New cars: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

Motor Trend

Few new cars have received, or deserved, as much hype as the Chevrolet Volt, an “astonishing” vehicle that drives on rechargeable electric power and has a backup gasoline power plant that gives it unlimited range. This is “hands-down the most significant vehicle” produced in 2011, a “moonshot game-changer” that validates GM and Detroit’s joint resurgence. To us, it was the Car of the Year.

The Washington Post

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We seldom side with Car of the Year judges, but we “enthusiastically agree” that the Volt deserves the award. Its electric-to-gas-to-electric operation is seamless, invisible, and efficient, and the car itself “is a work of premium craftsmanship.” The Volt is proof that most families “don’t need a gasoline-powered ‘regular’ car and an all-electric environmental-statement car.”

The New York Times

Forget the “digital magic taking place down below” and feel the joy of 60 mpg economy in gas-electric mode and 93 mpg in all-electric. The buy-in price is steep, even with generous tax incentives, and you’ll give up basics like five-passenger seating and eye-catching design. But the Volt is a car designed to make owners feel good about driving. “If that’s not your cup of green tea, don’t buy it.”