Chevrolet Volt 2011
Test Drive
GM Main Street In Motion
San Jose/Great America, California, USA, 2011
AllCarCentral.com's Test Drive
This is part of a series of test drives which were short, concentrated parking lot events designed to create performance impressions. The event was run in the rain which allowed full testing of traction control and ABS systems.
The Volt marks the first steps for a major US car company to move into the battery powered vehicle market
Chevrolet Volt 2011. Starting Price $32,780
GM is very proud of the Volt and is working hard to demonstrate its capabilities. Is the Volt an electric car or a hybrid car? This question is still being some what asked around early into the cars first year offered for sale. Applied Special engineering is said to move the Volt out of the hybrid contest.
"The Volt has been programmed with three unique driving modes to accommodate different driving styles. Normal mode is the most efficient setting that takes the electricity and focuses it on operating the electric drive. Sport mode sacrifices a small amount of efficiency for more responsive acceleration, and Mountain mode makes sure the battery has a bigger energy reserve for driving up long, steep inclines."
The "Driving Experience" track for the Volt was on regular streets with traffic and typical turns etc. the run was again short but gave me an opportunity to compare the cars performance and handling in an environment for which it was designed.
The usual comment I have heard coming from drivers of the Volt, is "how quiet it is". Given the interior sound proofing of all modern cars, I did not notice any major sound difference when driving the Volt. Most sound inside a modern car is from road noise.
It was a "nice" car. What can I say. The drive gave me a chance to try the electric motor get-away. The first few yards are smooth and quick, no wheel spin, even on the wet roads. From 20 mph the max acceleration was good but to me the car felt heavy. Granted there were 3 people in the car for the test drive so it did have some work beyond the very heavy battery pack and the 4 cylinder (dead-weight-when-not-operating) engine.
Is the battery-supplied-energy car, the car of the future? My money is that the batteries are a very limiting factor and other types of energy cars will prevail. Even the Volt has a gas tank and 4 cylinder engine which will drive the front wheels once the batteries energy is spent. A very good thing to have.
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Chevrolet Volt sn-1G1RD6E48BU100930 2011
GM Main Street In Motion
San Jose/Great America, California, USA, 2011
Straight forward styling should help sell the car
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Chevrolet Volt sn-1G1RD6E48BU100930 2011
GM Main Street In Motion
San Jose/Great America, California, USA, 2011
|
Chevrolet Volt sn-1G1RD6E48BU100930 2011
GM Main Street In Motion
San Jose/Great America, California, USA, 2011
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