Quote:
Originally Posted by jadnashuanh
The volt's all-electric range is lower (35-40 miles verses 80-120), and if you want to compare performance, the i3 beats it to 60 by over a second (8.5 to 7.2) and I think, you'll probably find it handles better. The full range is bigger with the Volt because the gas tank is nearly 3x bigger when you add the REX, which does widen the gap more again, though.
The big thing for me, the stated driver's headroom on the Volt is listed as 37.8", and, from the best info I can find, in the i3, over 41".
When you add in things like the Nav system which is standard in the i3, and a few other things, the difference gets much smaller, but it's no indication what, if any, deals you may get from the dealer to actually buy one.
The Volt's transmission is a very complex piece of equipment...the i3 never uses the engine to aid the motion if you have the REX, whereas the Volt uses that transmission to modulate between both the engine, the generator (which can act like an extra motor), and the traction motor...really complex. The i3's transmission is essentially just a gear reduction, single speed device, and the motor never has any mechanical connection to the drive wheels, it only maintains the battery - the drive is always electric. The Volt is mostly all electric, but can use the motor for up to about 18-20% (don't remember the exact number here) of the forward propulsion. It's slick how they do it and why, but it certainly adds to the complexity.
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The 0-60 time is closer to 8 seconds (7.8 I think) when the range extender is added (heavy little sucker). This is unfortunate because a 2 second performance gap over the Volt is a lot more compelling story than 1 second. Frankly, the whole lightweight carbon fiber thing on the i3 doesn't seem to net as much range, performance or driving excitement as the hype suggests.