I drove my brother's Volt this weekend

"Chairman Kaga" (mike-mckinnon)
09/22/2014 at 11:55 • Filed to: None

My brother came to Austin for the Lone Star LeMans. It was his first road trip in the 2013 CPO Volt he got for straight trade on his 2011 Camaro SS (plus $1,300).

Well, of course I wanted to drive it.

Impressions. Creepy silence. Right foot down, and it'll hustle to road-going speeds far more quickly than you'd expect. Unless you've driven an electric car before. Getting to full interstate speed wasn't quite as exhilarating, but it wasn't dangerously slow either. Officially, it's just under 9 seconds.

Steering is tight. Turn radius is fine. Brakes are weird. Grabby, but also not especially aggressive. This is due to the regenerative system. Same goes for coasting. It loses speed rapidly, also do to kinetic reclamation. Loads of toys and data for the geeks. Fairly comfortable seats (my brother said it was a more comfortable ride than the Camaro).

And fuel economy. He averaged about 52 MPG on the 500 mile trip. The lifetime rating is about 850 MPG. The previous owner lived within 10 miles of his job, with on-site recharging, so he rarely used any gas. My brother's fiancee is now the primary driver and has a ~40 mile round trip commute without recharging at work, so she dips into the petrol. They're still averaging around 90 MPG, which is about 5x the Camaro's best, and 6x her old Envoy Denali.

To my sensibilities, it was Car. It's not going to excite you as a driver, but it's also ridiculously frugal, especially for the price he paid. Jetta, Civic, Corolla, Sentra, etc? I'd rather have the Volt, all things considered.

DISCUSSION (17)

mcseanerson > Chairman Kaga
09/22/2014 at 11:59

While in this price range you can have a Mazda 3 I think the Volt is a fine choice. I'd rather see electric propulsion advancements then this autonomous cars driving for us nonsense .

For Sweden > Chairman Kaga
09/22/2014 at 12:00

Will it lunch tray drift?

spanfucker retire bitch > Chairman Kaga
09/22/2014 at 12:00

It's definitely the best EREV/Hybrid on the market right now. It's a shame/wonder why it doesn't sell more. Nothing in that price range comes close to the electric range the Volt has, while also having a full back-up motor that's capable of propelling you for another 300 miles.

I honestly can't wait to see what the next generation Volt is gonna look like.

Steve in Manhattan > Chairman Kaga
09/22/2014 at 12:01

Who says US America doesn't make anything anymore? I would love to try one.

Jonathan Harper > spanfucker retire bitch
09/22/2014 at 12:02

The think the design is a major detracting factor.

Jonathan Harper > Chairman Kaga
09/22/2014 at 12:03

I'm just curious...what happened in your brothers life to forsake displacement and horsepower for a Volt?

spanfucker retire bitch > mcseanerson
09/22/2014 at 12:04

Really? Because I'd love at least half (maybe more) of the drivers I encounter on a daily basis to no longer be behind the wheel.

spanfucker retire bitch > Jonathan Harper
09/22/2014 at 12:04

Looks are subjective. Besides, the Prius is an ugly SOB.

spanfucker retire bitch > Jonathan Harper
09/22/2014 at 12:05

Sounds to me like his brother still owns a Camaro.

Jonathan Harper > spanfucker retire bitch
09/22/2014 at 12:05

Very subjective...but when the majority agrees I'd say it's worth considering whether it's just a shit design. To me, the Volt is equal ugly to the Prius.

mcseanerson > spanfucker retire bitch
09/22/2014 at 12:07

I'm okay, to some degree, with automation but the aids that only lead to drivers paying less attention but still being responsible for driving piss me off. I would like to see automated driving seen less as part of car ownership and more as a service. Like say you use automated Uber cars for commuting and errands and only enthusiasts own/drive themselves anymore. That I'm perfectly ok with. It's the in between that bothers me.

Jonathan Harper > spanfucker retire bitch
09/22/2014 at 12:09

but...

he got for straight trade on his 2011 Camaro SS (plus $1,300)

spanfucker retire bitch > Jonathan Harper
09/22/2014 at 12:12

Pffft, guess I missed something.

Chairman Kaga > Jonathan Harper
09/22/2014 at 12:26

He actually won the 45th Anniversary Edition Camaro from GM during the 2012 Super Bowl. His fiancee has a longish commute 3 days a week, and also drives to several area schools during the course of the workday. She was logging close to 300 miles a week in either an Envoy Denali that averaged 15 MPG or the Camaro that got 18-20. Fuel costs were eating them alive, not to mention tires for the Camaro. He was looking at diesels or just hyper-efficient cars, but stumbled on the Volt at a Cadillac dealer in Dallas. They wanted his Camaro for a buyer and offered him the Volt plus $1300 cash. Done deal.

phenotyp > Steve in Manhattan
09/22/2014 at 12:30

Honestly, I think it's a pretty great car. My girlfriend's brother bought his like 3 years ago, and I've driven it a few times. I'd probably have bought one when I was looking for a car last year, if I could have found a decent used one, but people around here really seem to hang onto them.

Jonathan Harper > Chairman Kaga
09/22/2014 at 13:01

Interesting thanks. Figured it must have been some kind of special circumstance to do such an about-face.

Cé hé sin > Chairman Kaga
09/22/2014 at 13:05

Interestingly the current Volt/Ampera is going to be both the first and last sold in Europe, because approximately nobody buys them.