SoDGVolt

I've previously owned a 2002 gen-1 Prius, a 2004 gen-2 Prius, and a 2001 2-seat Honda Insight 3-banger. I purchased a "loaded" (both safety packages/leather seats/Nav/Bose speakers/upgraded wheels) 2013 Volt at the end of November, 2012, after test driving both it and the C-Max Energi. I've been thoroughly pleased with that purchase. :) Counting against the Volt were the 4 passenger capacity, strongly recommended use of premium and "Top-Tier" gasoline, and the sticker price (before credits and discounts) as against the C-Max Energi. Counting against the C-Max Energi was its odd storage space and higher center of gravity, both due to location of the high voltage battery. I've recently seen a couple of Fusions on the road and I actually slightly prefer the exterior appearance of the Volt. Obviously, that's a highly subjective matter. I've also read on this blogsite that the Fusion's pass-through from the trunk into the passenger compartment is not very functional. With the Volt's rear seats folded down and the center rear console removed with the push of a button, the usable space is ample for virtually all of our needs. The Volt can carry 10' long plumbing and/or electrical pipes (but obviously not a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood which is the rare situation when my wife's minivan comes in handy). Today (4/6/2013) is the warmest day (in the 50's) since I bought the Volt and this afternoon's full charge resulted in my first ever 40 mile EV range display. :camera: (The Volt's EV range display is either accurate or understates the actual EV mileage range, depending on conditions). One workday this past week, I put on 56 total miles, of which 12 were expressway hybrid, rather than EV, miles (using "Hold Mode") that got 53 mpg (the 2013 Volt's EPA rating is 40 mpg on the highway). The other 44 miles were EV and included a few miles added from about 30 minutes of free level 2 Chargepoint charging at a downtown Chicago self-park--together with 1 mile of EV ranger remaining at the end of the day. The online test drive reviews of the Fusion Energi and user posts at this blogsite explain how the Energi has to be driven with a light foot to avoid the ICE firing up. This is never an issue in the Volt. Like many Volt owners, I drive the Volt almost always in Sport Mode and in "L." Typically, because of "L", I use the brake pedal only to slow from 3 or 4 mph down to zero. It's questionable whether I'll ever need a brake job. When I "show off" the Volt to first time passengers who are interested in riding in an electric-mode vehicle, they are uniformly stunned by the acceleration that silently pushes them back into their seats :drop: --with the ICE totally off--and that's without even flooring it! Last November, Ford Motor and the Ford dealer didn't offer nearly as many discounts and/or as much favorable financing on the C-Max Energi as GM and my outstanding GM dealer in Villa Park did on the Volt. That dealer also included free tire replacements, free oil and filter changes, and free multi-point inspections so long as I both own the car and have the factory interval servicing done on time and at the dealership. GM gave me 60 month zero percent 100% financing so I drove the Volt off the lot without paying a penny that day. I used my credits on the GM credit card (5% up to $500/yr of every purchase) as the only down payment. I also had had a Ford credit card that I used many years ago to purchase a Mercury Sable. Unfortunately, Ford discontinued its credit card a long time ago. The C-Max Energi qualifies for "only" a $3,750 federal tax credit and, last time I checked, no Illinois EPA Greenfleets rebate. I think, but am not entirely sure, that the Fusion Energi gets the same treatment. In contrast, my Volt gets me, on my 2012 federal tax return, a $7,500 credit and Illinois EPA will be sending me a rebate check for either $3,800 (if EPA deems the Cruze to be a different model than the Volt) or the max $4,000 (if the EPA agrees with me that the Volt and the Cruze are, in fact, the same models with merely different model names). To me, the Volt is quiet (much quieter than any of more four prior hybrids noted above) and handles wonderfully with its low center of gravity. I'm 5' 7" but actually have relatively long legs and short torso. The driver position's legroom and headroom is perfectly fine for me but I do duck a bit when getting in and out because of the low curvature of the door's arch. The leather seats (heated front) are very comfortable and have three different adjustment controls. I enjoy the electronic wizardry of both the driver information display and the center console display. There are many user configuration options available which are also a very nice touch. These include a sophisticated user-configured timer as to when you wish the Volt to be charged--which has separate winter and summer settings, separate weekday and weekend settings, and separate electric rate settings for peak, mid-peak and off-peak tariffs. Because our children are all "out-of-the coup" and the almost exclusive uses of the Volt are my 18 mile RT work commute plus intermittent workday business travel and the occasional cross-country trips accompanied only by my wife and dog, the Volt's lack of a fifth passenger seat is basically a non-issue for us. So, given our circumstances, I do prefer having the Volt's' functional storage over the fifth seat of the C-Max and Fusion, given the impact of the battery placement in those vehicles. During a February ski trip, we packed the Volt to the gills with dog, skis and related gear, suitcases, tool boxes and a lot of other items we wanted to lug to our destination. Right now the Volt has topped 6,200 miles on the odometer and still has over 80% oil life remaining.