2012 Chevrolet Volt - Expert Reviews
Expert Reviews from Around the Web
We have scoured the web for expert reviews of this car and found the best ones for you to read. Found 9 reviews. This list is displayed in ranked order based the reviews we think are the best.| Ranking | Details |
|---|---|
| #1 |
2011 chevrolet volt Professional Edmunds ReviewSource: Edmunds...Safety: Safety features on the 2011 Chevy Volt include antilock brakes, stability control, front side airbags, front knee airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. In Edmunds brake testing, the Volt came to a stop in a respectable 124 feet. Interior Design and Special Features: The 2011 Chevrolet Volt's distinctive center stack appears to have been modeled after various personal electronic devices with touch-sensitive buttons. It looks less like an automotive control panel than an oversized iPod, which we applaud; after all, if you're spending this much money on a vehicle, you'll likely... |
| #2 |
2011 Chevrolet Volt Professional Cars.com ReviewSource: Cars.com...It's no Tesla Roadster, yet it's no slouch, with 60 mph arriving in about 8.5 seconds. Because of the car's low center of gravity, the handling is equally entertaining, and there's good traction from the low-rolling resistance tires. Ground clearance is a little too low, thanks to a wide rubber chin spoiler designed to reduce drag. And all this rubber piece does is drag, on everything. Not even the Porsche 911 Turbo scrapes driveways like a Volt. The Volt is also sportier than the photos suggest. Glossy black trim on the sides, roof, and glass hatch mask the stubby overhangs. LED lighting, a... |
| #3 |
2011 Chevrolet Volt Professional Cars.com ReviewSource: Cars.com...Under the Hood For electric-only operation, the 350-volt, 16-killowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack propels the car with 149 horsepower and 250 pounds-feet of torque. When the battery is depleted, a 1.4-liter four-cylinder gas engine kicks in with 84 hp to drive an electric generator. The Volt requires premium gasoline. Currently it doesn't accept E85, an ethanol blend, but Chevy expects to add a compatible version next year, along with one that qualifies as a Partial-credit Zero Emissions Vehicle, which is likely to extend the eight-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty to 10 years and... |
| #4 |
2012 Chevrolet Volt Professional Cars.com ReviewSource: Cars.com...When the battery is depleted, a 1.4-liter four-cylinder gas engine kicks in with 84 hp to drive an electric generator. The Volt requires premium gasoline. Chevrolet estimates a fully depleted Volt battery will recharge in 10 to 12 hours using common 120-volt household power. With 240 volts — which requires a charging station — the time drops to four hours. The charging station is sold separately, with installation extra. The car allows owners to schedule charging times to take advantage of off-peak rates. An application for smartphones gives owners remote control over this feature... |
| #5 |
2011 Chevrolet Volt: Flash DriveSource: MSN Autos...I saw as high as 300 mpg, but it's actually more like 30 mpg when the gas engine is producing the electricity. –Mike MeredithThe Volt is easily one of the most innovative cars on the road today — not to take anything away from the Nissan Leaf, because it too is an impressive piece of technology. But the Volt adds a level of versatility not found in the Nissan. The Volt provides all the benefits of an electric car — albeit with a smaller electric range than the Leaf's — but without the usual concern about range because of the onboard gas engine. When the 30- to 40-mile electric range... |
| #6 |
2012 Chevrolet Volt OverviewSource: CarGurus...while standard entertainment features include a single-CD player with six speakers, satellite radio and a USB connection.Standalone options in the 2012 Volt include voice-activated navigation, Bose premium audio and Chevy’s touted MyLink voice-activated audio and communications system. One of two available packages is the Rear Camera and Parking Assist Package, including a rear-view camera and front and rear parking sensors. The Premium Trim Package, meantime, offers perforated leather upholstery, heated front seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel and upgraded door inserts.For 2012... |
| #7 |
