My mom bought me this as a first car, and I love it. Its the best car I think I'll ever own. I've driven a lot of cars, but this one is tops. And it pretty well blows everyone off the line at the red lights. I just wish everyone else could have as much fun in it as I do.
This was a very good review. Ross hit the nail on the head with a key benefit of electric vehicles - max TORQUE. I have seen 3 Volts in 3 weeks in Atlanta. I haven't been impressed with some of the old GM's products, but I have been impressed with their new products. THis one is starting to grow on me.
Ross is Amazing! I have read every review, watched every video review I came across and Ross was the only reviewer to make me feel like i just test drove this car! Now 6 gas tank isn't that big if your traveling cross country but that's not what this car is for is it. GM DID THE RIGHT thing with the range extender gas tank. Until there is a charging station on every corner ST. And the batteries get a 200 mile range we need alternative power source. The Leaf scares me and I only drive 100 miles
@BigBoss13198 It depends on where you live. It's being released in phases in certain parts of the country. It probably hasn't been released in your area yet.
@F117DJS I think you miss the point. The Volt get between 25 - 50 miles using the battery only (i.e. infinite MPG). After the battery is depleted it's ~ 37 mpg. So 90/95 mpg is misleading, because you might be 250/500 mpg. The Prius and Leaf and basically econo cars compared to this. If you upgrade the Leaf and Prius to their highest levels they will still feel cheaper and be in the same ballpark as the Volt's cost. Test drive one and you'll see it's very different.
We've had our volt since December 2011. We've put 25,000 miles on it and do a lot of driving and can only charge at night. My wife's commute is 140 miles a day and she gets about 70 mpg according to the car. If she could plug in at work she'd do a lot better. Cars very cool and we save thousands a year on gas.
I understand the differences between the various hybrid modes: electric only, gas-primary or electric-primary. But is any one 'better' or generally more efficient than the others?
Very nice review. As MonsterLoverist points out, however, it is a 9.3 gallon tank, not 5 as the reviewer stated. However, otherwise, I'd say this review very much coresponds with my experience, as a '13 Volt owner. Great car! If you haven't driven one, and have any interest, try to go to your local Chevy dealer and take one for a test drive. I think you'll be impressed.
@noriceformeplz The Volt get's 25-50+ miles on electric only depending on how you drive it. Also the Leaf is only ~ $4k less than a Volt. You must have missed the price hike. The top line Volt ~ $46k - $7.5k tax rebate = $38.5. Leaf ~ $39k - $7.5k = $32.5k. The difference is $6k and that doesn't include the necessary 240V charger you'll need for the Leaf, not as necessary for the Volt. Unless you're willing to wait 20 hrs to fully charge the Leaf.
Great, this is the future. But one thing he did not mention anything about. How expensive is the maintenance for this car? price wise, is it worth it as compared to a Honda Insight? Will your electric bill go up and replace your gas expense? How long or miles will that battery last for? How much will be to replace the battery and available everywhere and fast to replace and get? Will I save myself more money having my 2006 Honda accord 4 cylinder which runs 100% good? I spend $40-60 on gas.
Great, this is the future. But one thing he did not mention anything about. How expensive is the maintenance for this car? price wise, is it worth it as compared to a Honda Insight? Will your electric bill go up and replace your gas expense? How long or miles will that battery last for? How much will be to replace the battery and available everywhere and fast to replace and get? Will I save myself more money having my 2006 Honda accord 4 cylinder which runs 100% good?
My main beef with the Volt IS that blacked out portion under the side windows. I can't stand how it's trying to look like the windows are larger, when they aren't. Look at the bottom of the window and where it lines up with Ross during his drive. Somewhere around his shoulder/neck.
@Zinizzle Yeah, I had considered buying a Maxima but it doesn't come with a manual transmission anymore. I know the manual is 125-year-old technology but so is the internal combustion engine. Besides, I don't feel like I'm REALLY driving unless I can shift -- and paddle shifters don't count. ;^)
I think the nissan leaf is a much simpler and better car than the volt. Hopefully they will come up with much better mileage in future versions of the leaf ...
