Gen 1 GM Volt Plug-In Hybrid (2011-2015)

[Navin]

One of the Chevy dealers here in El Paso had a radio remote advertising the Volt so we went to see it. As soon as we got there a salesman asked if I wanted to test drive it and I said yes. I'm 6'4" and had no problems fitting into the car. The acceleration was good, the ride was quiet, the a/c was nice and cold and the instrument panel display was very nice. As others have said the back seats are bucket so there is only room for four.

The sticker price was $42,000 but the salesman told me $46,995. We've ordered a LEAF that was supposed to be here in May but now is July. The Volt is tempting because it's here and available and a nice car to drive and I like the looks of it better than the Leaf. But $10,000 less expense plus room for 5 and pure electricity in the LEAF means we'll just wait for the Nissan. It's hard to wait!

 

[Sheffield]

One of the Chevy dealers here in El Paso had a radio remote advertising the Volt so we went to see it. As soon as we got there a salesman asked if I wanted to test drive it and I said yes. I'm 6'4" and had no problems fitting into the car. The acceleration was good, the ride was quiet, the a/c was nice and cold and the instrument panel display was very nice. As others have said the back seats are bucket so there is only room for four.

The sticker price was $42,000 but the salesman told me $46,995. We've ordered a LEAF that was supposed to be here in May but now is July. The Volt is tempting because it's here and available and a nice car to drive and I like the looks of it better than the Leaf. But $10,000 less expense plus room for 5 and pure electricity in the LEAF means we'll just wait for the Nissan. It's hard to wait!

Check chevydealer.com, look at nearby cities too, and be direct with the Internet sales managers about price. Lots of Volts sell for MSRP.

I was able to find three dealers with Volts in stock at MSRP within 100 miles of my house. Closed the deal this week after two days of looking. Am getting 44 mikes of all electric range on my 70 mile daily commute. Average of 94 mpg. Awesome car.

What with waiting a year now and bumping April>May>pending>June>July, plus the very tight range, stories of charger issues, summer coming, and such, I compromised my principles a little. If they ever update the Avcon charger at work to J1772-2009 I will be all electric anyway.

 

[kmp647]

I think I am headed that way too. the Volt is a nice car.

I can easily get a Volt, and I think my wife will feel more comfortable driving it not having to worry about range. (her commute is longer than mine)

At this point I think it may be nearly 2 years before I can get a Leaf in virginia.

 

[mythrenegade]

My local dealer let me borrow a Volt for 21 hours. I really liked it. But for us, we are looking for a car that can go 70 miles a day. The Volt does that but uses about a gallon of gas to pull it off. I really want to drive a leaf and compare the two cars before I decide to buy one or the other. If the Volt was the same price as a leaf I'd have probably bought it today. But at $10K more I really need to compare before I purchase.

The Volt did pass the most important test though: my sons tuba fits in the back! Thats another leaf question mark for us.

0-60 time for me was 9.49 and I took it 90 on the freeway, so I am confident in the Volt to do everything I want and be reasonably quick about it. Very curious about the leaf in both those regards.

Joel

 

[redLEAF]

Volt 36-month residuals set at $17,000 ...

"A 2011 Chevrolet Volt will be worth just over $17,000 after 36 months, the length of a typical lease, says Kelley Blue Book. That would be 42 percent of the car's $41,000 sticker price."

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20063248-48.html

Perhaps this will dampen the markup over list at Chevy dealers?

 

[Spies]

Volt 36-month residuals set at $17,000 ...

I thought the Volt lease residual = (44% X MSRP) + $7500 or about $25223.20 and up. The $17,000 is the Kelley Blue Book estimate of what the Volt will be worth in 36 months. That is a difference of $8223.20 and up. If the Volt really ends up being only worth $17,000 at the end of 36 months General Motors is going to end up with a ton of Volt lease returns!

 

[AmarilloLeaf]

This is the tail wagging the dog.

The actual value will depend upon the market in 36 months.... It will depend upon where gas prices are, what the unemployment rate is, how well the car hold up, what price 2014 model EVs sell for, etc. Both the Volt and the Leaf are breakthroughs, and the market will determine their 36 month value.

The guys at KBB are simply making an educated guess, and it sounds like they chose 1/2 way in between a Ford Focus and a Lexus. Honestly, these guys' crystal ball is no better than guessing.

IMO, including the EFFECTIVE price after tax credits is appropriate, in which case the residual value is 51%.

 

[AmarilloLeaf]

If the Volt really ends up being only worth $17,000 at the end of 36 months General Motors is going to end up with a ton of Volt lease returns!

Where did you think they get their 1 - 3 year old used vehicles to sell? Leases and auctioned used rental cars.

IMO, they will be thrilled to get these cars back for $17k, and then flip them for $19,995.

 

[Ualdriver]

As a tag on to posts about the Volt seat, is the Volt seat height adjustable?

