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PiP vs. Volt - cabin noise, handling, driver room from owners of both?

Discussion in 'Chevrolet Volt' started by Ursamajor, Mar 16, 2014.

  1. Ursamajor

    Ursamajor Member

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    My RR is a 2012 - so far no issues (knock on burl walnut). I'm 6'3", but it's all torso - I have a 30-32 inch inseam. I dropped by the Chevy dealer the other day and did what I always do in cars - pushed the seat all the way back, lowered it as far as it would go, and reclined the seatback quite a ways. I fit pretty well. There's no way anyone could fit behind me unless I scrunched up for short distances, but again - this won't be the car I take when I'm driving a group of people. I assume that the PiP interior is the same as the regular Gen III; if so, I'll fit well in there, too. I haven't driven one since I test drove a Prius a couple of years ago (bought the JSW TDI instead), but I found the interior to fit well and be comfortable. It was a fairly short test drive (5 miles or so), so I didn't get a sense of road noise - and the salesman was beside me so I didn't get a sense of handling :D. I'll correct that soon.
     
  2. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    It's not that the PIP itself is noisy- it's just that there's zero deadening material in the doors and quarter panels, etc. On new asphalt roads it's pretty quiet inside- on older concrete highways it's pretty noisy in the cabin at highway speeds.

    A comprehensive test drive will present all you need to know.

    FWIW- if you are going to test drive a PIP, make sure you call ahead to the dealership and make sure they have one available and charged for you to test. Most of the PIP's on the dealer lots have no EV range available.
     
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  3. Ursamajor

    Ursamajor Member

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    Thanks, I have bookmarked the sound deadening threads. It would be a bit of expense and annoyance, but probably worth it if I planned to keep the car for a while, which I tend to do (notwithstanding my comment on leasing). I would drive the car for a while and decide. The noise issue is just a personal foible; I haven't heard that it's worse on the Prius than any other car at the general price point, I'm just sensitive to it.

    Can I ask why you traded your relatively new PiP on a Volt?
     
  4. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    I really just wanted more pure EV range- that's pretty much it.
    The Volt has 38 EPA EVA mi range compared to the PIP's 11 mi EV range.
    I work 28 miles from my house- and there's a free public Chargepoint station at work- so if I can make it from home to work on all EV that's zero gas burned- then I recharge for free at work and head home on all EV.

    I also got a little weary of living in the right lane babying the PIP to keep it in EV mode (stay under 62-64 mph) on the NY roads.

    Don't get me wrong- the PIP has been 100% reliable- it's never gone into the shop in 23K miles.... I just grew out of it.
     
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  5. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    I had a Volt and a Gen3 Prius which the PIP is based on and hatchbacks, like other boxy interior designs, can be louder than the typical sedan design. The Prius is a lightweight car and it shows on rough/noisy roads. Like others have said, it's OK on smooth roads. Also as the LRR tires wear, it gets louder. The Volt is quieter and when the ICE is running at its lowest speed it's nearly impossible to hear but it's not a luxury class auto either so don't expect bank vault quiet. LOL

    Enough talking, go test drive and see for yourself! ;)
     
  6. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    Just drove the new 2014 Volt home 34 miles from the dealer...
    Much quieter than the PIP at 65-70mph , no hard plastic dash, no rattles, much more EV power.
    And.. drove 34 miles on all EV with 8 miles left upon arriving home!
     
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  7. jdk2

    jdk2 Active Member

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    Will take some getting used to. Almost like something's wrong....but it's not :)
     
  8. zhenya

    zhenya Active Member

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    Yeah I've heard from owners on other forums that the Volt seems to do pretty well range-wise considering its rating. Keep us updated as to what you high and low EV ranges seem to be over time.
     
  9. DadofHedgehog

    DadofHedgehog Active Member

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    We test-drove the Volt (adult son and myself) in May 2013. I already had the 2012 PiP. We test-drove many other models as well. To our surprise, we bought the 2013 Ford Fusion Energi Titanium (23 - 25 EV miles). Then we drove the Energi on a 7,000 mile trip that August across the US - mountains, big spaces, camping, big cities, the works.

