Prius vs Volt vs Cruze Eco
 

So, it's time to end the love affair with my cts. :(

Looking to buy either a 2010+ Toyota Prius, a Chevy Volt, or a Chevy Cruze Eco. After looking at the expenses I will break even if I finance $6500 and get something else to drive assuming I can get 48 mpg average, currently getting around 26. Then the sale price of the CTS will pay half of the new car.

Commute:
120 miles round trip 5 days a week, literally 99% highway with two stop lights and a PSL of 55 to 65. Sometimes considerable traffic and short trips to the store from home. No elevation change to consider.

I am leaning toward the prius since that is likely to save me the most. But I am also seriously considering the Cruze eco because I may enjoy the manual 6 speed more. No option to charge at work for the Volt.

Any opinions?

Sounds like a trip for a 2001 Insight

A Gen I Volt albeit a reliable comfortable ride isn’t ideal for that trip
37 miles electric and 40mpg slice it how you want, now if traffic is often very slow and congested a volt will offer a warm weather range of 50-60 EV miles and 45-50mpg slow, steady and hypermiling And believe me, my work was strongly anti EV with no plug ins allowed, took 9 years but wore them down for access to 110vac in the back 40.
Another important note is that GEN III PRII ARE NOT ANYTHING LIKE GEN II IN TERMS OF RELIABILITY. One mechanic I talked to says his shop averages 3 head jobs a week on Gen iii prii. A Gen I volt is on par with a Gen II Prius ignoring the water gage failure that sets a HV cel

If your feeling BLING the ELR has come way down in price, drives a little further in EV mode than a Volt, much more comfortable but lower MPGs on the highway.

If your going Prius think carefully about your options, I have wanted a V to use as a pickup like craft transport car, but after looking harder I don’t want to mess with it given head issues.
So skip Gen III, find a cherry Gen II or a Gen IV
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...1699/overview/
I’ve seen 2016’s as low as $12000 in Jan/feb just be willing to drive and not be picky on specs.
The only Gen III to consider is the PIP, seen them for $7k on up same price as the non plug in, one I’m aware of had the head issue.

Cruze, if it’s like my Cobalt mid 40’s should be possible on the highway at your speeds, simple cars but chains can require attention

Your call

A Cruze Eco can do 48mpg without too much effort. I'd prob go that route.

Yea I think the cruze is the way to go here. On a recent trip from SoCal to AZ(~350mi), I drove a second iteration first gen volt, I did 75mph the entire way with two stops, one for a restroom break and one for food, and I managed 42mpg. I think 45 would have been possible at 70mph, but I didn't want to go that slow.

The Cruze Eco does not do that well on Fuelly 2014 is the best Cruze year, and the stats have a nice double hump; i guess the right one is the Eco hump, but that is still nowhere near Prius average.
Economy wise the Prius seems the best option, as the EV range of the Volt is too short to compensate for its fuel consumption.

Most of all though as you need to spend hours per day in your car you better have it as comfortable as possible. Out of these 3 choices the Prius wins that too imho, but you got to test what suits you best.

I think the Volt is the most fun to drive, but YMMV. It's probably also the most reliable of the three.

This I will agree with. My roomate is the one that owns the chevy volt I drove, and other than having to replace the charging port (which HE broke by accident) he hasn't had to do anything to it outside of normal maintenance in 130k miles.

Cost per mile is probably best in the volt strictly because of the maintenance. Also, it's super comfortable. I also don't understand the comments about the 'fuel consumption' tradeoffs. Like I said, I got 42 at 75mph with the A/C on. 350ish miles, only 36 was EV, the rest was gas.

Something else is that

“No charging at work” can change

If he can find a free charging spot within walking distance of work the volt wins

Prius will be the MPG king most likely. It's a fine vehicle, although comfort is an important consideration. The Prius does let in a fair amount of road noise, so I don't know how that compares to the Chevy Volt or Cruise.

My current favorite hybrid is the Ford Fusion. It's a smooth, quiet ride, and returns 45 MPG. Toss this into your mix for consideration if the price is comparable.

I truly appreciate everyone's input. I had a mishap today with an icy road and a power pole guy wire. The car is driveable but pretty tore up. Looks like I'll be car shopping tomorrow and buying in the next week or so.

The big thing that bothers me with the Volt is the premium gas requirement.