The pip isn't for everyone and neither is the Volt. But for me, i'll never go pip (to much work to be pure EV). Glad to have you and your opinions on board. Enjoy 40 miles of care-free EV.

Toolworker can you help me out in one area please? I have never seen a comparison of Volt and PIP handling, ride comfort or just general enjoyment of driving with the PIP even close to the Volt much less winning. Can you provide a Edmunds, Consumer Reports or like article or review with that information? I really don't care because it is only what my opinion is that matters to me, but, again, like I said, I've never seen one.

Sorry, one more thing Toolworker...I asked my kids (16 and 19 -- 19 is home from college) if they prefer the old Prius or any car back seats to the Volt. They like the 2 individual seats configuration. It's a lot better ride and comfortable when cornering and stuff, they prefer it. I wonder if it is a hold over from the younger days of "my side, your side."

Dang it, they just keep on coming to me. OnStar. Can you when driving work the navigation? Can your passenger? I know the answer in my Prius was "No." But I can press a button and a very good OnStar representative will ask to help me. I can say, where's is the closet McDonalds, or is there a Chevy dealership OPEN nearby (they will check this kind of stuff), or can you send to my car the directions to Lucy and Ricky Dance Studio in Somewhere, USA. They look it up and send to my car the directions. I do love it and I really needed it once and it was fantastic.

Here is another OnStar If you have the bad luck of someone stealing your Volt OnStar will notify the Police, find the car, tell the police where it is and when they follow the thieves OnStar will power the car down safely and lock the doors.

American made, by an American company supporting American workers -- Can't put points to that, "priceless."

Face it. The Volt is a lot better looking...the Prius is a substitute for birth-control.

Volt Advisor. Many issues can be resolved easily with your dealership. When in doubt about something, you can depend on a knowledgable "Volt Advisor" to be an ombudsman on your behalf.

Oh snap, i forgot.... I like the Volt more.

I like this post, it is reminding me of how good a decision the Volt is.

 

Toolworker can you help me out in one area please? I have never seen a comparison of Volt and PIP handling, ride comfort or just general enjoyment of driving with the PIP even close to the Volt much less winning. Can you provide a Edmunds, Consumer Reports or like article or review with that information?

I checked Consumer Reports, which pretty much agrees with everyone else although not as enthusiastically, and I changed the assessment.

Dang it, they just keep on coming to me. OnStar. Can you when driving work the navigation? Can your passenger? I know the answer in my Prius was "No."

That's part of why Volt gets a +8 under Personal Connectivity.

American made, by an American company supporting American workers -- Can't put points to that, "priceless."

Don't know if you're still talking to me after my other post, but you're absolutely right. I'll add that at the bottom. Can't assign a point value because it's so subjective, but it was a big plus for me.

Face it. The Volt is a lot better looking...the Prius is a substitute for birth-control.

Again, highly subjective. That might be the take in Virginia, but here in the S. F. Bay Area it's a status symbol. That's why I left the point score at 0.

Oh snap, i forgot.... I like the Volt

Me too! Glad we agree on something.

 

To unlock all the doors with the Volt's keyless entry, I usually just press a button on any of the passenger doors. On those, one button press unlocks all doors.

 

I believe this requires a "passive locking" configuration selection but it's easy enough to set.

 

You can turn off the Volt without shifting to park.

 

If PiP only charges at 12A on 120V, that would be a negative from my perspective. On some circuits it 8A is good to avoid tripping breakers.

Default to 8A in the Volt is a big negative if you charge on 120V every day. In my opinion, it's not a bad thing if 120V is only done when traveling.

 

For me, the 11 miles of range for the Plug-in Prius is the killer. My weekday commute is 50 miles round trip. Of plug-in hybrids, the Volt is still the king of EV range. If I could afford a Tesla, I'd go get one, but the price is just a little more than I really want to spend on one car.

I have yet to pay more than $23K on any vehicle and I hope to continue this streak as long as possible.

 

How about updating us in 6 months or so to see if there's any changes in your impressions.

 

OK, six months have gone by.

But it didn’t take that long for me to like the Volt a whole lot more, and the Plug-in Prius somewhat less, than when I made the switch.

