Published in the summer 2011 issue of MyLIFE magazine
Photography by Chad Koerber
The Chevy Volt is truly a triple threat. Its combination of eco-friendly gas mileage, sexy good looks and a plethora of ponies under the hood make just about everyone do a triple take. It’s easy to see why it has won so many awards: 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year, Green Car Journal’s 2011 Green Car of the Year, 2011 North American Car of the Year and 2011 World Green Car of the Year. The Volt is a front-wheel-drive vehicle that is sporty, fun to drive, handles well, yet makes infrequent stops at the gas pump—this combination of features are truly hard to come by. It’s no surprise to us here at MyLIFE just how well the Chevy Volt performed during our week with this “electrified” ride.
The exterior of the Volt is stylish and smooth. Transitioning from an aggressive front fascia to a five-door hatchback is nothing new for fans of sporty, compact European cars, but for an American automaker, it is quite a departure from the norm. Our black test vehicle looked amazing with the optional forged polished-aluminum, five-spoke, 17-inch wheels. The rear styling looked great as well. Chevy took care not to overthink the back end, giving it elongated, all-red stop lamps that accentuate the styling of the car, while moving the reverse light to the bottom center. This creates a smooth and fluid style that isn’t broken up by multicolored bulbs or lenses. The Volt sits at a wonderful drive height—slightly higher than a sports car, but considerably lower than a crossover. However, the wind deflector under the front bumper gave us a scare as we pulled into parking spots—it hangs a considerable distance down from the car. Take a side view of the Volt and you’ll see what we mean. Other than that, the exterior of the Volt is truly a head turner.
The interior is a geek’s paradise. The dual seven-inch displays—one with touch and optional navigation and rearview camera—give you plenty of instant information about the Volt. Add in the touch-sensitive audio console, navigation controls, iPod integration with artist, song and playlist information, XM Satellite radio, DVD playback capability, 30 gigabytes of hard-drive storage—and even Dolby Digital Surround Sound—and you’ll literally be unable to keep your hands off the Volt.
The seven-inch navigation screen could give you an information overload. Car diagnostics, such as how much battery versus gasoline you have used since the last charge, provide stunning graphical representations of your usage. Commanding all this high-tech equipment from the driver’s seat is a breeze, nothing is too far out of reach and getting to know and understand how it all works together took us about 15 minutes. The Volt’s interior is incredibly well thought out and executed. There’s plenty of storage space up front, with compartments behind the center console and just in front of the shifter. Dual cup holders in the front are large and can accommodate larger drinks, and the center console is decently sized and contains USB and auxiliary connections for myriad audio playback devices. In a departure from the standard bench seat, Chevy put dual bucket seats in the rear as well, making the Volt a four-person vehicle. The rear seats are as comfortable as the front seats are, and there’s plenty of leg room in the rear seating area for a six-foot-tall person, along with two cup holders and a storage bin with an auxiliary power outlet. The cargo area in the back is large, even with the rear seats in the upright position, but when the seats are folded down, the Volt has 10.6 cubic feet of cargo space according to Chevy—that’s more than enough space for a day’s worth of shopping.
Driving the Volt is a breeze. Each one comes standard with push-button ignition. With the smart key anywhere inside the vehicle, just put your foot on the brake and press the start button located on the left side of the console. Startup is instant and insanely quiet. Most times we were unsure if the car was even on. Even from outside the car, we couldn’t hear much of anything as the Volt started up. As it initially begins movement, there is a slight electric whine as the battery begins powering the wheels, but after that the only noise is a slight purr of rubber on asphalt. The Volt is scary quiet. Unlike other hybrid vehicles that use the battery to propel the car up to a certain speed and then the gasoline engine takes over, the Volt uses its battery to propel the car, regardless of speed, until the battery is depleted. I took the Volt to beyond 80 mph using nothing but battery power. I thought it would lose some of its “oomph” running solely on the battery, but the Volt is quick. I normally drive a Lexus IS 250, and while I was driving the Volt, I frequently found a smile slowly creeping up the corners of my mouth as I wove in and out of morning traffic. Once the battery is dead, the gasoline engine kicks in, though it is still assisted by the battery—which is recharged during coasting and braking—to help keep your trips to the pump to a minimum. The EPA claims the Volt will travel 35 miles on battery alone. My best distance was 36.5 miles during my time with the Volt, a pleasant surprise over the EPA’s rating.
Charging the Volt couldn’t be simpler. Each one comes standard with a 110-volt charger that plugs into a proprietary plug just in front of the driver’s door. It’s hidden behind a circular gas door, similar to the one found on the passenger’s side at the rear of the car. The other end of the charger plugs directly into any regular household outlet, though the charging cord is quite short, at about 20 feet. Plugging it into your garage at home is probably going to be relatively easy, although plugging in elsewhere, such as at work or a friend’s driveway, might prove more difficult. You might want to pack an extension cord. Charging using a 110-volt outlet takes about 12 hours and costs about $1.50 a day, but Chevy does offer an optional 220-volt charger that can charge the Volt in about four hours. This requires a dedicated line of electricity in your garage—the same as you would use for an electric clothes dryer.
All in all, the Volt is a great ride. It’s smooth, sleek, sexy and most definitely a head turner. Its ability to travel 35 miles on nothing but electricity is exciting, and the fact that you still have gobs of horsepower with no emissions is just icing on the cake. Everyone I’ve talked to about the Volt has loved it. Everywhere I went, a crowd of people would gather to ask questions and look at and touch a car that everyone knows is changing the way we view hybrid cars. Gone are the days of bland cars that look like beans and get great gas mileage, but have no soul, no guts. But at what cost? The base price of the Volt is $32,780, with the extras on our test car running the total price to $43,685. The Volt truly shocked everyone in that department. Most commented that Toyota makes a hybrid (you may have heard of it—the Prius?) for about $10,000 less. My answer? Toyota has been making the Prius for about 12 years now, and the second-generation model rang in at about $36,500 back in 2003, which isn’t much different from the price tag on the Volt. But even with government incentives, the price might be too high for mass adoption, right now. Chevy may have to take a considerable loss on each Volt for the first few years until sales pick up.
We’re Americans. We want to go fast and look good while doing it. We invented six pack carburetors and 454 big blocks, and we did our best to put the biggest engines into the smallest, lightest cars. We want muscle and, in many ways, the Volt delivers. There’s no rumble, there’s no “beast” under the hood, but getting behind the wheel of the Volt just might trick you into thinking there is.
To watch a video road review of the Volt with Technology Guru Warren Jones, click here.