GM Volt Forum banner

I'm sorry, but I'm leaving you.

14K views 45 replies 28 participants last post by  saghost 
#1 ·
Its been a busy month for me. Since my Volt lease is just a payment from expiration, I had placed a deposit on a BMW i3 about 4 months ago and finally got the allocation phone call, so I preceded try to make a lease deal with the BWM salesmen. Well, that's about as far as we got. In short, for 3 years, they want $830/month with $4500 down for 10k/year miles. Yeah Right!!!!! Its a joke, the residual is almost 50% less then value of car. I'm supposed to pay top dollar because its a BMW, yet its only worth 22k in 3 years??? I could get another volt of course. I love the volt, brag about the volt, support the volt, made many youtube videos about the volt that have been posted here. That said, I feel like a new volt is the same as it was 3 years ago and I don't want to go another 3 years of Volt 1.0 . BTW Where is Volt 2.0? I also need to go a little larger, Volt 1.0 is a little tight and getting worse with kids getting bigger. Surprising, the BMW i3 was smaller on the outside, but truly much bigger on the inside. Car is very cool, it would have been great.…

(to save typing I've cut and pasted from BMW FB blog I belong to)
So after two weeks of investigation…..I'm purchasing a Ford Fusion Energi Titanium. Yes, its only rated at 21 miles on pure EV but it does get 43 MPG in all gas mode. Its also loaded to the hilt. Everything under the sun, including auto parking, blind spot radar, cruise control "radar", heated everything, Navigation, leather, the list goes on and on. I have every option. It is also very large and very sharp looking. I'd argue the best looking PHEV out there. MSRP is 45K.

Since I've owned an EV for 3 years, I think the 21 mile rating may work better than some may think. I drive about 8k miles per year. 90% of the time, I think I drive less then 20 miles per day, but when I don't, I either come back to the house and charge or I blow the norm out of the water. Meaning, if I'm not local, I'm off to NYC and I'm putting 90 mile round trips. I'm also driving at 70 plus MPH. Therefore, I think my rated 43MPG gas car (yes it will be less because of speed) will be pretty good and maybe better than volt. The car is large too. I can put 5 people in it without a problem. Volt was small with only 4. Back seat was really for kids. I pondered several other EVs, the focus being one of them, but I can not risk a non REX vehicle. So, I think this is going to be my car, the only issue for some can be the very small trunk (thats where the battery is located). For me, the wife and kids will use our Toyota Highlander hybrid for long luggage trips.

So here is the best part… LEASE OFFER New left over 2013, 0 down, 3 year, $433/month or New 2014, zero down, 3 years 487/month. That said, how can I say no to Ford?

 

Attachments

See less See more
1 1
#2 ·
Heretic! Unbeliever!

LOL! I am 2 years out from the end of my lease, but if I was in your shoes I would do exactly the same thing. I love my Volt, but it is simply too small for business and I leased it knowing that so I don't complain. (Too much, anyway)
But I do post here mentioning that, in large part because I know GM people read this site. They aren't going to build an EREV Impala just because I ask for one, but they do note how many people are calling for a larger EREV vehicle, whether it be a mid-sized car or a crossover.

And the Ford Fusion Energi looks very, very nice! But I really think the Gen II Volt will come out next year or early in 2016, giving me plenty of time since my lease doesn't end until May of 2016.
 
#5 ·
So after two weeks of investigation…..I'm purchasing a Ford Fusion Energi Titanium.
Seems like a well reasoned choice, the43k. I DO hope you test drove the car before buying it. :)
 
#6 ·
I did.. its very luxurious and comfortable. It does not have the long term power like the volt, actually, if you leave it in Auto mode, the gas engine will come on for similar power, however if you leave it in EV now mode (only EV until batt dead), which is what I will do, its fine until you "get on it" and then you'll find your "**** out of luck" ;).. But the truth be said, most EV minded people aren't looking to put the pedal to the floor. If by chance you have an emergency situation, you can override quickly back to Auto and gas/ev.
 
#7 ·
Congratulations on your choice. I work with a guy that has a Fusion, and I have been very impressed with the quality of the interior. I'm certain you will love the car.

Don't be afraid to keep posting here; many of us will be interested in your Titanium experience.
 
#8 ·
Its been a busy month for me. Since my Volt lease is just a payment from expiration, I had placed a deposit on a BMW i3 about 4 months ago and finally got the allocation phone call, so I preceded try to make a lease deal with the BWM salesmen. Well, that's about as far as we got. In short, for 3 years, they want $830/month with $4500 down for 10k/year miles. Yeah Right!!!!! Its a joke, the residual is almost 50% less then value of car. I'm supposed to pay top dollar because its a BMW, yet its only worth 22k in 3 years???
I'm sure there are many who have managed to endure the BMW acquisition experience, and the cars themselves are great (although the i3 is far away from my personal tastes), but every time I've gone to consider a BMW the salesperson ends up pissing me off. I've found them to be obnoxious and give off a "you'll be lucky if we sell you our car" vibe.

