Nice Volt Review in Autoweek
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120514/CARREVIEWS/120519906
NEWS EDITOR GREG MIGLIORE: No range anxiety, just engine envy for me on this night as I shot out of the garage at One Autoweek Tower in the wake of a V8-powered Chevrolet Corvette, packing four more cylinders and gobs of power. But Chevy didn't launch the Volt to compete with its own supercar, and for what it is--an efficient, decent-looking sedan--the car measures up.
I've driven the Volt before. The interior has been an area I like, and it continued to resonate with me. I really enjoy the four-seat layout. It's to accommodate the T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack, but it looks sporty, offers plenty of room and makes for a nice atmosphere. Volt shooting brake, anyone?
I kid, but not entirely. The electronics, especially the touch controls on the instrument panel that work without buttons, are a cool feature, and much easier than MyFord Touch. The screen is clear and informative, and it tells the driver what is happening during braking and acceleration that's different in the Volt than a regular car. Props to Chevy for a sporty, dual-cockpit layout, too.
I am not exactly the Volt's target customer, (for a variety of reasons, actually, including my lust of horsepower), but I simply live too far away from our downtown Detroit office to truly make the most of the powertrain. I had a full charge indicated when I set out from work in the evening, and it was cashed before I finished my commute, which is about 27 miles to the suburbs. Obviously, that left nothing for the return trip in, and I had nowhere to charge it at my apartment complex.
Really, that's not a complaint; the car did what it was supposed to, though the mileage didn't quite measure up in brisk expressway driving--it's just the reality of my life circumstances right now. Conversely, if I could have charged it at home, it would have been nearly spot-on. As it is, it's nice only having to use gasoline some of the time.
Otherwise, the Volt drives fine. It's heavier than the Cruze and the Buick Verano, which share versions of this platform. Having driven both recently, the Volt feels almost like a paperweight. Despite the added girth, it's OK in corners and easily holds expressway lines through curves. Power from the 1.4-liter is decent, and I had little trouble defeating other cars as we jockeyed for lanes. It does help to know your vehicle and plan accordingly.
The big question is, will people pay for this technology? More than $43,000 is Cadillac and Corvette territory. Then again, remember how much the first iPods cost?
<snip>
NEWS EDITOR GREG MIGLIORE: No range anxiety, just engine envy for me on this night as I shot out of the garage at One Autoweek Tower in the wake of a V8-powered Chevrolet Corvette, packing four more cylinders and gobs of power. But Chevy didn't launch the Volt to compete with its own supercar, and for what it is--an efficient, decent-looking sedan--the car measures up.
I've driven the Volt before. The interior has been an area I like, and it continued to resonate with me. I really enjoy the four-seat layout. It's to accommodate the T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack, but it looks sporty, offers plenty of room and makes for a nice atmosphere. Volt shooting brake, anyone?
I kid, but not entirely. The electronics, especially the touch controls on the instrument panel that work without buttons, are a cool feature, and much easier than MyFord Touch. The screen is clear and informative, and it tells the driver what is happening during braking and acceleration that's different in the Volt than a regular car. Props to Chevy for a sporty, dual-cockpit layout, too.
I am not exactly the Volt's target customer, (for a variety of reasons, actually, including my lust of horsepower), but I simply live too far away from our downtown Detroit office to truly make the most of the powertrain. I had a full charge indicated when I set out from work in the evening, and it was cashed before I finished my commute, which is about 27 miles to the suburbs. Obviously, that left nothing for the return trip in, and I had nowhere to charge it at my apartment complex.
Really, that's not a complaint; the car did what it was supposed to, though the mileage didn't quite measure up in brisk expressway driving--it's just the reality of my life circumstances right now. Conversely, if I could have charged it at home, it would have been nearly spot-on. As it is, it's nice only having to use gasoline some of the time.
Otherwise, the Volt drives fine. It's heavier than the Cruze and the Buick Verano, which share versions of this platform. Having driven both recently, the Volt feels almost like a paperweight. Despite the added girth, it's OK in corners and easily holds expressway lines through curves. Power from the 1.4-liter is decent, and I had little trouble defeating other cars as we jockeyed for lanes. It does help to know your vehicle and plan accordingly.
The big question is, will people pay for this technology? More than $43,000 is Cadillac and Corvette territory. Then again, remember how much the first iPods cost?
<snip>
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It's all preception. Like the 'slow to start' comment. There's a multi-page thread dedicated to that which popped up in the past day or two. The initial roll-out is a little slow. But it picks up quickly. And it's so smooth and drama-free that sometimes you look down and find out you're going much faster than you think you are. I've found myself doing 50 in the city while catching a yellow before where the limit was 30. And I would swear I wasn't doing more than about 40 if I hadn't looked. It just doesn't 'sound' fast. No, it's not a 'vette. But it's not slow.
Reads like they didn't know about Sport mode but the writeups are pretty good and true to life otherwise. They should also be made aware that the wheel power capability comes from the electric motor and not the I4. The only other nit I have is with the comment by Tara about not "completely benefiting" from the 30 mile electric range since her commute is 124 miles. Aside from the fact that the EPA rating is 35 miles and I average 39 with a non-optimal commute, the problem she sees with the 124 commute is lost on me. I see some make similar comments here too but I don't get it.
Anyone who commutes greater than 50 miles will get the complete benefit from the battery. It's only the shorter commutes that don't fully deplete the battery that do not get the full benefit. Additional, those are the commutes that could also benefit from workplace charging. The only situation where the Volt doesn't have an advantage is if a Prius or Prius C is being considered instead and only if the commutes are greater than about 125 miles for my driving style. The math isn't that complicated.
Anyone who commutes greater than 50 miles will get the complete benefit from the battery. It's only the shorter commutes that don't fully deplete the battery that do not get the full benefit. Additional, those are the commutes that could also benefit from workplace charging. The only situation where the Volt doesn't have an advantage is if a Prius or Prius C is being considered instead and only if the commutes are greater than about 125 miles for my driving style. The math isn't that complicated.
Really? He felt some decent power from the 1.4 liter engine? Did he forget halfway through his article that he was writing about the Volt? Even if the engine had contributed, the majority of any power he felt would have been from the electric motor.
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@bcstrout
I am continually amazed at the people (namely professional car reviewers) who still have no idea how the Volt works. I read one where the guy stated something along the lines of "step on the gas pedal and the Volts electric motor might just make the back tires spin a little!"
I am unsure of how that is possible.
I am continually amazed at the people (namely professional car reviewers) who still have no idea how the Volt works. I read one where the guy stated something along the lines of "step on the gas pedal and the Volts electric motor might just make the back tires spin a little!"
I am unsure of how that is possible.
He must have the Volt SS prototype, that adds an additional 50kW motor driving the rear axle...
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538 Posts
Personally, I think it's a terrible review because of the range available. If he finished charging and it said 27 miles then the estimated range was wrong because it had adjusted to being driven HARD by the editors for a few days. As we all know it's going to adjust downwards to the range available when you beat on it - in this case 27 miles. But, as we all know it's not a firm 27 miles; if he drove it like a regular ICE instead of one he was testing then he'd see 40 miles.
Unfortunately, even though it's wrong, that 27 mile range is going to stick in peoples minds.
Unfortunately, even though it's wrong, that 27 mile range is going to stick in peoples minds.
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