Review by Rob McSorley
Photos by Mat Brooks
Due to skyrocketing fuel prices more than ever buyers are seeking more fuel efficient cars. The market is saturated with hybrid and EVs that all come with big claims. General Motors have been a little slower to react to the sea of change but this is about to change, now they have their very own Eco warrior the aptly named Chevrolet Volt, sister to the Vauxhall Ampera. Different from everything else on the market the Volt is a range-extender and is claimed to offer a staggering 235.4 miles per gallon, but is it any good? Read on to find out.
Visually the Volt doesn't stray too far from the aerodynamically-led mould of the Toyota Prius with its slicked-back roof line that falls rapidly after the front doors. Its the finer details that make the Volt look rather space-age from the chrome wheels, slim lights front and rear to the glass tailgate. Neat touches include a central rear fog light and black section below the window area designed to disguised the shallow windows. The lower sections of the car are black and are designed for optimum aerodynamic efficiency. It all gels together together well managing to look futuristic yet classy at the same time, we particularly liked our Volts metallic red finish.
The Volts generously equipped cabin is a real treat, if Apple made car interiors they would look exactly like this. It's appealingly swoopy with all of the main surfaces are covered in high-gloss white that looks thoroughly modern. A lot of the switch gear such as the steering wheel will be familiar to Vauxhall and Chevrolet owners but is no worse for it. The center console is made up of a flat surface with touch sensitive buttons but they aren't very responsive and are fiddly to use on the move, traditional buttons would have been better. Ahead of the driver instead of dials there is a large TFT screen that houses vital information such as battery power remaining and a neat green ball that shows how efficiently your driving style is. There's also another similar sized screen at the top to the center console that has a wealth of information such as power source, energy being used by the cars systems and economy figures.
The Volts batteries form a T-shaped spine down the center of the car making it a strict four seated. Leg and shoulder space all round is decent although rear headroom is very restricted, luggage space is respectable at 310 litres extending to 1,005 litres by folding the seats although there is a high load lip. It is however a shame that there is no parcel shelf instead the Volt comes with a fabric cover that doesn't really hide the contents of the boot not helped by the gap between the two rear seats.
The Volts drive train is very revolutionary made up of a 111 kW electric motor that offers the equivalent of 150 bhp and a generous 370 Nm of torque. Its paired with a 1.4 litre petrol engine that uniquely never drives the wheels, instead it acts as a generator to charge the batteries. There are three different driving modes, Normal, Sport and Mountain that vary the way the power is delivered depending on the terrain, there is also an L mode which increases the force of the regenerative braking for downhill stints. The batteries can either be charged for six hours using a conventional 240v wall socket or as you drives along by the petrol generator. On a full charge the Volt has a range of around 50 miles on electric only and a total of 300 miles using the petrol generator which removes the range anxiety of its piers.
The Volts driving experience is similar to a normal car. Despite weighing in excess of 1,700 kg it rides well soaking up everything in its path with ease, it also tackles corners with verve with well controlled body roll, high grip levels and positive steering although a tad over assisted. Power delivery is instantaneous with maximum torque almost from standstill resulting in a not disappointing nine second dash to 60 mph, it is also seriously addictive watching other drivers faces as you pull away at traffic lights with real haste. Refinement is superb as the Volt cruises silently most of the time. Even when the petrol engine is in operation noise levels are very low and it is certainly strange as the engines noise has no correlation to the speed you are travelling at.
At £34,995 the Volt appears to be an expensive proposition but with emissions as low as 27 g per km it is exempt from road tax and the London congestion charge. It also comes laden with plenty of standard equipment including key-less entry, sat nav, automatic lights and wipers, cruise and climate control, alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors with reversing camera and heated leather seats. For added peace of mind all Volts also come with an eight year 100,000 mile battery warranty. Whilst in our hands due to the below freezing temperatures we found the Volts range substantially reduced to around 30 miles from a six hour charge, that said we still managed around 200 mpg on a combination of petrol and electric making for rock bottom running costs.
Tech Data
Price as tested: £34,995Engine: Electric Range Extender 151 bhp - 0-62 mph: 9.0 secs - Maximum Speed: 99 mph -
Economy: N/A mpg (urban) –N/A mpg (extra-urban), 235.4 mpg (combined) - Emissions: 27 g/km (Band A) - VED (12 months): £0
Dimensions: Length: 4498 mm - Width: 1787 mm - Height: 1439 mm - Wheelbase: 2685 mm
*data from Chevrolet UK
DriverVIBE Verdict
The Chevrolet Volt is refreshingly different from any other alternative fueled car on the market. It's clever technology combining electric and petrol power removes the usage limitations that affect most of its rivals including the dreaded range anxiety. We found it to be a comfortable, well designed family car that drives as well as most normal small family hatches. Its running costs are some of the lowest around and its generous kit levels represent decent value for money undercutting rivals such as Nissan's Leaf. Although we found headroom lacking in the rear and the steering a little numb there is still plenty to like about the Volt making out well worth checking out if you are after a modern electric family car.
All photographs and text are the exclusive property of Rob McSorley (except where stated otherwise). They are made available for your personal viewing enjoyment only. No images are within the Public Domain. The photographs may not be copied, reproduced, redistributed, manipulated, projected, used or altered in any way without the prior permission of Rob McSorley (info@DriverVIBE.co.uk).
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