[cblink.007]

My fellow gearheads!

I've been seriously contemplating buying a Volt, and I am looking for honest feedback, good, bad or indifferent. I owned a Toyota Prius from 2007 to 2013, enjoyed 100,000 miles of trouble free driving, ultimately purchased a 2013 BMW 335is while living overseas in Germany. Not that I am disappointed in the BMW; I love its performance, but I have always been a hybrid/EV car fan as long as I can remember. I also enjoyed 450 miles between fills in the Prius, something I can't really say about the Bimmer! The Volt looks like a great car, and I have read as much as I possible can, and it looks like the 2016 might not be a bad deal. So, I want to hear your honest opinions from your Volt ownership experiences. If you love it, say it, and why. If the car disappointed you, I want to know why it did. I also want feedback if you have done something other than city driving, such as a multi-hundred mile road trip during your ownership. Be honest as you can, because I want to make the right choice! Thanks again, and see you on the road.

 

[Elemental]

You Enjoyed..............Enjoyed 100,000 miles in a Prius?



Brother......... Don't even think twice about the Volt.

 

[emartin00]

I've owned my volt for over 3 years no, and have loved it. I have done a variety of driving from city, to 200+ miles on the highway, and it performs great in all aspects.
My only real complaint is the setup of the climate controls (you have to press climate, and then use the touch screen). But for 2016 they have gone back to the standard knob system.

 

[Elemental]

In 2013 I bought 52 of them!

Not one regret!

 

[Parish8]

We go months without buying gas but when we go on a road trip the range between fill ups at 75mph is less than 300miles and the mileage is around 35mpg. It's not a big deal since we only hit the open road 1-2 times a year but you mentioned the range of your car.

The touch screen control of most things is awful and even dangerous.

It is sometimes hard to find just the right setting to keep the window free of fog without having an excess of air movement(noise).

Those are my gripes. We love the car and will either be buying a gen1 or gen2 when this lease is up. Smooth, quiet, not a single warranty issue so far.

Edit: just noticed you are looking at a 2016. it appears gm has improved on my gripes with the 2016.

 

[ghostgs1]

We only have two Volts! The older one is a 2011 and the new one is a 2014. We have had no problems with either car. Driving on all electric power most of the time at about 3 cents a mile. When we use gas that jumps to around 6 cents per mile. Generally, we are on electric power 90% of the time. The car is super smooth, pretty quiet, though the Goodyear tires are pretty noisy. Overall we love both cars and will stick with them until a better mousetrap comes along.

 

[fishhawk]

Once you drive electric, it's very, very hard to be satisfied with anything else. I bought my first one in 2011, and when my wife wanted one as well, I found a demo 2011 for her. So now we are a two-Volt family, and love both of them.

1) Smooth, quiet acceleration.
2) Handles well, fun to drive. Sometimes I take it out just to drive it, sort of like a cruise to nowhere.
3) Don't have go to the gas station much (my Volt is at 305mpg, my wife's is at 156mpg), e.g. always wake up to a 'full' car.
4) Feels advanced.
5) Low maintenance cost - mine has 33K miles, and I have only done two oil changes. My wife's has 28K miles with 2 oil changes.
6) Garage is not as hot because the ICE seldom runs.
7) First car I still loved after 4 years of ownership.

The only thing that would get us to jump would be a CUV with the Voltec drivetrain.

 

[alfon]

So far 24,000 miles on our 2014 Volt. 153 mpg lifetime so far with many trips well out of the 40-47 mile range on electric
power alone. Even just on gas we get high 30's to low 40's mpg very consistently.

I would wait for the 2016 Volt. More range at least 50 - 60 miles just on electric. 41 mpg average on regular 87 octane when running on the gas engine. Probably closer to 45 mpg. (2011-15 Volt runs on 91 octane Premium gas rated 37 mpg avg.).

Room for 5 passengers instead of only 4 with the current Volt. 2016 Volt is lighter by 250 lbs or so, quicker 0-60 , and I believe it looks better and MSRP is below $34,000 (includes destination charges) than the current 2015 Volt.

 

[ChevyEMF]

You might want to think about buying a used one. The market should be near the bottom, so you won't be out much if you don't like it (which is unlikely), and you'd have one bargain of a car to drive while you wait for the 2016 to become available.

As to whether I like my Volt, I'll just say that the only thing wrong with my first Volt was that I leased it. When the lease was up I bought a new one.

 

[SharkVolt]

4 years, 45,000 miles, love the car and the entire Voltec concept, would never go back to an ICE only car. Would like something with a little more back seat room, though. The Volt has better braking/ stability control than almost anything short of a Corvette. And it is the the best mountain car EVER, no loss of performance at high altitude, and the LOW gear brake regeneration allows you to go down grades without using brakes. FUN!

