2012 Chevy Volt Harrisburg PA

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For 2012, the Volt gets some minor updates. The standard audio system has been changed, and a new audio system is available. Passive entry for all doors and the liftgate is now standard. Chevrolet MyLink, a new option, includes Bluetooth streaming audio for music and select phones; voice recognition for phone, music and radio; Pandora and Stitcher smartphone compatibility; Gracenote (Playlist+, Album Art); and is software updatable for radio software and the Gracenote database. The Volt proved to be a very nice surprise in terms of its smooth, quiet operation, its excellent acceleration, its competent dynamics, and its ongoing economy of operation.  The Volt is always trying to help the driver achieve better battery performance, better overall efficiency and better fuel mileage, through the various instruments and displays on the instrument panel. It's very easy to stay on top of all that information by scrolling through the menus as you drive, trying to keep the battery stack icon as tall as possible.

Powering the 2012 Volt

The Chevrolet Volt uses a enormous 420-pound, T-shaped lithium-ion battery, mounted right in the center of the car, under the center console and rear seat, to power the car through a large 149-horsepower, 368 foot-pound AC-current electric motor with a planetary transmission and transaxle driving the front wheels. Chevrolet says a fully charged battery will run the car on electricity alone for nearly 47 miles. The battery, co-developed with Korea's LG Chemical, a leader in this technology, uses 288 slim cells divided into four 72-cell packs. The battery has its own separate heating and cooling systems to allow it to operate efficiently in extremes of temperature. The battery can be fully charged on normal house current in 10-12 hours, said Chevrolet, and with a 240-volt charging station, in about four hours.

2012 Chevy Volt Design

The Volt is designed with a low hood, front air dam, long roof, high decklid and cut-off rear panel is the most aero-efficient Chevrolet in history, with a drag coefficient of only 0.28, among the best in the world for sedans. The final design is clearly a Chevrolet, with very good use of lighting as a design element, not one but two front spoilers to manage air flow over and around the body, and a bold alloy wheel design mounting Goodyear Fuel Max P215/55R17 low-rolling-resistance tires.

Inside the new Volt

The 2012 Volt seats four people. The layout is for two up front in bucket seats, two in the rear on the bench seat, and the buckets are modern looking and very comfortable. There are two large display screens, one directly in front of the driver, and one at the top center of the instrument panel, and between the two screens, there is every kind of technical information about the operation of the car, plus navigation and entertainment on the center screen. The center stack is very different from everything else out there, a smooth white plastic panel with a dozen and a half touch buttons and touch areas that operate all of the Volt's heating, ventilation, air conditioning, entertainment and navigation functions. It's a little bewildering at first, and the driver must use a carefully pointed fingertip to avoid hitting the wrong button or area, but after a short drive, the various functions are easy to find and fun to use.

2012 Volt Lineup

The Chevrolet Volt comes with fabric upholstery, air conditioning, navigation, OnStar, AM/FM/CD/DVD with XM satellite radio and radio recording capability, power windows, locks, and mirrors.

Options include the Premium package with perforated leather upholstery, heated front seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel, premium door trim; Rear Camera with Park Assist; polished alloy wheels, and special paint.

Conclusions

Safety features that come standard include dual-stage front airbags, side airbags, curtain airbags, safety belts with pre-tensioners, rear child locks, LATCH, StabiliTrak electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes (ABS), traction control, yaw control, roll control. For more on this model, visit the official Chevrolet Volt website!!

Some information for this review was obtained from NewCarTestDrive.com