Quick Volt questions if you don't mind

3910 Views 58 Replies 21 Participants Last post by photonburst, Aug 19, 2017

bcsteeve

Discussion Starter · Jul 29, 2017

I'm sorry I haven't read through to see where the appropriate place to post might be. I feel in "crisis mode" - although I have to laugh at myself (first world problems).

I had my heart set on a Tesla Model 3. So much so that I pretty much ignored or dismissed other possibilities. The big 'reveal' was tonight and I was sorely disappointed. I remember the Volt was probably my #2 choice (although distant). I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind providing some insight that I can't really look up with facts and figures.

#1 - I live in a mountainous region. Long steep grades (8.5% - so not insane, but significant) and high speeds (120kph / 75mph). When the electric range is used up, how is this thing in the hills? I drive a Honda Fit now and it is woefully underpowered and I often can't hold the speed limit. More bothersome, however, is how bloody loud it is from the engine noise. That's a main reason I wanted a BEV.

#2 - It is listed as having a tiny 10.5 cubic foot cargo space... surely it isn't really that little, is it? When the seats are folded, etc... can you make a trip to Costco of any significance? Or is it as useless in that regard as the specs indicate?

#3 - How is it for tall guys? I'm 6'4, mostly in the legs. For anyone that's driven a Honda Fit... that's about as tight as I can go. I wouldn't call it comfortable, but I manage.

#4 - One problem with the Fit is that my kid... er... no longer "fits" (pun avoided as best as I could). He's 5 and still in a child seat and he's getting cramped. Again, can anyone relate to the Fit?

I'm really hoping someone's got experience with both the Volt and the Fit and can advise if I'm looking at a significant upgrade or not.

Thanks so much.

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obermd

· #10 · Jul 29, 2017

bcsteeve said:
I'm sorry I haven't read through to see where the appropriate place to post might be. I feel in "crisis mode" - although I have to laugh at myself (first world problems).

I had my heart set on a Tesla Model 3. So much so that I pretty much ignored or dismissed other possibilities. The big 'reveal' was tonight and I was sorely disappointed. I remember the Volt was probably my #2 choice (although distant). I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind providing some insight that I can't really look up with facts and figures.

#1 - I live in a mountainous region. Long steep grades (8.5% - so not insane, but significant) and high speeds (120kph / 75mph). When the electric range is used up, how is this thing in the hills? I drive a Honda Fit now and it is woefully underpowered and I often can't hold the speed limit. More bothersome, however, is how bloody loud it is from the engine noise. That's a main reason I wanted a BEV.

I purchased my 2017 Volt LT in May. The only time the gas engine wasn't up to the task was while driving east (downhill) across Kansas at 78 MPH with a 30+ MPH head wind. I put the car in mountain mode when I got on I-70 just west of Limon and by the time I made it to Kansas City I had depleted the battery. This was 400+ miles of head wind for an effective 108+ MPH wind speed drive which is actually faster than the car's 102 MPH road speed governor. Coming back across Nebraska (west & uphill) I had no wind or issues at the same speed. I don't think you'll have any issues - Kansas is somewhat unique in that I seem to always drive into a headwind, east or west. Also, the car has more than sufficient power in Normal EV mode to charge up I-70 west of Denver, which is a 10 mile long 6 to 8% grade starting at 6,000 ft. above sea level.

bcsteeve said:
#2 - It is listed as having a tiny 10.5 cubic foot cargo space... surely it isn't really that little, is it? When the seats are folded, etc... can you make a trip to Costco of any significance? Or is it as useless in that regard as the specs indicate?

Yes it's not as big as some other cars. My previous car was 15.25 cubic feet of trunk space so it was an adjustment for me as well. Drop the rear seats and you can get a lot of stuff in there however. I haven't taken it to Costco yet but only because I haven't had the need. I wouldn't think twice about doing so, however. As with all hatch and lift backs, the one thing you have to watch out for is not loading the cargo area too deeply. I have met people who broke their hatch/lift back window by too deeply loading cargo. The Volt can easily handle 24 inch deep cargo all the way back to the end of the cargo area. I was pleasantly surprised at how deep the cargo area is.

bcsteeve said:
#3 - How is it for tall guys? I'm 6'4, mostly in the legs. For anyone that's driven a Honda Fit... that's about as tight as I can go. I wouldn't call it comfortable, but I manage.

Go sit in one. My visual estimate is that it's bigger inside than the Honda Fit. The front seats can go a long ways back if needed. What's really nice about the Volt is the steering wheel is not only tilt but also telescopic so you can do what I do and push the seat a long ways back for your legs and then pull the steering wheel out to be comfortable for your arms.

bcsteeve said:
#4 - One problem with the Fit is that my kid... er... no longer "fits" (pun avoided as best as I could). He's 5 and still in a child seat and he's getting cramped. Again, can anyone relate to the Fit?

I'm really hoping someone's got experience with both the Volt and the Fit and can advise if I'm looking at a significant upgrade or not.

Thanks so much.

I've had two adults in the back seat of my Volt with no issues. Also since the Volt is a 5 passenger car it has a seatbelt and latch points for car seats in the middle of the back seat area.

