72-mile electric range 150 combinedĬadillac ELR: 85 m.p.g.e. 17-mile electric range 430 combinedīMW i3 (with range extender): 119 m.p.g.e. gasoline combined city/highway 53-mile electric range 420-mile total rangeĪudi A3 e-tron plug-in: 86 m.p.g.e. Shortcomings: No memory for driver’s settings, power seats not available, luggage spaceĬhevrolet Volt Premier: 106 m.p.g.e. Reasons to buy: Fuel economy, low emissions, technology Price as tested: $39,025 (excluding destination charge) With the 2016 Volt on the road and the 2017 Bolt battery-electric car coming soon, Chevrolet’s revolution may have just begun.Ĭontact Mark Phelan: or on Twitter the Wheelįront-wheel-drive five-passenger compact sedan George Washington had a pretty good second act. Not many revolutionaries have a plan for what comes after they overturn the established order. The steering is communicative and responsive.
A low center of gravity courtesy of the T-shaped battery under the Volt’s center line and rear seat contributes to good road holding. There’s no torque steer, thanks to the electric motors’ controls. The electric motors’ muscular torque output - more than the high-performance Subaru WRX or Ford Focus ST - produces confident acceleration. The Volt is quiet and smooth on the highway. My Volt lacked two features buyers should expect for $39,025: power seats and memory for the driver’s settings. Chevy ditched the first-generation’s fussy flat-panel controls for simple buttons and dials to manage climate and audio. The controls are simple and easy to use, particularly Apple CarPlay and GM’s excellent voice recognition and touch screen. My test car had leather upholstery and a two-tone black and brown color scheme. The Volt’s 10.6 cubic-foot cargo space is one of the smallest in the segment, 3.0 cu. The Volt’s 90 cubic-foot passenger compartment is in the middle of the segment, slightly larger than the A3 e-tron hatchback whose layout is most like the Chevy. The sleek shape cleverly disguises the fact that the Volt is a hatchback with a sloping rear deck. The new Volt’s grille, headlights and overall look are consistent with the 2016 Cruze. Figures for the Prius Prime aren’t available yet. That’s less than the A3 e-tron, ELR, C-Max Energi and Sonata plug-ins, and more than the i3, which has a tiny range-extending engine and gas tank that are only for emergency purposes.
The Environmental Protection Agency projects that at current energy prices, an average Volt driver will spend about $650 a year to drive 15,000 miles.
The Volt is a bargain, not least because it offers so much more electric range than its competitors, several of which cost more.
I tested a top-of-the-line Volt Premier with leather upholstery heated front and rear seats and steering wheel Bose audio Apple CarPlay navigation Bluetooth phone and music compatibility voice recognition blind-spot, cross-traffic and lane-departure alerts 4G LTE Wi-Fi automatic headlights front seat side and knee air bags, and more. The Volt’s powertrain produces 149 hp and 294 pound-feet of torque.
The lithium-ion batteries also have more power and weigh less. Other improvements for 2016 include a new two-motor electric drive unit that’s 12% more efficient and weighs 100 pounds less than the original. All 2016 Volts use General Motors’ new global compact architecture, which will also underpin the upcoming Cruze compact, Bolt battery-electric car and other models sold around the world. Prices for the 2016 Volt start at $33,170.