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"FacebookPinterest\n\nIt won't leap tall buildings, or turn water into sweet crude. But, the Chevrolet Volt doesn't have to. As our buddy, Car and Driver editor-in-chief Eddie Alterman told us the other day, the intriguing new plug-in hybrid probably won't be GM's savior; it just has to show that they can throw down with the Priuses, Nissan Leafs and the rest of the eco-heavyweights. So can it? On a rain-soaked day in a New York City parking garage, we went to find out.\n\nThe Volt's looks aren't particularly noteworthy; it's not too different from its sibling, the Chevy Cruze. But compared to its econobox competition, that's a very good thing. The designers were able to make plenty of fuel-saving aerodynamic considerations while still preserving some decidedly un-Prius-like details, like the flared wheel arches, the wide tires and aggressive front fascia.\n\nFacebookPinterest\n\nInside, the Volt is tailor-made for the iPad crowd, with a digital dash display and a touchscreen along with touch-sensitive buttons all over the center console. Some of the glitz seems a little too for show; if I'm trying to keep my eyes on the road, wouldn't I rather have analog buttons? Then there's the shifter, which seems to be modeled on the warp drive lever from Star Trek. Still, the result isn't half bad. It's pleasingly futuristic without being overly pretentious.\n\nYou start the Volt by pressing a lighted button, and you'd swear only the radio and wipers are on... until you shift to Drive and take off without so much as a whisper. In EV mode, which lasts 40 miles on a full charge, the car is almost dangerously quiet\u2014children in sleepy suburbs will have to look both ways really well. The car we drove was well into a full day of test drives, so the range-extending mode kicked in after just a few seconds. Chevy is quick to note that the 1.4-liter gasoline engine, good for 50mpg, only generates electricity and never drives the wheels. In this mode it sounds much like any other car, except that the engine not being directly connected to the pedal, revs don't really correspond to presses of your right foot. A strange sensation, to be sure.\n\nBut, the most crucial details of the Volt couldn't be found out from testing this pre-production model. Presumably, the ride quality (surprisingly firm) and some of the interior build quality (nightmares of my '97 Geo Metro) will be improved before the Volt hits dealerships late this year. GM, pay close attention: We're sold on the technology. We're sold on driving to and from work without using an ounce of gasoline. We can even be sold on the big sticker price (around $30,000 after a $7,500 federal tax credit), if underneath all that technological gloss is a well-made, comfortable car we'd want to buy. For years now, \"German engineering\" has been a badge of honor and \"American engineering\" a punch line. Turn back that tide, and GM's comeback could be a sight to see."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.gq.com/story/plug-in-messiah-gq-tests-the-chevy-volt>