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Chevy VOLT, soliciting info- is it a GO or a dud?


SuperG

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Ahhhh.... The electric car not for mere mortals. lol

 

After seeing the Porsche ad, a drone that launches out the rear needs to be standard equipment. Pass. :dance:

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Incoming.

 

 

Ahhhh.... The electric car not for mere mortals. lol

 

 

They're obviously not going after Chevy (for now) but Tesla, it'll be interesting to see the market share in a few years. The Porsche will likely be in a market by itself, not dissimilar to BMW motorcycles.

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Incoming.

 

 

Ahhhh.... The electric car not for mere mortals. lol

 

 

They're obviously not going after Chevy (for now) but Tesla, it'll be interesting to see the market share in a FEW years. .

 

After today's "joint" venture I'd go with less than more. :grin:

 

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Yes....I still have it.....yes, I still love it. Best car I have ever owned......BY FAR.

 

I drove it to the Outer Banks, NC last week with a buddy of mine. I was fully charged before we left, and fully charged before the trip home. We burned about 10 gallons of gas for the entire trip. On the way home I hit 60k miles on it. The only maintenance on it so far has been tire rotations and one oil change back at about 37k miles. My buddy has always been kept up to speed on how it had been treating me, but this was the first time he had ever spent any real time in it.....he was very impressed with how smooth and quiet it was. He offered to fill the tank for me when we stopped on the way down and got a good chuckle out of it only taking about 8 gallons to fill it up.......his daily driver is a Suburban. Then we almost made it back home without filling it up again.

 

Bottom line.....its been fantastic. Wife loves it too and drives it every chance she gets. I'd buy another one tomorrow if something happened to it today.

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The lease ran out on my 2015 BMW i3 REx before my reservation came up on a Tesla Model 3 (and it's looking less and less likely I'll ever get one of those, since it seems they may never build a "base" version), and the lease price on a new i3 went up 46%, so I replaced it with a used 2016 Volt with 30K miles. This is the Gen 2 Volt, which gets around 50 miles of electric range on a charge before switching to hybrid mode. I could have picked up a used i3 for a similar price, but I actually think the Volt will hold its value better as battery technology advances. So far, I'm pretty pleased with it. It's not quite as peppy as the i3 (500 lbs more weight will do that), but it holds more, and of course it can go hundreds of miles on gas, unlike the i3 REx. New i3s have more battery capacity and get about 115 miles of EV range, but my '15 got around 70 miles, and the range extender, with its 1.9 gallon tank, was allegedly good for another 50. I've read reports of people who were perfectly happy driving long distances on the range extender, but in hilly San Diego where everybody drives 75+ on the freeway, I ended up in "reduced performance" mode a few times, and lived in fear of it the rest of the time. The Volt, of course, has no such issues, but I am burning more gasoline with it than I did with the i3. I have a few days a week where I drive 60-80 miles.

 

I did have a problem with the Volt shortly after getting it. I'd park the car, shift to Park, the doors would unlock, as they're set to do when shifting to park, the indicator by the shifter would be lit on "P", the indicator on the dash would be lit on "P", but when I hit the power button, the car would display a message saying "Action Required: Shift to Park". At this point, the car was in a strange "off but not off" state, wherein I could not shift out of Park, it would make noise if I tried to exit, and I could not lock the doors after exiting. Turning the car on and back off again cleared the error. This was fixed by replacing the shifter assembly, which was done under warranty. Apparently this is not an uncommon problem, and (unlike a BMW dealer) the service advisor readily admitted they'd seen a number of cars with this issue.

 

Before getting the Volt, I test drove a Bolt, Chevy's pure EV, which has about 225 miles of EV range. It's a pretty small car, but so was the i3, and I might have ended up leasing one, were it not for the driver's seat. The side bolsters wrap around and meet at the top of the seat back. At 5' 11", I found this was pushing my shoulders forward uncomfortably, and that the seat also lacked adequate lumbar support. That was a no-go for me.

