2011 CHEVROLET VOLT<\/p>\n
BY DAVID COLMAN<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0You’ll be reading reams of technical information about this car in the months to come, but what’s it really like to drive?\u00c2\u00a0 Based on a 100 mile round trip between Sausalito and Marshall, the Volt offers a workable solution to everyday transportation for 4 with the added bonus of 25-50 miles of gas-free operation daily.\u00c2\u00a0 Volt operates in 2 different modes.\u00c2\u00a0 There’s battery power, which is good for that gas-free 25-50 mile romp, plus gasoline power for an added range of about 350 miles.\u00c2\u00a0 If you drive short trips every day, it could be months before you need to refill the Volt’s 9.2 gallon gas tank.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Of course, you’ll need to recharge the batteries every night, a 10 hour job if you use 120V household current.\u00c2\u00a0 If you want a 3 hour home recharge at 220V, you’ll need to install a special battery charger which costs $600.\u00c2\u00a0 Chevy will do a free site survey to assess what the installation of this charger will entail.\u00c2\u00a0 Labor and parts can run the job as high as $2,000.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0The combined range estimate of 379 miles means you never have to worry about getting stuck with a dead battery, because the Volt’s diminutive 1.4 liter gas engine immediately comes to the rescue when the lithium-ion battery pack runs out of charge.\u00c2\u00a0 So unlike the electric-only Nissan Leaf, which will stop dead after just 118 miles, the Volt will travel 4 times as far without giving you “range anxiety” ulcers.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0The best part of owning a Volt is staying green without being a dolt.\u00c2\u00a0 Unlike the Leaf’s ToonTown caricature face, the Volt looks slick and futuristic without pandering to stylistic digression.\u00c2\u00a0 The Volt’s shape cheats the wind like few other cars on the road.\u00c2\u00a0 With a Co-efficient of Drag (CD) of 0.28, Volt is actually a slicker shape than Porsche’s slippery Cayman sport scar (CD 0.30).\u00c2\u00a0 Everything about Volt is tailored for exceptional mileage, like its model-specific Goodyear Assurance tires (215\/55R17), which come with a standard tire pressure dashboard monitor to insure proper inflation.\u00c2\u00a0 Of course, you still have to monitor the monitor, and add air as needed, but Chevy eases the job by providing a neat portable pump in the hatchback’s trunk.\u00c2\u00a0 Volt carries no spare tire, so the Goodyears are run-flat specials.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Inside the cabin, Volt is a work of art, with dash-top pads that flow seamlessly into the door structures.\u00c2\u00a0 The junction between these disparate surfaces is so tight the Volt looks like a Bentley inside.\u00c2\u00a0 You can festoon the door panels with leafy green inserts that match the “New Mown Grass” stripes on the seats, or you can forego the New Age look for a more subtle combination of cloth or leather.\u00c2\u00a0 The center stack of the console which mounts the standard 7 inch navigation screen is a model of computer keyboard design, with touch activated areas controlling every needed interior function from HVAC to communication to navigation.\u00c2\u00a0 If you need gratification for your green keen, the screen can be configured to display the state of regenerative braking, your efficiency as a driver, or your mileage on the current run.\u00c2\u00a0 Another 7 inch wide screen directly in front of the driver contains pertinent information about state of battery charge, range to battery expiration, and a slew of other minutiae (like tire pressures), all at your beck and call with the twist of a dial.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0The Volt is a remarkably mature product.\u00c2\u00a0 It handles well on the secondary roads of Marin County, despite the hard rubber compound which makes the Goodyear tires squeal in tight turns.\u00c2\u00a0 In full power mode (“Sport” setting with Low gear selected), Volt is just adequate for passing slower traffic on 2-way roads.\u00c2\u00a0 You won’t have your heart in your throat, but you won’t feel overly confident until the 3,781 pound Volt is back in its proper lane.\u00c2\u00a0 0-60mpg runs take about 8.8 seconds, and top speed is governor-limited to 100mph.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a02011 CHEVROLET VOLT
\nENGINE:\u00c2\u00a0 1.4 liter DOHC in-line 4, gasoline\/electric hybrid
\nHORSEPOWER:\u00c2\u00a0 149 hp
\nTORQUE:\u00c2\u00a0 273 lb-ft\u00c2\u00a0
\nFUEL CONSUMPTION:\u00c2\u00a0 93 MPGe (all electric), 37 MPG (gas only), 60 MPG (combined composite)
\nPRICE AS TESTED:\u00c2\u00a0 $43,485\/ $35,985* (*includes $7,500 federal tax credit)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
2011 CHEVROLET VOLT BY DAVID COLMAN \u00c2\u00a0You’ll be reading reams of technical information about this car in the months to come, but what’s it really like to drive?\u00c2\u00a0 Based on a 100 mile round trip between Sausalito and Marshall, the Volt offers a workable solution to everyday transportation for 4 with the added bonus of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,69,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-automobile","category-electric-vehicles","category-new-automobile-products-tests"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44202"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44203,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44202\/revisions\/44203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}