    One year later, I recommend you try the Fusion Energi. Since you aren't commuting in a major downtown area, the Energi might meet your needs the best: big, very comfortable, quiet, very well-designed, stays in EV up to around 80+MPH, handles great out-of-the-box. It's absolutely great for one - two passengers and quite good for three + luggage. Son has it now in Kentucky. At nearly 17 thousand miles, the car's average MPG is 42.3.
    I have a whole thread about the Energi on the "other PHEV" forum here. BLUF: the Fusion Energi is such a good car that, had it been available in 2012 I likely would have bought it rather than the PiP. May I suggest a test drive?
     
  10. Ursamajor

    Ursamajor Member

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    Thanks for replying, I read and appreciated your threads in the other forum. I've rented Fusions a few times (the gas version), and enjoyed them, especially the Titanium (Enterprise has a few, usually rental agencies only have the low end base versions). I drove throughout Oregon and Washington over the course of a week in a lower end Fusion, and was comfortable the whole time, so I wouldn't have an issue with the Fusion Energi (I actually think the C-Max is pretty cool, too). The only downsides to me would be the limited EV range - better than the PiP, substantially less than the Volt - and the mileage when the EV juice is used up, which is significantly less than the PiP. A test drive is probably worthwhile, and a look at TrueCar shows that deals can be had.
     
  11. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    This morning I drove the Volt to work for the first time...
    It was 30 deg outside- the windshield was frosted over so I pre-heated in the driveway (via remote keyfob) on all electric for 10 min to clear the ice.
    Started out of the driveway with a 37mi EV range estimate (lost one mile in the driveway due to pre-heating).
    Drove 28 miles to work (approx 10 miles 35-55mph roads, 18 miles 65mph expressway).
    Upon arriving at work I had 9 EV miles est range left. Plugged into the 240v chargepoint station at 8:42am- drawing 3.25kW, charge should be completed by 12:15pm.
    Burned 0.0gal gasoline today.
    Outstanding!!
     
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  12. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

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    EV = test drive the LEAF OR, the MODEL S (caution with the MODEL S test drive, you might get spoiled!)

    DBCassidy
     
  13. Ursamajor

    Ursamajor Member

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    Double post again - sorry, slow connection.
     
  14. Ursamajor

    Ursamajor Member

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    I expect I'll own a Model S one car down the road - it really is extraordinary - but not for the moment. Aside from availability issues and price, I don't have confidence in the charging infrastructure outside of major cities - I expect that to change in a couple of years. If I knew I was living in SoCal, I might have a different perspective. That also rules out the Leaf and the Focus EV (which can be had at a significant discount these days), and argues for a plug-in, e.g. PiP, Volt, or Fusion or C-Max Energi, that have as much EV range as possible; one or two generations from now I think the additional ICE engine won't be necessary. Comparing the Volt to, say, the Leaf, 40 miles will cover most of my driving, but I'm willing to trade off the last 35 miles or so for the ability to take longer trips without worrying. The same is true of the BMW i3, which I test-drove at the LA Auto Show. Very cool car, but if you get the range extender it only has a couple of gallons of gas, which rules out longer trips.

    We're still early in the EV game, the capabilities a few years down the road will be very different. In the meantime, anybody wanting to purchase an EV, whether pure or plug-in, has to balance a set of sub-optimal features and choose the balance that fits them best.
     
  15. John H

    John H Senior Member

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    Charging a Model S overnight in the garage is pretty reliable. On the road, there are superchargers, public chargers, and RV parks, and rental cars.
     
  16. Ursamajor

    Ursamajor Member

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    In some parts of the country, yes, but public chargers and superchargers aren't thick on the ground in Utah, Wyoming, Montana, northern Nevada, etc., and the distances get pretty long. I'm not an early adopter out to prove a point. I like the technology, I believe it's the future, and I support that for a number of reasons, but I'm looking for a solution that fits my life, not vice versa.
     
  17. John H

    John H Senior Member

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    What I learned in the few months that I was driving the Volt was how easy it was to get around without gasoline, and that was with a 40 mile EV range. I have a friend with a entry level Model S and he hasn't had any problems trading vehicles with neighbors for a week when he wants to go unplugged for an extended road trip. Early adopters are kinda disappointed it isn't a more challenging experience.
     
