A parade of electrified vehicles, including the Chevy Volt, dominated a new Consumer Reports survey asking car owners if they would buy their cars again.
The Volt finished first in the category of small cars, followed by the Toyota Prius C and Nissan Leaf. Three hybrids -- the Toyota Camry Hybrid, Toyota Prius, and Toyota Prius Plug-In -- topped the family cars category, while the Toyota Prius V beat all competitors among wagons and minivans.
Consumer Reports said the results will help bring hybrids even further into the automotive mainstream. "Some people are still suspicious of hybrids," Eric Evarts, senior associate autos editor for Consumer Reports, told us. "But as they hear -- mainly through word of mouth -- that others are happy with them, it starts to break down barriers."
The Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid got the highest score in Consumer Reports' owner satisfaction survey. (Source: General Motors)
The annual Consumer Reports owner satisfaction survey asks car owners a single question: Considering all factors (price, performance, reliability, comfort, enjoyment, etc.), would you get the same vehicle if you had to do it all over again? The organization received about 350,000 responses on more than 240 models, spanning the model years from 2010 to 2013.
The Chevy Volt had the highest score of any vehicle; 92 percent of owners said they would definitely buy it again. Other high-scoring vehicles included the Porsche 911 (91 percent), Chevrolet Corvette (91 percent), Audi A7 (90 percent), and Dodge Challenger (90 percent).
Consumer Reports editors said they were not surprised by the good performance of hybrids, especially the Volt. "You've got relatively few people who buy them, but they are finding out that the technology works," Evarts said. "It can eventually cut them off from having to buy gasoline without placing any restrictions on their lives."
Not all hybrids did well in the survey. Evarts said the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX 450h didn't perform as well as the Volt or Priuses. "For someone who buys a luxury sedan or an SUV, a hybrid doesn't offer them much. It gives a couple miles per gallon, and miles per gallon probably isn't even on their radar."
The survey contrasts sharply with an R.L. Polk & Co. study that found roughly two-thirds of hybrid owners who returned to the market in 2011 did not opt for another hybrid. Polk economists said the study revealed that consumers who buy hybrids to be eco-friendly generally stick with them, but those trying to save money may opt for more fuel-efficient gasoline-burning vehicles the second time around. The Polk study also tracked new car buyers, whereas the Consumer Reports survey looked at owner satisfaction.
Evarts said the high scores for vehicles such as the Volt and Leaf may also reflect the number of early adopters who are responding to the Consumer Reports survey. Because early adopters are enthusiasts by nature, they are expected to be satisfied with their vehicles. "There are still relatively few buyers of these vehicles, especially the Nissan Leaf," he said. "But we expect the satisfaction numbers to start falling off as they become more mainstream. Eventually, these cars won't just be purchased by enthusiastic early adopters."
Chevy is not only the vehicle got Tax rebates. All other Hybrids got US GOVT help to buy. Even the expensive an highest tech car Tesla owners also gets the same tax credit. When Oil companies are getting Govt help nothing worng to get GOVT/tax dollars. The same dollars are given in form of food stamps. But it has defeated the purpose and widely missued.
One day or the other the gs engine kicks in at various climate conditions. If the owner thinks that he does not need the gas at all based on their driving distance need not fill the gas full to its capacity of 10 gallons. Even Gm suggests no fill full to have less dead weight in the car.
I own Chevy Volt, I do not know how many people have personal driving experience of This is the smart car and smat technology , one should drive or own it to enjoy it before they write any on Chevay Vlot.
In the onset almost everyone said that the EV was fine except for the cost. So now when the government paid for 2/3 of the cost the people says "yes I would do it again.
We didn't learned anything except that we have a stupid government and most people are easily hoodwinked.
I am owner of Chevy Volt. Many or most of the buyes of Chevy Volt not to save money in GAS or others. Most of them are alternate energy enthusiast. It is not a cheap car to spend that kind of money for a small car. But it is functional car. There may be some flaws in its price. But some one should try. This is the future of the auto if we want to save fossil fuel for bettr purpose rather than using it in private transportation. If the Chevay Volt price is comparable to other gas driven cars there should not ahve been this much talk in media. No one is talking about Tesla which is highly expensive and made by new company witout any kind of track records. For this car ( Tesla) tere are several thousand people are in wait list by paying $5000 per reservation. Tesla collected severl millions which is interest free capital. Morevoer it is availalbe only for buy . If you want to finance the downpayment is an average $20000 + car. It is not availalbe to lease, why????????????????????????.
At prsent conditions Chevy Volt is the King and no comparable auto is availalbe to buy or lease.
But GM should look to improve this car in design. Altlease they should cahnge the desing of back seats. They should make this car for FIVE pssengers or have the seat for five. This degign would give better look.
Maybe you would, and if you had to get a new one, maybe you would again.
In fact, you might even fight and kill to preserve your "rights".
There are divergent convesations about responsibility. Osama was a structural engineer. He analyzed it and realized that the structural design of the WTC was flimsy and knew how it would collapse. He thought that he took the responsible position given the goings on in the Middle East.
I believe that the 3 bladed fans are an engieering scam and that proper development should take place, that there should be a development and testing center somewhere to firmly confirm efficiencies.
And I believe that there actuallyis something called progress. And that is about the development and refinement of technology. That is not at all about self confirmation. It is about technological confirmation.
The government uses taxes, and the stick, to encourage some behaviors and discourage others. It discourages me that we do this since this is just the majority, or the politically connected enforcing thier beliefs on others.
I am amused sometimes to hear someone complaining about homosexuals not being able to marry, and then driving off in a hybrid car. You do realize this is exactly the same?
This "oh well, that is government does" attitude is discouraging. With that attitude things can get pretty bad because governments are historically terrible.
This just demonstrates self confirmation as a behavior. When asked about a decision people made that is conteversial, or expensive, they tend to justify the decision. They do not however tend to make the same decision again.
So, when a VOLT buyer is asked if he likes the car, and if he would do it again, it says "yes, what a smart decision I made!", thus self confirming. However, when going to buy another vehicle, or replace that one, he makes a different choice.
Current hybrid vehicles do not make economic sense, nor do they make environmental sense, nor is their lifecycle energy use better than similar gasoline powered vehicles.
Hybrids are energy entensive to build, and the systems are energy intensive to recycle, the "savings" are minimal at best, and with grid power from coal and distribution losses considered, may actually use more energy per mile than conventional vehicles.
If you want one, buy it! But don't fool yourself into thinking you are doing the environment any favor or saving any money.
Wow, talk about philosophical reality! Watch a movie!
You do understand that private sector decisions that are bad usually end up as businesses that no longer exist. Unless you advocate bailouts! But Detriot is the model of political ideology leading to utopia. As far as getting rid of people, pro-choice is already taking care of that!
This is not supposed to be about politics, but if that is what you want?
The fact remains that taxes are collected to promote some things and retard others. Always has, always will.
The public sector decisions can be absolutely stupid, provide no innovation, and so can the private sector decisions be absolutely stupid, and provide no innovation.
So people are the problem. What would you suggest? Get rid of all of them except you and your loved ones?
Better get your philosophical conclusions in line with reality.
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