Chevrolet Volt test drive. Part Three

 Here are a few more observations about the new Volt, after driving it for a full week.

I do like the design a lot. Even though I do understand people who miss the more original 1st generation.
It is a little bit blender, but still very modern.
More so than most other compacts out there. And, it is still a hatchback. But looking more like a 4 door coupe now.
it is really slick looking. And has a more upscale feel and look to it.

 Inside, the first thing you notice is the new screen.
The first thing I wanted to do with it is angle it more toward me. But it's not adjustable.
(So don't ever try that. I'm begging you!)

So it lays a bit flatter than it should. But it's actually fine, and not much of a problem to get used to.
Plus, it is quite large and very sharp. And perfectly positioned above everything else on the dash.

The shiny bits have more of a satin finish now. Which is much nicer, and again, more upscale.
The plastics are hard, but everything does look and feel very solid.
(Except the super cheap feeling and sounding turn signal stalk)

The doors still have that heavy feel to them, which I like.

 There is enough room for 4 adults. As you can see. There is a seatbelt for a 3rd human in the back seat, but I cannot imagine how legs would even fit.

 The one thing still missing, is a sunroof. Or some kind of glass panel. At least as an option.
As the roof is pretty low.
GM still gives the "weigh excuse". Which I don't buy. (The new Hyundai ionia will offer a sunroof)

The Bose stereo sounded very good. Although, like most Bose car systems lately, it wasn't very loud.

Overall, I loved my week with the new Volt.
It feels as solid and sporty as the old one.
But it is much quieter when the all new gas engine comes on.
And when it does, power seems to be almost the same as in the EV mode.
The ride is very comfortable, and the car feels super solid over any surface.
The steering is really nice, a little bit on the heavy side, which is a welcome change from most other cars.

As I mentioned before, I got 56 miles out of a full charge (it is rated at 53)
And my gas mileage when the battery was empty was 46 on the freeway and 42 in the city.
Which is, again, better than the official numbers.

I think the Volt is the best way to get into an EV right now.
As a range of almost 60 miles of pure EV is plenty for most people.
Plus, once it's empty, you end up with a very comfortable, quick car that gets great mileage anyway.
It is truly the best of both worlds.
Until we can charge a 300 miles battery everywhere in 15 minutes, the Volt is the best option.
(The Model S is still a rich guy's toy)

BUT....
There is one thing that drove me crazy, most of the time.
As you can see, the stereo system had a lot of trouble recognizing songs from my phone.
As most playlists showed "empty".

When switching to Apple CarPlay, things were different.
But NOT better. As  playlists after the letter "B" were non existent.
Using a different phone, different cables, restarting the phone never fixed the problem.
It would work one time, and nothing a few minutes later, etc..

I checked various forums online, and it looks like quite a few people have that problem.

A few of the solutions included upgrading to the latest version of iOS.
( I did have iOS 9 already)
And, weirdly enough, getting rid of the Pandora app.
I did all these, but it was too late to really check it.
It was working the last evening I had the car.

After mentioning this to GM, they decided to send me another Volt for a few days in a couple of weeks.
Which is really nice.

So I will check this again.
I hate to be picky, but the car is , in general,  my favorite place to listen to music. And I do want to make sure this isn't a general issue with this otherwise great car.

Chevrolet Volt test drive. Part one.

 I got the Volt yesterday. For a week.
It had an EV range of 45 miles when delivered to me. (Not the full 53 I was hoping for...)

Still, plenty for a few day-drives.
I was curious about the gas mileage when the car is not in EV mode.
So I used the "hold" mode, which saves "the juice" for later. A very cool feature.

 As you can see. For these few miles, MPG was very impressive.
But I also noticed that it did use some of that juice. By the end of the day, in the "hold" mode, my total EV range was only about 39 miles...
(The picture above was taken today, after charging)

At the end of the day, I plugged it in. At a regular 120 outlet. So technically, it should take about 13 hrs to get a full charge.

Which I didn't need since it still said "39".

But, about 13hrs later, I was still at "just"  49 miles. Not the 53 miles advertised for the full charge.

Maybe that plug at the lot where I parked the car was defective? Or something else...

Who knows.

 
 The rear hatch is really big. And quite heavy.
But the inside cover is just a rather flimsy cloth sheet. Unlike the solid stuff found in most other hatchbacks. Maybe to save weight?

