Why someone ISN'T going to buy a Chevy Volt

[Christ]

Originally Posted by cfg83

superchow -



Good catch. It's strictly a 4-seater, so seating is not the issue.

Here is my uneducated guess. We don't see the horizontal cover panel that hides what's in the trunk. I can easily imagine a center piece attached to the trunk cover that is removeable and/or hinged to flip out of the way.

CarloSW2

That white-ish handle on the left rear side panel appears to be the cargo cover you're looking for? Possibly, unless it's a hard deck tray like many other hatchback cars have.

I don't really see an issue with not having a center panel between the seats, honestly. It's not like the 6" wide opening is enough to actually see what's in the trunk area, and in a hatchback, the trunk is never truly separate from the seating area anyway. I'm sure someone will complain that it looks incorrect, though.

[lilcivic]

Besides that, the Nissan Leaf beats the Chevrolet Volt in any possible comparable manor. Anyone who purchases a Volt when they could have got a Leaf is absolutely foolish!

[texanidiot25]

Originally Posted by lilcivic

Besides that, the Nissan Leaf beats the Chevrolet Volt in any possible comparable manor. Anyone who purchases a Volt when they could have got a Leaf is absolutely foolish!

Unless you plan to carry more than two passengers or wish to go road tripping.

[lilcivic]

I can understand the road trip part, due to the volt being a hybrid and not a EV. But as far as the passenger cabin, the volt does not have any more useable space.

[gone-ot]

...the battery-pack is located "under" the hump, and bolts UP from the bottom.

[texanidiot25]

Originally Posted by lilcivic

I can understand the road trip part, due to the volt being a hybrid and not a EV. But as far as the passenger cabin, the volt does not have any more useable space.

It is not a hybrid in the traditional sense. The gas motor is only there to power the batteries, not the wheels. "Extended range" EV is what they call it I guess. An EV that can continue after the battery is discharged unlike the Leaf. Also, it has 4 seats and a fairly useful trunk (it's no Buick, but more than adequate). The Leaf to my knowledge is just a two-seater. Bashing the Volt because it has an advantage that doesn't make it a "pure" EV is just silly. They made it practical for an average consumer. Made for much longer commuting than the essentially city-only Leaf.




In the end, my apple is just better than your orange.

[bennelson]

Originally Posted by texanidiot25

It is not a hybrid in the traditional sense....... The gas motor is only there to power the batteries, not the wheels......The Leaf to my knowledge is just a two-seater...... Made for much longer commuting than the essentially city-only Leaf............
In the end, my apple is just better than your orange.

Hey! No spreading mis-information please!

1) The Volt IS a Hybrid - if you want to get really technical, it's a "plug-in serial hybrid". The engine ONLY runs electricity to the electric motor - you still have to plug it in to recharge it.

2) The Leaf seats 5. It is a 5 door (four doors plus hatch.)

3) As for "Made for much longer commuting..." - If your commute is 50 miles each way every day, I would consider that fairly far, but it could still be done with the Leaf. I would NOT consider 100 miles to be "city only".
Three-quarters of all Americans commute less than 40 miles per day. A Leaf can do 100 miles. Therefore, the Volt is really aimed at people who have a need to go farther than 100 miles per day, or have "Range Anxiety". - Essentially using the fear of what a car may or may not be able to do, to sell more of a certain style of car.


I do agree with the apples and oranges statement. Volt vs Leaf are two different styles of cars. However, for many people the Leaf will be a very good choice.



References:
Chevy Volt OFFICIAL page
Nissan Leaf Official Page

Please note that GM-Volt: Chevy Volt Electric Car Site has a disclaimer at the bottom saying that it is in NO WAY related to GM. It is a private page which is a rumor-mill/fun place to talk about the Volt.

[NeilBlanchard]

The Volt, from the looks of the interior, seems to be a rather cramped 4-seater, actually. Typical for GM, it has "fat" seats and that *hump* down the middle (where some of the batteries are) is quite a big intrusion. The layout of the Leaf battery under the floor is *much* better, IMO.

[cfg83]

Neil -

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

The Volt, from the looks of the interior, seems to be a rather cramped 4-seater, actually. Typical for GM, it has "fat" seats and that *hump* down the middle (where some of the batteries are) is quite a big intrusion. The layout of the Leaf battery under the floor is *much* better, IMO.

Yeah, it's definitely a 4-seater. The hump is a legacy design solution from the EV1. It probably made more sense "back in the day" when RWD cars had similar (albiet smaller) driveline humps.

CarloSW2

[Christ]

I think that the seating arrangement is there in part to touch on the familiarity of a sport sedan, to make the Volt seem more like traditional GM family-sport vehicles.