Extended test drive - Extended Range EV (i took home a Volt)

So after reading about a Leaf'er who traded in on a Volt and got within $1000 of his Leaf cost on the trade, I decided to explore that option. Sure enough, the Chevy dealer had ten in stock and though they couldn't find any decent data to value my trade, quickly came around to offering to make me whole on the i, (what I paid less $7500) if I'd take a loaded Volt at about $600 below MSRP! :shock: More Volt info on my weblog at www.karmanneclectric.blogspot.com
The Volt drives very nicely and if I could do with a 4 seater for road trips, it would be a very strong contender, but with regular ferrying of Grandparents plus 2 kids, the minivan must remain in our fleet!

jray3, sorry to see you go back to the darkside .... well, maybe grayside. Good luck with your new wheels.

jray3 said:

... the Chevy dealer had ten in stock ... $600 below MSRP! ...!

Click to expand...

Wow! I like the Volt. The 516 page Chevy VOLT owner's manual is on-line: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...5i5tiRCgniUYQxMEA&sig2=2yYURjNCVBJq-i4B5qyn2Q

[// rant = ON, warning = 1] My Maryland Chevy dealers only have their one demo that they can't sell. Same story for Nissan. Nothing to sell except the privilege to get on a low priority waiting list.

I was under the impression they really don't want to sell cars. They are for show, only. My two local Nissan dealers don't even return my phone calls and emails. I had to get a non certified Nissan salesman to give me a LEAF test drive because the certified guy couldn't be bothered.

If Nissan, Chevy or Mitsubishi had an EV to sell me, I wouldn't still be on the waiting list. I have yet to see an iMiEV. There has never been an iMiEV in the state of Maryland. The i dealers have to go out of state to get certified.

I could drive a Volt back from California. (I already have the owner's manual.) [// rant = OFF, patience = 0 ]

Whoa Joe, don't get me wrong- I'm only flirting with the dark side (and leaving the i parked on the front line of a Chevy Dealership with my FOR SALE sign on it for 24 hrs) :twisted:
Point was, I'm impressed with the Volt and think it was executed very nicely. Comparing features, comfort and trim levels, I think it's 'more car for the money' than our i's are. Of course, buying an i ain't exactly about getting 'more car'...

The Volt's displays give A LOT of data to geek out over, though some of the fancy graphics and sound effects would probably get old quickly. I don't know if the Volters have figured out how to log or download the ECU but it's ready-made, unlike the i.
One data point is that EVen on my SPX Level II charger that's pumping 16 amps at 120V into the i, the Volt will only accept 11 amps.

The main takeaway for me is that this is at least the second time that a Chevy dealer has made a very aggressive trade offer to take in a direct competitor and push out a Volt. When I did this exercise at a Nissan dealer, they only offered me $12k for the i! Same story at my own Mitsu dealer. I told em that I was serious about upgrading to a CHAdeMO-equipped iMiEV, and asked for a trade or even consignment offer; and I quote you this "we don't want it back, since the resale is such an unknown, not one of these has been through an auction yet and there's no KBB listing on it, so the most I'd be willing to risk if $14k". Fiddler John, if you want any assistance sourcing a new west coast car, I know three flavors of dealer with EV's sitting on the lot that they are hungry to move! I see that MD has an income tax incentive, which you might be able to lever against Washington's sales tax exemption...

Back in my i, so here's a couple of closing notes on the Volt. In most every way, the Volt's a lot more car, and I was impressed. They seem quite conservative with the battery usage, as though I drove it down until the engine was running anytime I was moving more than about 3 mph, a full recharge only accepted 11.4 kwh into the 16 kwh pack! The i has pulled as much as 16.52 kwh of recharge even with one bar remaining on the SOC meter. The only sound that's more obtrusive on the Volt than the i would have to be the vacuum pump, which is a low frequency vibration, as opposed to the much steadier, higher pitch sound on the i. The Volt seems to have a larger vacuum reservoir, as it doesn't cycle as often in EV mode, though the brakes are quite... squishy. Btw, the Volt accomplished my full 16.7 mile hilly commute this morning without running the engine at all, having consumed only 4.2 kwh, for economy of 251 watt-hrs per mile. I did drive sedately, mostly adhering to the speed limits , while yesterday's test drive was.... spirited. The Volt doesn't have near our level of regen control, though shifting into "Low" brings it on stronger, the detents on the shifter are firm going down, and seem lighter going up, making it easy to overshoot "Drive" and wind up in Neutral or even Reverse (which I'm happy to report poses no immediate problem)... Happy Motoring!