"Did it without breaking a sweat," you might say. 7.657 gallons of 87-octane went in for a 39.2 mpg result. The 2016 Chevrolet Volt has 10.6 ft3 of trunk space. The paddle triggers the Volt's most aggressive regenerative braking setting, and it slows the car rapidly. Drive our 2016 Chevrolet Volt and take full advantage of its single-occupant HOV lane access stickers. If you step on the brake pedal to slow the car down, it feels pretty much just like you'd expect from a regular vehicle. The lid is a bit of a reach when opened. I began my Volt experience by running up an indicated 37.4 all-electric miles around the city, at which point the gasoline engine kicked in. Add moisture in the form of light rain or morning dew and that changed. It may have looked interesting, but its functionality left something to be desired. According to our calculations, 42 percent of our time was spent in EV mode. My trip north was the first time we've driven our Volt in conditions with plenty of precipitation, including snow. Stability and traction control is pretty invasive, dialing back engine torque as understeer is sensed, so it's easier to be smooth and consistent with the systems turned off. What was the damage after all this? Outside of commuting duties, editor Josh Sadlier took it golfing, which looked neat. Driver Confidence 2 Package ($495) adds lane keep assist, front automatic braking at low speed, Intellibeam headlights and forward collision alert. The pitch of the rear glass is such that it would really benefit from a wiper. Since split-folding second and third-row seats come standard, it's easy to take full advantage of the Chevy Suburban cargo space when you're out and about in Sicklerville . Apparently the switchover is so subtle that you wouldn't notice when it happens. I often get home having only used a few miles of electric range. I was then off on a voyage to Corvallis, Oregon, and back a week later. Average lifetime gas mpg: 37.5 Best fill mpg: 45.1 EPA combined mpg rating: 42 Average electric range: 51.9 miles Best electric range: 75 miles EPA electric range rating: 53 miles Current odometer: 22,857 miles. Aside from its smaller trunk, the Malibu Hybrid just isn't as compromised. My panel isn't too far from the outlet, separated by a couple of bedrooms, maybe 30 feet. It's frustrating when something little like this happens. Why unwind the Volt's Level 1 cord when my daughter's Fiat cord is already plugged in and ready to go? And once again: When you're faced with the prospect of sitting in a Pep Boys waiting room for four hours, the benefits of a compact spare tire outweigh pretty much everything else. The typical automotive touchscreens range from 4 to 8 inches in diagonal width. The Chevy remained in the hands of our long-distance commuters all month. I'm hoping Volt owners are utilizing the car's plug-in recharge ability to its full potential." Yet all too often carmakers decide to include the climate controls with all the rest of a car's new technology. There's this little symphony of micro-lurches and surges that occur at different points of pedal pressure as the Volt's two motors blend and back off continuously, depending on seemingly hundreds of variables. Granted, you're not likely to just sit around and caress your Volt's interior trim pieces. You can convert that number to be equal to per 100 miles driven to see how your driving efficiency compares to the EPA's. Feels lighter on its feet. Since our 2016 Chevrolet Volt has been used primarily as a commuter with a charge station on at least one end of the route, it was lacking in the long-distance part of its life. This was an issue we noticed with the previous generation Volt. It's not a huge change, but it's an important one. thank you, Chevy, for the extendable sun visors), but on my commute there were moments when the chrome surround of the bowtie on the steering wheel reflected the afternoon sun directly into my eyeballs. But it did bum me out for about 60 seconds, long enough to open Spotify and cue up one of the CDs I just bought. Even in front, however, you can lose pedestrians and even other vehicles in the Volt's large A-pillars." What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get? Comments Acceleration: (Electric-only mode) Accelerator response is immediate with nice amount of torque right off the line. I tilt the seatback a couple of notches to compensate for the excessive padding against my shoulder blades with some success. I have almost a year to find out. As the Volt is, it's like instantly stepping on the brake with moderate effort, then hopping right off. We were surrounded by three pristine Corvettes in the showroom. I'm still figuring it all out, including which apps are supported and which aren't. We've written a few prior updates about the regenerative braking paddle on our 2016 Chevrolet Volt's steering wheel. Today's freeway pace was generally higher. Not even on its best tank! No issues to report. The entire month was largely drama-free, except for a flat tire incurred by Senior Writer Carlos Lago. "My driving instincts flipped back to my decades as a New Englander: making measured, smooth inputs; exploiting momentum; and knowing when to turn back. From the way it accelerates, brakes and goes around turns, it's a lot like driving a regular car. But with our long-term Volt in my driveway, the temptation to just hop in and drive is certainly there. VW's multi-stage, paddle-adjustable regen is an example of how to do this right. I've gone as far as 70 miles when traffic was just bad enough to keep my speed down below 50 mph the entire way. With either trim of the Volt, you qualify for up to a $7,500 federal tax break. model year. (DB). Map. Caroline Pardilla. Chevrolet lists the Volt's official cargo capacity as 10.6 cubic feet with all seats in place, but as I was driving solo on this mission, I didn't need to worry about saving room for passengers. The first 49.9 miles were electric-only, once again followed by gasoline power. But the necessary attachment hardware was nowhere to be found. Maybe I'm still too entrenched in the mpg mindset where efficiency promises are always viewed with suspicion, and anything in the ballpark is generally deemed acceptable. The 2012 Chevy Volt's cargo space is small compared with those of other upscale midsize cars and hybrids. The moral, of course, is to always carry chains if you think you might encounter snow (I didn't encounter snowy roads on this trip outside of this brief foray) or to get a set