Meet The Chevy Volt #DateMyChevy

So it finally came.... my date with the Chevy Volt! We got off to an awkward start however.  Originally, in the email from someone at GM Northeast, they gave me some date options and one of them was September 8th-19th.  So since I picked that date set, and I had tons of things planned to do with the Volt, beginning on the 8th.  When I finally heard from someone that handles the vehicle dispatch, they informed me that the car would be ready for me on the 10th.  I was quite stunned and I asked him to double check the date, and it certainly was the 10th.  So that being said, I was pretty bummed for a couple days and extremely stressed because I had JUST finalized all my plans for the 10 day period I thought I would have the car.  Thank goodness I didn't schedule an actual vacation with reservations on the 8th or else I would have gone crazy having to redo plans.  Unfortunately, a lot of the things I had planned for the first weekend, couldn't be rescheduled for the second weekend because I already had committed to certain plans that were paid for.  I hope you still find my reviews interesting.  When all was said and done, I was happy to have the Volt, I just wish I had it planned out more smoothly. 

After rushing home in a tizzy on Monday, I  was delighted when the Volt was dropped off and proudly sat in my driveway. Unfortunately the charging cord was left at the previous driver’s house. Bummer, but the gentleman who dropped off the car, John, was super nice and friendly.  He showed me the basics of the car.  The fact that I just had to push a button to start up was hard for me to grasp because I am so used to starting my own car with a key in the ignition.  It was really cool and easy!  A few days later, on Wednesday evening, someone from dispatch dropped off a charger so I could charge the Volt and see how it did on my commute to work the next day. 

  

The Chevy Volt was so shiny and has a nice sporty look from the front.  The back is so unique.  I love the structure of the tail lights.  It looks like such a fancy high end car! So let me you introduce you to my date, the Chevy Volt.

The Chevy Volt could be considered a nerd if it were a human, and there’s nothing wrong with that especially when it comes to convenience, safety, and being environmentally friendly.  The Volt is very much all of those things. 

Here are some basic features of the Chevy Volt:

*An Eco friendly and money saving power system

*A lithium-ion battery

This battery is rechargeable and uses a  Voltec  electric drive system with 1.4 L gasoline powered range extender.  So basically, you can charge your Volt and drive it or you can use gas.  And once the battery is used up while you are driving, it will switch over to the gas, so no need to worry about it just shutting down or dying on you!

*Great Safety Features

The Volt has:

-an Antilock brake system

-eight air bags. 

-electronic stability control system called StabilliTrak

-LED daytime running lamps which are great for helping others notice your car so as to prevent accidents.
-rear camera with parking assistance which is super easy to use

*A luxurious interior

-Automatic climate control so you can make sure you are always comfortable on your drives.

-Keyless access and keyless push-button start. This is so convenient not only for the luxury of it but because it’s a great safety feature if you want to be able to quickly get in your car and go, rather than fumble around in the parking lot trying to fit your key in the door. 
-7 inch diagonal reconfigurable LCD screen with Driver Information Center.

-Chevrolet MyLink which provides a lot of entertainment and information, as well as  a convenient GPS guide.
-Bluetooth wireless technology capabilities for certain phones. This is a great safety feature.
-Sirius XM comes for 3 trial months when you get a Volt.  Let me tell you, Satellite radio SURE BEATS THE HECK out of the standard radio which I never even listen to.
-OnStar technology which is another great safety feature. You never know what can happen to you.

And as for some more technical details about the Volt:

*Battery Power

It’s long lasting battery has a 435 pound lithium ion battery pack and supplies energy to a 149 hp electric drive system.

*Gasoline Power

It has a 1.4 L Gasoline powered engine that extends its battery power range up to an additional 344 miles on a full tank.  It operates the vehicle’s electric drive system until the car can be refueled or recharged.

*Fuel Economy

It has a fuel economy of 94 MPGe EV, 37 MPG  Gas , and  60 MG combined.  That’s pretty good compared to anything else out there. 

As for gas type, it takes Premium Unleaded. 

Its Horsepower is 111 kw/ 149 hp and torque 368 lb-ft/ 273 Nm

Some extra cool features:

Bose Energy Efficient Series sound system with 7 speakers and a subwoofer!

I love the dashboard.  All the buttons are touch and the screen is touch also.  You can view the navigation system on a split screen with the Radio, or just by itself.  You can also hit the Info button to get the weather for your area.  The rear view mirror was awesome because it's tinted when cars are shining their overly bright lights at you, something which usually gives me a headache! 

Check back later this week, when I post about how the Volt did on our first drive, as a family car, and with my work commute!