The 2014 Chevy Volt is fun to drive, well built, and fuel efficient (current OD = 30,000 miles, average 143 mpg) hybrid vehicle.
My wife and I bought this Chevy volt new five years ago. We paid $34,000 for it and received $7,500 back on taxes due to the Federal hybrid tax rebate. We have been very pleased with it. It is a solid, well built car.
As far as fuel efficiency, for the 30,000 miles we have driven the Volt over the past five years, we have spent a total of $532.11 on fuel cost. The plugin battery charge provides 40 miles range that is used up first before the gas engine kicks in. The gas engine gets 38 mpg. The actual cost of charging the batteries with house electricity, via an 120 V outlet ,is about $0.76 per day for a full charge (batteries totally drained), much less on a partial charge. With the exception of long commutes, the average person drives less than 40 miles a day.
The performance of the Volt is outstanding. It can get from 0 to 70 mph in a matter of 8 to 10 seconds. It is like the slot cars you played with when a kid, going from stop to full speed by pulling the trigger on the controller. On the interstate highways the Volt handles well and easily passes any vehicle, I have had it up to 85 mph. The volt automatically and smoothly switches from battery power to the gas engine, you (driver) barely notice it, you just drive. Unlike the Prius, there is no feeling of shifting gears (electric motor drives the front wheels) and no annoying changing between battery and gas power.
The 2014 Volt interior is the right size for my wife (5ft 8 inch tall) medium build and she is comfortable and loves the car. For me (5 ft 10 inch tall, 230 lbs) for short trips the interior is fine but gets a little cramped for longer trips. I know that Jay Leno has a Chevy Silverado crew cab that has the Volt hybrid system configuration that gets the same mpg. If Chevy produced a production model Silverado Crew cab I would buy one. I have contacted Chevy several time over the years by did not get a response.
The problem I have is not with the Chevy volt but with Chevy not promoting/ advertising the Volt. I know and have talked with several Volt owners in my area of Arkansas and they all praise the design of the Chevy Volt. Some of those Volt owners have more that one Volt.
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