I am on my 2nd Prius. This one is a 2007. 1st was 2002. I have 83,000 now. I had 85,000 on the trade in. We paid $35,000 for this 2007. 48-50 mpg on both. The seats on the Volt are more like a Caddy. Toyota-NOT. I am now looking at a 2011 Volt priced out at $33,000 out the door. 1400 miles. $42,000 new price. They used this beautiful blk on the blk leather for a demo with VOLT on the sides as a silver decal. Comments? I also drive a 2008 Dodge Sprinter. It is for sale.
Storage is small. Back seats are tight. I believe it is a Caddy chassis. Jay Leno says "I have 10,500 miles on it and 88 miles are used by gas. He drives the car every day. It is his daily get around car."
The Volt looks so much better in black. I really don't care for the disjointed lower body cladding along the doors or the lower window trim. It just makes it look odd on a white car.
@sebasitsme Maintenance is low, batteries warranteed for 10 years. Cost with incentives is in the $32K range and with savings in energy you are going to spend about the same if you bought a Cruze and paid for gas. Cost of electric is less than gas - it costs me about $2.65 to go 100 miles. At my local station, gas is $4.25/gallon so it would cost over $13 to go that distance on gasoline assuming your car got 32 MPG.
One other correction, or correction #4, ( see my last post ) is that the Volt's cargo area is roughly that of a current Prius - seats up, and/or down. One note worth taking is that the Volt is a four-seater, not five like Prius or Leaf. That said, you also misclaimed Leaf has more cargo room - In fact, it has MUCH LESS. There is a large deep hole in the Leaf cargo area, with a 14" rise - making NO FLAT FLOOR with seats down. Pls. get your facts straight next time - as you will lose credibility.
Wait...why like the Volt concept (being a extended range vehicle) -Once the electric motor cuts out gets only 37 mpg?(isnt 95/90mpg misleading) -Seats only 4 people? -Has less space than other hybrid/electric cars? -It cost more than its competition? -And at $40,000 feels cheaper than the 20k less Chevy Cruze? -So why not buy a Curze Eco? (has 28/42 mpg, has better quality, less expensive,And seats 5). So would you still buy a volt? and why?
@Igreen5 obviously not possible for the increase of accleration youd need less weight = lower saftey + worse gas mileage probably would be like 45 mpg. I they actually did that i wouldnt hesitate to buy it
WHY DON'T THEY(G.M.) CREATE A SOLAR PANEL RECHARGING SHELL OR XO-SKIN AROUND THE ENTIRE CAR, FOR CONTINUOUS DAYTIME BATTERY RECHARGING AND MAXIMUM DRIVING RANGE / EXTENDED USE...???
AM I the only guy that loves this car and wants one and would love it? i wish it came in a traditional wagon instead of a lame half ass hatch back and it should get atleast 100 miles on a charge , if not even 50 , i mean if it cant get the equivilant of 4 gallons of gas ,or $15 or even $7.50 for 50 miles, it's not much of a selling point , 35 miles per gallon thats like a gallon and a half worth of gas , but it does add up , i'm just saying that in the next generation the range should improve
They're doing the best with what they have. This car is great, but those who try and destroy its reputation are corporations paid by oil companies because if this had a great reputation and everyone were to drive it, imagine the millions that will be lost in profit. Drive one, then you'll like it. If you haven't driven it, don't complain.
I like the concept of this car and I think the execution was good apart from the range on electric only energy and the fact that it's a four seater. However, when you can get a fully loaded leaf for 27k after tax, spending 35-37k for this seems really steep.
Until the price drops on this car, it is really going to be hard to sell this to people who aren't trying to make an environmental statement with their cars.
This car isn't THAT bad. I was pretty critical of it on saabkyle04's video but it's easy to criticize stuff. I still won't ever buy it but it does have some cool technology.
To be honest, for that money the car should be a Buick or have a straight up Buick clone. FYI GM okay'ed Cadillac's Voltec Coupe the ELR. Expect that in a year or two. Also Akerson has been pushing the engineers to develop a much less expensive "Ver 2.0" Voltec. So think VOLT 2.0 costing $30K instead of $40K. But the problem remains the cost of the batteries which make up about $12K of the cost of the VOLT.
