Love my 2013 Prius Two so much I bought a Volt!

Well said.
Yep, when you compare any green car to any straight gasoline car , the greens ones are better,
It's just comes down to what some fill their cars with, gas or still questionable electricity.
You have to admit that with new emission standards , new cars are better.
There are just too many cars on the road.

 

I imagine someone with a horse & buggy once said the same thing. Having been to Charleston several times and living in Phoenix, I can only imagine what both would be like without cars. And having been to countries with bicycles, I can't begin to imagine how that would work in the US, even if we had significantly better mass transit. I just don't believe that a healthy planet and efficient cars are mutually exclusive goals.

 

Good point.
My argument was not so much with the OP, it was with some of the other people on the thread.
Sorry about the highjacking Bert, wish you well with your car.

 

Just curious, I don't have a Volt but a 2014 Prius, which is the best setting for the best MPG on Interstate driving?

 

welcome to priuschat! eco mode. sit low and drive slow.

 

So after credits it was effectively $17,000? Not bad.

Yes, it will take some time to learn the car and how to most effectively drive it. Here in California, I went into the config screens and turned off the auto defog but maybe it's more necessary in Alabama due to humidity. Try turning it off and using "fan only" with the air directed at the windshield and see if that works okay. It will save you possibly unnecessary A/C compressor usage. I switch briefly to Eco mode to enable the compressor for defogging only when needed.

Check your tire pressure. It's usually set low by dealers. Try to minimize braking and use the 'L' shifter position to increase regen braking To help avoid unneeded friction braking.

How fast are you driving on your commute? I routinely get 45+ miles or better of range at a steady 55 mph and your 2013 Volt should have 3 extra miles of range due to a slightly bigger pack and slightly more efficient motor electronics.

 

Was a trade-in part of the deal ?

 

Just wanted to chime in as a Prius and Volt owner and congratulate the OP on his purchase.
Honestly, I think he'll find the 80 mile round trip a little less fatiguing in the Volt.
Anyhow, gotta run

 

In hindsight, in my argument on here was more about Plug in cars and electric cars in general.
One guy insulted me frequently and someone call me a troll. To be honest I'm all about hybrid cars and anything that is progressive . I'm a big Prius fan. It's too bad that I was kicked around on here because a had a different take on how plug in car and electric cars are still impacting the enviroment. They are not there Yet,but these cars are moving in the right direction. I always have thougt of Priuschat as better Forum than most, and hope to learn more from post in the future. And hopefully want run into to too many defensive folks along the way.

 

I'm going to skip past all the BS debate in this thread and wish you well in your new purchase, which it seems YOU bought as it suits YOUR particular needs

 

It's not bs, it's a worthwhile debate, you are one more person who just does not get it.
Be open minded.

 

With warm temperatures and lower speeds you should have no trouble getting 40 miles of range in your Volt.

Unfortunately, cold temps bring about a pretty dramatic loss of range, especially if you use the heater. Some folks in freezing northern states drop down into the 20s for range. Yikes! JeffN gave you good advice so start with that.

The Volt is very unlike the Prius in that it is quite difficult to hypermile compared to most hybrids. However, pretending like you don't have brakes is a driving technique that applies universally to nearly all vehicles. In Drive the Volt can coast for quite a ways but I have not been able to determine much of a difference between Drive and Low when it comes to maximizing range so I said screw it and drive in Low and Sport now. It's soooo much more fun to drive that way than the way I used to drive my Prii. I do miss being able to glide though.

 

@PriusToo - I get it, but this thread was started about someone buying a new car, and why they did it, not the environmental impact. That get discussed regularly in many other threads

I am very open minded, hence driving a Prius, despite the stigma attached to them here in Ireland

 

Wow all this when the OP was just saying why the Volt was better for his driving situation. I was telling a friend (about the time this thread started) how if you commute was 30-40 miles each way and can charge at work a Volt is a good choice. In my case most trips are 5-6 miles each way and 1 or more times a day (no work commute) so the PiP is a perfect match. For our occasional longer trips 150+ miles the PiP is better on mpg and a bit more storage space.

 

Very true. I miss those 50+mpg tanks on the super long trips.

You also have to look at it from a performance/comfort standpoint as well. Some folks think about more than just pure efficiency or economics. The PIP and Volt are quite different in these respects.

 

if i could find one for 17k, i'd buy it and stick it in the barn. that's an incredible price, congrats! might be the cheapest new volt ever purchased?

 

Truly. If a person could buy the Volt for ~ 23k (without subsidy) and GM profit, that would be a game changer

Anyway, good for OP -- heck of a deal.
He might even have some money left over after he sells the Prius to put up some PV. Then he would really be flying high.