen1, though.

 

[SoCalBeach]

I broke in my ICE at 80+ mph (using ACC) with a lot of weight in the car. Got 37 mpg. Next trip at 75 mph got 41 mpg.

For you California drivers: My Volt went up the I5 Grapevine and the Altamont Pass at 75 - 80 mph and the car could still accelerate. I used CarPlay Maps to steer me on obscure back roads from Angles Camp over to 99 and never missed a turn. I easily ran about 60+ miles on electric only back to the freeway as it was mostly downhill or level while saving some extra juice for the upcoming Grapevine climb. On the freeway, I switched back to the ICE ... with another 300+ miles to go.

 

[SharkVolt]

One of the really neat advantages of the Voltec drive system is it's capability in mountains and/or high altitude. Since the Volt is electrically driven at all times, it doesn't lose power at high altitudes like ICE vehicles. And it doesn't radiate tons of extra heat when you push it hard going up hills, because electric motors don't lose 70% of their energy in wasted heat like an ICE does, so the whole car remains cooler, and the air conditioning, which is also driven electrically, works better too.

I also like that the Volt doesn't overheat my garage like an ICE car when I drive it back in and park.

 

[jakesterpdx]

I forgot to mention I also sprung for one month of unlimited data for $20 and the kids streamed Netflix while I didn’t worry about my data usage on my cell phone.

 

[tlevy]

I forgot to mention I also sprung for one month of unlimited data for $20 and the kids streamed Netflix while I didn’t worry about my data usage on my cell phone.

Brilliant. Can data be added randomly whenever you wish?

 

[jakesterpdx]

Brilliant. Can data be added randomly whenever you wish?

Yes, it was easy to do. They have a bunch of other silly plans, but the $20 for one month unlimited makes a lot of sense to me for long trips. Just remember to call and cancel before the month is up or else it will renew automatically.

 

[alfon]

Seems there is a lot of praise for the Civic and Corolla for fuel economy, but when it comes right down to it the 16-17 Volt, when running in gas mode at 75 mph probably will beat both the Civic and Corolla. It sure would be nice to conduct a test to see who wins, the Civic, Corolla, or the Volt at 75 mph.

 

[Qinsp]

Seems there is a lot of praise for the Civic and Corolla for fuel economy, but when it comes right down to it the 16-17 Volt, when running in gas mode at 75 mph probably will beat both the Civic and Corolla. It sure would be nice to conduct a test to see who wins, the Civic, Corolla, or the Volt at 75 mph.

It is not unusual for GM to be pessimistic on EPA filings. Other automakers are sometimes optimistic.

 

[obermd]

It is not unusual for GM to be pessimistic on EPA filings. Other automakers are sometimes optimistic.

GM tends to be 10-15% pessimistic. It keeps them out of trouble a'la Kia/Hyundai who had to downgrade their estimates, a couple of models by 5 MPG, and pay original purchasers back every year for as long as they owned the car.

The battery range on the Gen 2 Volt is EPA estimated at 53 miles. Poke around here and you'll see a lot of people routinely reporting 60 miles, which is 13% over the estimate.

 

[jakesterpdx]

Personally, I can't get more than about 30-40 miles on battery when it's on the highway, but I could see 60 miles in the city.

 

[[email protected]]

Likewise, I recently went on a 2200 mile trip from East Texas to Tennessee. Lots of beautiful wooded hills and countryside. Car performed flawlessly. It was quiet, comfortable, and it average 41.9 mpg on gas. Living in a rural area with shopping always 30 or 40 miles away, I can only operate on electricity about 60% for local driving. Still, I average about 80 mpge. What really impressed me is the smooth, quiet, comfort. I am VERY pleased. Though it is a compact, it drives like a bigger car -- more like a current Impala (has nice tight handling, not the sloppy old Impala handling of yesteryear). The weight of batteries down low - low center of gravity, great suspension, good tires and sporty handling, yet very smooth and planted at 70 - 80 mph. Love the car. Bought car December 26, 2016. Have 10,000 miles on it; bet I will have another 10K by end of this year -- and I have two other vehicles for just me and my wife - and we are retired!

 

[DAC17]

I've taken my Gen 2 from Connecticut to Florida and back twice. Flawless trips, but I never got over 40 MPG's on the ICE. Averaged 70-75 mph.

 

[Head_Unit]

I broke in my ICE at 80+ mph (using ACC) with a lot of weight in the car. Got 37 mpg. Next trip at 75 mph got 41 mpg.

For you California drivers: My Volt went up the I5 Grapevine and the Altamont Pass at 75 - 80 mph and the car could still accelerate. I used CarPlay Maps to steer me on obscure back roads from Angles Camp over to 99 and never missed a turn. I easily ran about 60+ miles on electric only back to the freeway as it was mostly downhill or level while saving some extra juice for the upcoming Grapevine climb. On the freeway, I switched back to the ICE ... with another 300+ miles to go.

Our 2014 gave us the reduced power warning on 495 in the eastern Sierras. I had NOT thought to run it in Mountain Mode-when we did so on the return we were fine. LA --> Boise in one day, and back in one day, nearly 900 miles, the car was very comfortable. IIRC, we got like 33 up and 35 back running on gas. That actually seemed good to me considering we were doing near-80 mph except in towns, climbing considerable mountains, and the outside temps were over 100 all day both days (108 at peak! Rough on batteries).

 

[hellsop]

(108 at peak! Rough on batteries).

Not so bad when the battery's effectively in the cabin with you and has its own cooling loop. It probably got chilled down to about 85F shortly after you turned on the car for the day and stayed around there for the whole trip.

 

[alfon]

GM tends to be 10-15% pessimistic. It keeps them out of trouble a'la Kia/Hyundai who had to downgrade their estimates, a couple of models by 5 MPG, and pay original purchasers back every year for as long as they owned the car.

The battery range on the Gen 2 Volt is EPA estimated at 53 miles. Poke around here and you'll see a lot of people routinely reporting 60 miles, which is 13% over the estimate.

I have to agree with that. This weekend I drove our 2016 Volt Premier over 214 miles (gas only) in a single trip to go salmon fishing. The computer readout was 214.2 miles on gas / gal's used 4.13 / 52 mpg (regular 87 octane Costco gasoline used). Calculated by miles driven and same fillup method for consistency, 3.82 gal's used/ calculated, 56.07 mpg. Also electric range is consistently well over 60 miles on a charge now that this is summer.

 

[tjkenny15]

Great news!

I'm about to journey on a long road trip to the Catskill Mountains in Upstate NY (roughly 800 miles RT). I'm excited to actually try the ICE out.

I'll report some results back next week.