The major change is that I appreciate the handling and the fun factor of the Volt more now than when I was just getting used to it. And I enjoy the Volt's geek factor more, having learned the displays and the customization options.

I continue to enjoy not having to manage the Prius's limited EV range and propensity to shift into hybrid mode.

Major points in favor of the Volt:

• Drives better (acceleration, handling, selectable regenerative braking (D/L))
• Is a real electric car for 45 miles, not an extended electric range hybrid for 11
• Higher geek factor – better displays and customization
• Made in America with superb engineering by GM (who’da thunk it?)

Major points against the Volt:

• Poor visibility (A and B pillar blind spots)
• Chintzy cargo space cover
• Dim headlights
• Rear seating

(Most of these can be mitigated by aftermarket customization. Some people enjoy doing that. I don’t, but am glad I did it.)

Major points for the Prius:

• Roomier seating front and rear
• More cargo space
• Recognizably “green” image (a matter of taste)

Major points against the Prius:

• Light weight
• Lack of battery management (e.g., recommendation to charge just before using)

I went for the Plug-in Prius in 2012 because I expected better engineering from Toyota and the Prius was a proven platform. In retrospect, GM did an exceptional engineering job and Toyota didn’t understand the reasons for building a plug-in.

I'd probably change the numbers on my scorecard to favor the Volt more, but don’t have the time right now.

 

I keep seeing 11 miles, if you are careful and slow, but I found this recently: Official EPA figures state an 11-mile "blended" electric range (mostly electric, but some combustion power) and six miles all-electric.

And as for your 'Handling' what metric did you use?
I came from a '10 Prius that I added the TRD rear anti-sway bar and 17" wheels and sticky summer tires.
I claim there is no comparison.
The Volt is much better handling and more comfortable. I'm not sure how those two can work together.
Of course I'm running my tires at a higher than stock pressure.
A simple phone app could measure lateral G's. But anyone could see and feel the listing at sea feel of a Prius being pushed.

 

The EPA rated all electric rated range of the PIP is 6 miles, not 11. You have to look closely at the sticker. The 11 mile rating involves using gas. Common error people make. Surprising a PIP owner wouldn't know that.

This video clearly shows the sticker and explains it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cetRkwUg7Q8

MrEnergyCzar

 

It actually is not very accurate. The only reason the PiP got 6 miles is that was the point in the test where a 62mph speed was hit which turns on the ICE.
A persons AEV range could be one half mile or it could be 11 miles, all depends upon the driving and road conditions.

While I certainly preferred the Volt's handling to the Prius, the more room available in the Prius does make it more practice if you need more space for cargo or passengers.
However, that is highly dependent upon the individual and doesn't really make one car categorically better or worse than the other.

 

Basic Onstar is $199 per year after the first 3 years are free.

 

I did not buy my car with Navigation so in the long run I'll save money on the price of replacement map DVDs. Plus OnStar is up-to-date with the most recent map changes. So, I plan to buy OnStar and the Navigation package too. I wish I had it on more cars.

 

I'm also very surprised at your rating of the handling.

 

I agree, when I read that I was thinking "Is today April 1st," but no it isn't so this can't be a April Fools joke.

I guess someone will one day compare the Volt to a can of peas too and i'll fall for the bait.

 

I appreciate your candid review, however I disagree with several of your assessments about the Volt, and in general the items you have chosen to assess unweighted numeric value to.

I find the front seats as comfortable as the Prius, however the Prius deserves a couple of points for adjustable lumbar support.

I find the Volt storage to be more than adequate, the size of the glovebox to be fine and the fact that it opens downward to be irrelevant. The amount door storage is copious (with two umbrella holders!) and goes unmentioned.

I find the dash height of the Volt to be no different than the Prius, with the design of the Prius giving the illusion of space vs the design of the Volt giving the illusion of cockpit. I find headlights on my Volt to be as good as the Prius. You might want to have your Volt's headlight alignment checked.

I strongly disagree with your assessment around handling. The Volt has better steering weight, more road feel, is quicker to respond, and will outperform the Prius all day long. The Prius has a softer, less controlled ride.

Your opinion around the shifter represents a preference. I find the Prius' shifter inconvenient and confusing to use. I find the comparison of 'Traditional' vs 'Convenient' unbalanced. Your statement around having to shift to park to turn off is incorrect.