With all respect - Your facts are all to often wrong. 1) Volt's gas tank holds 9.3, not " a tiny tank holding 6 gal ". 2) the 93mpg on electric only graphic and statement is wrong. EPA's rating is 93MPGe - the e meaning "equivelent" give or take the cost of electricity where u live. In essence, many who go 40 miles per day gas free are getting hundreds of miles per gal. and more! 3) Volt DOES NOT come with a cell phone! It's an APP - just an APP from GM and OnStar to manage charge, etc
If they were charging $65k+ I'm sure they could. For everybody else this is a stepping stone to electric. They'll get there, it's just going to take a while.
@Hahaitssayed Ross = straight forward no nonsense good review. The other guys are good to, but Ross has turned into the go to guy now that there is no more Jessie.
I'd buy one if it were $10k cheaper and had some long-term reliability records behind it. Unfortunately for GM, there is a plug-in competitor that IS $10K cheaper and has proven itself very reliable...the Toyota Prius. I know GM has a lot of R&D costs to recover with this model, but they really need to take it on the chin and get as many of these these cars out on the road as possible.
your really just gonna go by what one review said? if you go on the chevy volt forum where real people with chevy volts are they all say they get around 40+ on a single charge even with driving a little hard
Are you sure the phone comes with the car?? That looks like a Samsung, and I'm sure Samsung didn't partner up with Chevrolet. I think you meant phone APP not phone.
When fuel efficiency and drag coefficients are the driving forces in a vehicles' design, looks are somewhat limited to accommodate physics. The Volt has a very similar profile to the Prius (or Nissan Leaf) and none are particularly beautiful to look at. I would not pay $44k for a Volt even with a Federal $7,500 subsidy. That is simply too much money for a small car.
My favorite car reviewer by far. Straight forward, doesn't sound like he's trying to entertain, just the info.
Yes!!! I wanted a review from Roadfly on the Volt. I'm going off to college soon, and it's a car i'm definitely considering.
Another Great Video by Ross! Thank You Roadfly!
My mom bought me this as a first car, and I love it. Its the best car I think I'll ever own. I've driven a lot of cars, but this one is tops. And it pretty well blows everyone off the line at the red lights. I just wish everyone else could have as much fun in it as I do.
This was a very good review. Ross hit the nail on the head with a key benefit of electric vehicles - max TORQUE. I have seen 3 Volts in 3 weeks in Atlanta. I haven't been impressed with some of the old GM's products, but I have been impressed with their new products. THis one is starting to grow on me.
Ross is Amazing! I have read every review, watched every video review I came across and Ross was the only reviewer to make me feel like i just test drove this car! Now 6 gas tank isn't that big if your traveling cross country but that's not what this car is for is it. GM DID THE RIGHT thing with the range extender gas tank. Until there is a charging station on every corner ST. And the batteries get a 200 mile range we need alternative power source. The Leaf scares me and I only drive 100 miles
Good review Ross. I just watched your video review of the Honda Civic Si from 07. You have lost weight !
@BigBoss13198 It depends on where you live. It's being released in phases in certain parts of the country. It probably hasn't been released in your area yet.
@F117DJS I think you miss the point. The Volt get between 25 - 50 miles using the battery only (i.e. infinite MPG). After the battery is depleted it's ~ 37 mpg. So 90/95 mpg is misleading, because you might be 250/500 mpg. The Prius and Leaf and basically econo cars compared to this. If you upgrade the Leaf and Prius to their highest levels they will still feel cheaper and be in the same ballpark as the Volt's cost. Test drive one and you'll see it's very different.
We've had our volt since December 2011. We've put 25,000 miles on it and do a lot of driving and can only charge at night. My wife's commute is 140 miles a day and she gets about 70 mpg according to the car. If she could plug in at work she'd do a lot better. Cars very cool and we save thousands a year on gas.
