Yes, what matters most is
Yes, what matters most is that better cars are in the hands of more people. Maybe the groupthink of society needs to have this transition point so that the groupthink can become accustomed to a different fuel, while having a method to cling to gasoline because that's seen as safe.
I wrote this in a perhaps futile effort to get more accuracy on the phrases we use to describe the vehicles. Whether we're using the phrases accurately is a separate thing from whether or not the Volt is a BETTER compromise.
Whether the Volt is a BETTER compromise as you say is, I think, a matter of personal perspective and goals and circumstances.
Also - there is the matter of the Tesla Model S which also helps people reduce gasoline consumption, without current EV limitations. Its capabilities blow right through EV limitations, into a whole new realm of EV capabilities. If you can afford the purchase price, that is.