2016 Prius or 2016 Volt...Which should I buy?

You don't have to lose cargo space to carry a spare if the car isn't equipped with one.

Yes, it is more cost, but adding more cargo carrying ability is also an added cost.

The C-max is a full size according to the EPA.
I threw in the Cruze so it can be seen where GM moved the space around. It does have the same cabin volume as the Prius.
Compare Side-by-Side

 

First wait until they are on the street, then ask...Use?...cost?...looks?...and you have your answer.

 

Lower center of gravity, body more rigidity than Golf and CT200h, more power, less weight and rear independant suspension, can only be tested by driving.

 

The 2016 redesigned Prius looks so ugly I'm considering the current get Prius v.

 

The engine in the 2016 Volt is rated for 101 HP vs. 98 HP in the 3rd gen Prius. Plus the Volt can still draw ~10 second bursts of nearly 150 HP even from an "empty" battery and lesser amounts for longer temporary stretches such as climbing ascending grade segment on roads.

The output of the car is officially specified as 149/150 HP but there is no "total system output" called out like the combined gas+battery 134 HP of the 3rd generation Prius that does 0-60 mph in about 10 seconds.

However, MotorTrend's 0-60 mph time of 7.1 seconds implies a 2016 Volt combined gas+battery total system output of somewhere closer to 200 HP -- after "driven too far" and having to be rescued by the "tiny gas engine" (were you thinking of the motorcycle engine in the BMW i3 Rex?).

 

Lower center of gravity and more than usual body rigidity apply to the Volt as well due to the structural integration and placement of the battery pack. I haven't seen any comparison between the center of gravity or rigidity of the 2016 Volt vs 2016 Prius but I suspect the Volt comes out ahead.

 

As for interior room, the Prius is unusually open for a car of its size. My unscientific impression is that the backseat of the Prius has unusual leg room for that size of car, for instance. This makes the comparison with the Volt somewhat stark. The original Volt is somewhat cramped in back but this is not just legroom but also seating position and the geometry of the entering/exiting through the rear doorway area. I haven't sat in the 2016 Volt yet so I can't make a comparison. My point is that they could have improved it beyond the statistical measurements you see in the car specs. I think it's more subjective than that. You need to try it out yourself.

The other aspect of interior room is the hatchback area. Compared to my 2nd gen Prius, the 1st gen Volt is the same or slightly better width and height but the length with the rear seats upright is significantly shorter. With the rear seats folded down, there is lots of usable storage but still a bit less than my Prius. I believe the new Volt has similar rear storage as the old when the rear seats are upright. I'm not sure how the comparisons change between my 2nd gen Prius and the 3rd or 4th gen.

Traditionally, the Prius had an advantage of having a flat floor even with the hatch entry whereas the Volt floor drops a few inches down. The 2016 Prius models with the Lithium-ion battery now seem to have the same issue but the NiMH models still have the old matching flat floor.

 

When I test drove the Volt, it fit like a glove. Room for only 2 passengers in back. If you use the car for "around town only", then the Volt specs might be for you.

 

We have both a 2010 Prius and a 2014 Volt. With the Volt in summer we get 40 to near 50 miles on a charge on about 10.6-11.0 KWH. Winter in the mid to high 30's during the dead of winter.

Prius over 50 mpg (calculated) in summer, 45 mpg in winter. I figure we have the best of both worlds. The one dislike is that the Volt requires to be run on only premium (91 or more octane) for its 1.4, 84 HP engine. The 2016 Volt 1.5 engine, 101 HP, and runs on regular gas was a good move on GM.

MPG just on the Volt's gas engine is consistently high 30's to low to mid 40's mpg. The new 2016 Volt will probably get low 40's to mid to high 40's just on reg. gas. Also a 50-60 mile electric range as well.

My wife and I like both the Prius and the Volt. She can drive for a month and never use a drop of gas in the Volt as she has a 32 mile round trip to her business.

I am looking at replacing our 2010 Prius and the "2016 ECO Prius may just do the trick. Both the Volt and our Prius are great cars in my opinion...

 

My experience with the back-seat of my 2010 LB is that it only holds 2 normal sized adults as well. Seatbelts for 5, seating for 4.

 

+1
I have a 2007 gen 2 w/ 220,000 miles. The used compact or other intermediary car is exactly my plan as a filler if needed.

 

The 53-mile range still represents less than a gallon of gas, and at $1.95 in a Prius.

 

I just noticed that Car and Driver now has their 2016 Volt review online. They report getting 56 miles of EV range during their review and 48 mpg hybrid mode after the battery ran out of charge.

2016 Chevrolet Volt Plug-In Hybrid Test – Review – Car and Driver

 

discounts are hard to turn down! good luck on deciding. Either way it's less petrol burning.

From the test drive article above...

"Now, a more powerful Atkinson-cycle 1.5-liter aluminum-block engine works in concert with two smaller motor/generators, housed inside a transaxle to drive the differential through a chain rather than gears as before."

Does this sound like Prius gen 2? Gen 3 Prius went to direct gear in the transaxle, no? what the what?

 

The 2016 Malibu Hybrid (available in Spring '16) is also a possibility for your needs, assuming that you can't charge at work.

 

It sounds like you can get some acceleration out of the electric engines. The PiP throws in the EV towel with too much foot on the pedal. I hope the Gen IV PiP beefs up the energy path to allow for a higher joules/second out of the battery and into the motor. I'd also like to see what the Volt II range is when cruising at a steady 75 mph.

 

Really, the gen 1 2 and 3 are ugly, all the way to the bank, so the 4's ugly'er, good.

Beauty is only skin deep, ugly saves money

 

My commute is 60 miles round trip, which is on the long side. I'll be burning less than a gallon a week to the gen4's near 5.5 gallons. The over $10 in gas savings will easily cover the electric for the Volt.

My regional electric has the 2015 Volt under the the national average for CO2 emissions if it is more than saving money.

 

I have a 2012 Volt lease that goes back today. I picked up a used 2013 Prius Persona (38k miles) yesterday, and we've had a 2010 Prius in the past. I really liked the Volt and will miss it. Very quiet and smooth ride. Trunk space was good. My biggest oversight with the Volt was not getting the heated seats option, which I consider a must have for an EV in the winter to save the EV range when it is cold. The Prius seems roomier overall, and you can sit 3 people in the back if you have to. I'm not sure if the 2016 Volt can do 3 in the back. I was very interested in the 2016 Volt, but I was not going to be able to get one in time since they won't be here until around Feb 2016. I do long trips frequently, so the Prius will work for that. I averaged 106 mpg in the Volt over the 3 years, with fairly frequent out-of-state trips. I still have a Nissan Leaf for a few more months, while we decide if we are going to keep it or not. Georgia has recently become EV unfriendly, eliminating the tax credit and topping it of with an added EV yearly tax, so that has had some influence as well. I will likely buy another EV as the technology improves in the next few years, unfortunately the timing didn't work out well this time. On a side note, used Nissan Leafs are insanely cheap.