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Greener Cars: 2011 Chevrolet Volt,
an AW Drivers Log
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR BARRY WINFIELD:
The most surprising thing about the Volt is how soon one becomes accustomed to it. At some point in my 40-mile first trip, I began driving the Volt like it was just an ordinary car, without a second's regard for range. That's a good thing. Chevy engineers went out of their way to make most of the control experiences just like those of a regular car. Which kind of makes the whizz-bang displays, sounds and gadgets seem somewhat gratuitous. Why remind someone they're in a science experiment when you've just gone out of your way to make the experience unintimidating? But other than some sci-fi stuff in the cockpit, driving the Volt feels normal, even if the electric steering assist makes the wheel feel a bit weightless and the brake pedal goes through transitions that sometimes seem odd. But I can forgive the car both of those things. As Mark points out, it's not easy to integrate regenerative and hydraulic braking when you don't even have a vacuum booster.
Otherwise, the Volt drives just fine, without the performance penalty you might have expected. There's a surprising amount of torque available in the last inch-and-a-half of throttle-pedal travel--enough to have the front wheels scrabble slightly when launching in some circumstances, certainly enough to drop off most traffic.
Although you sense some extra mass in the vehicle, it rides well and handles a lot better than expected. A low noise level is always welcome and it soon seems completely natural, but I could do with more aggressive regen in the first few degrees of brake-pedal movement. I want to see that little electroluminescent globe on the Volt's display move decisively toward the maximum recovery point on long downgrades. I got just about 40 miles of mixed urban driving (some freeway, some hills, some cut-and-thrust) on a full charge before the batteries were exhausted and the engine started.
Base Price: $41,000
As-Tested Price: $41,000
Drivetrain: 111-kW electric motor, 1.4-liter I4; FWD, two-mode electric drive system
Output: 149-hp, 273-lb-ft electric motor (84 hp @ 4,800 gasoline engine)
Curb Weight: 3,781 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA): 93 mpg-e all electric/37 mpg gasoline only/60 mpg-e combined composite
Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110318/CARREVIEWS/110319903#ixzz1JF4aFiOW
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