Early Chevy Volt mule drives reveal surprisingly good stuff in Cruze bodies [w/VIDEO]
Click above to watch videos test drives of Chevrolet's Volt prototype
General Motors has begun doling out test drives of its Chevrolet Volt prototypes to the salivating media. AutoblogGreen is scheduled for some time behind the wheel in short order, but some bigger names have already written up their first impressions of the car. CNN's short version: Promising, but not perfect.
Unlike the Mali-Volts of the recent past, CNN was able to test out the Volt technology as it fits inside the bodywork of a Chevy Cruze. The vehicle looks nearly identical to the Cruze that will go on sale in the U.S. soon, but the powertrain is reportedly 80 percent Voltec. Reporters haven't yet gotten the true Volt driving experience, though, since, as CNN's Peter Valdes-Dapena reports, the Cruze vehicles operate in EV-only mode because "GM engineers are still tweaking the car's performance under gasoline power." Considering that EV-only mode is how most Volt drivers will experience the car most days, this is a fair initial test, with Valdes-Dapena calling the acceleration "particularly muscular." One big question that needs to be answered is how GM will deal with the weight of the Voltec system. Valdes-Dapena writes:
The first time I drove the front wheel drive test vehicle into a turn, the weight came as a surprise. It felt almost like the small Cruze had turned into something more like a Cadillac the moment I turned the steering wheel.That's going to take some getting used to, or perhaps some additional tuning.
Valdes-Dapena wasn't the only reporter to test out the Cruze Volt mule. Detroit radio staple Jeff Gilbert was there for WWJ and he put up a video on Facebook. GM made their own video of the media drives, and you can see that and the CNN show after the jump.
Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt
[Source: CNN, WWJ, General Motors]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Coolio 1:50PM (4/14/2009)
Progress !
This is the one car that can eliminate gas usage for most daily commuters most of the time. Well done !!
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PaulPaul 2:33PM (4/14/2009)
i'm right around the 40 mile daily commute myself; probably spend around $2k for gas a year so even at 40k, as long as I could get the 7.5k tax credit the savings would be substantial; it would feel pretty awesome to drive every day and NEVER stop at a gas station! (that feeling alone must be worth few grand =)
shutupandletmego 4:21PM (4/14/2009)
If you drive for 40 Miles everyday then you will have to charge the batteries at your home everyday. So the 2K you save on gas will probably be offset by increased electricity bills.
koloth44 5:02PM (4/14/2009)
@shutup: Yeah, the electric bill would go up, but not as much as you would save on gas, particularly if (when?) the price of gasoline goes back up. Not to mention, using electricity potentially gives the option of using renewable sources like solar or wind to reduce the amount of power you draw from the grid...
Pokey 1:55PM (4/14/2009)
Wait a minute, I thought the Volt was nothing more than "vapor-ware".
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hypermiler 1:56PM (4/14/2009)
That's not a Cruze; that's a KDM Lacetti Premier wearing Chevy badge.
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Justin 2:02PM (4/14/2009)
The KDM Lacetti Premier IS a Cruze. Same car.
hypermiler 3:22PM (4/14/2009)
@ Justin
> The KDM Lacetti Premier IS a Cruze. Same car.
Not exactly.
1. Different grill. The car in the picture is wearing a Daewoo grill and not a Chevy grill.
2. Different engine. KDM and Euro Lacetti Premier/Cruze are identical, but the US Cruze uses Austrian engine.
alex 3:54PM (4/14/2009)
1) who cares if the grille is different
2) the engine is different? when we're talking about a volt mule, who cares. the engine in this car is neither from the cruze or lacetti... it's from the volt!
Rev 4:23PM (4/14/2009)
And a double-fail for Mr. hypermiller. Well done!
TriShield 1:59PM (4/14/2009)
Not bad for a car that won't turn a profit even at it's sky-high sticker price, that very few people will actually buy and may not work as advertised.
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Coolio 3:04PM (4/14/2009)
You're right - if they don't platform share (they will) and if they don't have any future generations of this car (they will).
I.E. you're point is not valid.
Thameth 3:05PM (4/14/2009)
@TriShield
Thats what they said about the Prius, look where it is now.....
I think the Volt will be big for GM, it just won't be the company saver.
Bobmarley 1:59PM (4/14/2009)
Great test drive...I now know that the volt is silent and has a range of 40 miles on a full charge!!
...their just trying to keep the hype alive.
Autoblog, please teach these guys how to do a test drive.
-Handling
-Acceleration
-Braking
-Road noise
-Interior
-COST??? (is it still at $40k)
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naggs 2:15PM (4/14/2009)
GM is not letting them flog their testbed
basic driving impressions are all they really get to go on
anthonypbhs 2:24PM (4/14/2009)
I saw the Cruze, LaCrosse, and Volt at the NY auto show a couple of days ago, and while I know they are pre-production, they looked liked good cars. Usually even GM's auto show cars have big panel gaps with cheap looking detailing. These cars were actually tightly assembled and had nice detailing, that I hope will come through for the production models.
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patrick clement 2:29PM (4/14/2009)
For that money, you can buy a nice Dodge Callenger R/T six speed. I will keep my Volts for the blender.
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br4nd0nh347 2:44PM (4/14/2009)
I'm getting a little confused.
At first I heard the Volt will have a gas generator (basically) that goes to the electric motor for an extra 300 miles after the battery is empty.
Then I heard that the car will have the an engine that will kick in like a hybrid.
Now I'm hearing the generator again.
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Level 2:51PM (4/14/2009)
the engine kicks in to charge the batteries
jv2k 2:55PM (4/14/2009)
It is driven by an electric motor that is powered by a battery for 40 miles. After 40 miles passes a gas powered generator kicks in and starts producing energy for electric motor. The volt is a fully electric car.
It's pretty much the same with modern trains.