Is the Holden Volt the way of the future or a technological dead-end that will be quickly made obsolete? Hell, we don’t know!
What we DO know though, is that the Volt is here now and it represents a major change in the way we are going to have to look at our cars in the future. Although you wouldn’t know that to drive it.
And that is probably the thing that surprised us most about the Volt – it feels pretty luch like a normal car to drive. And it even manages to be a bit fun with it!
Outside
Likes: Looks like a Cruze crossed with a shuttle craft from Star Trek, with the Star Trek-iness hidden in the details so that most people don’t actually take a second glance as it, ahem, cruises by. Headlights look amazing at night and pretty sharp during the day as well. Squat, low-to-the-ground look makes it look tougher than your average electric car.
Dislikes: Hints of a cab-forward style of design date it slightly, spoiling the sci-fi futuristic promise. Too many gerenric-GM design cues do the same. While the lower rubber curtain spoiler at the front is SUPPOSED to scrape on the ground (and no doubt boosts the Volt’s through-the-air-slipperiness) it still sounds awful when it does and the one on our example was starting to look like it was coming loose.
Inside
Likes: It’s like the inside of a car from an ‘80s science fiction movie! The Stormtrooper-y whiteness and touch sensitive buttons bring a huge sensation of exciting futuriness to what is essentially a very standard car interior. The whizzy graphics on the various screens provide a simply massive amount of information and the whole thing is particularly impressively put together, even if some of the plastics are a bit harsh. The seats are comfortable and surprisingly supportive and the stereo is a particular highlight.
Dislikes: The shiny gloss plastics and touch-sensitive buttons do become a bit pointless and gimmicky once the interior 12-year old gets over the initial excitement of them. And once that initial excitement is over, you also notice how ordinary and slightly dour the rest of the trim actually is. While the boot is slightly small, the biggest annoyance is its complete lack of a luggage blind, meaning that literally everything you put in it is on show through the rear window…
Under the bonnet
Likes: Doing the regular daily commute easily on the battery alone is massively satisfying. Electric motor torque is even more satisfying. The Volt is a surprisingly brisk performer and the sensation of accelerating aggressively in complete and utter silence is an addictive one.
Dislikes: The petrol motor, when it does eventually become necessary is slightly unrefined and coarse. The odd sensation of the revs never quite matching the acceleration or deceleration of the car is disconcerting.
On the road
Likes: With a lovely, low centre of gravity thanks to all those batteries and electric motors, the Volt pleasantly surprises through corners, while the electric torque on the way out is just fantastic. It turns in with a sharpness not traditionally associated with cars originating from the US market, while it remains steady and predictable throughout.
Dislikes: Surprisingly, very little.
Verdict
We were expecting to like the Volt for its extreme frugality (we averaged a remarkable 1.3L/100km with nightly charges, daily motoring and a couple of “thrash-it-like-a-rented-mule” back-road hammerings done with the sole purpose of being as un-frugal as humanly possible…)
We were also expecting to like it for its sci-fi appeal, silent running and the fact that it would be gadget-laden.
And we did end up loving it for all those things. What we didn’t expect, however, was loving it for its performance and handling, nor for that matter, just how damn easy and conventional it was to live with on a daily basis.
Once you get past the sci-fi appeal of the silent running and all the little futuristic noises it makes during start up and shut down, the Volt becomes a remarkably unchallenging car to drive on a daily basis. It has all the acceleration you need (plus the massive low-down torque to utterly clean up at traffic light drag races…) and it is remarkably capable at going around corners quickly.
In fact, when you get down to it, the most unconventionally challenging thing about the Volt is remembering to plug it in to charge it each night. And even then, it’s no big deal if you forget, because you have the satisfying back-up of the petrol engine.
The Volt’s biggest fault comes, as you would expect, with its price tag. At $85,000 the Volt represents a very big ask for a small sedan, even one this unique and packed with so much technology.
Whether it is worth it will be up to the individual buyer’s sense of priority, value-for-money and appreciation of 1980s science fiction.
Price: $85,000
Engine: 1.4-litre inline four-cylinder petrol/electric
Power/torque: 63kW (petrol)/111kW (electric)/370Nm
Transmission: Electric drive unit
0-100km/h: n/a
Fuel consumption: Depends on how you use it! We averaged 1.3L/100km
CO2 emissions: See above.