Your numerical assessment against the Volt for its 120V charging is unfair. You're comparing apples to oranges when you don't factor in capacity along with charge times.

I find nothing about the Volt's remote entry unintuitive. You push the button on the door you want to unlock once, and open it. Push the button twice and all doors unlock. The hatch opens when you push the pad.

I would be interested to see if your opinions change after becoming more acclimated to the Volt.

 

I appreciate your candid review, however I disagree with several of your assessments about the Volt, and in general the items you have chosen to assess unweighted numeric value to.

It's just my opinion, and it's good to have other opinions. I'll just reply to the ones I take issue with.

I find the Volt storage to be more than adequate, the size of the glovebox to be fine and the fact that it opens downward to be irrelevant.

I've got about a third of the stuff from my Prius in the Volt glovebox and it keeps getting jumbled. One might not appreciate the value of a flat glovebox bottom if one hasn't lived with it.

I find headlights on my Volt to be as good as the Prius.

Many threads about HID conversions seem to agree with my take. But your eyes may be younger than my 67 year old ones.

Your opinion around the shifter represents a preference. I find the Prius' shifter inconvenient and confusing to use. I find the comparison of 'Traditional' vs 'Convenient' unbalanced. Your statement around having to shift to park to turn off is incorrect.

I've got two issues with the shifter. One is not being able to set L or D as a permanent preference; I want to always be in L but find myself in D half the time because GM wanted a PRNDL shifter.

The other is in turning off. The Prius, I just press the Power button and it goes into Park. I just now tried turning my 2014 Volt off while in D. It turned off, displayed a message, and was apparently left in neutral. If that's not true, someone correct me. If it is, it's terrible.

Your numerical assessment against the Volt for its 120V charging is unfair. You're comparing apples to oranges when you don't factor in capacity along with charge times.

You're right about factoring in capacity, so I didn't consider it for the rating. That was all about defaulting to 8 amps each time (must'a been GM's lawyers) which I hated. But the 8 amp option might be useful for some people. so I'll give it a couple more points.

I find nothing about the Volt's remote entry unintuitive. You push the button on the door you want to unlock once, and open it. Push the button twice and all doors unlock. The hatch opens when you push the pad.

Yes, but when I press the driver's button twice really quickly, it doesn't see the second push, which ticked me off. The Prius opens when you put your hand behind the handle, so you don't even have to think about it, and there's a different locking "button". I find that more intiutive. And I like being able to unlock the Prius from the rear hatch which lets my wife get in the car while I'm loading the heavy Costco purchases.

 

I like this post, it is reminding me of how good a decision the Volt is.

Toolworker, you can leave everything as is, don't change it on my account. I figured you just wanted to start a lively debate so I took the bait is all. After all you did UPGRADE to the Volt from a Prius so I think it is safe to assume you would agree with a lot of my comments.

 

I like the door handle button as much as not. If you press the button once then the driver's door only opens, press it twice and all doors open.

Sometimes the button is more convenient that getting the keys out of my pocket (or I may just be lazy).

 

There is a configuration buried in one of the menus somewhere that let's you change this behavior to unlock all doors With one press of any door (with the key fob nearby) or with the remote. Once I found that (i have a 2013) I was super happy, only to be frustrated when I'm driving one of my other cars that require the double press. My wife always tries to open the passenger door before the door is unlocked then looks at me as if I was out to get her. It doesn't happen in the Volt. Add one for this funky obscure feature.

 

When I was looking to buy a new car, I tried out the PIP, CMAX Energi and the Volt. What immediately hit me when trying the PIP was the sluggish pick up in normal Street tragic. I felt that to get any pick up I needed to go out and push. I found the electronic shifter on the PIP a royal pain. I did find the rear seats far more comfortable in the PIP but preferred the Volt front seats. . But however one wants to rate the PIP IMHO the plug in addition to the Prius is no more then a gimmick as an expensive add on to last century hybrid technology.

 

When I was looking to buy a new car, I tried out the PIP, CMAX Energi and the Volt. What immediately hit me when trying the PIP was the sluggish pick up in normal Street tragic. I felt that to get any pick up I needed to go out and push....PIP IMHO the plug in addition to the Prius is no more then a gimmick as an expensive add on to last century hybrid technology.

