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Why should I pick the Gen 4 over a Chevy Volt?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by Prius Cop, Oct 26, 2016.

  1. Kramah313

    Kramah313 Active Member

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    That's pretty good mpg. You might do better than the volt's mpg rating too. I would have reliability concerns (sorry, still not over previous family GM vehicles) on the volt but that's just my personal view and if you aren't someone who keeps their cars for a very long time it might not matter much anyways. This is kind of a silly one but I like to have at least a power driver's seat and I don't know that the volt comes with one on any trim. It might come down to the small things.
     
  2. glennonrp

    glennonrp Active Member

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    I don't believe you have driven a 2016 Prius. My Prius Four Touring doesn't drive like you're describing. If you don't like the Prius, that's fine. But, don't make up nonsense about it. My car feels sporty in PowerMode. It's quick, corners well, and is fun to drive.

    No one buying either a Volt, or a Prius is looking for a sports car anyway.

    But, the Gen 4 Prius is NOT sluggish. That's not even debatable.
     
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  3. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    Nope, I drove a 2008 lift back and a 2014 c, and a 16 v recently along with a gen I Volt and it's not that I don't like the Prius, if the prices were different a few years ago I would likely own one for a crafting booth storage/transport unit (I prefer the v)

    But I won't pretend they are good handling luxury rides. Those are traits I normally avoid in cars I own but again the Prius is like a utility vehicle, it's not a bad thing just that it's a very practical ride. Seats aren't uncomfortable but they aren't the best I've had either, but honestly I could sit on a wooden bench, but I know some folks that seating comfort is critical. Several folks I know wouldn't own either car because they don't like egress into a low seat.

    I also don't feel a Prius is sluggish nor do I care, I drove a 25hp Subaru 360 for years, loved every moment, but many who have driven a Prius and a Volt realize one is quicker off the line. No sense lying about it.

    I take corners to the limit and yes the volt and Prius are very different traction control on the Toyos I've driven makes things sluggish if you activate it, snow acceleration was quite sluggish.

    Not saying the volt is perfect, the way GM handles ice in braking and takeoff is terrible, never tested a Prius on ice only wet snow.
    Volt is terrible below 15 degrees, I ended up modding the car I hated it so much.

    Volt is a mild weather car, it works in the cold but that is about it.
     
  4. bbunge

    bbunge Member

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    Ah.. tapatalk reported my Asus tablet model. Nothing to do with a Prius but still a great Android tablet!

    P01M ?
     
  5. glennonrp

    glennonrp Active Member

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    Seems like if you're going to advise someone about how a car drives, you should have driven one. I'm not saying I can win races with my Prius. But it's a far cry to turn around and say it's sluggish or slow or corners badly. None of that is true.
     
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  6. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    Never said it corners badly or that its sluggish, you said that.
    But one does a better job than the other
    And I did drive a 16 Prius v.
     
  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Having owned a 2005, 2010 and 2016 Prius, I can attest that the 2016 drives nothing like the 2005 or 2010. the 2005 and 2010 drive similarly with the 2010 just a touch quieter in the front seats (and about the same in the rear). I've only briefly driven the 2012 Prius c and 2012 Prius v in and around Torrance and L.A..

    The 2016 corners flatter and rides more comfortably (brand new chassis with lower centre of gravity and new rear double wishbone suspension). It should handle as well as or slightly better than a 1G Volt. (Toyota was targeting the 1G Volt for handling characteristics).
     
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  8. glennonrp

    glennonrp Active Member

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    The v is very different.
     
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  9. robsnyder20

    robsnyder20 Active Member

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    Ditto on a lot of comments. I actually considered a 1Gen volt before settling on the 2016 prius. I had a 30 mile commute one way and no way of charging it at work. For me, the numbers didn't make sense (with super cheap gas and 12 cents KWH electric price) to go to a volt so I dropped it off the consideration list. I rode in the 2015 volt and my head hits the side when getting in and out of the vehicle and didn't like how low it was. So for me, it wasn't a good fit and didn't make any financial sense either. After having a toyota matrix with 333k on the odo with just minor issues, the decision was easy to stay with a Toyota. You might want to see if you can rent one for a while to get a better feel for the vehicle before making the plunge.

