Unfortunately, we had to give the 2012 Chevy Volt back to Chevrolet. So what was our final impression on the hybrid — freedom. There was an undeniable feeling of freedom, from the moment we drove the car.
At first it was odd to plug-in a car so that you could charge its battery. Not to mention that we had a number of spectators lurking to see what we were doing. But that strange feeling quickly went away — it became second nature to plug the Volt in.
In the week that we drove the Volt we were stopped no less than a dozen times. Strangers would ask — “how does it drive,” “when was the last time you filled up,” and “that is the car that never needs gas?”
We also experienced a sense of belonging. On Twitter and Google+ we had people telling us how much they loved their Volt. And on our way up to Rhode Island we parked next to another Volt. The owner got out and we began talking about our experiences with the car.
And why is it that so many like the Volt — freedom.
When the Volt is fully charged you get 35 mpg. Now the range does vary depending on temperature — if the air conditioning is on you will not get 35 mpg. Regardless of actual driving distance we spent a total of $30 on gas. And we drove quite a bit on electric:
- Brooklyn
- Manhattan
- New Jersey
- Connecticut (electric/gas)
- Rhode Island (electric/gas)
- Staten Island
So what is the bottom-line:
What We Liked
- It’s a hybrid
- Lots of tech in this car
- It switches from electric to gas smoothly
- Feels like a regular car behind the wheel
- Stylish exterior
- When running on electric you can’t hear the engine
- OnStar is always a plus
- Majority of controls in the car are touch sensitive
- Plugging in the Volt to charge
What We Did Not Like
- Breaks were spongy when on electric
- Low on room for passengers and cargo — seats only 4
- The Volt is expensive — fully loaded it’s around $45,000
- Accelerating from a stopped position was slow
Call To Action
If you are in the market for a hybrid car take a look at the 2012 Chevy Volt. Go ahead and kick the tires, take it for a test drive or just take a look what Volt owners are saying about it.
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