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Every Car Should Be Like This - 2016 Chevrolet Volt
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Every Car Should Be Like This - 2016 Chevrolet Volt
The 2016 Chevrolet Volt is the perfect combination of EV functionality and gas-powered peace of mind. Every car should be like this.
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In probably 80% of American work commutes, you would be paying pennies per day (maybe nickels or dimes...) to run this thing. On a weekend trip, you could drive it 600 miles per day without a care in the world...just like a regular ICE car.
This is however an old argument and most people don't buy a Volt to save money, they do it because they think they are being more environmentally friendly. They probably aren't, but it feels like they are.
Ugh. I don't mean to be harsh here, but really? I care about the environment and all that, but come on... I mean, yeah, what if we all lived in little areas where we could bike everywhere? What if we all took the bus to work? What if? What if? I'm eager to get an electric vehicle, but I'm looking forward to the SIMPLICITY of an electric vehicle, perhaps something along the lines of a Model 3 or Bolt someday. To me, the Volt is a neat idea, but is FAR too complicated. I don't want the worries of mechanical components PLUS electrical elements. I want oil changes to be a thing of the past and don't want to be worried about my car stalling or radiator failing.
If my commute costs me $5 a day right now (about right) and the Volt would cost me $.75 worth of electricity (plus sometimes I can charge at public chargers for nothing), then that's $23 a week savings, or around $100 a month. That's a real savings, and when fuel prices go up again (not if, when), that savings will increase. The tax credit is real, too.
And this car holds two adults in the back, plus a kid. The difference between that and a car the size of the Cruze that supposedly holds three adults in the back is mostly academic.
I think it makes sense for a lot of people.
A Civic LX is in no way comparable...Edmunds new Civic Touring ($25,160) is roughly comparable in equipment to this Volt, but if you look at the introduction for each car, you'll see that the Volt ($38,114) is still somewhat better equipped. And then there is the $7,500 tax credit, which takes it down to $30,614. So your delta is around $5,500.
So using my calculations of a few days ago, I would get that back in fuel savings in around 5.5 years...100,000 miles, at current fuel costs. That's not some crazy-long payback time, and fuel costs are probably going to go up in that time period.
My biggest issue with hybrids (at least the larger sedan versions like Accord and Fusion) is that the battery eats too much of the trunk for my needs. But no, I refuse an SUV for me.
Too many people focus on the small range of the electric system and figured if they could not do their entire commute on all electricity then the car was just not "worth it" and so they bought priuses instead i guess? but at worst you burned through a half gallon of premium if you drove 100 miles a day. I completely agree with josh and wonder why more automakers don't fall in line with this line of thinking. The main drawback which in the grand scheme of things is getting a charging station installed in your house. when the volt first came out they were very pricy but now they are cheaper but a still not insignificant cost.
Drivers seat is extremely comfortable and roomy. This is with the seat pushed all the way back and steering wheel adjusted. Good arm rest locations etc. Does not feel even remotely tight.
Driver's side passenger seat: Not great legroom but passable, my knees were close to the drivers but had about 1.5 inches to work with. Remember, driver's seat was all the way back.
Headroom: Gack! not good and claustrophobic inducing (I exaggerate but you get the point) with the left pillar right next to my left ear. Top of my head maybe a half an inch fro the roof. My hair was brushing against it (no I don't have 80's hair). I think someone my size would get used to it but without being able to scootch down (remember my knee room) I felt maybe not.
Front passenger seat about 3/4 back. Very comfy, have asked but I know my wife will be very happy with the room.
Rear passenger seat. 3/4 front seat placement makes a huge difference.
Headroom: obvisouly same as driver's side just reversed but because I had more knee room, I could scotch down to get more headroom with a bit of a sloach.
Middle rear seat: Fuhgettaboutit! I think excellent place for a child (not rear facing baby seat) seat and that's it.
Hatchback trunk: I'm leaving a Prius lease and this is the main reason I'm very close to getting the Volt. It appears to be highly utiltarian.
We're trying to downsize to one and we've looked at the Prius and Prius V a lot (and a lot of other "boxes", like the Soul).
The Volt seems kind of pricy though, maybe $10k more than the Prius.
That is the one concern I have the with the Volt as a cargo hauler. Taller, longer boxes will hit the window when it's closed.
But, we have a Subaru Outback for that stuff so it's not a big concern.
For the price, look into the tax credits both Fed and State. Most likely you will see the Volt gets a bigger one based on the 18kw batteries. It brings the prices much closer together.
Also, no more Prius Plugins so far in 2016. Maybe on the future?
You know, I keep forgetting about those tax breaks.