Cruze vs Volt?

soutthpaw · Dec 16, 2018

Well I found a Cruze exactly the specs I want, 600 miles away. But I happened to test drive a 2016 Volt 25k miles, at the dealer today. I was impressed by the performance and comfort and as I drive 60 miles one way for work and have a charging station right by my workplace, I could charge while at work and at home which would mean almost the entire round trip should be on electric only (range 53 miles) before engine kicks in. It has 75k/5 years left on battery warranty. My concern is will these Volts be basically worthless once the warranty is up? I see the diesel as always holding its value. Such as The VW TDI series.
Anyone know how reliable the Volt is? What is the replacement cost of the battery pack?

My thinking is that I would save about $1500 on fuel costs compared to a diesel. I can charge as gone basically free and Nevada is free charging till 2021 due to assume state DOT program...

The new Cruze and the used volt would be about the same price.
Thanks.

jblackburn · Dec 16, 2018

They lose a LOT of value, but the 1st gen Volt was actually quite reliable for GM and its Cruze based roots. So far the 2nd gen Volt is holding up pretty well too.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

MP81 · Dec 16, 2018

Thus far, there is at least one Gen 1 Volt on the Volt forum with 300k+ miles and no battery degradation. Seems to be the similar case for the rest of the higher-mileage Gen 1 owners.

I absolutely love my Gen 2. And remember - 53 miles is just the EPA rating. In the summer I average 70 miles of range, easily. I drive all city (34 miles round trip, for work), so plenty of regen to be had. EVs don't particularly like the freeway, and it it's a double whammy since there's very little regen there, as well. I've owned the car since March of 2017 and filled up three times, putting around a total of 16-17k miles on the car.

Ma v e n · Dec 16, 2018

If you're looking for VW TDI/Subaru/Honda type resale values, Chevy fwd vehicles isn't where you wanna look.

If you wanna know if the gen2 Cruzes and Volts are good cars, yes I'd say they are.

The volt is going to be cheaper to operate as far as regular maintenance and daily operations go. Somewhere on the order of 1/4 to 1/10 the fuel costs, probably 1/4 the oil change maintenance, and maybe 1/2 the brake maintenance, though honestly GM OEM brakes can go 100k on the current Cruze, Impala and Malibu.(I'm at 104k 100% original brakes all the way around on my Impala)

With that said...Non maintenance and any non warranty issues are typically higher for the Volt. And Volts are more likely to be totalled in a crash than a Cruze. I've seen numerous Volts/Bolts totalled for accidents that left vehicle driveable after high volt enable, and would've been maybe $5-10k repairs. So it's easier to "lose" your car if you get attached to them when you have a Volt.

Volt g2 batteries are still in the $6k range as far as I know, but they'll drop as more units enter the rebuilding pool. Will they get as low as g1(sub $3k) who knows now, but that's still more than an engine costs for a Cruze, and the trans is basically 100% more than a 6Txx for a Cruze, and of course it still has an engine.

If you're into it for reason other than saving money on fuel, and you'll have the ability to abosrb the inevitable significantly larger repair bills over time, then. Volt is a great car. If you're not okay with those conditions, get a Cruze.

froyofanatic · Dec 16, 2018

Volts are great because nobody uses the engines, so you get a car with 50k on it and the engine isn't even broken in yet.

Electrics and hybrids excel in urban stop/start driving as the regenerative braking allows it to recapture spent energy every time they slow. Diesels excel on long steady freeway drones as the motor is in the "sweet spot" of efficiency.

Electrics depreciate badly because the first owner gets the big tax writeoff that the next owner can't take. It's not a linear decline.

