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New Owner - I've put it through the paces

5K views 18 replies 15 participants last post by  rperich 
#1 ·

FYI: This is not a picture of my car, but one just like it.

I'm the new owner of a 2013 Cyber Grey with everything except Navigator. Here's a little of my experience with the ride so far:

Purchased at Phillips Chevy in Frankfort, IL. Great dealership. Emir was very helpful. I would have bought from Weber Chevy in Columbia if my color was in stock. They were great.

Picked it up on a Friday at 10:30 AM with 9 miles on it. By 4:00 PM, I had driven the car well over 325 miles to Wausau, WI to start out my vacation. I had picked up my sister earlier in the day and she was enjoying being a passenger for a while. She took over the driving duties and gave me some time to goof around with all of the cool features of the car. We stopped to get gas and left the car "running" for the first time. I'm just glad nobody took off with it and it's going to be difficult to get used to not pulling a key out of the ignition!

We met up with the rest of the family and stayed at the Days Inn in Wausau Friday night. Because it's middle Wisconsin, they had plug-ins along the parking lot for engine block heaters, so I was able to get a full charge for the next leg of the trip! On Saturday morning, we added another 120 miles to the odometer and arrived at the lake for some good fishing...

The rest of the week was running into fishing and the occasional run into town. Once I arrived at the cabin, I never had to add gas because I could charge up overnight. The car handled wonderfully on the curvy roads. And since some of the roads are very light traffic, I was able to play around with sport mode and low driving. Love them both!

Came back on the following Friday driving from the upper peninsula of Michigan to the St Louis area all in one day. I needed to add gas to the tank three times during the trip and burned about 26 gallons for a MPG of 38.

Since coming back home, I haven't filled the tank. I went all-electric on the weekend with some short trips around town. On Monday, I took it to work (40.4 miles round trip) and would have gone all-electric if not for a lunch date about 10 miles round trip. I got just over 48 miles electric.

On Tuesday, I decided to see if I could break 50 and actually rode the car very conservatively throughout the day. I reached 54.3 miles on electric only. In fact, I had to drive around the neighborhood for the last 7 miles or so just so I could hit the mark. My wife thinks I am crazy by the way.

When I got in the car today, it showed me having 48 miles of electric available.

Thoughts: I love the car and it is by far one of the most comfortable rides I have owned. I traded from a 2003 Impala and think the ride is better. The car is quieter and handles/feels the road better.

I have decided to drive in "low" mode all of the time. It took me a couple of days to get used to it, but I really like the recapture of that energy and it means I am using the brakes less often. I do have to get used to the idea of pressing the brake peddle even when using it, though, because it does slow up considerably and I don't want to get read-ended.

I haven't yet installed a charger and I don't know if I will or not. To be honest, if I have to burn a little gas because I couldn't get a full charge, then that's what I'll do. I haven't had any issues yet because the 12W charging has refilled me in time every morning so far. But I'm also not using the car at night, so it gets on the juice about 12-13 hours before I have to leave. Plenty of time.

As you can tell, I love the car and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great vehicle. A side benefit is you get to ride electric and probably save money on gas. If you take advantage of the tax credits, you'll really do well. I was able to get my decked-out Volt (MSRP of 43710) for around 24K. When I add in my additional GM Card rebate and trade, I got the car for less than 20K.

A couple of things I don't care for:
1) The hood is difficult to close and you have to be very careful when doing so as to not dent it.
2) The trunk has a two-latch similar to the hood and doesn't always close fully. That's gotten me a couple of times.
3) I'd really like to be able to set the charging speed more easily than it currently is.
4) The front cup holders are way too far back.
5) The touch screen takes away my attention too much and I still haven't figured out how to one-touch to the "Now Playing" screen.

This really is a great car. I really wish those who choose to attack this car for political reasons would take some time to get to know this vehicle and the freedoms it provides our country. I fall on the same political spectrum as many of these naysayers, and I can tell you they are completely off-base about this car.

If you want to attack the policy of the bail-out or the tax credits, that is your prerogative. But you cannot say this car is a poor design or of poor quality. And if you haven't really given this car a chance by taking it for an extended test drive, then you really need to. Take it for a weekend and see how much you like it when you're done. If you can be somewhat objective about the vehicle and not the politics around the car, then I think you'll find you can at minimum tolerate it. More likely, you'll find you really love it.
 
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#2 ·
4) The front cup holders are way too far back.
I will agree with this one, for sure! I am only 5' 3" so I have the driver's seat moved forward quite a bit. When doing this, I have to bend my arm up and outward to reach for the cup holder because it is about even with my hips and not actually visible to me. I thought this was just something I was noticing because I am coming from a minivan where the cup holders are quite far forward, near my knees even with the seat as far forward as I need it, because of the table-like console between the front seats.

But ya know what? For all of the other wonderful things about the Volt, I think I can overlook this one issue! :)

Welcome to the club, by the way! Enjoy!
 
#4 ·
Just a couple of hints..

Dropping the hood from a few inches up (not from All the way lifted, but high Enough) is the best way to close it and get it to latch. You don't want to have to "push" down on the thing, it'll dent for certain. The good news is that you won't (hardly) ever need to open the hood..

