Volt to Tesla Experience

[Maximilien]

My lease on 2014 Volt is over in 8 days, and my new Model S should be delivered in a week or so (well, I can only hope.)

I am sure there are some original Volt owners who changed to Tesla in this forum. And some may own both Volt and Tesla.

My question is, how has your experience in the change so far and are there features that you miss from Volt that are not present in your Model S?

 

[Az_Rael]

Subscribing. I sold my 2014 Volt a few weeks ago, and I pick up my CPO S this Friday.

Will let you know my initial thoughts, although I am sure others will chime in with more experience.

Do you drive in L now?

 

[Bryantclan]

Drove my 2014 volt for 67k miles, picked up my S on Saturday (which now has 500 miles on it)

Miss: being able to schedule a start and stop for the charging times.

The biggest change other then it is an entirely different class of car was the size difference, the volt is a roller skate in comparison.

 

[Saghost]

I went from a 2012 Volt to an X in late August. For what it's worth, I was almost always in L and usually in Sport in the Volt.

There isn't much I miss - the hard drive for instant canned music (Tesla does USB, but so far it has to spend ~30 seconds loading the stick every time,) the automatic heated seats (but Tesla's seat are persistent from drive to drive, which is almost as good, and I have a very nice heated steering wheel - which for some reason isn't persistent like the seats,) and full regen from the start of every trip (Tesla reduces regen when the pack isn't warm, which seems to last for most of my commute right now, or when the pack is over 95% full.)

My X is one of the slowest cars Tesla sells - and miles quicker than my Volt, which as you know is already remarkably quick off the line. The visibility is incredible, and Autopilot is black magic, as is the car's ability to find traction to accelerate in the rain.

 

[AndreSF]

2013 Volt to 2016 MS70 (pre face lift). Love MS! Don't miss much from the Volt days, especially trips to gas station and the need to run "engine maintenance" every month (if I managed to run in EV mode only) or GM dealership experience

 

[spock1701a]

2014 Volt to MS. I do miss the text messages being read while driving. Granted with AP it is easier to read a message here and there, but have had times where I would just rather have it read to me. I still have my Volt and switching between the 2 can be interesting. You can really feel the differences on all aspects of the car, and the S is usually the top one except for texts.

One other minor thing is the charging schedule. I so like that the S is location based, but I would have liked it if you could setup the peak, part-peak, and off-peak times in the S like you can in the Volt. The Volt will just charge any time it is in off-peak while the S had to be scheduled to only start at 2AM. I always have to start it manually on the weekends between trips if they are going to go long.

 

[John Stuckey]

Early '14 Volt; late '15 MS (P90DL). Both cars are fun to drive. Yes there is a difference in torque but the Volt has more than enough torque to give a spirited ride and I rarely use Ludicrous (hurts my head and makes people sick to their stomachs). The Bose in the Volt compares favorably to the upgraded S sound system. For long distances the S is a lot easier to drive or rather drives itself. The quiet ride in both cars is a joy (only 800 miles on the Volt ICE). Love and are thankful for both cars.

 

[CLLACAB]

I still have both. I will say that the voice recognition system in the Volt is far superior to the Tesla.

 

[Bangor Bob]

I still have both. I will say that the voice recognition system in the Volt is far superior to the Tesla.

That's disappointing, the SR in my 2012 Volt is horrible. So horrible I totally gave up on it.
(Part of my day job is implementing and managing enterprise Speechrec systems - so that's a professional opinion ...)

Hopefully Tesla can spare some of the Nvidia PX bandwitdh to speech recognition.

 

[scottf200]

I went from a 2012 Volt to an X in late August. For what it's worth, I was almost always in L and usually in Sport in the Volt.

There isn't much I miss - the hard drive for instant canned music (Tesla does USB, but so far it has to spend ~30 seconds loading the stick every time,) the automatic heated seats (but Tesla's seat are persistent from drive to drive, which is almost as good, and I have a very nice heated steering wheel - which for some reason isn't persistent like the seats,) and full regen from the start of every trip (Tesla reduces regen when the pack isn't warm, which seems to last for most of my commute right now, or when the pack is over 95% full.)