of real winter tires if you live where snow is part of the usual seasonality. You hear a little thrum from the engine and maybe a small vibration, but otherwise the Volt behaves almost exactly like it does in EV mode. Mike Schmidt, senior manager, vehicle testing operations, "A reader commented that he wouldn't want to stack heavy items such as 50-pound bags of concrete inside the cargo area, but the area is well-supported underneath, so that whatever weight is placed there is surprisingly well-distributed. Mike Schmidt, Senior Manager, Vehicle Testing, Interior "I like that the Volt's T-shaped battery pack is the EV Age's equivalent of the muscle car's driveshaft tunnel. Sure, the Volt's driving range has grown, but so have our expectations. After 42 or so miles the batteries had depleted and switched over to the gasoline engine. Key specs 4-door 5 seats 149.0-hp, 1.5-liter, 4 Cylinder Engine (Plug-In Electric/Gas) 42 combined MPG 180.40" length, 56.4" height Front Wheel Drive Color options Exterior Crimson Red Tintcoat. But he soon returned with a baggie containing the four pop-rivets and four screws I needed. It's a function that takes some adjustment initially, but makes complete sense in practice. So I walked into a local Chevy dealer excited. Of course, the soonest Pep Boys could take a look at the car was noon, and of course, the Volt was already off the flatbed. Now if I can just find out where they hid the paint gun from me and get the keys to all the silver/gray/white cars in our fleet, I'll have some work to do. You may be wondering why my daughter is using a Level 1 charge cord in the first place. This is a big problem in most hybrids and electric cars because they tend to go with a more one-size-fits-all design to limit adjustability and, therefore, weight. For logistical reasons, I wasn't able to recharge our Volt's battery pack for a few days. Went from running out the batteries to having over 250 miles of range available. Binning the monochromatic wall of touch-sensitive nonsense was the best idea of the entire program. None of this helped my situation. I'm okay with that. Regular Maintenance: GM recommends routine service in 7,500-mile intervals. And let me tell you: When you're sitting in the cab of a tow truck plodding along through traffic to a Pep Boys, the benefits of a compact spare take far greater significance over the added trunk space and ever slight increases in fuel economy that a small air compressor and a can of goo provide. "When I was coming back from a Mother's Day excursion, I saw that the Volt only had 9 miles left of its EV range. Anti-whiplash front head restraints, Automatic temperature control, Brake assist, Bumpers: body-color, Cargo Cover, CD player, Charge Package (DISC), Cloth Seat Trim, Driver vanity mirror, Dual front impact airbags, Dual front side impact airbags . At this price, depreciation was 31 percent. This is both good and bad. Here are some other samples from the EPA: 2016 Audi A3 eTron (plug-in): 40 kWh/100 miles 2016 Ford Fusion Energi (plug-in): 37 kWh/100 miles 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In: 34 kWh/100 miles 2016 Kia Soul Electric: 32 kWh/100 miles 2016 Fiat 500e: 30 kWh/100 miles 2016 Nissan Leaf: 30 kWh/100 miles 2016 BMW i3: 27 kWh/100 miles. Also, the rear window is narrow and short, so visibility suffers doubly. I recently took our long-term 2016 Chevrolet Volt on a straight-shot freeway drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and back. He's got a full charge (about 53 miles) when he leaves for work at 5:30 the next morning. I could live with it, but I'd rather not. Charging cord location? Center console? (Yes, go ahead and insert your cliched joke here.) My early arrival allows for an early escape that usually gets me out ahead of the worst of the afternoon commuting wave theoretically, at least. What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get? New Vehicles With more alternative-fuel vehicles on the market, including the BMW i3 we're currently testing, the 2016 Volt faces more competition, and perhaps a tougher audience, this time around. I hadn't driven the Volt before, but Dan had and he liked it. But it's still noticeable how the highway and engine hum is nicely damped and attenuated in the new Volt. I left L.A. in the morning, but not early enough to beat traffic. It's a legit EV with 60-plus miles of electric range, it's an equally legit hybrid once the battery runs down, it's admirably refined on the road, and its compact size makes it a cinch to park. Electrons are cheaper, but they aren't free. Director of Vehicle Testing Dan Edmunds weighs in: "We're mostly just driving it. It looks good, it's plenty responsive and it even allows user logins that bring all your stored favorites (music, navigation, etc.) 7: The front air dam scrapes over EVERYTHING. See complete 2016 Chevrolet Equinox Dimensions at iSeeCars.com. Call (410) 970-6777 for more information. Yes, consequently it has a more versatile cargo area than a compact sedan. The backseat only held two adults. 2) Smartphone integration. What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get? I paged through the owner's manual and read that the paddle activates the "Regen on Demand" feature. Heck, it's not even a Miata. No lights or messages on the dash. It's not a perfect system since it means diligently (and accurately) recording the battery-gasoline switchover point when applicable, plus other factors. 3) Quick responses. . Or if they've gassed it. The electric motor makes no noise, meaning the only sounds you'll hear are rushing wind and tire noise on the pavement." But here's what we've observed so far: Average lifetime mpg: 37.2 mpg Best fill mpg: 45.1 mpg EPA combined mpg rating: 42 miles, Average electric range: 52.8 miles Best electric range: 75.0 miles EPA electric range rating: 53 miles, Best range between gasoline fills (electric fills + gasoline): 681 miles Current odometer: 19,377 miles. I remain suspicious). The Volt indicated it wouldn't be full until 5 p.m. Not quite the outcome I'd hoped for after 11 charging hours, and decidedly behind my friend's typical 10.5-hour pace. What this means is, I can use the Fiat 500e Level 1 cord to recharge the Volt. This, of course, is the first vehicle of its kind, so these weaknesses are likely to disappear especially since the concept has so much promise.". A more questionable aspect, however, is headroom. But the system works beautifully." 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