    Personally, if it was me, I would stick with the corolla for a while as that would probably make the best financial sense for you.
     
  10. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    I needed more cargo room than the Volt offered, so I got a Prius v. Only you know if 4 seats is a deal breaker, only you know if you can charge at home or at work for free. Only you know the details of your normal travel day, I do 220 miles a day so even if I charge at home, I use more gas in a Volt than in a Gen 4 Prius.
     
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  11. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    ...I now see this question is Gen4 vs. Volt (not Prime vs. Volt).
    Well the Gen4 is closer to 20-ft3 more space than Volt, with much more space in the rear seats and cargo.
    In that case, consider the Prime plug-in as a better compromise between a Gen4 and a Volt.
     
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  12. bbunge

    bbunge Member

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    I should expand my one word answer. My family has driven Toyota cars for 25 years with somewhere over 1.5 million miles driven. Five Corollas and now a 13 Prius C, 13 Camry, and my new 16 Prius 2. In all that time I have had to get a ride home once and that was my fault for not replacing the timing belt.
    My 16 Prius is the most fun car to drive and no slouch on the highway!
    Do I even look at other brands? No!
     
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  13. axle2152

    axle2152 Active Member

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    I think the big problem with the Volt is the quality of the build. I remember watching a few reviews and even after a year, screws and other things were beginning to rust. I have had an issue with my previous Prius "C" but it was covered under warranty and there was no hassle.

    I think it is a no brainer if you ask me. However it does depend on how you drive, where you drive but I'd probably still buy a Prius Prime if I were choosing between that and a Volt...

    One thing for sure is thankfully Chrysler doesn't make an EV...I feel it would go down similarly to that of the Samsung Note 7....
     
  14. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    I have a 6 year rust warranty on my volt, here in the rust belt you know it fast.

    Someone mentioned I was making fiction, gen I had great build quality, not fiction. No build issues.

    Only rust is on exhaust hangers and exhaust components.

    Gen ii 2016's rate below average reliability with the Mexican built engine chuggle
    2017's rate much higher but are too new to judge without bias.
    Having driven a 2017 volt fit and finish was excellent.

    That said I would not trust consumer reports to rate without bias, like the tesla best car ever gaff , then a turn of face after finding tesla has much higher defect rates than average, rating far below the gen ii volt.
     
  15. Montgomery

    Montgomery Senior Member

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    The main reason I went with a Prius was Toyota reliability over GM. My personal experiences. I will sacrifice bells and whistles over a "gee, we're not sure what is wrong with your car, but we will at least get it running" or "yeah I know your car is only 2 years old, but that part isn't covered under warranty and is a special order" type stuff I have been through it and I hated it. No issues like this with Toyota.
     
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  16. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    I find no noun "chuggle", so I can't deny one is made in Mexico. The entirety of the Prius however, including the engine, is from Japan.
     
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  17. vince22

    vince22 Active Member

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    still owned my very first 1987 Toyota and excellent running condition.
     

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  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i think you're conflating prius years, models, generations and countries of origin. or perhaps it's just confusion?
     
  19. MrMischief

    MrMischief Active Member

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    IMO if you can accept the volt's lack of head room in the rear, low ground clearance (2017 I think addressed that) and price tag, get the Volt. If my Prius burned to the ground today I'd go rattle the Chevy dealer's cage again to see what price I could get a Volt down to. When I looked at used gen 1 volt's the low front end and for me an unusable backseat were deal breakers. From a driving dynamics point of view I preferred the Volt over the Prius. When I looked at the new Volt though, they didn't address the back seat and the dealer wouldn't budge on the price, so I bought the Prius.
     
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  20. Prius Cop

    Prius Cop Junior Member

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    The lack of headroom in the rear is no concern. I rarely carry a passenger anyway.