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  18. Mormegil

    Mormegil Member

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    Less than 1200 HOV stickers left for PHEVs in California, unless AB2013 gets resurrected in the legislature.

    I had a Gen 2, and my wife has a Gen 3, non-plug-in Prius. The Volt wins hands down on the driving experience. Prius is better for cargo and space. Trips over 100 miles or so, the Prius is cheaper.

    Have you test driven the Volt yet? Only way to see if it's a good fit.
     
  19. Ursamajor

    Ursamajor Member

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    To close the loop as the OP in this thread, I leased a 2014 Volt a couple of weeks ago. I did test drive the cars, and I can confirm what others have said - the Volt is quieter, has better ride and handling, better interior materials, and just generally feels like a more expensive car than the Prius - which isn't bad in any way, btw. They felt comparable in terms of interior space for the driver, which is what I care about - the Volt might have a bit more shoulder room. Ironically, after my comments that I'll never have anyone in the backseat, on the day I picked it up I took three other people to Dodger Stadium, maybe a 20 mile round trip. No complaints. I drove the Volt from LA to Park City, a bit under 800 miles, in one day in decent comfort (despite a 2 hour stoppage of I-15 for a police incident). It's a fine road trip car. I got around 37 mpg during exclusive use of the gas engine on that trip.

    Since then, I've used about a half gallon of gas and I've traveled around 250 miles - my commute fits the Volt's range very well, I do a 16 mile round trip twice a day. The trip includes one uphill and one downhill leg; I use about 11-12 miles of range on the uphill leg (8 miles in distance), on the downhill run I don't use any range due to regenerative braking. It's turning into a game. I may be starting a new commute of 55 miles, and based on a trial run (when I used the half gallon experimenting) I may be able to do it all on the battery. The leg into the office is a 25 mile downhill run, regen the whole way. We'll see.

    No comparison on price. The lease for the Volt was about 2/3 of the monthly rate that Diane Whitmire was advertising on the forum for PiPs, despite being better equipped and with an MSRP $7k higher - the tax credit is obviously being used to subvent the lease payments. Works for me.

    Through this process, it became evident to me that these cars only superficially compete with each other. The PiP is essentially a Gen 3.5 enhanced Prius, it's not really a BEV in any way. The Volt is - I expect to go weeks at a time without using the gas engine, something few people can do in a PiP. The Volt's real competitors are the Leaf and now the BMW i3, not the PiP. Given Toyota's vision of a hydrogen future, it looks like the family trees for these cars will veer off further in separate directions.

    Overall I'm very happy with the Volt. This is my first GM car since the '67 Camaro SS350 I had in high school a few decades ago, and I'm impressed, maybe because of my low-ish expectations for a Chevy. I don't know if GM has turned around overall (the rental Impalas and Malibus I get don't blow me away), or if it's just the Volt. In any case, I'm happy for the progress. I'm looking forward to the next-gen Volt (and possibly PiP, though it doesn't seem to be a priority for Toyota), but I'm really intrigued by the i3. Then again, as I told friends, this is my Tesla starter kit, and if one or two financial events happen, I'll probably order a Model S P85 Performance and pass the Volt on to a friend.

    One thing that's surprised me over the last month is the hostility displayed by a few Prius fanatics on this forum toward the Volt ("moronic"? really?) and by a number of folks on the gm-volt site toward the Prius. I suppose I expected some general good will toward an expansion of choice in more sustainable transportation; instead it sometimes feels like a more intellectual version of a Camaro-Mustang rivalry. There are a few folks here who probably have a stencil of Calvin urinating on a Volt logo on their cars. Strange.

    Anyway, thanks to everyone for your thoughts, I appreciate them.
     
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  20. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

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    There are some Tesla fans that show a lot of dismissiveness towards the Volt as well.
    These cars all drive a lot of passion in their owners.
    While each group has a few fanatics, most are very happy to see a choice in the market.
    Don't let the antics of a few color your perception of the whole group:)