My X is one of the slowest cars Tesla sells - and miles quicker than my Volt, which as you know is already remarkably quick off the line. The visibility is incredible, and Autopilot is black magic, as is the car's ability to find traction to accelerate in the rain.

This really mimics me very well. I use internet streaming radio or podcast tho when I can unless I have passengers who love their set of music ... or if in the smokies and I don't have reception.

I did get lost for a while in parts of MT while driving the X because the NAV needed cell connectivity. Won't do long roadtrips without the old TomTom now.

Drove a Gen 1 volt for about 70K miles in L (max regen) and sport. I love love X autopilot and have over 17K miles using it out of close to 22K miles since 3/1/16. Several trips and use it on a lot of local roads.

I was an early adopter and have a 2011 Volt. My model X moved it down the chain to my youngest son. My wife has a loaded 2016 Gen 2 Volt but without adaptive cruise control as GM couldn't figure out how to deliver it even tho the car has an option to tell me how many seconds behind I currently am than the car ahead of me!

My X was at the service center at the end of last week and I needed to take my wife's Volt to my sons to help him work in his house (selling it). Wow did I miss driving the X on that 5.5 hr drive using auto pilot. Of course, the interesting things is that I made the trip 1 hr faster as I didn't have to stop in Lafayette, IN and Indianapolis, IN to charge on the way. However, I did break anyway in the Volt for gas, snacks, and bathroom breaks SO in reality it was probably about 30 minutes faster in the Volt.

 

[onautopilot]

I have both. There is basically no comparison. I was super excited about the volt in early 13 when we got it. After taking delivery of a 60D this year I find the Volt sluggish and annoying to drive. I have had a really hard time with the infotainment system in the Volt. By the time it starts working I generally arrive at wherever I was going first. I find the Tesla one to be great by comparison. I think the Volt is really a decent car in general. Its just that the Tesla is extraordinary.

I didn't find the charging completion time option to be useful in the Volt.

If there is one thing I like better about the volt its the pedestrian warning chirp in the turn signal stalk.

You're going to love your model S.

 

[AndreSF]

One other minor thing is the charging schedule. I so like that the S is location based, but I would have liked it if you could setup the peak, part-peak, and off-peak times in the S like you can in the Volt. The Volt will just charge any time it is in off-peak while the S had to be scheduled to only start at 2AM. I always have to start it manually on the weekends between trips if they are going to go long.

+1 on the scheduling ability in Volt software. Was surprised not to see something like that in Tesla system.

 

[BEEZR]

Purchased CPO Model S 60 in June when my 2013 Volt lease was up. I really don't miss much about the car as a whole...

• I don't have AP in my S so I miss the forward-collision alert in the Volt. Saved me a couple of times.
• I liked the pedestrian warning chirp in the Volt; would be nice to have something similar in the S.
• Audio and user experience in the S is so far superior to the UI in the Volt.
• I don't miss the inferior mobile app.
• I would like to see the Tesla app integrated with on-board nav - so I can send a destination to the car and not have to search again. Onstar app enables this.
• I don't miss my Chevy dealer sending me quarterly flyers with deals to change my oil and other ICE benefits. Changed oil once in 3 years in the Volt.
• I don't miss the useless "brag screen" in the Volt that showed the big green pie chart with nonsense data
• We don't have different electric rates in WA based on time of day, so I never used that feature in the Volt.

 

[Skotty]

Things I miss from the Volt: a knob to quickly adjust map zoom, ability to pause, rewind, and fast forward radio (kind of like DVR; Telsa doesn't have that right? can't say I've ever tried, just assumed it can't do it), and ability to play DVDs. I think only the early model Volts (2011's and 2012's) had those last 2 capabilities.

In most and many other ways, the Tesla has the Volt beat.