 Someone was asking me about rear legroom. so here it is.
I am 5'11" and drive pretty far from the steering wheel, and that's what's left behind me.
Which isn't bad. Technically, the new Volt has a bit more rear legroom.

And here is what it looks like whith an actual super good looking human.

Someone was also asking about visibility. 

And I was mentioning the rather high position of the rear window.

So this is what it looks like when you turn around. 

Not that you really need to, since it comes with a back up camera.

So far there is plenty of power all the time. If you drive in a relaxed manner, the engine almost never comes on during normal city driving.

And when it does, it is much quieter than before. It just seems to be far away...

Next, I will try to compare MPG when the battery is completely empty.

And, of course, check the actual range of the full EV mode.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica

 That's right. The Town & Country is dead.
I guess it sounded too old timey for "new Chrysler"

It looks fine. But not amazing. ( I think the new Kia Sedona does look much better, especially inside)
That chrome window surrounding looks pretty thick.
And the interior, at least in the version pictured above, has some weird red trim that just shouldn't be in a car (Just like that awful gold trim in the 200)

Otherwise, the whole thing looks like a Minivan version of the Chrysler 200. Which is OK.

It is powered by their usual 3.6 Liter V6 with 287HP.
But there is a very interesting plug-in Hybrid model now.
It has the same V6 plus an electric motor. And can do about 30 miles on EV mode.
Which is actually pretty good. Better than most plug-in cars. And almost as much as the "old"
Volt.

2017 Mercedes E-Class

We've seen it before. These are just a few more pictures.
I actually like the new Volvo S90 much better. Especially the interior.

For 2017, the base engine in the US will be a 2.0 Liter with 241HP and a 9 speed auto.
As you can see above, a plug-in version will also be offered soon.

The current model offers a diesel as the base model in the US. Priced at $52 650.
Other wise you can get a V6 for $53 100.
So basically, for 2017, the new 2.0 Liter replaces the V6. (But I bet it won't be cheaper...)

2017 Hyundai IONIQ VS Prius. Another cheap shot

I mean really...

2017 Hyundai IONIQ already looks 1000 times better than the new Prius.

I mean really, just look at it.

I mean I am usually not that "anti Prius". I just hate ugly things.

Toyota is always trying way too hard. They are so afraid of being labeled "boring".

The Hyundai could have looked a bit more futuristic. Sure. But at least it's tasteful.

I really hope it steals sales from the Prius.

 Same thing inside. The IONIQ interior isn't futuristic, but at least, the console doesn't look like a bathtub.
With a hybrid, plug-in and pure EV versions, I predict this will do really, really well.
Low gas prices or not.
(You would have to be stupid to think gas prices will stay the way they are now. )

It just seems to be a very nice car. One that can compete with the Prius, Volt and Leaf at the same time.

New Honda EV, Plug-in Due by 2018

New Honda EV, Plug-in Due by 2018

Honda says it will dispatch another battery-electric vehicle also a module half and half model by 2018 in the U.S. 

The declaration was made here today at the 2015 North American International Auto Show. 

The newest EV and PHEV answer the topic. of what Honda was going to do to fill the hole brought about by the leaving Fit EV and Insight cross breed, both ceased a year ago. 

Honda says the PHEV will be "devoted," a sign it won't be a module form of a current model, while the EV is named "all-new." 

WardsAuto item cycle information demonstrates the Insight making an arrival in the '18 model year, albeit perhaps with an alternate name. It's conceivable one or perhaps both equally with the new products could possibly load this Awareness void.

Honda likewise says it will keep on applying its 2-engineas well as 3-engine 50 % along with 50 % frameworks so that you can "add so that you can massive delivers. volume development for Honda's You. Ohydrates. mix particular breed of dog car variety.. 

Honda possesses constantly slacked rival Toyota. in U.S. half and half deals, to a great extent because of the strength of Toyota's Prius, the No.1-offering cross breed in the U.S. with yearly offers of more than 100,000 units. 

The Insight's greatest year was 2010, with 20,962 conveyed. A year ago, Honda sold 3,965 Insights. 

Honda additionally retails crossover adaptations of its Accord and Civic autos, the CR-Z half and half roadster, and a PHEV Accord. All offer in generally little volumes. 

Honda additionally arranges the North American introduction of its FCV idea here. The auto clues at a creation hydrogen energy unit vehicle due in the U.S. in 2016. 

