Review: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

The new plug-in hybrid electric Chevy Volt is a great little car. It's green, comfortable, and peppy. Too bad about the price

By Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Classy interior, decent handling, 379-mile range and up to 93 mpg, made in Michigan

The Bad: High price, untested technology, lower performance in cold weather

The Bottom Line: Great little car—but no Prius killer

Reader Reviews

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Up Front

General Motors' (GM) long-anticipated Chevy Volt is a great little car, but it's mainly for shoppers who like to be first with the latest technology, cost be damned. I came away from a weeklong test-drive wanting a Volt—really wanting a Volt, in fact—but knowing that buying one doesn't make financial sense. You get far more bang for the buck from a Toyota (TM) Prius or diesel-powered Volkswagen (VOW:GR) Jetta TDI, or a conventional compact such as the new Honda (HMC) Civic, Chevy Cruze, or Ford (F) Focus.

Federal subsidies are the only thing that makes the Volt, the first mass-market plug-in hybrid, remotely competitive. Starting price is $41,000, reduced to $33,500 by a $7,500 federal tax credit. The all-electric Nissan (NSANY) Leaf starts at $26,130 after the same tax credit. The Toyota Prius and Volkswagen Jetta TDI no longer qualify for federal credits but start at just $22,410 and $23,765, respectively. Bottom line: It would take years to recover the extra cost of the Volt in fuel savings.

That's my head talking. My heart says, "I want one!" Price aside, the Volt is now arguably the vehicle of choice for owners who want to minimize their impact on the environment, and their expenses at the gas pump. To my mind, it's more practical than the Leaf and the new 2012 plug-in Prius hybrid, which is due out this fall. I also love the idea that a world-beating technology is being pioneered at a union plant in beleaguered Hamtramck, Mich.

The Volt is different from other hybrids because it's nearly always powered by its 149-horsepower electric motor; once the charge in the 435-lb. battery is partially depleted, a 1.4-liter, 84-hp gasoline engine with an attached generator begins delivering juice to the car. The gas engine only directly provides power at high speed.

The Volt can go an average of 35 miles per charge, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates. That gives it an edge over the plug-in Prius, which only has a range of about 13 miles per charge. The Leaf's range is up to 100 miles, but once the battery is depleted your only option is to recharge; in the Volt you can drive an additional 344 miles on the gasoline engine and still average 37 mpg. In contrast to the Leaf, the Volt could easily be used as your only car, for vacations as well as commuting.

The EPA estimates that the Volt gets the equivalent of 93 mpg when operating on electricity alone, at a cost of about 4 cents per mile. Some owners report getting more than 1,000 miles per 9.3-gallon tank of premium gas (premium is required in the Volt).

The Volt's standard equipment includes a charger that allows you to recharge the battery in about 10 hours using a conventional 110-volt outlet at a cost of about $1. Alternatively, you can invest in a 220/240-volt station that will charge the battery in about four hours. The charger station costs $490, plus $500 to $1,500 for installation, a General Motors spokesman says, but a federal tax break cuts the cost by 50 percent. In some cities, the Energy Dept. will pick up the entire cost (for now, at least).

The Volt doesn't yet have government crash-test ratings, but—like the Leaf—it has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Stability control and front, front-side, and head-protecting side curtain air bags are standard.