 

[redLEAF]

Hopefully this Volt driver wasn't trying adjust the seat height ... of course we don't wish an accident on anyone but will be curious to see how much this will cost to fix (it's perhaps one of only a few in IL as it is ... no chance finding a hood/fender, etc. off another wreck but perhaps the parts won't need to come from overseas as they would with the LEAF)


http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2011/05/carscom-chevy-volt-real-world-damage-.html

 

[GeorgeParrott]

We have both the Volt and the Leaf. We have about 4100 miles on our Volt which came on January 13 and 2500 on our Leaf which arrived at our home on 17 February.

The Volt is fully functional as one's single car for all purposes; the Leaf is an around town commuter...period. Even with DC charging, when it comes available (we did get the QC port @ $700), it would still be a pain to stop for 30 minutes just to get another 70 miles range or so.

Hence for real use, be sure you recognize that the Leaf, at least in our experience and even after the recent software update, is still range challenged and the range display is absurdly optimistic at initial full charge. We still see range displays around 115 miles when we leave our garage and in the first 10 miles LOSE 30 miles on that display !!!

Our Volt range display has never been off by more than 1 mile and it is usually conservative. We see 40 miles EV range upon leaving home and find that after driving 25 miles we have 17-18 miles range remaining. We have regularly gotten as much or more actual EV range as the initial display even when we drive fully into ICE operation.

The lease program is the way to go on the Volt, IMHO, and our almost fully loaded Volt (we did NOT get the fancy wheels, but leather, backup camera and mats) is only $30/month more than the Leaf lease and it was $1000 more to initiate the Volt lease. The seat heaters on the Volt make my wife MUCH happier than the horribly weak heater in the Leaf, and the Volt does have height adjustable seating with a range that truly fits a short driver (she is 5'2").

We like both cars and enjoy the complete EV operation of the Leaf, but the Volt is a more "fun drive" and a much better sorted out electronics package. The GPS system in the Volt has maps that are much more up to date than the Leaf's (our neighborhood streets are not shown at all on the Leaf GPS, and this area has been populated for 5 years or so...). The Volt comes with a real "cell phone" built in and 100 minutes in the first year of free calling. OnStar is amazing and free for 3 years with the Volt. The Bose sound system in the Volt makes the Leaf stereo sound like it came from the 1950's.

The Volt LACKS proximity locking/unlocking (a total pain-in-the-***) and it should have a rear window wiper (both are standard on the Leaf). Is the Volt "worth" $10K more than the Leaf? I really don't think so either, but I do believe it is a much better total package than the Leaf, more indulgent, and more well-designed. The traffic warning/XM/Sirius radio system in the Volt is MUCH more informative than how that system works in the Leaf.....and all of the electronic displays and driver feedback systems work better with more actual information than what is provided in the Leaf. Again $10K more? Probably no, but for commutes of under 40 miles, when both cars are sitting in the garage, I chose the Volt every time.

 

[evnow]

The Volt is fully functional as one's single car for all purposes; the Leaf is an around town commuter...period.

There is no such thing as an all purpose car. If there was, we wouldn't have had so many models from each auto major.

 

[LakeLeaf]

Chevy to cut Volt production (temporarily)

 

[TomT]

Without some context, the link is a little misleading:

"General Motors plans to temporarily shut down its Detroit-Hamtramck plant for four weeks, starting in June, to prepare for increased production of the Chevrolet Volt and the export version, the Opel Ampera. They also plan to reconfigure the plant to build the upcoming 2013 Chevy Malibu."

Chevy to cut Volt production (temporarily)

 

[AndyH]

Without some context, the link is a little misleading:

"General Motors plans to temporarily shut down its Detroit-Hamtramck plant for four weeks, starting in June, to prepare for increased production of the Chevrolet Volt and the export version, the Opel Ampera. They also plan to reconfigure the plant to build the upcoming 2013 Chevy Malibu."

Chevy to cut Volt production (temporarily)

Misleading or all too accurate? There can't be a huge demand for the Volt if GM can so from current production rates to a 30 day shutdown...

 

[evnow]

Misleading or all too accurate? There can't be a huge demand for the Volt if GM can so from current production rates to a 30 day shutdown...

I beleive this is not unusual for GM.

Speculation is that GM didn't want to increase production of the 2011 models. We will know after the reopening whether their 2012 models are produced in good numbers. I hope they do - and it sells well. We do need PHEVs to do well to reduce oil usage. 2012 models will be sold across the country.

BTW, the article that talked about Leaf being the most sought after car with a turn around of 5 days, put Volt at 18 days. So, it was one of the top selling cars - though not in top 5.

 

[GeorgeParrott]

The Volt might have a faster "turnaround" if so many dealers were not holding to painful markups. Volts at MSRP I suspect don't sit too long on the lot.

 

[adric22]

The Volt might have a faster "turnaround" if so many dealers were not holding to painful markups. Volts at MSRP I suspect don't sit too long on the lot.

I saw a volt in the wild this morning.. Not sure if he saw/noticed me or not. At least I know I'm not the only EV in town now.

 

[evnow]

I saw a volt in the wild this morning.. Not sure if he saw/noticed me or not. At least I know I'm not the only EV in town now.

Nope. You are the only EV in town - Volt is a plugin hybrid.

 

[DaveEV]

Volts seem to be multiplying around here - saw 2 this morning (on the same block) and 1 last night.

Still have only seen 2 different LEAFs total in the wild.