From the logbook: Chevrolet Volt

Consumer Reports News: March 14, 2012 03:08 PM

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Is the Chevrolet Volt the most significant car that General Motors has produced in the last 20 years? Has the automaker ever bet so heavily (or invested so much money – $1.5 billion) to bring a new design to market? Is the Volt the answer to high gas prices? Whatever the perspective, the plug-in hybrid Volt certainly has people talking. Unfortunately, not many shoppers are buying.

GM recently announced that it will be suspending production for five weeks starting next Monday, hoping to sell down the current inventory of Volts.

When we started driving our Volt, we really wanted to like it. But we were also in the midst of one of the coldest and nastiest winters in recent memory. Hence, we were getting only between 23 and 28 miles of electric-only driving. We knew that electric range was very susceptible to cold weather, primarily because the heater runs on electricity. We also found that highway speeds quickly diminish the electric range.

We continued testing the Volt in warmer weather, which saw its electric-only range approach and once exceeding 50 miles.

Our Volt cost us $48,700, including a cruel $5,000 dealer markup that is hard to imagine now. While a $7,500 electric-vehicle tax credit softens the blow, many of us wonder if this is a high price to pay for going partially electric.

Certainly, as a concept, the idea of an electric car with a backup engine to mitigate range anxiety seems brilliant. Putting economics and philosophy aside, let's see what the car is like to drive.

Here's a candid look at excerpts from the logbook:
"Love [the motor's] off-the-line torque – smooth with loads of grunt."

"'Sport' mode gives quicker throttle response."

"Drives like a bigger car."

"I can't get used to the revving [gas] engine when I decelerate. It is impossible to hypermile when the car is sucking gas when coasting."

"Nice steering, but the ride is stiff."

"I can hear some electrical whine, especially from braking. Otherwise, this is a very refined hybrid."

"Louder than the Nissan Leaf."

"No power seats at this price?"

"Big center tunnel intrudes on knee room."

"Controls are a mess. It me took two minutes when parked to figure out how to turn the climate system off."

"Control graphics are too small and hard to read… climate/radio/information controls are all stacked together on same panel."

"This car has ‘gotta-be-kidding' rear-seat room."

"Visibility is poor: rear window is tiny…front A-pillars act as blinders cutting off the view to the sides."

"Driving the Volt isn't nice if you exceed the electric range."

"This is a short-trip car, and at $44K I don't see that there is going to be a big demand."

"A nifty car and more fun than a Prius (that's not saying much), but a Prius makes much more financial sense."

Overall, the Volt did well enough in our tests to be Recommended. In fact, its first-year reliability is especially good. It undoubtedly uses very little gasoline and running costs are very low if charged frequently; running on electricity only, we measured 2.93 miles/kWh, which is the energy equivalent of 99 mpg. Still, is this plug-in hybrid ready for prime time? One of my colleagues summed up the Volt thusly: "It's not a very good car. It's not a very good electric car. And it's not a very good gasoline-powered car." And I can see his point: We recorded greater driving range on our all-electric Nissan Leaf than our Volt, and, at 44 mpg overall, our tested Toyota Prius gets much better fuel economy (we measured 32 mpg overall for the Volt in extended range mode) and costs a lot less.

Let the debates begin.

For our full road test, ratings, and pricing, visit the Chevrolet Volt model page.