While I haven't driven a PIP over the years I have driven a rental Prius a dozen or so times while traveling. I'm not sure why they sell. There is no pickup and it fells like there are a couple of flat spots in the acceleration.

I will say that my first thought during my initial Prius drive many years ago was that it made no sense not to be a plug-in because you have to burn gas to charge the battery. That's probably one of the main reasons why I took to the Volt so quickly. The acceleration was simply a big plus

 

Thanks for the write up...

I have to say, pretty much my only remaining gripe with the Volt is (as you pointed out) the visibility.

Two questions:

1) What's the MOST range you've achieved in EV only mode?
2) Does the PIP track EV vs ICE miles like the Volt does?

After two years in a Plug-in Prius, I got tired of compulsively managing its 11 miles of EV range and bought a new 2014 Volt.

Naturally, I've spend the following two weeks compulsively comparing the vehicles 1. My conclusions:

• The Plug-in Prius is a far better vehicle.
• The Volt is a far better electric vehicle.
• The Volt is a neater toy.

My detailed comparison table is in this link. I'll update it as people point out my errors (or at least the ones I agree are errors ).

Be gentle.

___________________
1 And enjoying the heck out of my Volt!

 

1) What's the MOST range you've achieved in EV only mode?

On the Pip? Maybe 12, not more than 13. Hills and stoplights are killers.

On the Volt? I haven't exhausted the battery yet - 350 miles all in EV, so I don't know exactly When I got it, the displayed range was 37 EV miles; it soon went to 44.

The other day I had to drive 23 miles one way and didn't know if a charger would be available there, so I drove very PiPishly (including 60 mph in a 65 zone) and arrived, somewhat uphill, with 26 miles left. So I could probably have gone 46 miles and still have had over 6 miles left showing. But we'll never know because a charger was free.

Giggle.

2) Does the PIP track EV vs ICE miles like the Volt does?

Yes, differently and maybe a little better. On the dashboard ("Multi-Information System") it's possible to display one of two resettable trip odometers display MPG since reset, counting electric miles but 0 gallons. Another option is a bar graph of MPG and total driving distance for the past 6 months.

There are two separate resettable EV Driving Ratio indicators, which show percentage EV and HV and kWh and gallons used since reset, and a feelgood number of gallons saved by EV.

On the entertainment system there are a number of available displays of fuel consumption and regen with bargraphs with 1 or 5 minute intervals.

But there's no record of data over the life of the car, which I like on the Volt.

 

After having driven the a 2007 Prius until about 2 weeks ago, I see a lot of the same points. The main deficiencies I see in the Volt compared to the Prius is the reduced cargo capacity (I fit a bath tub in my Prius still in the box). The rear seats are roomier, and it seats 5. These make sense, because the Prius is technically a mid-sized car. The Volt is a compact.

I do miss the Prius shifter (specifically from my Gen 2, I don't like the Gen 3 shifter - too far from the steering wheel).

The Volt is a better commuter car for me, as my commute is 40 miles round trip. I agree with most people here, the handling is superior. It's a much better toy, especially with all the bells and whistles.

 

I wish there was a Prius V (or station wagon-ish) version of the Volt.

 

Your comments are mostly ergonomic related, are valid and have been noted repeatedly on this forum for years, but your points amount to a miniscule (for me, anyway) part of the Volt driving experience. After 18 months of Volt driving I still ca't wait to take it for a spin- restricted only by lease mileage constraints, a problem that I could not foresee two years ago. If you are unhappy with the car or it's just too uncomfortable for you after a year, flip it for a far better car.

 

Your comments are mostly ergonomic related, are valid and have been noted repeatedly on this forum for years, but your points amount to a miniscule (for me, anyway) part of the Volt driving experience. After 18 months of Volt driving I still can't wait to take it for a spin- restricted only by lease mileage constraints, a problem that I could not foresee two years ago.