@Artyfil do you mean the ford taurus looks like the chevy volt? The volt was designed before the ford.
Great review Ross.
I understand the differences between the various hybrid modes: electric only, gas-primary or electric-primary.
But is any one 'better' or generally more efficient than the others?
Very nice review.
As MonsterLoverist points out, however, it is a 9.3 gallon tank, not 5 as the reviewer stated.
However, otherwise, I'd say this review very much coresponds with my experience, as a '13 Volt owner.
Great car! If you haven't driven one, and have any interest, try to go to your local Chevy dealer and take one for a test drive.
I think you'll be impressed.
i have never seen one of these on the road ever since its debut.. this car is more rare than a six figure exotic.
Excellent report. Fair...balanced...professional. Two Thumbs Up from me!
@noriceformeplz The Volt get's 25-50+ miles on electric only depending on how you drive it. Also the Leaf is only ~ $4k less than a Volt. You must have missed the price hike. The top line Volt ~ $46k - $7.5k tax rebate = $38.5. Leaf ~ $39k - $7.5k = $32.5k. The difference is $6k and that doesn't include the necessary 240V charger you'll need for the Leaf, not as necessary for the Volt. Unless you're willing to wait 20 hrs to fully charge the Leaf.
Nice review on the Volt.
It is not a bad car for what it does.
Great, this is the future. But one thing he did not mention anything about. How expensive is the maintenance for this car? price wise, is it worth it as compared to a Honda Insight? Will your electric bill go up and replace your gas expense? How long or miles will that battery last for? How much will be to replace the battery and available everywhere and fast to replace and get? Will I save myself more money having my 2006 Honda accord 4 cylinder which runs 100% good? I spend $40-60 on gas.
and I really like his Volt Review
Great, this is the future. But one thing he did not mention anything about. How expensive is the maintenance for this car? price wise, is it worth it as compared to a Honda Insight? Will your electric bill go up and replace your gas expense? How long or miles will that battery last for? How much will be to replace the battery and available everywhere and fast to replace and get? Will I save myself more money having my 2006 Honda accord 4 cylinder which runs 100% good?
I wish you guys would send Ross to Frankfurt so he could do some nice coverage of the motorshow. I think I would even pay to see his reviews.
I love the Volt. I think GM has done a great job on this (for a change)
That would take so much money and what would you do if it hails on the panel?
My main beef with the Volt IS that blacked out portion under the side windows. I can't stand how it's trying to look like the windows are larger, when they aren't. Look at the bottom of the window and where it lines up with Ross during his drive. Somewhere around his shoulder/neck.
@jofe901
Be prepared for a long wait. Jessi left Road Fly around Feb of this year.
So they give you a phone? Do you have to make payments on the phone or is it included with a OnStar package?
the phone doesn't really come with the car, GM included that in the test I guess for you to test the app...
@WesSeid Actully its subsidized to the tune of $250,000. EACH. Google chevy volt 250 000.
How does this car stack up against Nissans Leaf? If you had to pick one which would it be?
@Zinizzle Yeah, I had considered buying a Maxima but it doesn't come with a manual transmission anymore. I know the manual is 125-year-old technology but so is the internal combustion engine. Besides, I don't feel like I'm REALLY driving unless I can shift -- and paddle shifters don't count. ;^)
Why does it has to be a Hatch Back Ross?
I'm just curious.
When the trunk was open it looked like some exotic range rover coupe hatch back lol
I think the nissan leaf is a much simpler and better car than the volt. Hopefully they will come up with much better mileage in future versions of the leaf ...
Great review! Thanks!
I am on my 2nd Prius. This one is a 2007. 1st was 2002. I have 83,000 now. I had 85,000 on the trade in. We paid $35,000 for this 2007. 48-50 mpg on both. The seats on the Volt are more like a Caddy. Toyota-NOT. I am now looking at a 2011 Volt priced out at $33,000 out the door. 1400 miles. $42,000 new price. They used this beautiful blk on the blk leather for a demo with VOLT on the sides as a silver decal. Comments? I also drive a 2008 Dodge Sprinter. It is for sale.