I think you've also experienced why you should never go for a newly launching car with a (in this case, possibly false) high demand. Reality will likely cool BMW's enthusiasm for ripping people off (like not passing on the full tax credit value in the lease).
 
#9 ·
I'm still waiting for them to take the obvious next step - MK Z Energi - which might be in the running for my next car eventually - if I resist the urge for a used model S, of course. Good luck with your Ford. :)
 
#31 ·
I was also hoping they'd adopt it to the MKZ. It's an off-the-shelf powertrain for the same platform, and yet they haven't done so. There's something about the Fusion version that just doesn't draw me in; in part I do not really find the interior very attractive, and I don't particularly like the rear end styling. But the MKZ would have been a really tempting choice if it had a plug. So it ended up being Volt number 2 for me.
 
#10 ·
I agree with the others that the Fusion makes more sense for you. My only question is about the stated MPG. The EPA claimed 47 MPG for the Fushion hybrid, but Consumer Reports could only get 39. I'm wondering if there is a similar discrepancy for the Energi model. Is there a way for you to make sure that the stated MPG for the Fusion Energi is what people are actually experiencing? Maybe go on their discussion board and see what people are saying?
 
#23 ·
Hi, Yonie, the EPA reset the numbers for Ford Fusion Hybrid some time ago. Below is an interesting comparative look utilizing the EPS actual results, now official for the Ford Fusion Energi Plug-In, now at 43 average the Honda and the Chevy volt EREV.

I have staggered the years just a bit to enable feedback from actual owner MPG reports to make this interesting! ( In Blue Lower Screen )

Link Goes To EPA's Fuel Economy Dot GOV-

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find....33557&id=32655


---
---
Individual Owners-

Ford Fusion Energi ------- 87.5 MPG!

Chevy Volt EREV --------- 149.8 MPG!

Best-

Thomas J. Thias

Sundance Chevrolet Inc.

517-622-6081

Twitter.com/AmazingChevVolt
 
#14 ·
I'll be interested to hear his experience, but in theory you can as long as you don't have to accelerate too hard. If you can keep it under 70 kW or so for acceleration, and don't exceed 85 mph, on paper the Energi twins can stay all electric while the battery lasts.
 
#12 ·
I share your pain and excitement. I seriously shopped other cars and it came down to two. The Ford Fusion Energi and the Volt. We ended up purchasing the Volt after many test drives and getting laughed at at the Ford dealership. Quick story.

It really was funny and nothing against Ford. My wife and I wanted to do the "luggage test". So we loaded up our Saturn Outlook and put the luggage we would normally carry for vacation. My wife, myself, and two daughters 7-11We went to the Ford Dealership (this is after driving both the Volt and Energi many times on separate occasions) with our luggage test. Everyone at the Ford dealership was laughing at us, and with us, as we tried to get our luggage into that tiny trunk. It simply was not possible. It was hilarious. I tried every way possible to do it. I really liked the Energi for many reasons as I liked the Volt as well, but they are different in many ways. Obviously the luggage, not matter how hard I tried would simply not fit.

So off to the Chevy dealership. I walked in and couldn't find a single person. I finally walked down one of the long hallways and finally found a person and told him not to laugh that my wife and I wanted to do the luggage test. He said sure, and gave me the fob and pointed me on my way to a Volt. I went back out to our Saturn, brought our luggage to the Volt (parked right in front of the dealership window). I popped open the hatch and put every single piece of luggage into the Volt on the first try, I took it out and rearranged it a couple of times, each time with room to spare. I turned and looked inside the window and behold, the whole window was full of workers watching me. It was very funny as they were all watching me do the luggage test (wonder where they were when I walked in?).

Story is. This is the moment that fully swayed us into the Volt. It passed the luggage test!
 
#13 ·
So, BMW has a 22k 3 year residual on the i3, and who gets to keep the $7,500 tax credit, BMW?

You could pay off a Volt, for a lower monthly than you were quoted, WITHOUT putting anything down.

I think options are very poorly developed right now, for a lease to expire. The i3's aren't even customizable until this summer, now. Nissan is making waves about a 150mile leaf, and it will be even longer before batteries, that are smaller than the energi, start showing up in VW PHEVs.

And there you have it. Fusion Energi, or like someone else said, the Honda hybrid Accord. I just can't help the feeling Ford and Honda are happy your choices were limited. Maybe 8k/yr will work, for you. It's a nice interior. Congrats.
 
#21 ·
I would like to see the Energi use new tech batteries and slightly stronger motor to get Volt like AER. Which would also let GM do an 80 mile AER Volt.
 
#22 ·
The Energi is a good compromise for current technology. I don't see anything better at the moment in the Plug In area with its size. "Focusing on its size and competition". The trunk simply killed it for us. We would have almost certainly purchased the Ford if it had passed the luggage test :) Having said that, I really enjoy the Volt, but would have preferred the space and amenities that the Energi offered, and the kids really wanted the rear air vents in the Ford (I don't blame them).
 
#25 ·
Congrats on your new vehicle and I'm glad your buying American. Please drop by from time to time and report on your experiences.