 

[DonC]

Agree that an ICE vehicle can't compete with a vehicle which uses an electric drive. The electric is simply much smoother, more responsive, and quieter. People who drive a Prius always remark about how quiet the Volt is. Usually something like "you could even talk to someone in the back seat".

Not going to gas stations is also quite wonderful. No doubt you've never thought about it, because you have no choice, but buying gas has to be the least pleasant shopping experience of all time. Noisy, smelly, and frequently a parking lot.

But check it out for yourself. Get a test drive. I think you'll be very favorably impressed.

 

[bro1999]

I've driven 3,500 miles so far this year.
Gas station visits: 1
Gallons of gas used: 10

Nuff said.

Only thing that really bothers me is the sound of the ICE the few times the engine does turn on. Horrible!
That and the fact I need to hold the 'fan down' button to turn off the HVAC. That is moderately annoying.

 

[caskConditionedAle]

I'm another former Prius driver: 2005 - 2014 166000 miles. Toyota created a great car. I've been driving my Volt for almost a year and I can honestly say the Prius and Volt are not in the same league. EV is the way to go and only the Volt makes it practical, fun, and anxiety free.

 

[cblink.007]

Thanks all for your honesty! From my chair, its not so much as if I'll be buying a Volt and rejoining the Hybrid/EV community (provided you guys allow ex-defectors like me back in!), but when. It looks like the 2016 model will be greatly improved, so I look forward to being among the first to share my experiences with it! Thanks again!

 

[illini]

It's a great car! What I tell new or perspective buyers:

- The Gen 1 is heavy, which is a GOOD thing, it makes for an incredibly solid ride IMO. Don't think old school that weight is bad.
- Floor it from a red light at least once. Electric really is better than gas.
- Once you get over/accept the "it's new tech" hurdle, you will never want to go back to pure gasoline. It took about 2 weeks to really realize how great the car is.
- Yes, the car is that good....paying for so much gasoline so often is so antiquated.
- The car is a compact car, so as long as you need a compact vs. something larger, you will be happy.
- Hire or get a quote from an electrician before you buy to allow at least 12 Amp charging in your garage. Some prefer 240V, but 12V 120 is fine for overnight.


-

 

[cblink.007]

It's a great car! What I tell new or perspective buyers:

- The Gen 1 is heavy, which is a GOOD thing, it makes for an incredibly solid ride IMO. Don't think old school that weight is bad.
- Floor it from a red light at least once. Electric really is better than gas.
- Once you get over/accept the "it's new tech" hurdle, you will never want to go back to pure gasoline. It took about 2 weeks to really realize how great the car is.
- Yes, the car is that good....paying for so much gasoline so often is so antiquated.
- The car is a compact car, so as long as you need a compact vs. something larger, you will be happy.
- Hire or get a quote from an electrician before you buy to allow at least 12 Amp charging in your garage. Some prefer 240V, but 12V 120 is fine for overnight.


-

I was sold on EV-Hybrid technology when I was first exposed to a Prius. I absolutely loved my 07 until the battery finally started bowing out while I was assigned in Germany (I lived there from 2011 to 2014). I think it was the record cold 2012 winter that did it in, because the MPG dropped big time after a 1.5-month spell of 15F and below temps! I bought the BMW M, because I felt I would never have a better shot at owning one, and as fun as the car is, the fact that I now spend at least 30 minutes idling in traffic and burning fuel (and no high-speed autobahns here in the states) has made me start longing for an EV-Hybrid again. The whole time I had the Prius, I never once had a concern about fuel prices...now everyday I find myself looking at the local prices and watching them swing wildly everyday. Can a Volt do a 150+mph blast down any highway? Likely not, but do I really need to anymore? Not really...lol!

 

[Steverino]

4 years, 60k miles. I do have to take it in every 24 months for an oil change, so there is that aggravation. This is my first American car in ever. I'll be buying the Bolt 205 mile BEV in about 18 months to add to my collection.

Oh, wait, you wanted honest.

No change in my answers

The Volt's top speed is 101 mph.

 

[Norm51]

In 2013 I bought 52 of them!

Not one regret!

Am I remembering correctly? I think you once said that you're a fleet manager, correct? Government or Corporate?

 

[Elemental]

Am I remembering correctly? I think you once said that you're a fleet manager, correct? Government or Corporate?

I am a fleet manager for a large corporation.

I bought 50 volts last year professionally, and 2 for me and her.

 

[vdiv]

I see a Voltisimo in your future and it is smiling with you =)