Ours didn't come with a phone. Our iPhones run it off the onstar app which is free on the AppStore
Very nice car, and great review as well
Looks like the Opel Ampera... it looks a bit ugly, but i did enjoy your review of it. Roadflytv & Saabkyle04 are the best car reviewers.
Storage is small. Back seats are tight. I believe it is a Caddy chassis. Jay Leno says "I have 10,500 miles on it and 88 miles are used by gas. He drives the car every day. It is his daily get around car."
I really like mr. Rapaport
The Volt looks so much better in black. I really don't care for the disjointed lower body cladding along the doors or the lower window trim. It just makes it look odd on a white car.
did you say the phone comes with the car?
It comes with a PDA?
How bout some reviews for the new chrysler products. ie. 200, 300, charger, or challenger maybe?
@roadflytv what happened to jessi lane?
@robincrack786 what about Tom Voelk, who does the drivencarreviews?
@sebasitsme Maintenance is low, batteries warranteed for 10 years. Cost with incentives is in the $32K range and with savings in energy you are going to spend about the same if you bought a Cruze and paid for gas. Cost of electric is less than gas - it costs me about $2.65 to go 100 miles. At my local station, gas is $4.25/gallon so it would cost over $13 to go that distance on gasoline assuming your car got 32 MPG.
please put out more videos a week...
I remember reading about this on Autoblog, I thought this car would NEVER exsist.
I would like to see more exotics, such as Maserati, being reviewed
Please test drive the 2012 VW Jetta GLI.
I wonder how much GM is losing per Volt.
Also I have seen one volt. It was on the back of a trailer.
One other correction, or correction #4, ( see my last post ) is that the Volt's cargo area is roughly that of a current Prius - seats up, and/or down. One note worth taking is that the Volt is a four-seater, not five like Prius or Leaf. That said, you also misclaimed Leaf has more cargo room - In fact, it has MUCH LESS. There is a large deep hole in the Leaf cargo area, with a 14" rise - making NO FLAT FLOOR with seats down. Pls. get your facts straight next time - as you will lose credibility.
Wait...why like the Volt concept (being a extended range vehicle)
-Once the electric motor cuts out gets only 37 mpg?(isnt 95/90mpg misleading)
-Seats only 4 people?
-Has less space than other hybrid/electric cars?
-It cost more than its competition?
-And at $40,000 feels cheaper than the 20k less Chevy Cruze?
-So why not buy a Curze Eco? (has 28/42 mpg, has better quality, less expensive,And seats 5). So would you still buy a volt? and why?
@Igreen5 obviously not possible for the increase of accleration youd need less weight = lower saftey + worse gas mileage probably would be like 45 mpg. I they actually did that i wouldnt hesitate to buy it
I'm with you MrEnergy....I will never understand it.
Roadflyyyy when will you make a 2011/2012 Chrysler 300 review!?!?
WHY DON'T THEY(G.M.) CREATE A SOLAR PANEL RECHARGING SHELL OR XO-SKIN AROUND THE ENTIRE CAR, FOR CONTINUOUS DAYTIME BATTERY RECHARGING AND MAXIMUM DRIVING RANGE / EXTENDED USE...???
AM I the only guy that loves this car and wants one and would love it?
i wish it came in a traditional wagon instead of a lame half ass hatch back and it should get atleast 100 miles on a charge , if not even 50 , i mean if it cant get the equivilant of 4 gallons of gas ,or $15 or even $7.50 for 50 miles,
it's not much of a selling point , 35 miles per gallon thats like a gallon and a half worth of gas , but it does add up , i'm just saying that in the next generation the range should improve
Why can't they get the millage per charge up to where the Tesla cars are at?
The Chevy Volt gets 40 miles on Battery electricity. Then it offers 35 MPG. Awesome!!
car looks nice
They're doing the best with what they have. This car is great, but those who try and destroy its reputation are corporations paid by oil companies because if this had a great reputation and everyone were to drive it, imagine the millions that will be lost in profit. Drive one, then you'll like it. If you haven't driven it, don't complain.
yo where's Emme Hall at?