Your best bet will be to go test drive a Volt. Take your son and have him climb in the back just as you would normally go somewhere with him.

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obermd

· #27 · Jul 30, 2017

BillG said:
The Volt won't have any problem with the 1%.

My thought as well. There are still large parts of North America where you can get liquid recharges (gasoline) but not electric. The Volt can go where no EV, including Tesla, can go.

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obermd

· #41 · Jul 31, 2017

bcsteeve said:
[please tell me if I should be starting a new thread]

So... LT or Premier? Any insights?

I *think* I really want Adaptive Cruise Control. However, that appears to be a VERY expensive option. +4100 for Premier (to allow Driver Confidence II package, which is required), + 575 For Driver Confidence II, +575 for Driver Confidence (required for II), + 1375 (ACC itself) = $6625!! Granted, other stuff comes with that, of course. But unless I'm missing something, these are the perks:

- Slightly different wheels (I really couldn't care)
- Leather-Appointed Seat trim (I prefer cloth, generally. However I do like the pictures of that "Brandy" leather)
- Bose sound (does the basic system really suck?)
- Very limited safety enhancements (auto brakes sort of work but only at low speeds and not if the object about to be smooshed is smooshable... do I have that right?)
- Beeping things if the car thinks I'm not driving well (great... my wife gets the car backing her up!)

I think I've just talked myself into the LT, but I'd like to hear from owners if there's more to the Premier that I'm realizing.

When I test drove a Premier I gave the car a cornering workout - the suspension was way too soft. I like to feel the road and the Premier's suspension hides the road from the driver.

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obermd

· #51 · Aug 2, 2017

bcsteeve said:
Joe! That was so on point, it's creepy! I'm not sure if that was intentional, but the mountain range route in that video is EXACTLY the one I travel. I can't even come close to that kind of performance in my Fit. Surprisingly, the Fit isn't that horrible in the mountains. I pass a LOT of cars going up the steepest parts. It just sounds like I'm killing it (and I probably am) because it drops down a bunch of gears and whines like a banshee. But it isn't great either. Near the end of the video he goes through the tunnel... coming out of that is the hardest stretch. Big trucks are sometimes in the far right lane doing no more than 30kph (20mph). Most vehicles struggle to maintain 90kph (55mph), but with knowing the route and beginning acceleration in the tunnel, I can usually hold 110kph (70mph). Speed limit is 120kph (75mph). The guy in the video, unfortunately, didn't show his speedo at that section. For much of the drive he shows going 140 to 150 (85-95) but I suspect he wasn't able to there. He mentions he's at 130. But whatever the case, that demonstrated sufficient power in my view.

Sold! (almost). The only hesitation I have is at the end where he says he "hopes" GM can pull that off in a Gen 2. Is there some reason why Gen 2 cars wouldn't be as good on the mountains?? Am I missing anything where extra range is traded off for performance?

Thanks.

The Gen2 Volt is even better in the mountains. More battery and ICE at your disposal. I ran 70-80 MPH uphill on I-70 last week out of Denver. Yes I was on battery but the only time I've seen the car struggle was driving across Kansas at 78 MPH into a 30-40 MPH headwind for nearly 400 miles. Even mountain mode couldn't hold the battery level but I never did get the dreaded "Propulsion Power Reduced" message. Once I got out of the wind in Kansas City the car recharged mountain mode in about 15 minutes.

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obermd

· #54 · Aug 2, 2017 (Edited)

Norton said:
Why would you want to recharge in MM when in KC? Asked the KC guy... That's a waste of gas. There's no mountains to climb.
The Volt if a great 150 HP hybrid when it is done being an EV.
The normal hybrid battery buffer is more than enough for anywhere but climbing long mountain passes.

You're making it too complicated.

Except for the fact that my battery charge went from 8 miles EV when I got on I-70 in Limon, CO to 0 miles EV when I got off I-70 to bypass the Kansas Turnpike in Topeka, KS. I was in mountain mode the entire way. The head wind I experienced on I-70 gave the car an effective wind speed of well over the vehicle's top road speed, which consumed more power than the ICE could provide for an extended period leading to a drain on the high voltage battery. Power requirements for a car go up as the cube of your velocity and this very definitely was one of those times.

I ran in MM the entire trip to New Hampshire and back, switching to normal when not on the highway. I probably didn't need to do so once I got out of Kansas but it was easy enough and ensured I was always able to run electric in towns.

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obermd

· #56 · Aug 2, 2017

bcsteeve said:
This mountain mode thing... I'm assuming it is selectable on the fly, right? I looked in the manual and it doesn't specify. I'm sure it is, but thought I'd check. It would be kind of annoying if I had to select when stopped.

Yes. Normal/Sport/Hold/Mountain are all selectable by the driver.

bcsteeve said:
Something else I'm not finding in the manual... does this car have an outside temperature display and/or (at least) a frost/ice warning indicator?

[edit]

I finally found this in the manual:

That certainly suggests there is such a display, yet it isn't mentioned at all in the section regarding the instrument cluster, etc. I also see that there's an "Ice possible" warning that can come up.

Outside temperature is on the infotainment screen.

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