Breaking news! Chevy volt technically driven by gas engine!

[imzjustplayin]

Originally Posted by theclencher

Americans or perhaps motorists everywhere do NOT use cold hard logic when making their vehicle selections. It is more about perceived things like ego stroking, conforming to the herd, family traditions, keeping up with the Joneses, having something to show off in at church, and as noted by biff, bringing a Sherman tank to a knife fight i.e. grandma's range anxiety (we see the same thing with the popularity of pickup and suv commuters- "being prepared" for the hauling/towing/crashing eventuality that rarely if ever comes). People have proven time and time again to be willing to pay HUUUGE premiums to have excess capability that may never be utilized.

I'm quite certain that GM has access to accurate vehicle use pattern numbers and more importantly, the psychology of the consumer, and they have the brains to evaluate that info, to come up with the most logical and widely applicable technical solution. I'd say the math and the psych points to Volt as being a good solution for many, but of course not all motorists, today.

That said, I'm not in the market for a Volt (or any other hybrid or EV) as my usage patterns don't fit that mold, and I'm not in the market for ANY $40k vehicle no matter how perfect it may be for me. I'm not going to pee all over Volt because of that.

Doubtful. If this was true, you wouldn't have garbage vehicles like the Cobalt, Malibu or especially the Cavalier. Also you should pee over the Volt because it's too expensive and tries to do too many things while failing at all of them. As for the Leaf, I'm surprised Nissan didn't just take one of their luxury cars and stuff a bunch of batteries in it to give it 250 mile range instead of outfitting an economy car with just enough batteries to give it "100" mile range (more like 70).

[theclencher]

Don't buy one then.

[Jay2TheRescue]

The purpose of the Cobalt and the Cavalier was to be cheap. The Cavalier is a fine car, and if maintained properly they last a long time as evidenced by several high mileage Cavaliers owned by members of this site. The Malibu isn't a bad car either, I'd consider owning one if they had it available with a manual transmission. As far as the Cobalt goes, I'm unsure about it. I've never been fond of rebadged vehicles.

[Wyldesoul]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

As far as the Cobalt goes, I'm unsure about it. I've never been fond of rebadged vehicles.

Interestingly enough, the Cobalt isn't a rebadge. It was designed and made in the USA as a Chevy, and the G5, Ion, and Astra are the rebadges, not the Cobalt.

Not that it made it any better of a car. But hey, it was cheap, solid, and reliable. That is why it was made, and that is why it sold quite well. 200k units a year for most of its run is nothing to scoff at, even if it has fallen away in the last 2 years.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I thought it was a rebadged Asian car. Guess I was wrong. My bad.

[theholycow]

Jay, you're thinking of the Aveo. That's a rebadged Daewoo Lanos.

[theholycow]

Interesting article, but no surprises:
http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...e-for-a-hybrid

They drove a Volt for a month. In short:
- Real world EV-only range is as expected - less than the marketing department originally promised (but well in line with the latest claims by GM).
- Real world non-EV fuel economy is kinda lame (I bet everyone on this site would do better though!).
- Performance and driveability are decent.
- Total cost of ownership is not the best on the market.
- Conclusion: It's not a giant leap for mankind but it is a small step, as it can put EVs in people's driveways without range anxiety and therefore encourage continued development.

[trollbait]

The official EPA results and sticker have been released. http://blog.caranddriver.com/chevrol...led-dissected/

In short; 35 city, 40 highway, and 37 combined, with an electric range of 35 miles.
The lameness of fuel economy depends on how you look at it. It's at the upper end of the Volt's heterosexual life partner, the Cruze. It gets this while hauling around a battery and motors to get a useful, true EV range.

The tested electric range is 25% less than GM's original announced one. This was also true of the Leaf's range; 100 miles announced and 73 tested. The EPA went conservative with the test protocol until more data is collected on EV use in the real world. The average range from a couple dozen journalists at a big showing shingding, with nicer weather, was 42, IIRC.

[GasSavers_Scott]

Normally Im long winded, but coming close to buying a Prius, I found pure economics drives my engine.
Chevy Volt 45K
Lexus Hybrid Wagon 30K
Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, 24K
That makes my choice right there, hope it helps.

[imzjustplayin]

Originally Posted by Scott

Normally Im long winded, but coming close to buying a Prius, I found pure economics drives my engine.
Chevy Volt 45K
Lexus Hybrid Wagon 30K
Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, 24K
That makes my choice right there, hope it helps.

new or used?