And I say "surprisingly" because they don't feel all that great when you first sit down in them. This on a car rated at 53 miles of electric range." Others simply coalesce into a big pot of nope. There's still regenerative braking, of course, and acceleration is just as quick. The 2019 Volt is a five-seat, plug-in hybrid hatchback sedan offered in LT and Premier trims. So the majority of the 1,380 miles we drove last month were on the highway, though Dan still made a concerted effort to live the EV life. Recall 17058: Reprogram power inverter module. The Chevrolet Volt has a trunk space of 10.6 ft3. I was attempting to install the small sheet of fabric that Chevrolet deems fit to call a cargo cover when one off the hook points comes loose. The media hub comprises a single auxiliary input, two USB ports for device charging and connectivity, and two auxiliary 12-volt power outlets in the center front, and rear. Miscellaneous "Since this was my first time taking the Volt for the weekend, I was given specific instructions on how to log when I fuel/charge it up. Seating is comfortable and spacious in the front seats, but rear-seat passengers will feel the squeeze. Just the normal workings of the Volt's innovative drivetrain." Maybe even a little fun. It was a lot of heavy lifting for the Volt. That's right: Google Maps. The battery pack still takes up space underneath, though, so it's more of an emergency-use perch than a truly useful seat." Forget the usual small hump in the floor; this is a straight-up beverage cart between your thighs. October wasn't a particularly remarkable month for the Volt in terms of energy efficiency. Due to some confusion at 22,500 miles, we paid $45 even though the visit fell within the free period. Regular Maintenance: GM recommends routine service in 7,500-mile intervals. Follow along on our Long Term Road Test page to find out if this Volt delivers on the promise of the plug-in hybrid. You can also add safety options, including automatic parking assist, front and rear parking sensors, automatic high beams, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, a following distance indicator, forward collision alert, and forward automatic braking. Though the rear outboard seats are nicely contoured and the armrests soft-padded for comfortable adult occupation, the rear cabin space is limited, even for average-sized adults. Caroline Pardilla, copy editor, Cargo Space "Hi, I'm Mike's back. For now, I'll stick to using my foot rather than my fingers." Like Magrath explains, I'm not sure the Volt is the right car for me either, but I like several things about it. Available features include a wireless device charger, a Bose eight-speaker audio system, navigation, and automatic parking assist. Carlos Lago, senior writer, "I continue to recommend the Volt widely to people who ask me for shopping advice. Since minute variations in throttle position produce a profound effect on velocity in that mode, I'll go with "D" for highway driving. I also noticed the groove running from front to rear on the Volt near the pimple seemed to be scuffed, just adding more to the mystery." The Volt also comes standard with push-button start, remote start, a rearview camera, and the Teen Driver parental control system. "I'm here to get the pop-rivets and screws that were supposed to come with the bracket," I continued. Then I hit the skip button on the Apple CarPlay screen and the response was immediate. The seats throughout the cabin are, nevertheless, well-padded and contoured for decent comfort and support. I'm still figuring it all out, including which apps are supported and which aren't. I've found myself using all three at any given time, usually in the order of 2-3-1, with the old-fashioned one only used as a last resort when a complete stop or heavy braking is needed. But it's a marked improvement on Volt 1.0. As such, I think the Hybrid is actually the Malibu to get. It may look like a Cruze/Civic mashup on the outside that's the biggest weakness, in my opinion but the driving character is appropriately upscale. This is a comprehensively better car than the one it replaces. Those are awfully convenient to have on the traffic-congested freeways of Los Angeles. Ed Hellwig, Executive Editor, MPG "I took possession of the Volt with 286 miles on the trip meter and the onboard calculator showing fuel consumption at more than 250 mpg, the highest number the calculator displays. Went from running out the batteries to having over 250 miles of range available. Why can't you just use the regular brake pedal?". Dan Frio, Automotive Editor, Cargo "I picked up two sheets of 3-by-5-foot cement backer board for a home bathroom remodel. In other words, stay tuned the Volt's best mpg may be yet to come. Brent Romans. I drove 44.1 city miles on Friday before I plugged in to a 120V Level 