I like my diesel with the stick as it's a more engaging drive than an electric, but they're both great cars and I don't think you can go wrong with either.

mgulfcoastguy · Dec 16, 2018

One thing to think of is that the Volt production is being cancelled in March. GM has also not shown an iron clad promise that the Voltaic drive train will be retained in another vehicle. There are vague maybes only. What that means for spare parts and mechanical support is up in the air. I find that regrettable because a station wagon, minus the hump and with adequate height for 3 back seat passengers, would fit my needs admirably. I admit that my opinion may not be popular with the SUV obsessed public though.

froyofanatic · Dec 16, 2018

mgulfcoastguy said:
There are vague maybes only. What that means for spare parts and mechanical support is up in the air. ]

It's not. They're required by law to keep spare parts for 20 years.

mgulfcoastguy · Dec 16, 2018

But will they have local mechanics qualified to work on them? US wide, which is vastly different from SoCal, only about a third of Chevrolet dealers opted to sell Volts.

froyofanatic · Dec 17, 2018

They're still making hybrids. You're making an issue out of nothing.

snowwy66 · Dec 16, 2018

I can't see volt being cancelled when electric is the future.

When did parts get upped to 20 years?

Can anyone still buy parts for olds and Pontiac? Other than the usual parts stores.

mgulfcoastguy · Dec 16, 2018

snowwy66 said:
I can't see volt being cancelled when electric is the future.

When did parts get upped to 20 years?

You must have missed the news. GM is cancelling almost all sedans including the Volt. Sedans in general are not selling and have a small profit margin when they do. As to the Volt, GM has used up all 200,000 of it's $7,500 each federal tax credits. Starting in March the tax credits for GM drop to half or $3750 and in July to half of that again and three months later they expire totally. That puts them at a financial disadvantage to VW, Hyundai, Chrysler and anybody else other than Tesla. Tesla is in the same fix. GM will continue to produce the Bolt in low number to satisfy CARB States but that is it for now until vehicle purchase trends change.

Rivergoer · Dec 16, 2018

I wonder if 10/15 yrs down the road when a Volt battery kicks the bucket could one simply yank the heavy dead-weight battery out and keep driving the car on ICE for a beater car or airport junker?

MP81 · Dec 16, 2018

You'd have to do some heavy duty re-wiring. A guy that I worked with had an original Insight and the battery **** out, but it was a known thing that happens after a while, so people have figured out how to bypass the battery entirely. So he just drove around on the ICE.

snowwy66 · Dec 16, 2018

Ok. That's understandable. Maybe something comes out to replace the volt.

Rebates or not. Battery still appears to be the future and as long as congress wants to cut down on fossil fuels and oil and is pushing for zero emissions.

First the talk was the disappearance of gas engines. Now it's the disappearance of sedans.

The talk keeps changing.

soutthpaw · Dec 18, 2018

Being a master auto tech in the past. I'll fix it myself as long as I can get the parts

DmaxMaverick · Dec 19, 2018

I have a 2017 Volt Premier. Traded the 2014 Cruze Diesel for it in Nov. 2016. Both were/are simple to maintain, and will be more so with your experience if you know your way around OBD, while the balance of repairs should be normal suspension wear (most stuff is typical GM compact design). I don't expect it to ever need a brake job. I took advantage of the tax incentives and rebates, but now with 2 years and 53K on it, I can say I would have bought it anyway, without the incentives. I'll probably be buying a 2019 while they're still available. The fuel savings alone, even going from the Cruze Diesel, is significant enough to justify the purchase price (savings is more than the payment, at 83% electric). Buy a CA model and the electric system warranty is 50% greater than the rest of the world (150K in CA, vs. 100K everywhere else). We loved the Cruze, but weren't disappointed moving into the Volt. I have 240V charging at home, which is about a 4.5 hour full charge on the 2017 (240V/16A). Get the 2019 with the fast(er) charging option and that's cut to 2.5 hours (240V/32A). As said before, the 53 mile range is the EPA estimate. We vary between a winter's worst of 48 miles, to a best of 70+ during optimal spring/fall, living in central CA mountains with a 20 mile one-way commute (distance to nearest sizable town). Highway trips on gas are 45-50 MPG. Don't sweat the battery life or warranty. Current estimates are around $6K for replacement, and that's surely to decrease over time. It costs that much for injectors and head gaskets in my other "car" (Duramax truck). We drive the car any time we don't need the truck, so we can afford to drive the truck when can't use the car, like moving 23K# down the highway (truck + 5th wheel RV).

MP81 · Dec 20, 2018

Most of my fuel-ups in my Volt are such a high number of miles (5-6k), they break Fuelly. And by "most", I mean two out of the three (ignoring the initial fill-up right after the car was delivered to me). Even the third was still 1700 miles.