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Glad to hear someone else is liking it as well. Chevy does a terrible job of marketing it. How many miles have you put on it so far? For me, the Volt is one of those things I don't truly appreciate until someone asked me a question about it. Then, the more I explain about it, the more I realize how well it works for what I need. Just little things like the engine not bogging down when the AC turns on, it being completely silent while cruising some backroad with the windows down......blowing people off the line at will from stop lights. Oh yeah, and only having to stop for gas once every 3-4 weeks instead of 2-3 TIMES a week. I routinely get the line "Well, I had (or drove) a Prius and didn't like it". Its hard to get through to people that it isn't a damn Prius. The Volt doesn't suck to drive. Its fun, smooth, and damn powerful for short sprints. I love screwing with people who obviously don't know how quickly it can change speed. We have a few pretty short but steep grade hills around here. I can't tell you the amount of times I have silently passed things with V8's in them while their exhausts are making a bunch noise but haven't managed to put any power to the ground yet........just don't try to outrun anyone for longer than about an 1/8 mile stretch. Works great for passing those morons that slowly camp out in the passing lane and attempt to speed up every time you try to pass on the right. I haven't found something yet that has been able to out pull it for those short couple of car lengths needed to pass.

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The Volt doesn't suck to drive. Its fun, smooth, and damn powerful for short sprints. I love screwing with people who obviously don't know how quickly it can change speed. We have a few pretty short but steep grade hills around here. I can't tell you the amount of times I have silently passed things with V8's in them while their exhausts are making a bunch noise but haven't managed to put any power to the ground yet........just don't try to outrun anyone for longer than about an 1/8 mile stretch. Works great for passing those morons that slowly camp out in the passing lane and attempt to speed up every time you try to pass on the right. I haven't found something yet that has been able to out pull it for those short couple of car lengths needed to pass.

 

Now it's starting to make sense..

 

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The Volt doesn't suck to drive. Its fun, smooth, and damn powerful for short sprints. I love screwing with people who obviously don't know how quickly it can change speed. We have a few pretty short but steep grade hills around here. I can't tell you the amount of times I have silently passed things with V8's in them while their exhausts are making a bunch noise but haven't managed to put any power to the ground yet........just don't try to outrun anyone for longer than about an 1/8 mile stretch. Works great for passing those morons that slowly camp out in the passing lane and attempt to speed up every time you try to pass on the right. I haven't found something yet that has been able to out pull it for those short couple of car lengths needed to pass.

 

Now it's starting to make sense..

 

300ftlbs of torque right NOW can't be wrong. Especially connected to a CVT that never shifts. Thats the beauty of the electric drivetrain, it just pulls. Think about the "spec" numbers that posted in magazines and reviews.....0-60, 1/4 mile, 30-60.....whatever. In order to get those posted times in regular car, you have to be revving the crap out of the motor, load up the engine, drop the clutch, downshift....ect and everyone around you knows exactly what you are attempting to do. In the Volt, you just casually push the accelerator a little closer to the floor. By the time the guy next to you sees what you are doing its too late. You are already accelerating at full tilt before they even have time to react. Its going to be scary fun when the major car companies stop screwing around and actually start building something fun with a drivetrain like this. Someone needs to put it in something with a good suspension, RWD, and somewhat sporty........think something like a Subaru BRZ layout....its going to be a hoot.

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How many miles have you put on it so far?

 

Maybe 4000. Or about 2.75 fill-ups. :)

 

For me, the Volt is one of those things I don't truly appreciate until someone asked me a question about it. Then, the more I explain about it, the more I realize how well it works for what I need. Just little things like the engine not bogging down when the AC turns on, it being completely silent while cruising some backroad with the windows down......blowing people off the line at will from stop lights. Oh yeah, and only having to stop for gas once every 3-4 weeks instead of 2-3 TIMES a week. I routinely get the line "Well, I had (or drove) a Prius and didn't like it". Its hard to get through to people that it isn't a damn Prius. The Volt doesn't suck to drive. Its fun, smooth, and damn powerful for short sprints. I love screwing with people who obviously don't know how quickly it can change speed. We have a few pretty short but steep grade hills around here. I can't tell you the amount of times I have silently passed things with V8's in them while their exhausts are making a bunch noise but haven't managed to put any power to the ground yet........just don't try to outrun anyone for longer than about an 1/8 mile stretch. Works great for passing those morons that slowly camp out in the passing lane and attempt to speed up every time you try to pass on the right. I haven't found something yet that has been able to out pull it for those short couple of car lengths needed to pass.

 

Exactly. The i3 did most of that stuff a little better, but the Volt corners flatter. Still, it has a clear FWD bias. It doesn't quite make it to "fun" or "exciting" for me, like my Mini Cooper did, but the drivetrain is great and the handling is very tolerable, unlike the '08 Prius my wife had, which tried to stand on the outside front tire on every curve.