I like the concept of this car and I think the execution was good apart from the range on electric only energy and the fact that it's a four seater. However, when you can get a fully loaded leaf for 27k after tax, spending 35-37k for this seems really steep.
where is the boss 302 review?!?!?!?!?
I like Ross but i want to see another Emme or Elizabeth review. :)
comes with a phone?
These are sooo much better looking than the Leaf.
Wait a phone comes with the car? 3:00
Until the price drops on this car, it is really going to be hard to sell this to people who aren't trying to make an environmental statement with their cars.
This car isn't THAT bad. I was pretty critical of it on saabkyle04's video but it's easy to criticize stuff. I still won't ever buy it but it does have some cool technology.
@ronaldom1121 your right
This is actually a practical vehicle because all electric cars out there are not really ready for the road
To be honest, for that money the car should be a Buick or have a straight up Buick clone.
FYI GM okay'ed Cadillac's Voltec Coupe the ELR. Expect that in a year or two. Also Akerson has been pushing the engineers to develop a much less expensive "Ver 2.0" Voltec. So think VOLT 2.0 costing $30K instead of $40K.
But the problem remains the cost of the batteries which make up about $12K of the cost of the VOLT.
someone please explain the phone
Isn't the Tank 9 Gallons?
for me ill still use a gasoline car and wait until the electric cars are fully developed like if the leaf could like up to 200-300mi a charge.
With all respect - Your facts are all to often wrong. 1) Volt's gas tank holds 9.3, not " a tiny tank holding 6 gal ". 2) the 93mpg on electric only graphic and statement is wrong. EPA's rating is 93MPGe - the e meaning "equivelent" give or take the cost of electricity where u live. In essence, many who go 40 miles per day gas free are getting hundreds of miles per gal. and more! 3) Volt DOES NOT come with a cell phone! It's an APP - just an APP from GM and OnStar to manage charge, etc
If they were charging $65k+ I'm sure they could. For everybody else this is a stepping stone to electric. They'll get there, it's just going to take a while.
I would buy one besides the last gen malibu
@zaneacademy but the Volt has more hours of fun for the whole family than the Leaf, even if a teenager can ride a bike
ill buy one of these cars when the price drops to around 20k
@soyntgo4it of course it's that time of year again...
Wish they had put a higher capacity battery and a smaller gas engine in this.
@Hahaitssayed Ross = straight forward no nonsense good review. The other guys are good to, but Ross has turned into the go to guy now that there is no more Jessie.
I'd buy one if it were $10k cheaper and had some long-term reliability records behind it.
Unfortunately for GM, there is a plug-in competitor that IS $10K cheaper and has proven itself very reliable...the Toyota Prius.
I know GM has a lot of R&D costs to recover with this model, but they really need to take it on the chin and get as many of these these cars out on the road as possible.
@robincrack786 you forgot Tom Voelk of Driven car reviews because he is a 3rd genuine reviewer in youtube
i feel the same way !!! i need help to stop considering one
your really just gonna go by what one review said? if you go on the chevy volt forum where real people with chevy volts are they all say they get around 40+ on a single charge even with driving a little hard
is it just me or does the front end kinda resemble a new ford taurus?
i am glad that red hair lady don't do review , she is so unprofessional.
this is how i like my information presented
thank you Road Fly
7 people who drove the Leaf
Are you sure the phone comes with the car?? That looks like a Samsung, and I'm sure Samsung didn't partner up with Chevrolet. I think you meant phone APP not phone.
what is it with people and hatchbacks it takes away space.
For what Ross lacks in stature and footwear he makes up for in reviewing prowess. Good things come in small packages
I lug my 14'' around with ease
You got a 40k car as your first car?? That's ridiculous
When fuel efficiency and drag coefficients are the driving forces in a vehicles' design, looks are somewhat limited to accommodate physics. The Volt has a very similar profile to the Prius (or Nissan Leaf) and none are particularly beautiful to look at. I would not pay $44k for a Volt even with a Federal $7,500 subsidy. That is simply too much money for a small car.