Rivergoer · Dec 20, 2018

When you take a Volt out on the Interstate for a 250 mile drive (say Los Angeles to Las Vegas) it’s all electric for the 1st 60-70 miles then what?

Specifically, does the ICE propel the Volt directly like a conventional car or indirectly by charging the battery that powers electric motors?

MP81 · Dec 20, 2018

Rivergoer said:
When you take a Volt out on the Interstate for a 250 mile drive (say Los Angeles to Las Vegas) it’s all electric for the 1st 60-70 miles then what?

Using my Gen 2 as an example, no, it won't get anywhere near 60-70 miles of highway speed driving, as the motor is far less efficient there than it is at lower speeds. So what I do (and most owners, I would imagine) is use the "Hold" mode, which starts the ICE, and brings us to the next point below.

Rivergoer said:
Specifically, does the ICE propel the Volt directly like a conventional car or indirectly by charging the battery that powers electric motors?

Yes.

I believe it was mentioned a page or two back, so it's further than I want to look, but the ICE in the Gen 2 usually acts as the latter, but can sometimes directly drive the wheels if the vehicle determines that is more efficient. I don't believe the Gen 1 had that ability, and the ICE acted solely as a generator, but I could be incorrect.

Rivergoer · Dec 20, 2018

So what MPGe could one expect from a Volt on a 250 mile Interstate run?

The Diesel can achieve 50-60 mpg, curious how Volt compares to Diesel on extended highway only.

MP81 · Dec 20, 2018

It'll probably average out to the MPG of the gasoline engine, which does mid-upper 40s, depending on how fast you're driving and HVAC usage.

I can't say I've looked at the instantaneous MPGe of the electric motor at freeway speeds, but I'd guess it's somewhere around 70 or 80 MPGe.

boraz · Dec 20, 2018

its retarded that you cannot track the electricity usage in the volt...without that there is no real way to calculate running cost.

Taxman · Dec 20, 2018

https://smile.amazon.com/bayite-BAYITE-PZEM-061-Multimeter-Voltmeter-Transformer/dp/B00YY1KOHA

MP81 · Dec 21, 2018

It does online. It's a little less comprehensive than what I'd like - but it tracks how many kW you used.

Taxman · Dec 21, 2018

How much came out of the battery, or how much came from the power company?

If you meter the outlet the EVSE is plugged into, you'll know how much the car is adding to your power bill.

MP81 · Dec 21, 2018

Neither - kW usage while driving the vehicle.

It doesn't track how much you charge, which is a little odd. For mine, I know my electric bill went up about $30 a month, or so - slightly more in winter, since it uses more of the battery (preconditioning, increased rolling resistance, winter tires, seat and steering wheel heater, defroster, etc).

But I save roughly $150-200 in gas, so it's a huge improvement. Plus not having to take the time to fill up on a more-than-weekly basis.

MP81 · Dec 21, 2018

Ultimate, the Gen-2 Volt is a Series/Parallel hybrid, as it can do both. "Normal" hybrids are just Parallel. The Gen-1 Volt was, I believe, an entirely-Series Hybrid, as the engine could never propel the vehicle.

The Gen-2 Volt is almost always a Series Hybrid, but in instances does operate as a Parallel Hybrid, if it makes more sense - mainly on the freeway. In the city, it's going to be Series, with the engine acting solely as a generator.

Ma v e n · Dec 21, 2018

The Malibu hybrid, also does not have two sources of power which can allow the vehicle to operate and move. Just like a Volt, if the HV battery has insufficient SOC the vehicle is dead in the water. It can't be jump started, it can't be push started. If the HV system is inoperative the vehicle won't move and it can't start the ICE.

The 5ET50 is more than a "form factor" or just the physical shape of the box. It denotes it's physical size and shape, it's drive layout and function and torque capacity. The two transmissions have the same final drive ratio, the same planetary gearing, the same control systems and power electronics(although with differing calibrations due to the difference in battery capacity and vehicle size/weight) the only truly notable difference is that the Malibu has a more powerful motor A and a less powerful motor B inside the drive unit. So while the Malibu has slightly less horsepower(176 vs 181) it actually has more torque (296 vs 293)

These differences are attributed to the variances in ICE and HV battery capacity. If the Malibu had the battery capacity I can only imagine it would have been given the "missing" powertrains operation mode as compared for the Volt as well, which is single motor EV operation. Your mention of user selectable modes is immaterial to the fact that as I mentioned these vehicles share nearly identical tech, and also operate in nearly identical ways.

