Welcome and sorry to hear the M3 wasn't quite what you were expecting to see.
#1 the Volt has a feature called "Mountain Mode" which will run the engine to "recharge" the main battery to a predetermined level. This allows full power for climbing and maintaining speed through mountainous territory as the mode suggests. I have a '13 and just south of me there is a 6% grade climb and I have NO problems maintaining the legal 65, and frequently find myself at 70 to 75. Keep in mind that an electric motor has full power available as long as it has a power source (battery). A standard ICE will be limited at higher altitudes due to available oxygen. That was one thing that I definitely noticed is that the Volt, even though rated lower for HP than my previous ICE could maintain and even accelerate on a climb where I was barely able to maintain and frequently would find myself slower than the speed limit before.
#2 Like most hatchbacks, they never really list with the seats down. Plenty of room in that case. In fact, I was able to throw 4 OEM wheels and tires into the rear space and still had room. A trip to costco should be no problem.
I can't help on 3 and 4, but I can say that adults seem to be ok in the back of mine. I'm not terribly tall at 5'7" so I don't have to pull my seat way back and that allows more leg room for the rear.
#1 the Volt has a feature called "Mountain Mode" which will run the engine to "recharge" the main battery to a predetermined level. This allows full power for climbing and maintaining speed through mountainous territory as the mode suggests. I have a '13 and just south of me there is a 6% grade climb and I have NO problems maintaining the legal 65, and frequently find myself at 70 to 75. Keep in mind that an electric motor has full power available as long as it has a power source (battery). A standard ICE will be limited at higher altitudes due to available oxygen. That was one thing that I definitely noticed is that the Volt, even though rated lower for HP than my previous ICE could maintain and even accelerate on a climb where I was barely able to maintain and frequently would find myself slower than the speed limit before.
#2 Like most hatchbacks, they never really list with the seats down. Plenty of room in that case. In fact, I was able to throw 4 OEM wheels and tires into the rear space and still had room. A trip to costco should be no problem.
I can't help on 3 and 4, but I can say that adults seem to be ok in the back of mine. I'm not terribly tall at 5'7" so I don't have to pull my seat way back and that allows more leg room for the rear.
