The electric VW van isn’t scheduled to arrive until 2022. I wouldn’t count on that either. VW has been teasing North America for years.
The Volt really is your answer at this time. Mostly electric, with a gas generator.
I have a 2018 Leaf and a paddle board that is just over 10’. I’ve never tried fitting the board inside, but I can give it a try when I get home. Unfortunately, that won’t be until this weekend. Post to this thread if I forget.
Why would I want to spend money to find out from a simple test that you don’t want a car? One doesn’t even need the keys, just an unlocked car. That’s the whole purpose of a showroom.
I did this before I bought my current vehicle. One of the requirements was that I could get a bike in the back with only one side of the split rear seat seat down (so that I could take two passengers/three bikes). I went to the dealer w/ my bike, told them what I wanted to do, tried it, & then left because it didn’t fit. Didn’t give them any info (name, phone #, email, etc) & they didn’t even ask for it either.
So I surf a 9’6", but would probably leave my board cover on if possible (keeping imaginary car tidy). Thanks for this experiment.
Again, problem with this is that I live in a somewhat isolated area, and going to the dealer - with my surfboard - would be a fairly major project. Hence my attempt to outsource the question to dopers.
Again, leaving the hatchback open for a 200 km trip down twisty mountain roads is not optimal. Rather than do that, I’d go with racks, which is what I’m trying to avoid.
Wait, there’s a Chevy VOLT and a Chevy BOLT? What? Why? Don’t they pay people to make up distinctive names?
I haven’t driven an American car since the POS Saturn. Is Chevy any good? I mean, I’ve driven the hell out of couple of Toyotas and a Honda though.
Yeah, the naming is horrible. The Bolt is the pure electric car. Up to 238 miles of range, which would probably cover your needs and the car magazines report that it will really go that far. It’s probably the best of the cheap electric cars (Leaf, imaginary base Tesla 3, Chevy Spark EV, Honda Fit EV, etc.) today.
The Volt is a plug-in hybrid. It will run on pure electricity for up to 53 miles (count on perhaps 45 in the real world) and another 350 miles on its small gas tank. I think it gets around 45 mpg running purely on gas. Because it has a gas engine, you can just pump in more gas if the roof rack reduces your electric range. It’s a bit longer than than the Bolt, so if the Bolt could hold your surfboard with the hatch closed, the Volt probably could too but I haven’t actually checked either.
As for quality, the Volt is roughly average for a new car. The good news is that new cars today are all light years ahead of cars from two decades ago in quality and the differences in quality between major manufacturers aren’t as great as they used to be. If you avoid any of the worst quality manufacturers today, you will probably get a fine car. Anecdotally, my friend just exchanged her last-generation Chevy Volt on a Tesla 3. She says that the Tesla doesn’t feel as well built as the old Volt. Other than the big screen on the Tesla, the interior isn’t nicer. The Tesla is a lot quicker off the line though, which is fun for her. It also costs a lot more than the Bolt. She didn’t seriously consider a Bolt because it was too ugly and, IMHO, she is a snob who really wanted a Tesla to show off.
Consumer Reports says GM reliability isn’t great, but the Bolt is their most reliable model.
I have a colleague who switched from a Prius to a Bolt and is very happy with it. I don’t usually buy American cars but I love my 2013 Volt (bought used last year).
I also switched from a Prius to a Bolt early in 2017. My parents had Chevies when I was growing up, which means I know what pieces of junk they used to be. So far, my Bolt is beating my expectations. It’s an excellent car. The only problems I’ve had is the center console sometimes “hangs”. But it’s auto-rebooted after 60 seconds or so, and it’s happened only once since they did a firmware upgrade. The center console runs the audio and air, not the driving.
Range is as advertised. I can easily go over 200 miles. Range is even better if you do things like 1) don’t run the air conditioner, 2) keep the windows up, 3) set the cruise control, 4) stay under 50 mph, 5) don’t use the friction brake. I also use the hilltop reserve to only charge it up to 80% most days; only fully charging before a long trip. That helps the battery cells have better charge-discharge cycles.
Any way, when I start my commute in the morning, the car reports a range of 180-200 miles when it’s 80% charged, which means I’ve had little battery degradation after a year and half. There’s some variability because the car adjusts its reported range based on your driving habits.
The inside is large for a small car. Back seats get more leg room in the Bolt than in my spouses Lexus RX SUV. Plenty of head room, too.
Another thing, the Leaf has air-cooled batteries which may cause them to degrade faster. Tesla and Chevy use water-cooled batteries.
The Leaf seems to have a reputation for battery degradation, but that may just be because it uses the full capacity of the battery, and therefore any degradation shows up as reduced range. I think GM and Tesla use a smaller fraction of the battery capacity, so even when the battery is degraded, the car gets the same range. The Volt is the more conservative design, using only about 2/3 of the battery capacity. Which explains why my 2013 Volt still gets the rated electric range. (Though it depends on the time of year - it’s rated for 38 miles, we get 42 miles in warm weather without AC, 36 miles in winter with heat on.)
Chrysler has the Pacifica PHEV minivan available right now, not in 2022. It has an electric range of 33 miles (not as much as the Volt’s 53, but still enough for most people’s daily driving) and a gasoline motor like the Volt. And, yes it will DEFINITELY hold a 9’6" surfboard.
This is your Friday “Don’t forget to try to stick your board in your car” reminder.
I tested it out, and I think you’re good. But to be safe, I have to say the results were inconclusive.
My paddleboard is 10’2". The Leaf interior is 8’ from the back to the dash, and 9’11" to the windshield. I squeezed the board in as far as I could and I was about 6 inches from being able to close the back. I’m guessing my board is wider and thicker than a surfboard, so I think your 9’6" board would fit. But it depends on your board’s geometery and it would be close.
Thanks, I really appreciate you doing that. I know your family and friends were probably watching you and asking, “why is he trying to fit that giant paddle board in that car, it will never fit, what a kook.”
So you’ve risked your reputation for sanity for me, and I appreciate it. Thanks.
[As I’m trying to squeeze it in.]
Wife: You’re doing this why?
Me: I told some guy I’d see if it would fit.
Wife: Oh, a friend?
Me: Not exactly. I don’t know the person.
Wife: …
Wife: You’re doing this why?
Beeeen there. Took my whole family to a glassblower’s to check out something for a doper. That was actually pretty cool though.
I’m certain no one is staring sleepless at their ceiling , wondering “did that Attack from the 3rd dimension guy ever find out whether his surfboard would fit in a Nissan Leaf”.
However, I passed a Nissan dealer on my way to go surfing, took the opportunity, and found out.
Drumroll please…
It fits, in the board bag, fins still on, with room to spare.
Sleep well, y’all.
Thanks for the update, love this kind of thing! But no, I have been sleeping well, thank you :).