The Malibu is what the Volt would be if you couldn't plug it in. I think it's an excellent and appropriate use of the tech and functionality, and what's they should've done with it, electricity an existing vehicle. Like I said, expect to see it proliferate throughout the range as GM continues on its goal to offer electrified versions of every model they sell. And FYI, the CT6 PiHEV is also same tech just RWD. And it's what you'll see in trucks, SUV, and Camaros as well as the ATS and CATS replacements

soutthpaw · Dec 22, 2018

Thanks for the replies. Ended up buying a 2016 Volt LT this afternoon from a Chevy dealer. 26k miles, certified pre owned. Right at the same price the new 18 diesel cruze deal I had pending. 80% of my work commute on electric just made more sense. I'll be saving over $2k in fuel costs a year.

boraz · Dec 22, 2018

net or gross $2000?

MP81 · Dec 22, 2018

How many miles each way (I estimated that based on 25k miles a year, that's about 50 miles each way?)? I noticed you said you can charge at work, so that may be a major help in reducing gas usage.

tombukt2 · Apr 11, 2025

I own two first generation volts 13 and a 12 actually it's 11 it was one of the first ones out with my brother's car in Baltimore Maryland area from oursman Chevrolet It only has 53k mi on it today It's an extremely reliable car it doesn't have any support really voltec folks are very twitchy and not very knowledgeable so you're kind of on your own with this one batteries can become problematic this kind of car seems to do better sitting on the charger whenever it's not being driven I use the 110 volt charger not trying to power it up for the 30 miles and 12 minutes is no rush for me anyway so mine's usually sitting when I'm out of it plugged into a regular outlet somewhere. It seems to like that so 12 years in I'm still getting the 30 mi that it got when it was brand new and President Obama was standing next to it on TV talking about he really like these cars. My brother owns a think tank in the DC area very rich dude He was doing a contract for GM when he got the vote probably paid near nothing for it or something who knows and it's in beautiful condition and then I liked it so much I bought another 13 I'm getting ready to put my daughter in the 11 and keep the 13 here for I don't know what driving when I feel like it I come from Prius I've been with Toyota 47 years most of my 47 years I wouldn't have been caught dead sitting in the Chevrolet. But I will tell you the volt is built better than Toyotas are being built after 2010 much better and I hate to have to admit that personally the volt is a top-notch build Just don't slam it into the ground pulling into parking lots and hit parking curbs with it I don't but I've seen people really tear the front end up badly but you can't really lose with the volt even when the battery starts messing up it still gets close to 40 miles to the gallon if you're not doing 85 mph with the generator running so still Prius mileage but GM air conditioning and speed you know what I mean more close enough to not split the hairs. And then even further as the battery even more deteriorates I guess something happens where the 12 volt won't charge so if you're flogging it back and forth to work in the daytime and don't have all the lights on and have LED in your headlights instead of the incandescence and so on you'll be all right when you get home you just charge the 12 volt You're not having to charge the big battery anymore cuz it's not doing much but you will have to charge the 12 volt and there's a guy on another list maybe this one I don't know that's running his vote like that right now. Batteries someone just had one installed recently and I thought it was like six grand It didn't seem bad actually compared to my Prius batteries to this this is a much larger battery and all of that so I didn't think that was too bad. Green tech or green bean has jumped in on this game and they're rebuilding these things but I'd be real careful with them I'd rather spend double the money and have the original battery and have another 12 years for the most part. There are some problems with some updates on the computers for the hybrid charging SV something system I don't know but. I will say a few people have had this update and then they get terrible get worse gas mileage and the generator is running a lot I haven't taken the updates in either of my cars and they run like they did when they're from the factory I've lost a couple miles on both of them in the 12 or 13-year-olds they are I don't consider that really to be too bad.

Cruze vs Volt?

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