1 outlet at home with nine miles remaining. Single-occupancy carpool lane access also a huge plus. When the screen is bigger, it allows the system's designers to make the virtual screen buttons bigger and easier to consistently press. This is not a do-it-yourself piece. Large . I couldn't get an app going to monitor the Volt's charge (someone has since told me you can do it on the Volt's OnStar site), so after an hour and 20 minutes, I packed up and headed back to the car. But the system works beautifully." Short people will clearly have a difficult time reaching the hatch when it's open. I did this a couple times before I got the hang of it and felt so embarrassed." Well, the Volt handled the job, but it wasn't pretty. I hit it once more and timed the response: 40 seconds! Driver Confidence 1 Package ($495) adds the side blind zone and lane departure alerts and rear cross-traffic alert. Average lifetime mpg: 37.3 mpg EPA mpg rating: 42 mpg combined Average electric range: 51.6 miles Best electric range: 75 miles EPA electric range rating: 53 miles Current odometer: 28,990 miles Maintenance and Upkeep None. Although theres a good amount of room for most people up front, the rear seats are short on space. If interior quality is a priority for you, the Volt is likely going to disappoint. I don't need to be the equivalent to a rolling neon sign blinking "I'm saving the planet!" The Premier ($38,345) adds leather, the ability to add navigation, front and rear heated seats, Bose audio system, heated steering wheel and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. "On my return trip from Corvallis, Oregon, to Los Angeles, snow was falling on Interstate 5 near Mount Shasta in Northern California. The first Volt's grainy tractor engine sound, and the boisterous way it announced its handover from the electric motor, was one of our main gripes about it. I managed to not get killed, either by crash or road rage, and back up to speed without draining too much. But what about its seats? The rear seats dont have much room, especially compared with some class rivals. There's a symmetry to the idea that I like. This experience left me with mixed feelings about the Volt. I have, however, found something to complain about. The Volt was used mostly for normal commuting duties, while I threw in some traveling on deserted Orange County highways over Thanksgiving. Higher math tells me I drove 36.9 miles on 28 miles of "fuel," earning a bonus of 8.9 miles or approximately 25 percent of my one-way commute. The Premier trim also unlocked additional options. We do our best to separate miles driven solely via battery power versus those motivated by gasoline. The 2016 Chevy Volt is available in two trim levels, LT and Premier. But it turns out the rear-most edge of the cargo space is just under 3 feet. VIN: 3GNKBERS8NS175978 . There are two sets of LATCH car-seat connectors on the Volts rear outboard seats, along with an upper tether on the middle seat. Deserves so much more attention than it gets." Until then, I'll stick to the brake pedal. Lift off throttle and the car coasted until I hit the brakes. A windshield chip repair and traffic accident rounded out the last of our extracurricular excitement. One limitation within the space is the Volt's sloping rear hatch. Here's the question I'm left with: Why aren't more car companies building cars like this? Neither alternative is particularly convenient so I have to tough it out. However, the Chevy Bolt offers 16.9 cubic feet of space, and the Toyota Prius Prime takes the cake with 19.8 cubes. It's perfectly placed for holding a cell phone. If you step on the brake pedal to slow the car down, it feels pretty much just like you'd expect from a regular vehicle. Not with this giant battery-pack hump in the middle of the back row. But given the not-insubstantial sticker price, I'm dissatisfied with the Volt's interior. Ultimately, we concluded, "The 2011 Chevrolet Volt's medium-size battery gives it a decent amount of electric range, and you can use all of it every time because the gasoline engine allows the Volt to continue on like any normal car. I just thought of a fourth! Not to put any crazy ideas into the head of our Director of Vehicle Testing Dan Edmunds, but I'd also be interested to test if one of these braking means (or a combination of them) is more efficient than another at maintaining/recharging the battery. Today's freeway pace was generally higher. Of course, the soonest Pep Boys could take a look at the car was noon, and of course, the Volt was already off the flatbed. And I instantly flashed back to my first time behind the wheel. The Volt has 10.6 cubic feet of trunk space. Also, it can be difficult to identify some of the top tethers. The urge to fidget did not set in after 45 minutes and I don't remember having to ease the seat