Chevy Volt compared to Fusion Energi?

[howardbc]

Hi. I haven't bought a new car yet, but was wondering if anyone in this forum looked at a Chevy Volt before buying their Ford Fusion Energi? I haven't looked at the Chevy Volt yet but want to be able to compare at least 2 hybrid plug-ins. 

I like the looks of the Ford and I like that Ford has 2-year leases but I will still check out the Volt.

The Energi doesn't seem to have a lot of options - just the 2 models. I was hoping for cloth seats and to be able to buy certain options (like a back-up camera, moon-roof, garage door opener) instead of paying $4500 for a whole "package" of things I don't need. I'm in Arizona. I don't need heated seats, automatic wipers, or parking assist. Also, is black the only interior color option? 

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks. 

[FusionEnergi]

I was thinking seriously about purchasing the volt, but once i test drove it was a NO. The headroom is about none, the back seats are so cramped. The rear view is obstructed and small. The front is low and with the wind guard it drags/rub on dips easily. Even the front windshield left me feeling unsafe due to limited view.

I like the interior room in the fusion, its slightly larger than my 07 Camry. Yes the trunk is small in the fusion, but the volt was small too.

Total range in the fusion is more and its cheaper(here in va).

Now if you want to go at least 30 miles in ev mode a trip, more headroom is not a concern, and having a roomier and more comfy vehicle is not a necessity, than possibly the Volts is for you.

V/R

Edited March 23, 2013 at 12:44 AM by FusionEnergi

[meyersnole]

Hi Howard -- first you are on a Fusion energi board, so realize that the opinions here are likely to be skewed in a particular direction.

 

My suggestion is for you to drive them both, as both are wonderful cars.

 

I really wanted the Volt to work, there are a lot of positives.

 

Positives for the Volt

It cheaper when you factor in the rebate ($7500 vs $3751 for the energi)

The Volt is designed from the ground up as an extended electric vehicle. (does not have a battery in the trunk)

The Volt has twice the electric range that the energi has

The Volt feels very refined when you drive it

 

having said all that, at 6' I felt very cramped in there and forget about the backseat for adults unless you are talking about very short rides. I think it was also missing a sunroof as an option. After driving the Volt, and I really wanted it to work, I decided this probably was not the car for me.

 

I actually ended up seriously considering the new Toyota Avalon hybrid against the Fusion. Had they had the model in stock that I wanted, I actually may have actually pulled the trigger. I am really happy I waited and went with the energi though.

 

As far as how you can configure the Fusion here: http://bp3.ford.com/2013-Ford-Fusion?branding=1&lang=en#/ChooseYourPath/
 

[rprobst]

I drove the Volt and liked many things about the car, but had a big problem with the interior size - it felt smaller than my wife's Prius, which is already rather small. The driving experience was very good - great acceleration, good handling - much better than the Prius.

 

Then I drove the Fusion Hybrid. Enjoyed the roomy interior. And the handling, steering feel, ride quality, etc was better than the Volt (and incredibly better than the Prius). Haven't driven a Fusion Energi yet, but I drove a C-Max Energi and was very impressed with the torque. Great pickup! So I ordered a Fusion Energi.

 

But as meyersnole said, on this board you are likely to find people who decided for the Fusion. You should drive them both for yourself.

[rprobst]

was hoping for cloth seats and to be able to buy certain options (like a back-up camera, moon-roof, garage door opener) instead of paying $4500 for a whole "package" of things I don't need. I'm in Arizona. I don't need heated seats, automatic wipers, or parking assist. Also, is black the only interior color option?  

 

Don't get a Titanium. Comes with heated seats and only in black leather. Get an SE with "Dune" interior. Add the backup camera and moonroof as separate options. Moonroof comes with the garage door opener, for some reason.

[meyersnole]

Don't get a Titanium. Comes with heated seats and only in black leather. Get an SE with "Dune" interior. Add the backup camera and moonroof as separate options. Moonroof comes with the garage door opener, for some reason.

Get the Titanium! It is the only way to get keyless entry and push button start ;)

 

Seriously, they both have their advantages... if a black interior is a deal breaker then SE is your only choice. Unfortunately I think that if you want cloth seats your going to have to step down to the hybrid.

[rprobst]

Get the Titanium! It is the only way to get keyless entry and push button start ;)

 

Yeah, for me the push-button start was a must-have. I didn't like the black interior, but I could not accept a keyed ignition. So Titanium was the right choice for me.

