MotorMouths

The 2013 Chevy Volt provides the best all-electric range of any plug-in hybrid, plus gasoline-fueled peace of mind that all-electric competitors can’t match. But it’s pricey for what you get.

Considering all the hype and waiting, I thought the Volt was destined to disappoint. So far, it hasn’t. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how it works under the surface. What matters is how it works out in the real world — and at first blush, it works damn well.

The Volt’s engine bay wowed me with its performance and flexibility, but the mediocre dashboard design nearly soured the experience.

The Volt really does have amazing technology under its hood, but from a practical standpoint, one must question the necessity of paying as much as you have to in order to get it.

For all of the bellyaching that we could work up over how long it takes to fully charge the Volt, GM has done an amazing job of building an EV that drives just like any other vehicle on the road.

The 2012 Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid is arguably the most fuel-efficient car on the market, but it’s pricey for what you get.

We wouldn’t discourage someone from buying one, but the noise and harshness of the gas motor, the impractical 4-seat configuration and the small chance of a Volt purchase ever being economically sound are unfortunate demerits against an otherwise interesting and innovative vehicle.

This is the most sophisticated, most important vehicle on the road today. For being an automotive pioneer, the Chevrolet Volt is the 2011 Automobile of the Year.

The Volt strikes us as the closest in concept to the winning formula of the Prius. It has big fuel-economy numbers, a unique name and styling, and enough range and people and cargo space.
This is without a doubt the most important new car since the advent of hybrids in the late ’90s, and GM has nailed it.

Congratulations Chevrolet, the Volt is quiet, accelerates well and most important to me, was pretty seamless in the switch from electric to gasoline generated electric power. The Volt was certainly worth the long wait.

The Volt is a car that will make fans feel good about driving and about themselves. If that’s not your cup of green tea, don’t buy it. But if the Volt appeals to you, my hunch is that you’re going to love it more than any car you’ve driven in years.

The Volt is a true technological tour de force. There were huge, huge expectations heaped on this car, fairly or unfairly, and it delivers on every one of them.