back to stretch my legs out as the miles wore on. The typical automotive touchscreens range from 4 to 8 inches in diagonal width. We've said it before and will here again. Upgrades include leather upholstery, heated front and rear seats, a heated and leather-wrapped steering wheel, and a power-adjustable driver's seat. Traffic was still moving perfectly when I zoomed past my destination, solely focused on driving 75 miles for no real reason. Either way, I like the interior of this Volt much better. Interior dimensions with the second-row seatbacks in place measured approximately 29 inches deep by 38 inches wide at the wheelwells. Unfortunately I just don't like the car itself, at least not enough to put my own money on the line. For the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, becoming smaller on the outside has translated to slightly less front and rear headroom, front and rear legroom, and front hip room compared to the old model. The engine was coarse, it drank a decent slug of premium fuel and it always seemed to struggle to keep up, especially when climbing hills. --, "If you've never driven a Volt, you'll be immediately surprised by just how quiet the hatchback is. Yes, the Chevy Volt is a good car. Mike Schmidt, Senior Manager, Vehicle Testing, "Here's one for the 'What Was I Thinking?' One thing I haven't quite wrapped my head around though is how Chevy decided to integrate a control for maximum regenerative braking. Alas, that's how my Wednesday started." At 51.8 miles, we came pretty close, and twice we managed to drive the Volt more than 70 miles on a full charge. I just leaned the front passenger seat all the way back and tucked them into the footwell. 1: Seats: Seat bottoms are too short, as in two hand-widths from seat bottom to my knee short. The 2016 Chevrolet Volt's T-shaped battery pack feels like the EV Age's equivalent of the muscle car's driveshaft tunnel. I wonder why Chevy opted against this feature. With our 240-volt connector, we observed a charging time of 4.5 hours. Sometimes you need a little more room for your cargo. If I had to give one car the Most Improved award, the 2016 Chevrolet Volt would be it. " Sure, the Volt's driving range has grown, but so have our expectations. The Volt touts a quiet cabin with a host of tech features and a good amount of space up front. It's frustrating when something little like this happens. Maintenance and Upkeep A flat tire left one editor on the side of the road. thank you, Chevy, for the extendable sun visors), but on my commute there were moments when the chrome surround of the bowtie on the steering wheel reflected the afternoon sun directly into my eyeballs. Still, our carpool lane-eligible plug-in continues to impress. Even with the modest miles added to the Volt, we were able to form more opinions about the Volt thanks to some all-gas driving and test the A/C system in our hot summertime Southern California weather. I love good service. The old saw "time is money" has never been more true. (DB). My panel isn't too far from the outlet, separated by a couple of bedrooms, maybe 30 feet. While we almost had a new best all-electric range at 69.4 miles, it was shy of the Volt's 75-mile best. I was then off on a voyage to Corvallis, Oregon, and back a week later. During my most recent stint in our long-term 2016 Chevrolet Volt, I came up with an Xbox-related idea that could improve it. As such, just under 800 miles were added to the Volt's odometer. Our last full month of use involved 1,390 miles of city and highway driving, with more than 300 miles of those in electric mode. --, "Owing to the car's aerodynamic styling, visibility isn't especially good, especially out the rear, which has thick pillars. We do our best to separate miles driven solely on battery power from those using the gasoline engine. The Volt could. That paddle is either on or off, a bit like how early gaming consoles wouldn't allow you to ease in or out of the throttle or brakes. For me, in a comfortable seating position (I'm 5'9"), it's a windshield-and-up view of cars in the rearview mirror. As the Volt is, it's like instantly stepping on the brake with moderate effort, then hopping right off. Cheesy. This is all rather unfortunate because I would otherwise find the Volt to be an extremely pleasant commuter car. After all, the engine comes on quite frequently in non-EV operation, and that's how I've been driving it for a number of days. She only drives 10 or 12 miles a day. We'll have plenty of miles to find that out. The functions these buttons perform, however, happen to work well so there's no argument there. While the interior design is attractive in theory, it's swallowed up by the mass of black plastic. Dan will beat this, I'm sure. The cargo area of the Chevy measures just over 3 feet so they'd fit fine, I thought. 