2011 Chevrolet Volt Professional Cars.com ReviewSource: Cars.com...You might hear the four-cylinder engine turn on. What you won't do is feel it; it's as imperceptible as any hybrid or start-stop engine I've experienced, and probably better. The engine runs over a range of speeds, but it's typically at its slowest and quietest when the car is the same. Volt engineers call this a load-following strategy. You accelerate from a stop silently using some reserve battery power, and then the gas engine spins up the generator to compensate. Sometimes it seems a little out of sync, but it's more natural-sounding than the average continuously variable automatic... |
| #8 |
2011 Chevrolet Volt Professional Cars.com ReviewSource: Cars.com...Range also is affected by driving style and mode (the Volt offers Normal, Sport, and Mountain) and the amount of electrical accessories in use. The EPA, somewhat flummoxed in finding mileage figures, rates the Volt at 93 miles per gallon "equivalent" on all-electric mode and 37 mpg after the original charge is used up. The combined figure can be anywhere in between, depending on the "extended range" miles driven. "When I'm driving alone, I tend to rely on the heated seats more than trying to use the heater to warm all the cabin air," says Posawatz. Instead of trying to figure out where to... |
| #9 |
2011 Chevrolet Volt OverviewSource: CarGurus...including a closed front grille, athletic stance, exterior mirrors, and some rear-end elements.When powered by the electric motor, the Volt operates very quietly. Even when the gas-powered engine kicks in, drivers will find the four-passenger cabin quiet and comfortable.Inside, the Volt has a futurist design, with a cockpit that wraps around the driver and front passenger. The high-tech dashboard includes a 7-inch LCD touchscreen display and a 7-inch driver-configurable LCD instrument cluster with digital readouts in place of traditional analog or digital instrument gauges. Drivers can... |
Chevrolet Volt Related News
Opel Ampera (Chevy Volt) Voted 2012 European Car Of The Year
The Chevrolet Volt’s European cousin, the Opel Ampera, has been picked as the winner in the annual European Car of the Year awards, edging out other strong candidates... March 8, 2012 by Viknesh Vijayenthiran
GM's 'Vettes For Volts Initiative
Chevy Volt owners don't just buys their cars on a whim. And as we've discussed before, they're not about to let a few reports of Volt fires faze them out of ownership. Yet in... November 30, 2011 by Thomas Bey
The Chevy Volt's Newest Advocates? NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon
NASCAR driver’s aren’t known for being overly conservative off the racetrack. Just last week, Kyle Busch lost his North Carolina driver's license for a 128 mph... August 29, 2011 by Kurt Ernst
Reduce, Re-use, Recycle: Chevy Volt's Power Pack Planter
Reducing fuel consumption and emissions is only one aspect of automotive sustainability - at the end of a car's life comes the time for its components to be re-used and... June 21, 2011 by Antony Ingram
Google Buys 30 Leafs, Volts, and 250 Charging Stations: Video
Google built its reputation as a small, simple search engine, but there's nothing small about the company's investment in electric vehicles. Google has just placed an order... June 10, 2011 by Richard Read 1
Why should I also consider these?
The 2012 Nissan Leaf, also a five-door hatchback, is a pure battery electric car with a range of 80 to 100 miles.
Then it needs to be recharged for several hours.
It's roughly $5,000 less expensive than the Volt, not to mention a five-seat car with more load space.
The Lexus CT 200h is a compact luxury hybrid hatchback, also a compact, that delivers a genuine 40 mpg in mixed use--but doesn't plug in, at all.
If you want another plug-in hatchback with unlimited range, the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid will go on sale early in 2012--but its electric range is only 9 to 13 miles, after which it turns into a regular Prius hybrid.
Finally, the low-volume and very expensive Fisker Karma is the only other extended-range electric vehicle on the market besides the Volt.
But it's all but $100,000, and it's a sleek, sexy, luxury four-door sport sedan that competes more with BMW and Mercedes-Benz for buyers than the Volt does.
- New Car Price Quote
Updating results
subject to our Car Quotes Privacy Policy
