Review: Chevrolet Volt

Listen up, haters: The Chevrolet Volt rocks, and General Motors deserves tremendous credit for building it.

Rarely has a car carried so heavy a burden as the Volt. GM has bet the farm on this car, which has been hyped and hated in equal measure. The Volt has its flaws. It's expensive, for one, and you can argue all day about how cost-effective it is. But doing so overlooks an important point: The Volt is a landmark automobile. It bridges internal combustion and electric power, combining the flexibility of a conventional car and the efficiency and zero tailpipe emissions of an EV.

It also happens to be a remarkably refined vehicle with some of the most sophisticated engineering to ever come out of Detroit – or Japan, for that matter. There isn't anything else like it on the road.

What makes the Volt unique is operates as an EV, a series hybrid or a parallel hybrid, all depending upon how far and how hard you're driving. It uses the battery alone for short trips of 35 miles or so. Once the 16 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion pack goes kaput, a small gasoline engine drives a generator to keep the juice flowing.

Complex, yes, but there's nothing at all unusual about driving the Volt. Push the power button and it starts. Put it in gear and it goes. It couldn't be more ordinary. The Volt isn't a rocket, but ample torque makes it feel faster than 149 horsepower and a zero-to-60 time of around 9 seconds might suggest.

The EPA pegs the Volt's range under battery power at 35 miles. We averaged 32 during three days of Bay Area commuting and back-road blitzing. GM says you'll get 25 to 50, depending upon how you drive, and we would have done better had we been more mindful of the dashboard nanny's suggestions for increasing efficiency.

When the battery's toast, the transition to the gasoline assist – GM calls it "range-extended mode" – is anti-climactic. The engine simply turns on. A display on the somewhat cluttered LCD dashboard switches from showing remaining range to showing how much fuel remains in the 9.3-gallon tank. The engine is utterly smooth and eerily quiet, even when you're pushing the car hard.

This car is hefty, weighing 3,721 pounds. Most of that's down low, though, so the Volt is nimble enough in traffic. The chassis is sure-footed and the tires have decent grip, so you can have a little fun on back roads. The electric power steering and regenerative-braking system don't provide much feedback, though.

General Motors took a lot of heat for the Volt's styling, which is more pedestrian than the wild concept we saw in 2007. The do-over disappointed many early fans. The changes were made to maximize aerodynamic efficiency and eke every last mile from the battery.

Frankly, we've always thought the Volt is a looker. Ours came in the Volt's iconic "Viridian Joule," but crystal red metallic is the color to get.

The interior is equally sharp and remarkably quiet, but of limited practicality. The Volt's 435-pound battery runs down the middle of the car, leaving room for only four seats. Things are roomy enough up front, though the battery infringes on elbowroom a bit. We kept whacking anything we put in the cup holder. It's a bit more cramped in the back because of the sloping roof line.

The interior's defining feature is the center stack, which houses the climate control and infotainment systems. It looks like something from that computer company in Cupertino.

It's gorgeous, but the buttons are difficult to read. You'll find your way around eventually, but it'll take awhile. The two LCD screens are big and bright, and the Volt presents an impressive array of info about how much energy you've got, how much you're using and how far you can go. The energy-management system is, like the one in the Nissan Leaf, the benchmark for every EV coming down the pike.

Everything about the Volt was designed to maximize efficiency, down to the climate-control and audio systems. The seven-speaker Bose stereo, which uses 50 percent less energy than a conventional system, sounds fantastic. The climate-control system is anemic in the energy-saving "fan" and "eco" modes but acceptable in "comfort." Optional heated front seats reduce the need to run the energy-sucking heater, but anyone in cold climates may have to bundle up. A heated steering wheel and heated rear seats would help.

Speaking of efficiency, the myriad combinations of EV and hybrid propulsion you might experience on any given drive mean the Volt's fuel economy sticker resembles an Excel spreadsheet. The EPA says the battery is good for 35 miles and the Volt would get 37 mpg if you never plugged it in. But what would be the point of that?

We racked up 217.8 miles in three days. We did a total of 95.6 miles under battery power, charging up only at night using the car's portable charger and a 110-volt socket. We could have gone further if we'd plugged in at the parking garage during the day, but we weren't sure the owner would want us using his juice. All told we got 68.8 mpg.

Some question the value of the Volt, which is expensive. It starts at $40,280, but ours was loaded and came to $44,680 before the $7,500 federal EV tax credit. For what it's worth, the EPA says the Volt costs 4 cents a mile to run in EV mode and 7 cents a mile in gasoline mode if you drive 75 miles between charges.

It remains to be seen whether the Volt is the game-changer General Motors and its fans say it is or an interesting cul-de-sac on the road to greater efficiency. But either way, the Volt is a remarkable automobile and a new direction for the industry.

WIRED Snappy acceleration and confident handling. As much range as a conventional car. Sexier than a Toyota Prius, especially in crystal red metallic.

TIRED Four seats limits practicality. Some hair dryers blow more air than this car's heater. $44,680 for a compact?

Photos by Jim Merithew/Wired

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