Today's San Jose Mercury News contains an article written by Troy Wolverton comparing the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. He drove both vehicles last week (probably at the 2010 Plug-in Conference held in SJ) and comments that the Leaf was "zippy, spacious and fun". "The volt felt like a standard family car updated with high-tech features that you can control through a smartphone." The Volt is a 4-passenger vehicle and the Leaf can accommodate 5 passengers, with three in the rear bench seat. The Volt has two bucket seats in the rear of the car. The Leaf is about the size of a Honda Fit.
The Leaf is fully electric, has a MSRP of $32,780 (which drops to $20,280 with Federal and California credits), it has a claimed range of 100 miles, an 8-year/100,000 mile guarantee, at takes 8 hours to recharge with on a 140 V circuit, or 20 hours using a 120 V outlet. The car is due to go on sale in December.
The Leaf's highlights are its peppy acceleration, nimble handling, good headroom, clear gauges and displays, a spacious cabin, a reasonable price and it seats 5. "Lowlights" include cramped rear legroom, small vertical storage space in the "trunk" and a long recharge time.
The Chevy Volt uses an electric motor backed-up with an on-board gasoline generator, it costs $41,000 ($33,500 with the Federal tax credit - it does not qualify for a California rebate), its range is 40 miles on only its batteries, but it will go a total of $340 miles using the generator's fuel tank, it takes 3.4 hours to charge with a 240 V circuit and 9 hours using a 110 V outlet. It also has an 8-year/100,000 mile guarantee and should be released in November.
The Volt's positives include an extended range due to its on-board generator, spacious storage areas, On-Star integration allows for remote monitoring, starting and locking, and a comfortable rear seat. Negatives include a cramped driver's seat, sluggish acceleration, it is expensive compared to the Leaf or other cars in the same class, no California rebate and room for only 4 passengers.
In summary, the Leaf is more fun to drive, but the Volt is more practical as a vehicle due to its extended range and its need not to be chained to an electrical outlet.
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Topic: Leaf vs Volt review article (Read 849 times)