Chevy Volt Test Drive

CNN’s own Peter Valdes- Dapena was given a rare opportunity to test drive a Chevy Volt pre-production vehicle at the Milford Proving Grounds in Michigan.

Typically, journalists are not allowed to test drive so called mules as they are not production ready and could have some bugs. However, GM has decided to show off the car rather than to wait for production versions. The mule driven contained the internals of the Chevy Volt, but it was the chassis and body of the of the Chevrolet Cruze.

Though other journalists have driven the Chevy Volt mule, GM has placed an embargo restricting most from writing about their experience at this point.

CNN’s reviewer Mr. Dapena had several likes about the Volt. According to Dapena, the Volt accelerated briskly under full electric power. Dapena is quoted as calling the performance "potent".

Dapena enjoyed the silent nature of the car. Noting that the "silence was still surprising" and the abundant torque provided acceleration times around 8 seconds for the 0-60 mph sprint. The test Volt was also found to be vibration free and the car provided what felt like a 250 hp V6 experience.

However, the entire review was not all raves. According to Dapena, the car felt front heavy when turning and cornering due to the excessive weight of the battery system in the front of the vehicle. Quoting Dapena, "It felt almost like the small Cruze had turned into something more of a Cadillac the moment I turned the steering wheel."

Some adjustments will be made to the suspension tuning prior to production and mules are really just a test bed to find what needs to be altered. However, reducing weight does not seem to be an option, so a firmer suspension may be in order to eliminate the nose heavy feel.

Dapena’s overall impression of the Chevy Volt during his test drive is positive. Dapena said, "Except for the added weight of the battery pack, I found it surprisingly fun to drive, at least at around town speeds."

[Source: CNN Money]

 

Similar Posts:

• First Pre-production Chevrolet Volt Rolled off the Line
• GM Invites Volt Fans to Name First Color and Win a Test Drive!
• Chevy Volt to Achieve 230 Miles Per Gallon
• The Chevy Volt, A Big Disappointment?
• U.S. Government to Purchase First 100 Chevy Volts and Thousands of Hybrids