 

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Hah....very true about the FWD bias. “Fun” being a relative term. My Volt replaced a Corolla that had 300k miles on it. That being said, I have repeated it to many people that my only complaint is its still a 3800lb FWD compact sedan and there is only so much you can do with it handling wise. It's heavy pig and has a ton of torque steer. It's fine if you are linking a bunch of long smooth S turns together, not so great if you are driving something more technical where you have to throw it around some. That last part makes me miss my old BMW 3-Series, but don't miss the maintenance. Lots of compromises come into play when you clock 30k miles a year. I just wanted something I didn't hate to drive everyday or have to wrench on every weekend.

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The Volt doesn't suck to drive. Its fun, smooth, and damn powerful for short sprints. I love screwing with people who obviously don't know how quickly it can change speed. We have a few pretty short but steep grade hills around here. I can't tell you the amount of times I have silently passed things with V8's in them while their exhausts are making a bunch noise but haven't managed to put any power to the ground yet........just don't try to outrun anyone for longer than about an 1/8 mile stretch. Works great for passing those morons that slowly camp out in the passing lane and attempt to speed up every time you try to pass on the right. I haven't found something yet that has been able to out pull it for those short couple of car lengths needed to pass.

 

Now it's starting to make sense..

 

300ftlbs of torque right NOW can't be wrong. Especially connected to a CVT that never shifts. Thats the beauty of the electric drivetrain, it just pulls. Think about the "spec" numbers that posted in magazines and reviews.....0-60, 1/4 mile, 30-60.....whatever. In order to get those posted times in regular car, you have to be revving the crap out of the motor, load up the engine, drop the clutch, downshift....ect and everyone around you knows exactly what you are attempting to do. In the Volt, you just casually push the accelerator a little closer to the floor. By the time the guy next to you sees what you are doing its too late. You are already accelerating at full tilt before they even have time to react. Its going to be scary fun when the major car companies stop screwing around and actually start building something fun with a drivetrain like this. Someone needs to put it in something with a good suspension, RWD, and somewhat sporty........think something like a Subaru BRZ layout....its going to be a hoot.

 

That was half tongue in cheek, but the serious half is if it has Porsche/AMG/M3 performance (ok acceleration) around town then it's appealing. I'm used to cars that can quietly pass most others before the other driver realizes it already happened. My problem is I'm too old skool to adapt, I actually like to feel a tranny downshift 2 or 3 cogs when you floor it and hear the melodious rumble of an overhead cam V8 or the race bred whine of an inline or horizontally opposed six. I just enjoy the act of spirited driving and the sensations that come with it, enough so that fuel mileage is a fairly distant priority.

 

I did recently pick up an 08 ML320 CDI w/150k mi. (3.0 V6 turbo-diesel) as an all around work/fun car though, it has AWD, 7 speed w/paddle shifters, 400 ft/lb. of torque, will pull 7500 lbs, gets 25mpg solo, 17-18 towing a load, and drives like a ...Mercedes : ) And after having an MB tech go completely through it have less than 7.5k in it, but I never buy cars new either.

 

 

 

Edited by roadscholar
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If I still ever got to drive for "fun", that would probably ring true for me as well. My typical driving involves pretty much 2 things......cruise control set on the highway and a few miles of surface streets in congested areas. 2 things the Volt excels at. I usually take the backroads home on Fridays. Thats the only real enjoyable driving I get to do anymore. Those are the days I miss my stick shift and a reving engine. The rest of the time, I'll take the silence.

 

BTW.....real world numbers from my commute with regards to fuel mileage. My BMW 3-series was costing me about $300 a month in gas alone just for commuting......Volt is costing me about $25 in gas and another $40 in electric. Not counting the routine maintenance, which there is basically none for the Volt and a ton for the BMW, I couldn't justify spending the extra $25000 dollars over the next 10 years JUST on gas so I could have a stick shift. Thats a pretty hefty number to swallow.....almost enough to buy a brand new replacement Volt, or whatever is available in another 10 years.

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I can dig it, it's the answer for your scenario. My occasional commute is Fla to Colorado or NC and back and am usually towing a trailer with a small motorhome or a big truck. Would be nice to do that with something that could pull 6-8,000lbs and get great mileage but I don't foresee it anytime soon at least in the used market. The diesel ML is probably as close as I'll get for awhile.

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Yup....I want to see this drivetrain scaled up and dropped into something like the Traverse, Tahoe, or Suburban. Good sized SUV with decent around town battery range and a gas range extender. Plenty of torque, great highway MPG.....someday. They could do it, just not sure how they could market it or sell it. I'd love it for the wife to use for a daily driver and as our long distance family hauler.

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