4: There's nowhere to put my arms. Average lifetime mpg: 37.8 EPA mpg rating: 42 combined Average electric range: 51.4 miles Best electric range: 75 miles EPA electric range rating: 53 miles Current odometer: 27,600 miles, Logbook Highlights Performance "I wish the Volt's brakes were a bit more robust. The dealer I called sells replacement containers (part number: 23119009) for around $50, but you can find it online for as low as $20. Both the LT and the Premier are fitted with an eight-inch HD color infotainment touchscreen installed with Chevrolet's infotainment 3 Plus system, with a Volt-exclusive Energy App and 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot capability. The Volt also boasts a long list of. But Is It Worth It? As with CarPlay, pressing and holding the voice control button bypasses the GM voicemail and jumps to Android voice commands, which understand natural language amazingly well." My family of 5 are traveling from the US to Italy with a connection in Amsterdam. That's right: Google Maps. It's pretty easy to imagine other people dismissing it as some sort of Chevy Cruze hatchback, or a Honda or Kia. --, "Owing to the car's aerodynamic styling, visibility isn't especially good, especially out the rear, which has thick pillars. Doesn't matter if you were on FM or XM, you're now listening to your phone's music. With the cooling in between, there wasn't any noticeable brake odor. A 240-volt home charger would allow me to straggle in after midnight, plug in, and still have enough charge time to fill the battery by morning. That would prove to be important in the coming week. It's a weird little glitch." Even if you're not using it, having a place to put your phone where it's easily accessible is nice. And let me tell you: When you're sitting in the cab of a tow truck plodding along through traffic to a Pep Boys, the benefits of a compact spare take far greater significance over the added trunk space and ever slight increases in fuel economy that a small air compressor and a can of goo provide. Not surprisingly, when I started it up, the automatic climate control went into full-power mode to try to cool things down. You might be able to jam them in there, at the risk of crushing your bread and bruisin' your peaches." An adviser greeted us immediately, processed the car and gave us an estimate of three hours to complete the work. The 2016 Volt has an 8-inch screen compared to the previous generation's 7-inch screen. For each mile I drove, two miles clicked off from the counter. Nor is the Volt spewing undesirable pollution out its tailpipe under electric power. Or if they wear terrible cologne. But he soon returned with a baggie containing the four pop-rivets and four screws I needed. Now if only I could live with the rest of the car." We purchased our Volt at Selman Chevrolet for $38,114 thanks in part to a $1,000 rebate. The results speak for themselves: Trunk Space Behind 3rd Row 41.5 cubic feet; Cargo Space Behind 2nd Row 93.8 cubic feet; Maximum Cargo Space 144.7 cubic feet; Chevy Suburban Comfort & Convenience Features Constantly switching back to XM after every Waze alert grew particularly aggravating on my long trip. To put it simply, it's shockingly good to drive, with composed handling and consistent, well-tuned controls. The right rear tire cost us $195.37, including labor. On Monday, I drove the 46.6 miles to work and arrived with six miles to spare when I plugged into our own 240V Level 2 charger. I'm the ideal EV candidate except that I like road trips and I'm not always so good at paying attention to charge level. I found this odd, considering most car exteriors get dimples and dents from things thrown, bumped or dropped on them. Short answer: nothing out of the ordinary. But Majoros said Chevrolet has pent-up demand for the Bolt. Watch The Stunning Pagani Huayra Codalunga Stun The Crowds On Ice Track, F1's New Medical Car is Aston Martin's 700-HP DBX707 SUV, 3-Row Kia EV9 Teases Concept Styling In First Production Images, Official: Tesla To Build Next-Gen EV At New Mexico Gigafactory - Could Be Roadster 2.0, BMW M Quad Motor Prototype Hits The Snow To Test Electric M3 Powertrain, Fisker Teases Electric Pickup With Features Never Before Seen On A Truck, 2010-2023 CarBuzz Inc. All Rights Reserved. This particular issue crops up because a hybrid vehicle can utilize two different systems to help slow the car down. Maybe I'm still too entrenched in the mpg mindset where efficiency promises are always viewed with suspicion, and anything in the ballpark is generally deemed acceptable. The second was for an "engine not available" message, which netted us an updated power inverter module. The outlet, separated by a couple times before chevy volt cargo space with seats down plugged in to a $ 1,000.! 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