The 2012 Volt was just cool. Slipping along the road under electric drive was futuristic, quiet, and torque was ready in an instant. I loved the car for my entire two year lease. Living in the small town of Bend, Oregon I literally never bought gas unless traveling over the mountains to the Portland area. Those trips were a breeze. Simply fill up the gas tank and go! I would have kept the car for longer, problem was the lease buyout was way over the value, so back it went.
When I first saw the ELR; more power, luxury, out-of-this world styling, I was floored. But the price! The value equation was way off. Surely no one would ever buy one. Even the dealer agreed. So I looked and longed and watched the rise of the Telsa Model S. Seemed everyone loved that car. But for me it was not the solution. The Voltec concept with no range anxiety and fast fill ups was the way to go. Why would I pay a price, arguably higher than the ELR, for a car that would force me to wait potentially hours every time I filled up and to plan my trips around the outlets?
So when over the last year I saw the price for a new 2014 ELR dropping like a stone, I could barely contain my excitement. Here was in my opinion one of the best engineered, most beautiful cars in the world at prices just slightly above the Volt. There was no way I could resist, so I pulled the trigger and bought a beautiful Silver model with under 200 miles and the $7500 rebate still in place.
I am a car guy. I have owned a large number and variety of automobiles. From a Honda S2000 to a VW Phaeton to BMW (3 series, 5 series) to Audi A6 to Ford to Volvo (P1800 Sport Coupe) to a 260 and 350Z and many, many more. With that background I can say without hesitation that for daily driving 95% of the time the ELR simply kills everything else out there. Instantaneous torque at 300 ft/pounds and 207 horsepower add up with an electronically controlled suspension and Bose noise reduction (which I have used on my flights to Asia for years) to create a constantly fun, relaxed yet exciting, exquisitely controlled and quiet exercise in transportation. It makes the Volt seem like a child’s pedal car in comparison. It’s quieter than the VW Phaeton, who’s W12 is renowned for smooth and quiet propulsion. It’s quicker to jump off the line than my sport cars or BMWs. It handles in sport mode like it’s glued to the street. To say nothing of the styling. Every single time I see it I have a little smile inside. This is not a car like most people own. Sure folks with a $250K Ferrari get the same spark, but we’re talking under $50K here! The car is quite simply staggeringly good looking.
So when folks look at the ELR and scoff because they heard it was slower than the Tesla or the trunk and back seat are small, I just smile. Until you own one you can’t really understand that as a package, this car for two people in most situations really is one of the best automobiles ever built. There just isn’t anything better.
When I first saw the ELR; more power, luxury, out-of-this world styling, I was floored. But the price! The value equation was way off. Surely no one would ever buy one. Even the dealer agreed. So I looked and longed and watched the rise of the Telsa Model S. Seemed everyone loved that car. But for me it was not the solution. The Voltec concept with no range anxiety and fast fill ups was the way to go. Why would I pay a price, arguably higher than the ELR, for a car that would force me to wait potentially hours every time I filled up and to plan my trips around the outlets?
So when over the last year I saw the price for a new 2014 ELR dropping like a stone, I could barely contain my excitement. Here was in my opinion one of the best engineered, most beautiful cars in the world at prices just slightly above the Volt. There was no way I could resist, so I pulled the trigger and bought a beautiful Silver model with under 200 miles and the $7500 rebate still in place.
I am a car guy. I have owned a large number and variety of automobiles. From a Honda S2000 to a VW Phaeton to BMW (3 series, 5 series) to Audi A6 to Ford to Volvo (P1800 Sport Coupe) to a 260 and 350Z and many, many more. With that background I can say without hesitation that for daily driving 95% of the time the ELR simply kills everything else out there. Instantaneous torque at 300 ft/pounds and 207 horsepower add up with an electronically controlled suspension and Bose noise reduction (which I have used on my flights to Asia for years) to create a constantly fun, relaxed yet exciting, exquisitely controlled and quiet exercise in transportation. It makes the Volt seem like a child’s pedal car in comparison. It’s quieter than the VW Phaeton, who’s W12 is renowned for smooth and quiet propulsion. It’s quicker to jump off the line than my sport cars or BMWs. It handles in sport mode like it’s glued to the street. To say nothing of the styling. Every single time I see it I have a little smile inside. This is not a car like most people own. Sure folks with a $250K Ferrari get the same spark, but we’re talking under $50K here! The car is quite simply staggeringly good looking.
So when folks look at the ELR and scoff because they heard it was slower than the Tesla or the trunk and back seat are small, I just smile. Until you own one you can’t really understand that as a package, this car for two people in most situations really is one of the best automobiles ever built. There just isn’t anything better.