Cheers
 
#26 ·
I'm glad you're going with a Ford. My previous car was a Toyota Solara and I figured I'd be buying Toyota's forever. But I've changed my mind about American cars. My Volt seems very well made. It does have an intermittent rattle in the hatchback latch area that goes away after a while. We'll see what it's like in a year or two.
 
#35 ·
I'm glad you're going with a Ford. My previous car was a Toyota Solara and I figured I'd be buying Toyota's forever. But I've changed my mind about American cars. My Volt seems very well made......
I echo this - I traded in a 98 windstar on my volt, with 230,000 miles- that's 230,000 trouble free miles over 15 years- with no major maintenance or failures, (I did have to replace the IMRC actuators each once- but they reallly should have been scheduled 90,000 maintenance...) That after my Sienna buying friends all said- "oh don't buy the windstar- x- or y or z will fail.-- They of course traded in after 5 or 6 years. Iwould have bought another 98 windstar new if I could have....
 
#27 ·
the43k,

I seem to remember you posting photos of a Volt customized with someone smashing an oil barrel with a sledgehammer. I wasn't aware it was a lease. Any issues with this customization as your lease comes to an end?
 
#42 · (Edited)
Depends on your definition of practical. Fusion Energi has little usable trunk space. 1/2 the electric range of the Volt. Cannot accelerate onto the freeway with out running the gas engine. For my needs the Volt is far MORE practical than Fusion Energi.

If you need 5 seats... The Fusion Energi wins. In all other respects... Volt wins.
 
#33 ·
I looked at the Fusion Energi when the lease was coming close to ending on my 2011 Volt. While the interior was quite plush and roomy, I was not impressed by the almost complete lack of trunk space. The rear seats fold down, but all that does is provide a small slit that might be good to transport skis, but not much else. Therefore, when my lease ended I leased a new 2014 Volt. I'm very happy with my choice.
 
#36 ·
I would consider trading in my GMC Terrain for a Fusion Energi, but the trunk space kills that. No way we could go camping or any kind of trip where we needed to haul a lot of stuff that is too much for the Volt.

I keep waiting for a PHEV mid size SUV....*sigh*
 
#37 · (Edited)
A friend of mine here will not like what I say, but here it comes.

To throw in my worthless 2¢ I find the Fusion and most Ford models rather ugly both inside and out. The grill from Aston Martin is a lipstick on a pig. The rear end of the car is too tame, the dashboard and instrument cluster are horrendously and unnecessarily busy. The Sync entertainment/navigation system is equally convoluted and hard to use. Even though there may be room for a small third person in the back, and quite a bit more room in the front, with the giant battery in the trunk I consider the Fusion Energi sedan significantly less practical than a Volt.

The Fusion Energi is more of a hybrid than an EV as its electric prowess are severely limited in terms of range and performance. Ford has let us all down by not making and selling serious plugins.

With all of that said, any car with a plug is better than one without so Ford should be cautiously commended for having three models on sale nationwide including the Focus Electric (GM, get a clue with the SparkEV) and encouraged to do more.
 
#38 ·
I see your point of view. However, GM "may" have placed all it's eggs into 1 basket. Ford on the other hand is able to offer a larger variety of hybrids/EV's since they use the same arcitecture of it's current gasoline lineup. GM made a huge investment into the Volt, but was it too far given the current ev climate? Ford have played cautiously into this but in a better position since EV's in general have shown lack luster sales. Nobody knows the future for Volt, and thats all GM really has at the moment. Even that isnt saying a lot.
 
#39 ·
One of the things that is great about this site is the tolerance of dissent and the relative lack of vilification of the competition. It is so easy to descend to fanboy types of behavior, yet knowledgeable Volt owners here frequently advise potential buyers that the Volt isnt for everyone. That is not only cool, it is relatively rare.
 
#40 ·
This is one of the reasons I still check this forum out after all these years. The tone is generally pretty civil and the discussion tends towards the rational most of the time. Thank you members and moderators!
 
#43 ·
I'm really interested in the BMW i3, but if the mentioned lease prices are real, that's just crazy talk! I'm OK with the price of the car, but the lease numbers are far over consideration.

BTW, they finally opened the Tesla store nearby. I think I'll hold onto my 2013 Volt for a while longer, but one of these days, the Tesla or i3 might tempt me away.
 
#44 ·
I too considered the Energi twins when I was shopping. I was only considering American made and the number of rear seats didn't really matter to me so it was down to the Cmax Energi, Fusion Energi or the Volt. I have owned mostly Ford products in the last 20+ years so I was starting to lean towards the Cmax Energi. With the Energi twins though I just couldn't get past the limited all EV range. My commute is 36 miles round trip with no opportunity to charge at work. I would have to burn gas for almost half of my commute everyday. I am soooooo glad I chose the Volt. I absolutely love the electric drive and have managed to burn less than 6 gallons of gas in almost 11 months of ownership (and most of that was on one fairly short road trip). With a short, less than 20 mile, round trip commute on surface streets where the Energi models can support "EV only" better, the Ford might have worked. For my particular circumstances though, the Volt has been exceptional!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top