[Energized]

The Volt is not in the same size category as the Fusion. The Volt is based on the Cruze platform. The Fusion is the size of a Malibu rather than a Cruze.

 

A more realistic comparison would be Volt vs CMax Energi, even though the CMax is a lot roomier than the Volt and the CMax holds 5 people compared to the Volts 4 passenger limitation. The CMax Energi is a lot less expensive than the Volt.

 

One other thing to consider about the Volt is it requires Premium fuel.

 

 

[Energized]

I'm in Arizona. I don't need heated seats, automatic wipers, or parking assist. Also, is black the only interior color option? 

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks. 

 

Most plug-in cars will have heated seats because when you run on only battery power, heated seats are more efficient at warming the occupants than heating the entire cabin through the electrical heater or by running the engine to get heat.

 

Parking assist is a stand alone option, it's not standard in any model

 

Moon roof is a stand alone option,

 

The SE is available with either Dune (Tan) or Black interior

 

Auto wipers only come with the optional Lane Keeping/driver assist package, it's not standard on any Energi model

[newbeetle18t]

A must have option was adaptive cruise control and it is not available on the volt or the C Max.

 

I have it on my Prius and use it all the time.

[mczajka]

I had a Volt for one week. To this day, I wish I still could fit into a Volt, primarily for the range, but the Fusion Energi Titanium is the second best thing and excels in several areas where Volt doesn't (mentioned above). I think it has a better ride. My friend says it feels like a Cadillac. I was about to buy a C-Max, but the dealer just got a white Fusion Energi Titanium in, and I fell in love with it. I wasn't too crazy about the black interior, but I park underground during the day, so I didn't think it was a big deal. I still might have the windows tinted, but I've never had that done, so I'm concerned about quality issues. I don't have the sun roof or collision warning system.

 

One thing to also note that doesn't get mentioned a lot is that the Volt requires premium fuel, the Fusion Energi does not!

[rtshinn]

I had a Volt for one week. To this day, I wish I still could fit into a Volt, primarily for the range, but the Fusion Energi Titanium is the second best thing and excels in several areas where Volt doesn't (mentioned above). I think it has a better ride. My friend says it feels like a Cadillac. I was about to buy a C-Max, but the dealer just got a white Fusion Energi Titanium in, and I fell in love with it. I wasn't too crazy about the black interior, but I park underground during the day, so I didn't think it was a big deal. I still might have the windows tinted, but I've never had that done, so I'm concerned about quality issues. I don't have the sun roof or collision warning system.

 

One thing to also note that doesn't get mentioned a lot is that the Volt requires premium fuel, the Fusion Energi does not!

 

What kind of mpg are you getting on the highway?

How fast do you drive? (I am not a cop, lol)

[meyersnole]

What kind of mpg are you getting on the highway?

How fast do you drive? (I am not a cop, lol)

I have not taken my car on a trip yet, but the mileage will suffer there. Also if you want to drive faster you might want to put the car into EV Later (especially above the 62 mph mark -- I chose 62 because that is Ford's magic number for their hybrid and I am guessing that they picked it for a reason).

[rtshinn]

I'm curious to see if those who drive a little faster will have the same penalty as my Energi or if the sedan shape will make a big difference in aerodynamics.

[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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 7, 2013 at 03:15 AM by SoDGVolt

[jrray]

I have not taken my car on a trip yet, but the mileage will suffer there. Also if you want to drive faster you might want to put the car into EV Later (especially above the 62 mph mark -- I chose 62 because that is Ford's magic number for their hybrid and I am guessing that they picked it for a reason).

 

I heard 62 mph quoted as the top EV speed in a number of video reviews, and was surprised to find this in the manual:

 

"For Fusion Energi vehicles, you can travel up to 85 mph [137 km/h] in EV mode."

[murphy]

The energy required to propel the car at 85 mph will deplete the HVB very quickly.

[Russael]

The plus side of that is the car should operate in hybrid mode up to 85MPH as well, unlike the hybrids themselves that are limited to 62.  I typically roll on the freeways at 65 so that feature is of benefit to me.

[shaggy314]

Most plug-in cars will have heated seats because when you run on only battery power, heated seats are more efficient at warming the occupants than heating the entire cabin... 

 

Plus (and no offense intended) women seem to REALLY dig heated seats. Not that I don't, but friends, gf, mother, etc. all seem to comment about them. I chalked it up similar to the two sinks in the master bath when I got my house, they all said (females) to get it and I did. I'm apparently happier now for having them?