I agree in spades. I'm also limited in mileage because of leasing, but feel as you do about driving the car. I was a Prius owner for 10 years before the Volt and I haven't looked back once. The Volt is an amazing car, with some very minor negative ergonomic characteristics. There is one that I would jump at the chance to improve and that would be the brightness of the headlights. My 2010 Prius had brighter ones and they were tungsten, too. All the rest are things that I can accept. I have to say that the OP's complaints about differences in door locking, starting and gear shift arrangement (which is probably federally mandated - PRNDL) is carping. It is like wishing your current girlfriend was more like your old girlfriend. It's just not done in the better circles 8^D

 

After two years in a Plug-in Prius, I got tired of compulsively managing its 11 miles of EV range and bought a new 2014 Volt.

Naturally, I've spend the following two weeks compulsively comparing the vehicles 1. My conclusions:

• The Plug-in Prius is a far better vehicle.

  
  [*]The Volt is a far better electric vehicle.
  [*]The Volt is a neater toy.
  

My detailed comparison table is in this link. I'll update it as people point out my errors (or at least the ones I agree are errors ).

Be gentle.

___________________
1 And enjoying the heck out of my Volt!

I don't have a PIP but I do own a 2010 Prius V and a Volt, no disrespect to you because I admire your bravery to post your opinion. But I must say, I don't know how anyone who lives in California can say the Prius is far better than the Volt, after driving around all these hills and mountains. The Prius is horrible at this. On the flipside, I do agree with you on cargo space, blindspots and overall space. Even the Prius reliability is questionable to me (recalls etc). My 2 cents

 

Thanks for your assessment, but I don't really see why you feel the need to change your scoring (except when you find there is a feature you didn't know about). This is all subjective. I've never been a PiP, so I can't compare too much, but from looking at your comparison chart, here is what I would say:

Front seating - it is mainly me driving the car, I don't need to adjust the seat manually or with power.
Rear seating - generally not more then just me and my wife, and we're too old to care about the back seat :lol:
Rear storage - sure there are some times that having more storage is desirable.
Front seat storage - wow, I guess I don't keep that much stuff in my car so it isn't an issue. I do like the umbrella holders!
Visibility - I don't really seem to have much of a problem, but for rear visibility - nothing comes close to my C4 Corvette.
Handling - I think the Volt just seems solid and quite capable, but I don't think I could pull 1 g on a skidpad.
Electric Vehicle Experience - well, 'nuff said.
Electric range - I've gotten up to 60.1 miles on a charge - plenty of range for most days even at 30 something miles in winter.
Drive mode control - wow, simply powering off and not needing to shift into park is a foreign concept to me.
Charging Time - kind of seems like a wash on 120 considering the capacity/range
Selection of Charge modes - I just use immediate, don't really need to change it on my 120.
Electric Vehicle Information - sometimes it feels like there is too much to look at.
Available Options - you can get HUD on the Prius?? +100 for Prius (or is that -100 on your scoring?)
Styling - I think they are kind of a toss up, but like the Volt more. I just don't see THAT big of a difference.
Personalization - I really like the radio volume start up limit on the Volt.
Phone connectivity - WHEN the OnStar App works it is great!
Personal connectivity - quite frankly, my cell phone does most of this. (except the automatic crash response)
Keyless entry - I guess I don't see the need to unlock from the hatch. If I'm using the hatch, my wife can still get in by pushing the button because the remote is close enough.

 

The Prius makes a better Soup Kitchen platform for Dirty Mike and the boys.

 

After two years in a Plug-in Prius, I got tired of compulsively managing its 11 miles of EV range.......
Be gentle.

___________________
1 And enjoying the heck out of my Volt!

Gentle??? your pro prius bias is almost overwhelming- all the things that you heavily scored the plug in prius well on are not correct from my perspective. In several cases your "observations" are different from mine, and your weightings are reflect clear bias. should the glove box really have the same weighting as the driver seat????
you also don't seem to understand the drive train, to say that the prius is more economical above 80 miles seems inaccurate, my volt uses about a gallon of fuel to go 80 miles, less if I am not in a fierce hurry, I think that the PiP uses almost 1 1/2 gallons for the same distance...... This is fuel only of course. there are other costs...

you don't understand the Volt's regenerative braking control, it is contiuously managed by the brake pedal, look at your DIC display to see this.

you lumped the real driving experience: acceleration, stability, control, cornering, turning, braking, into one score item. To me these things are more important than everything else put together.