The "Back" button on the center stack almost always takes the screen to "now playing". From wherever you might be in the screen (climate, energy, etc.). There are a couple of odd instances where it Doesn't go all the way "back" to the now playing display, but it generally works. You should also play around with the steering wheel controls (on the right side of center) to get used to what They do and how the display indicates what is happening - going all the way to the now playing screen, or even Using the touch screen, isn't always needed. Likewise get used to what the upper main rotary Knob in the center stack does (the lower is always Volume) - another way to make changes without having to tap the screen.

And one other suggestion. In a safe place - deliberately hit the power button twice (same as you would do to go into Sport mode with the Correct "mode" button) while driving along just so that you experience what happens when you make that mistake. If you use sport mode at all you Will eventually hit that power button by mistake, not looking - might as well know how it feels.
 
#9 ·
I will not go under the hood unless absolutely needed... I just wanted to take a look. Luckily, I saw plenty of postings on this site regarding dented hoods and did exactly as suggested with a little extra push on the way down.

I've started to learn about the back button and how handy it is...

Can't wait to try hitting start twice.

One other small nit... the power seat button placement is annoying. Nothing like a warm bottom with the AC running :)
 
#6 ·
I too find the driver's cup holder in my way. I use the backseat right hand cup holder instead.

To close the hood I lower it gently till it touches the latch, then raise it 6"-8" and let it drop.

To close the hatchback I put my right hand into the hand hold and gently lower it until the lip of the gate touches the back of my wrist and then I remove my hand and let it drop.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Congrats on the car. I think you find that you like it as much later as you do when you first get it. It handles nicely, gives you a quiet ride, and is quick off the line. Going to the gas station every few months instead of every few days isn't bad either! LOL

For winding roads it's hard to beat "L" and "Sport" mode.

On whether you need 240v charging, that's a question that time and experience will answer. We have two EVs and charge the Volt on 120v. Even if the battery is totally flat we can get a full charge on 120v without a problem. No rush to get a 240v charger. If you decided you want one you can always do that later.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Darn you bought my grey one....wish I lived in IL as they have great pricing it seems too and selection unlike my local small dealership. One site I have been watching to see how pricing is going on 2013s and eventually 2014s.
Also regarding the denting of the hood on closue, I wonder how many GM dealers we bring the cars to will cause such dents. Just saying often times a lot of young workers that don't pay attention and think its ok just just slam the hood. I would be reminding the service mgr about this when I take mine in..oh wait I have to buy one SOOOOOOON, I promise before 2013 YE.
 
#10 ·
1) The hood is difficult to close and you have to be very careful when doing so as to not dent it.
Best way to securely close the hood without risk of denting it is to drop it from about 10".

5) The touch screen takes away my attention too much and I still haven't figured out how to one-touch to the "Now Playing" screen.
On my 2012MY the "back button" almost always takes me to the "now playing" screen. If not on the first press then on the second.

KNS
 
#12 ·
Thanks... One thing I forgot to mention that your post reminded me of.

My wife had the opportunity to drive the car last Sunday afternoon for about 1/2 hour. She liked it a lot! She told me she'll probably be driving it around anytime its available!

And believe me, it took a lot of convincing for her to let me get this ride! Another convert!
 
#15 ·
For both the hood and the hatch, just let them drop from about 10". They will have enough force to fully latch. No need to push or anything else. The only thing NOT quiet about the Volt is closing the hood or hatch, haha.

I love that color. :)
 
#16 ·
Congratulations.

I've been shopping around for a 2013 and have a price I need to hit that no dealer seems to want to meet. It's ~$9,500 under MSRP, and I don't feel that a $4,500 discount is too much to ask, given the 2014 pricing situation.

Can you give me/us an idea of where you ended up, price-wise? I'm near the IL/WI border, but would be happy to drive to Frankfort for a thousand bucks or so.

Very nosey and demanding first post on my part, if I do say so myself. :D

-Rob

P.S. I think your fishing spot must be near mine. :cool:
 
#18 ·
Phillips came in at around $3550 under MSRP and did a great job financing me, so I saved some money there as well. My trade in was a decent price for the age and miles on my car, but I cannot guarantee they'll do as well with a real trade. Unfortunately, you cannot take advantage of the $3915 credit from Illinois... sorry about that. I believe another post mentioned an additional $500 through labor day?

In any case, they had 50 Volts available about four weeks ago. They have 32 now. If there is a color or certain option package combo you're looking for, time is starting to run out. Get the best deal you can, but I'd be surprised if they would hit $4500 off. Maybe $4K?

P.S. My fishing spot is near Watersmeet, MI. We didn't do as well this year as in year's past. The weather early this year screwed everything up. But I still brought home some fish for the fryer!
 
#17 ·
Congrats on your new Volt! I find that I use L anytime except on the open highway, then I prefer D so it can maximize it's kinetic energy on the rolling hills etc. But as soon as I approach an offramp (or heavy traffic) it goes back into L.

Best shortcut to Now Playing I have found is a 'two button' press. Press the Home (house) icon on the center stack, then the big 'select' button inside the top knob. (select? Menu? I can't remember exactly what the words are on it right now). You don't need to wait to see the screen react either - press those two in quick succession and when the screen catches up it will bring you to Now Playing.
 
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