Positrons
- Great Design and better looking than any Prius made to date
- Electricity first; leading to 250-500 mpg if you have access an outlet
- Feels safer and more substantial than it’s competitors
- 0-60 acceleration faster than a Honda Civic
Electrons
- Electric Vehicle (EV) range limited to 35 miles before gas motor has to recharge batteries
- Interior has too many hard plastic surfaces
- Soft-touch buttons are too sensitive
- Navigation and radio are integrated such that you can’t have one on without the other
Living with the Chevrolet Volt is about making a green statement, but without the usual green sacrifices. It’s not a hybrid as defined by the Toyota and Honda camp, it’s an extended range electric vehicle (EV) that combines the gas saving benefits of pure electric cars with the range and convenience of conventional gas powered cars. While the Toyota and Honda camps utilize gas and electricity in parallel, the Volt takes a series approach, EV first then gas. The EV range fully charged is about 35 miles and once that power depletes, the Volt fires up its 1.4L engine to charge the batteries and provide juice to the electric motor, allowing for another 250-300 miles of driving under normal conditions.
Being able to simply go to a gas station and keep on driving should provoke a mind-shift for folks experiencing electric vehicle range anxiety. Although the Volt is still dependent on gasoline for any out of town trips, diligent usage of the EV portion will provide some pretty impressive MPG numbers, since no gas is used until the batteries run dry. We used the Volt for normal errands and commuting to work for a total of three days, including a weekend, and compared it to the family 2005 Prius in these areas: Design, Drive, Comfort/Convenience, and Recommend to Buy.
Design
Chevrolet has done a great job with the first generation Volt. Comparing the Volt to the first generation Prius… let’s just say that 12 years of design and technology have given Chevy designers a distinct advantage. The Volt turns heads because it is somewhat rare, has the right exterior proportions, sits low and wide, and has an overall pleasing silhouette. Plain and simple, the exterior looks better than any generation of the Prius to date, and from what we can see in Toyota’s plans it will probably stay in that aesthetic position for years to come.
Stepping into the Volt, the first comment from passengers is that the interior is heavily dressed in plastic, to the point that it looks a bit cheap. The Volt only seats four because the battery pack runs down the center, so sliding over to exit curbside will be difficult for anyone sitting in the back. The dash is both lovely and vexing as the display graphics are far superior to the Prius, but the user interface is not. For example, if you want to use navigation or review your energy usage, the radio also turns on and you will need to turn the volume all the way down if you don’t want Katy Perry blaring in the background. Turn the radio off and navigation turns off as well.
All the controls on the dash only require a light touch, so run your fingers over the 16 or so buttons and you are bound to hit something by mistake. Outside of the user interface and heavy use of plastic, the overall interior design is probably equal to a car valued around $25,000.
Drive
The big difference in driving between the Volt and the Prius is 500 pounds; this affects everything from acceleration to braking to handling. Don’t get us wrong, the Volt hits 60 mph in the low eight second range, which is a full two seconds faster than the Prius. The Volt also delivers equivalent braking and handling, and the suspension and chassis feel more capable, which is impressive given the weight difference.
You can imagine if the same Volt package weighed 500 pounds less; far more impressive performance, handling, braking, and mileage. The weight does provide some advantages, as the Volt feels planted and solid when driving in town or on the freeway, and it actually feels safer than the Prius. The wheelbase of the Prius is a little longer than the Volt, but because of the weight, the Volt feels smoother.
Tire/road noise was an instant complaint once the Volt was up to speed, but this could also be due to the inherently quiet electric drivetrain, which seems to make other noises that are much more apparent. Chevrolet managed to achieve an impressive 0.28 coefficient of drag, but doing so required a front rubber spoiler that sits a little over four inches from the ground, so parking and driveways will be a challenge. These few issues aside, the Volt feels safe and smooth, and should be more than satisfactory for commute duty.
Comfort and Convenience
In order to save some weight and cost, the Volt came with manually adjustable seats, which although comfortable, made switching drivers a chore. The lack of lumbar support for long drives highlighted what manual seats lack. The Volt is strictly a four seater, while the Prius offers room for one more. Rear seat legroom and headroom was very good for a car that is slightly shorter than the Prius.
Even though the Volt is a wider car, it offered less space in the rear hatch area compared to the Prius. A large suitcase and ice chest can fit with the hatch closed, but oddly enough there is a little more side room in the narrower Prius. The Volt also required one to lift items from the hatch area due to a rear step, while cargo just slides out of the Prius.
Then there’s the whole issue of having to charge the car every night, only to yield 35 EV miles from a 10 hour 120V charge. There was a public ChargePoint station about two miles away, but it would require leaving the car there a few hours to attain a full charge on 220V, and it was in the middle of nowhere, so we passed on that option. To gain full advantage of the Volt, owners will need to install a 220V charging station at home. Finally, the supplied charger release trigger broke, making it difficult to release from the car. We know it’s a first design unit, so subsequent designs are sure to be better.
Recommend to Buy
The Volt has a unique look, drives smoothly, accelerates well, makes entertaining Transformers sounds, and is reasonably comfortable. The car makes you feel eco-smart right from the start. Sure the Volt has some first year teething issues, like door panel rattles, poor fitting weather-strips, an awkward user interface, simple seats, and only a 35 mile EV range, but we give Kudos to GM for moving forward with this platform and we hope it will spawn other EV applications. Until then, the green enthusiast masses will likely give their nod to the Prius, for its greater practicality, convenience and lower cost of ownership.
| EXPERT REVIEWS | |
 | 2011 Chevrolet Volt First Impressions Review – Driving the Chevy Volt By David Colman “The best part of owning a Volt is staying green without being a dolt. Unlike the Leaf’s ToonTown caricature face, the Volt looks slick and futuristic without pandering to stylistic digression.” |
 | 2011 Chevrolet Volt First Impressions Review – Yes, it drives like a real car By Derek Mau “Typical of all battery-electric cars, there is no audio cue to signify the car is alive. Switching on the ignition, the driver is treated to a light show displayed in the instrument cluster.” |
| RELATED CONTENT | |
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 | First Look – Chevy Volt Concept Car By Kurt Gensheimer “There is no debating the visual aesthetics of the Volt. It’s a sharp-looking machine. Whoever established the precedent that eco-friendly cars must resemble disfigured spacecraft obviously didn’t affect GM designers when creating the Volt.” |
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