 

[Saghost]

I have both. There is basically no comparison. I was super excited about the volt in early 13 when we got it. After taking delivery of a 60D this year I find the Volt sluggish and annoying to drive. I have had a really hard time with the infotainment system in the Volt. By the time it starts working I generally arrive at wherever I was going first. I find the Tesla one to be great by comparison. I think the Volt is really a decent car in general. Its just that the Tesla is extraordinary.

I didn't find the charging completion time option to be useful in the Volt.

If there is one thing I like better about the volt its the pedestrian warning chirp in the turn signal stalk.

You're going to love your model S.

I forgot about that. Yes, having a separate button for the horn burble was nice - I mostly used it on inattentive drivers at lights rather than pedestrians, though.

 

[GSP]

I have been driving Volts since February 2011. I currently have a 2014 Volt and a 2015 S.

I loved the Volts, and still do. The entire driving and ownership experience is far better than any of my previous cars. I love driving electric, and I only use the ICE range extender for regional trips. Today it is 10 degrees F outside, so I use a resistor to make my outside air temperature sensor read high, defeating the dreaded ERDTT.

The S replaced my V6/6-speed automatic ICE car for use on long road trip vacations. It is superb at the task and it loves to be on the freeway, five over the limit, autopilot engaged. I plan my route and charge to 100% overnight. My normal stops for food or restrooms are more than the car needs for supercharging. It is a great experience.

I still drive both cars, but I much prefer driving the S. The Volt is smooth, and always has adequate acceleration or better. The S also is silky smooth, and accelerates like a Corvette, nicely enhancing the driving experience. I have a plain 85D, the Performance or Ludicrous options would be a waste for me.

I love the streaming media in the S. Podcasts, internet radio, name any song and the car will play it, etc. I also love the easy google destination entry to the Nav system, the big google map, and the detailed Navigon maps on the IC. I love the heated steering wheel, and I love having way more battery energy than I need around town. Crank up the heat, take the interstate, drive fast. I do not even have to bother to look at range remaining. The S is truly exceptional, better than the best, and by a wide margin.

One thing I do miss in the S, as mentioned by several others upthread, is "charge based on departure time." That would make it easier to leave in the morning with a battery that has been warmed by charging, and to schedule those 100% overnight charges before a trip to end shortly before I leave.

GSP

 

[scottf200]

<snip>
One thing I do miss in the S, as mentioned by several others upthread, is "charge based on departure time." That would make it easier to leave in the morning with a battery that has been warmed by charging, and to schedule those 100% overnight charges before a trip to end shortly before I leave. GSP

I charge the Model X to 90% overnight. Then a couple hours before I am leaving the next day I set the charge to 100%. If the charge to 100% time estimate is more than 30 minutes before I plan to leave, I just dial the amperage setting back so it takes longer. This technique has been simple and works well.

 

[Saghost]

I charge the Model X to 90% overnight. Then a couple hours before I am leaving the next day I set the charge to 100%. If the charge to 100% time estimate is more than 30 minutes before I plan to leave, I just dial the amperage setting back so it takes longer. This technique has been simple and works well.

I've been experimenting with setting the limit to 70% at night, then bumping it up to 90% as soon as I get up to reduce the low regen portion of the commute.

 

[Snerruc]

After you've charged the screen shows charging complete. Tap charge at a time then tap the 2:00. !A screen comes up that allows you to change the time to what you want. You should get it under charging at the top of he screen too. There is an Easter egg in remote s that does it also, but I don't remember how to access it. Maybe someone else will chime in. This is in the manual also. At least my copy.

 

[hsglia]

I had two Chevy Volts, 2012 and 2013 and traded up to a 2014 Model S with AP. these car cannot be compared. the S is in a different class all together. its a refuned luxury car that is the only car you will vere need or want. that said, the Volt may be the smartest designe ever for a mass production green car. i drove mine for well over 30,000 miles hardly ever using gas. now i am commuting 100 miles daily all electric with autopilot.