Let’s answer the obvious questions first.
Yes, the Chevrolet Volt is real.
Yes, the electric motor system will take you, in the mild weather in which we drove it, around 40 miles on pure electric power.
Yes, when the battery is low enough that the gasoline inline-4 takes over, the transition is seamless.
Yes, it has very acceptable daily performance with either electric or gas propulsion.
Yes, it will go 100 mph. Honest.
We’ve seen the Volt for enough years that it is no surprise to see one on the road, and yet when you do it looks smaller than it has appeared on auto show stands. The styling is crisp, with a very short rear deck and squared sides back there. Overall, it’s a handsome design and thankfully Chevrolet did not feel the need—as many automakers do—to style its electric car so differently that it comes off as goofy.
Inside, the design is also, well, crisp. The battery pack tends to crowd the center of the car, but there’s decent if not excessive room for four 6-footers inside, riding in comfy seats.
There are plenty of instruments and well-done graphics to not only inform you how frugal you’re being with gas, but also encourage your fuel-saving ways, a la Ford Fusion Hybrid.
Chevrolet figures the electric mode range at 25–50 miles depending on such things as your driving style, accessories being used, both the climate outside the car and how you are using the climate control inside. When in electric mode at speeds lower than about 50 mph, the Volt is very quiet on decent road surfaces. Above that, road noise can rise, its intrusiveness being quite road surface-dependent.
Overall, the Volt is a kick to drive with that sprightly performance and a ride/handling balance that leans toward the sporty side a bit.
Pricing starts at $41,000 including destination, and you can add up to $4000 in options. Leases come in at $350 per month with $2500 down.
What makes the Volt interesting is something of an answer to a Jay Leno line. The comedian figures the range of an electric car is about half as far as you want to go.
That’s when the Volt keeps on going.
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