Inside additionally powertrain-related announcement, Honda repeats its arrangement to start building turbocharged 4-cyl. gas motors at its Anna, OH, plant this year, denoting the automaker's first current times attack into mass-business sector turbo motors.

Hyundai Ioniq

More teasers of Hyundai's all new model.

Looking really nice. And not weird at all. I really think it will steal sales from the new weirdo Prius. (As it should)

On top of that, they will offer 3 models. A "regular" hybrid. A plug-in. And a full electric EV version.
So basically, with just one car, they are going after the Prius, The Volt and the Leaf!

I really can't wait to see more of this.

New SAABs coming ?

 Saab's new Chinese owner, NEVS, has just come up with a plan for the swedish zombie car maker.

First, they still want to keep producing an updated version of the old 9-3. A car that came out about 13 years ago. So good luck with that.

NEVS claims that model will "generate the cash it needs to bring out four more models".
Again, good luck.
They say the design will be updated. What it will need by 2017 will be an all new design.
Not sure what they mean by "updated".

Here are the new guys.

All new designs are based on the Phoenix platform Saab was working on while they went under.
The company also claims that all these new models will be sold in the US.
All of these will be electric only.
Cars sold in Europe and the US will be built in Sweden. While the ones for China will be built locally.
It all sounds good, I must say. And these drawings above look pretty nice. Really.
(Better than what Saab was working on as the "next 9-3")

There was a time, just a few years ago, when people were laughing at the idea of brand new Volvos under Chinese ownership. Look at them now.

So even though sarcasm is very tempting here, I am actually pretty optimistic about this.

A Saab rebirth and re-invention as a modern "all electric" car company.
Why not...

What do you think?

VW new Electric Concept

Yes, another concept from VW.
Not a production car. It seems they have no problem showing us tons of concepts every year.
Their problem is, (Besides cheating on diesel emissions) actually coming up with new production models.

The last one we saw was the new Tiguan. (And God only knows when that will come to the US.)

There were rumors about a new version of the retro Microbus for this concept. Imagine, a cool looking all electric Microbus.
But no... From this picture, it just looks like yet another new front end design. (With that weird LED light that doesn't fit the rest of the design)
Of course, we can't see what's behind that front end, but I can tell you it's probably not a cool
Microbus.

We'll see the whole thing really soon, since they will unveil it at the CES show.

2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid price

The all new Malibu hybrid will start at $28 645.
Not that cheap. But it is not available as a base model.
Only as a well equipped LT model. Which then makes it "only" about $2700 more than the
regular non-hybrid Malibu LT.

It does get amazing mileage for a mid size car. (It is now larger than ever)
It is rated at 48 MPG city and 45 HWY

So let's compare it to the competition:

-Camry hybrid.   $27 000. 43City/39HWY
-Accord Hybrid  $29 300. 50city/45HWY
-Fusion Hybrid    $26 000. 47city/41HWY
-Jetta Hybrid       $31 100. 45city/45HWY
-Sonata Hybrid   $26 000. 40city/44 HWY

A few notes about these:
- The Fusion is cheaper. But that is for a very basic model. So it comes up to about the same as the Malibu with a few options to match.
-The idiots at VW have no clue what to do with the Jetta Hybrid.
I test drove it a while ago, and thought it was a great car. It used to be around $26 000. The next year they bumped it up to over $28 000.
Now its only available as a SEL Premium loaded model for over $31 000.
Amazing how these people are unable to market a good car in the largest market in the world for hybrids...
-Once again, the Sonata (Even though it is brand new), is far behind in the hybrid game...

So the new Malibu seems really well priced. And, a plus for me, it does offer that cool double sunroof option. It also looks really good in person, inside and out.

Hyundai IONIQ

We finally get to see something official about the all new Hyundai Prius competitor.

This does look more interesting than the camouflaged cars we have seen.
And, a thousand times nicer than the horrific new Prius. (Which is even much worse in real life)

I think there is a huge opportunity for Hyundai here.
As many people considering a Hybrid might be turned off by the new Prius (Including current Prius owners)

Hyundai has already mentioned 3 models. A regular Hybrid, a plug-in as well as an all electric version.That sounds like they will be covering all the bases.

The regular hybrid is even supposed to be using an new technology that allows the movement of the car to recharge the batteries.
(Which could mean seriously great gas mileage)

I always wondered about that. Why something couldn't be connected to the wheels so all that energy produced would be used...Since they do use energy from braking.


We will see the whole thing early next month.