“Fast and the Furious” 5 Reasons to like the Chevy Volt

Although Washington, DC is no Rio de Janeiro and my passenger was certainly no Vin Diesel, I was still catching eyes on a recent test drive while cruising down Pennsylvania Ave.  What exactly was under the hood of the new 2011 Chevy Volt?     

1. Fueling with Electricity: Making its debut in early 2007 as a concept vehicle, in 2011 Chevy Volt is hitting the streets, and available for sale.  The Volt fits right in with the thousands of sedans cruising around every day, but has a leg up on the competition – it’s electric range!  Add to that, the sleek hatchback and large bucket seats and you’ve got yourself a must-buy which will save you money at the pump. 
2. Fill Up Options:  Charging from a 220-volt outlet (similar to an outlet needed for an oven or clothing dryer) it takes about 4 hours to fully charge the Volt. In case you want to drive from Los Angeles to San Diego without charging, the backup gas tank has a 9.3-gallon capacity. 
3. Drivability:  While I didn’t get the chance to test it out against the slopes of Rio, the new 2011 model has what it takes to give the driver a smooth and safe ride for both city and highway driving.  Sport mode also delivers a fabulous response from the accelerator (for those high speed chases, of course.) 
4. App-ability:  With standard navigation, Bluetooth phone, and a Bose stereo, the cabin of the Volt features first-rate electronics for all you techies.  The associated smartphone app also offers good connectivity and remote operation.
5. Information at Your Fingertips:  The Icing on the cake was definitely the futuristic LCD touch screen which not only shows navigation maps in 2D and 3D views but gives an interesting diagram helping the driver understand exactly the energy efficiency and the car’s lifetime fuel economy– something I’m sure Dom would have found useful while boosting cars. 

While I wouldn’t recommend any Tokyo drifting, the Volt definitely satisfied my need for speed with excellent pickup, a comfy interior, great sound system, and for the riskier drivers among us, excellent safety ratings. Plus, with rising gas prices, having a car which uses electricity definitely places it miles ahead of the competition. 

NWF promotes electric cars as part of the solution to global warming. Learn more about electric vehicles and the environment here.