You note that you were "compulsively managing the Prius 11 miles of EV range" you are missing the point entirely. These plug-in cars, or plug in hybrids, or extended range electrics (whatever you want to call them) are designed to prove the best of both worlds, real electric driving plus the ability to just "go" when and where you want to. I think these and the Fords are great cars: far more useful to most people as their only car than a Leaf could be, and far more affordabe than a Tesla.

I know that styling is in the eye of the beholder. but to me the volt is still attractive and different after 3 years on the market and the prius looks like any prius of the last 9 years, except for the taillight bezel cancer. (unconstrained size growth disproportional to need) ... beautiful only in comparison to leaf, which is so ugly, that the marketing photos are doctored so that they don't look like the car....

 

Gentle??? your pro prius bias is almost overwhelming- all the things that you heavily scored the plug in prius well on are not correct from my perspective ... your weightings are reflect clear bias. should the glove box really have the same weighting as the driver seat????

you lumped the real driving experience: acceleration, stability, control, cornering, turning, braking, into one score item. To me these things are more important than everything else put together.

Opinions can vary; these were mine, and I've changed a few of them in response to comments I thought sensible. I didn't weight the items against each other because different things are important to different people.

to say that the prius is more economical above 80 miles seems inaccurate

I constructed a spreadsheet incorporating values I thought reasonable for MPG (my PiP gets about 54 in actual use), price of gasoline (Volt requires premium) and electricity (which varies widely). The break-even point was 80 miles.

you don't understand the Volt's regenerative braking control, it is contiuously managed by the brake pedal, look at your DIC display to see this.

I understand that regenerative braking is also managed by the accelerator, to a degree determined by the shifter setting (D or L). Maybe the driving mode too (Sport vs. Normal) but I don't know that.

You note that you were "compulsively managing the Prius 11 miles of EV range" you are missing the point entirely. These plug-in cars, or plug in hybrids, or extended range electrics (whatever you want to call them) are designed to prove the best of both worlds, real electric driving plus the ability to just "go" when and where you want to.

Ummm ... so I traded a plug-in Prius for a plug-in Volt and I am missing the point about how great plug-ins are?

 

There are 3 features which carry the most weight

EV Range
Performance/Handling (in EV and non EV mode)
Gas mileage in non EV mode

Volt clearly wins the 1st two, and PiP wins the 3rd. But more EV range offsets gas mileage until you drive more than 100 miles..

The rest of the features are superficial and much less important. If they were more important, I would drive a Cadillac Escalade.

The Volt was a no-brainer decision over the Pip, validated by my 213 lifetime MPG after 25,000 miles without "ever" using a public charging station. The 213 lifetime MPG also shows that more EV range trumps gas mileage.

As far as "better", I have enjoyed driving the Volt more than any vehicle I've owned in the last 30 years. That's my definition of "better"...

 

Well while we're ragging on the PiP, I think of it as a patched hybrid to kind of act like an EV, a 3 season EV, no EV heat.

Then when/if you eventually get up to 60 mph or so, it is spinning MG1 at close to its redline RPM and using power to spin it backwards just to keep the stinker from spinning.

With the Volt both MG's are working to move the car forward!

And as far as I can tell there is no TMS for battery cooling while charging in hot weather.
The Volt heats or cools the battery as needed when in use or when being charged.

 

Well while we're ragging on the PiP, I think of it as a patched hybrid to kind of act like an EV, a 3 season EV, no EV heat.!

I completely agree. I think Toyota's design concept was to see how many EV miles they could add to the Prius without changing the Prius drive train or experience, or reducing the gas MPG.

Unfortunately the answer was 11.

 

Another nicer feature my 2005 Prius had (still has?) is how the door auto unlock worked. The car knew how many people got in by sensing doors opening and closing. After driving and putting it in park the Prius would then unlock all the doors that were used on that trip. On my Volt it only unlocks the drivers door when put in park. Then almost every time I have passengers they pull their handle once and then start looking around for an unlock button until I tell them to pull the handle again.

It's pretty minor, but annoying nonetheless.

 

That's a clever feature I've never heard of, on any car - but it makes sense, and I'd love to have it. You're sure it is only the doors that were opened, not all doors?

FYI, you can set the Volt to auto unlock all doors instead of just the driver's for in the config menus. There isn't a smart option like you're describing, though.'