Featured GCR: 2017 Toyota Prius Prime vs 2017 Chevrolet Volt

From the video, I am glad there are choices that let folks choose the ride they prefer. Both cars have advantages and disadvantages and the video does a good job of summarizing these surface effects. Just after six months, I'm finding the electrical infrastructure for plug-in cars are not as well described.

The only thing I would add:

• The house charger should match the maximum charge rate of the car built-in charger.
  • This is difference between having car that happens to be EV, and a technical toy.
  • A house dryer circuit can typically provide this level of power.
• The typical 12 A, L1 EVSE that comes with our car . . . all but useless.

Surface effects, the 'sheet metal art' and the 'comfy chair' interior, I know some see their cars as little more than these. Yet, driving our cars tax wallets to deliver time and distance ... the freedom to be where we want to be.

Bob Wilson

 

Cost to buy the car, tax impact, cost of obvious options, cost of the charger, cost to install the charger. "Pretty soon, it adds up to real money".

I drive only ~6,000 miles per year in my v. About half at 65-70 MPH highway speeds for 50 miles and 50 miles return. The other half is 10-15 miles at 25-55 MPH and then 10-15 return. About 25% of the trips I have stuff (multiple freezer boxes or 2 large boxes plus 3 bags for the dump) in the back that barely fit with the rear seats up. About half my driving is solo driver, no passengers. But maybe 15% is 3 passengers. Of that maybe 30% I also have lots of stuff in the trunk. Two 100+ miles one way trips a year with passengers and loads to places where chargers are not convenient. Would an I3 or Prime or Volt or Model 3 fit my needs as well? Not likely. Besides at only 35k miles, I have another 5+ years before I even think of buying and who knows what will be available then.

Figuring out what vehicle is right for you is a complex process.

I'd not say your choice should be mine.

 

to me, it all comes down to more ev miles or more mpg and net price. anything else would have to be personally experienced.

 

Nice video, but any comparison really needs the inches of leg room and head room in the back seat.

 

For you, that may be very important.
For this buyer, it would be less important than the number of cup holders or color of the inside of the glovebox

 

Not explicitly stated, do both cars have a charge sustainment mode? The idea is EV in start and destination with the engine handling the highway?

When going from electric to a cold gas engine, do they both have a blended mode to minimize warm-up fuel costs?

Bob Wilson

 

most likely. pip had it, prime does, hard to believe volt wouldn't.

 

Yes. And both also have a CHG mode. The volt version is called mountain mode and is more limited since its purpose is to build a larger battery buffer for extended ascents but most use it as a CHG mode on the highway.

 

Sounds like the gen2 Volt doesn't need Mountain mode for its intended purpose anymore anyway.

 

Was looking into the 2017 Prime and Chevy Bolt while in San Jose last month because our kids who live there were interested in getting a pass for the HOV lanes. I made several calls after requesting online info from dealers there. Looks like there was only one Prime for sale in the area. Wow! The funniest comment came from the Chevy salesman (Oh Lord, I have sinned...I spoke with a Chevy dealer for the first time in my life!) who kept saying...."you are interested in a lease, aren't you, because nobody buys this car!" That is quite a sales pitch, definitely one that I have never heard in buying at least 20 new cars in 40 years. If no one has ever bought a Bolt, that should be their best kept secret because I would not want to be the first one! That is telling me that no one expects the Bolt to last beyond the 3 year lease period. So while the Bolt's greater range is important, dealing with idiots at Chevy and GM overrides anything their cars might be able to do. We decided to ship our 2012 to the kids because it only has 105K miles and is in excellent condition. Never had a problem with it. We did notice that used Prius prices are much higher in CA than in NC. So if your grown children need safer cars, consider selling them your old Prius. You will sleep better, and so will they. (Now if they had put the Latch system in our 2012, we would feel even better; Toyota was really late in adding the carseat harness latches in the rear seats. Our 2017 has them under snapped pouches in the seat cover. It took two trained firemen 30 minutes to install a Britax in our V when the grandchild was here. What a pain!)

 

volt or bolt? for the bolt, depreciation is probably the main lease driver.
my kids got both are old pri and camry. nearly indestructible, with minimal maintenance.
but a battery repair in any of these extended range vehicles is a bit frightening, if you keep it past warranty.

 

Oops, Bolt! Thanks!

 

Leases are very popular in cars that get the $7500 rebate ($10k in CA).
You also have a brand new model, so those that don't know how it will do, are probably better off leasing.
And then you have the rebate qualification. If you are buying, you need to make enough to qualify for the full amount. In a lease, the bank can pass that benifit through to you.

All that said, it was a weird way for the sales rep to put the lease option forward.

 

Normally GM has more leases than owners on EVs because their lease is cheaper than the depreciation.

Nissan and BMW are far worse than GM in that they actually have decentives to buy a new car over leasing it.

Many Nissan dealer ads say LEASE ONLY they won't even sell you the car and if they do add $10000 to their sale price.

My experience with local Toyota dealers has been very poor, they wouldn't even let me take a test drive and were very rude about options (you get what's on the lot)

 

wow, that is very strange.

 

I have never heard of that with Nissan.
Unless of course, you are referring to special deals available for lease only, not sales?

 

I live in Wisconsin, home of hybrid hate and ev decentives.

Except for broadway chevy where I got my half price volt, none of the local dealers want to sell anything non truck. Ask a Toyo dealer here about a Prius and they guide you to something else, say you don't want an orange Prius c four and they say you will have to locate another dealer with the trim and options you want, you can't make any special requests.

Most Chevy and Nissan dealers here are the same. The first non-used leaf arrived here in 2014, every time I asked about the leaf they always said why would you want that? Get a juke.

I've sort of grown used to it to the point I normally don't buy cars in Wisconsin.

Heck I remember this issue all the way back to gen i insight days, I wanted a new one and no local Honda dealer would order one.

Prius was the same through 2006, no new cars in Wisconsin, only used could be found from folks who drove one back.-

My professor ended up flying to California in 2001 to buy his new insight because no local dealer would order one.

I've had the your really stupid to buy XXXX (insert car here) conversation with perfect strangers about every car I have owned.
People here feel they have to inform me how my $2000 insight is a huge waste of money and damaging to the environment or how I am a fool to own my 30mpg 2wd stick shift diesel suburban because it's impossible to drive in snow (apparently)

Ah well, flyover country did support Trump.

 

Nissan dealers tend to list 2016 leafs for $13000 to $16000 in their sales ads with the words lease only or finance only (depending on the dealer)
The real price if you buy the car is much more because they are misleading you with incentives that may not apply. Some ONLY want to lease, I've encountered that less lately but 2014/2015 many dealers had the why would you buy here is the lease attitude.

 

A Chevy dealer in Philly advertizes the Volt with over $9k off. It is all the GM and dealer incentives that you may or may not qualify for.