[myronbg]

I currently own a Gen2 2016 Volt. My previous car was a 2012 Kia Sportage which I really liked, but thought the Volt would be an interesting technology, especially as the Gen1 [2010-2015] Volt received very high customer satisfaction. Well after one and a half years, I'm less than happy. One of my original concerns was it being a subcompact and the problem [for me] getting in and out. I can maneuver OK, but being 77 YO it ain't easy & I miss a CUV. Then there are a few "reliability" issues that GM/Chevy/Volt hasn't fixed even in the current 2017. Not bad enough to just get rid of unless there is an alternative.
It's way too early to accept the Niro PHB without it actually being available and with owners/reviews, but there are some interesting things with the current Niro that S/B the same for the plugin. So this forum will be interesting to me to see what issues are discussed & the progression status of the plugin.

 

[yticolev]

I doubt the PHEV will be available until the end of 2017 at earliest as a 2018 model. I'm planning on waiting, but I doubt you will be happy with it over a Volt unless you need either the interior space or most of your trips are long distance. The Volt is far more fun to drive and dynamic. To make it easier to get into, how about raising the seat? Requires that you have more headroom than you need of course, but if that is the case, easy to do. Lot cheaper than a new car!

 

[fernando]

I had a 2014 volt, I now drive the Niro. I like the Niro more, but I feel the volt seats are a tad more comfortable. I didn't wait for the plug in just because my lease was up and electricity in souther California isn't that cheap so the savings of using electricity isn't that much. I did a comparison of a recent 230ish mile trip and the Niro was a tad cheaper because I got 49.X mpg for the trip.

I thought the 2nd generation volt was too cramped especially the back seats. The getting in/out is easier, the head space is better. The Volt is definitely faster, better at coasting (I have the 18inch rims on the Niro), and I really miss the lack of vibrations and quitter ride in the volt and not really needing service that often. On my volt I think I had 1 or 2 oil changes and 3 tire rotations in 3 years. The Niro will need a bit more maintenance every 7500 miles. This vibration and feeling of having gears again is potentially mitigated by the plug in Niro. I also don't like that the Niro has a little jerk when coming to a complete stop and accelerating almost immediately afterwards.

The niro has never scrapped the bottom .

Overall I'm happy with the Niro over the Volt.

 

[myronbg]

Thanks for the replys. I'm not in a rush & expect/hope that it will be available late fall.
I started looking at the Gen2 Volt in April 2015, ordered it July, and picked it up Oct 31, so just goes to show that part of me kinda makes up my mind, but still open to see what happens, especially to get good info from various sources.
I do quite a bit of mixed driving. Everyday back & forth to where I walk [I'm retired] is a couple of miles. Weekly grocery shopping RT is 45 miles [live in Cambria, California central coast], once a month to Costco [80 miles RT], & monthly lunch with friends in Salinas [125 miles RT] or Gilroy [150 miles RT].
One thing that has caused me concern with the Gen2 Volt, due to reliability issues in Consumer Reports annual April issue, is it now is listed as not an acceptable used car due to reliability, however, customer satisfaction is good. So my tradein or private sale will probably be not too good & the longer I keep it, as with all cars, will get worse.
It'll be interesting to see just what Kia will do with the plugin. Will they try to compete with the Volt? No one else has!

 

[yticolev]

Acceptable as new, but not used? That is too weird. If the Gen2 Volt has known issues, I'd much rather have a used one.

It sounds like you are borderline for getting value out of your Volt versus a good hybrid. I wouldn't count in the Niro PHEV having more than 25 miles pure electric range, so I would make that the third choice for your use case. Of course, the PHEV may come in under the hybrid with tax incentives.