Chevrolet Volt: Quick Drive

You start the Volt as you would many of today’s gasoline-powered cars, by stepping on the brake and pressing a button. The console-mounted gear selector is just as conventional, though it’s a large, whole-hand, paddle-type affair. Once in Drive, the Volt takes off confidently, but I have to admit I expected more. Electric motors are known for having prodigious amounts of torque starting at 0 rpm, but the Volt’s acceleration was rather modest, at least with four adults onboard.

As I traded off driving and riding along with three other people, a gauge showed the battery range was down to one mile. Sure enough, in short order the gas engine fired up. Again, with the background noise, I didn’t hear it kick in initially, and I didn’t feel any vibration — a good sign, considering that Chevy has been obsessing over issues of noise and vibration during the critical transition from battery to range-extended mode and back.

The rain and watchful eyes also frustrated attempts to get a feel for the car’s dynamics, but I can say it feels pretty much like any other car. The Volt is a relatively light car with a heavy battery pack situated low in the middle, which could make for a good center of gravity, but we’ll need better conditions and higher speeds to know for sure. Even at these speeds, the Volt feels substantial, in a good way.

The car I drove was one of 80 hand-built units around the country, but the very day after my drive, March 31, the first preproduction Volt rolled off the line at Chevrolet’s Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. That means the run of saleable cars is only a few months away. We look forward to more time in the Volt then.