Chevy Volt gets rave reviews at debut in Tacoma

The News Tribune ^ | 10/10/10 | Kris Sherman

[epithermal]

Amped-up car enthusiasts and environmentally conscious drivers lined up Saturday in Tacoma for the national road tour debut of the Chevrolet Volt.

[epithermal]

DEAN J. KOEPFLER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER - Car enthusiasts wait Saturday for a chance to test-drive the new Chevy Volt electric car at Griot’s Garage in Tacoma. GM billed the event as the kickoff for the “Volt Unplugged Tour,” a 3,400-mile cross-country caravan of Chevy Volts showcasing the cars to the public and media.

[DaxtonBrown]

The new name is to be the Chevy Watt. As in “Watt were we thinking?”

[Tribemike1]

I recall there was enthusiasm for the electric lawnmower when it was first unveiled as wekk,

[EGPWS]

Go Toyota!

Get lost government funded unions!

[Gaffer]

It is ‘unplugged’ because there sure isn’t anywhere the hell else to plug it it!

[FlingWingFlyer]

Cool! Now all the government has to do is figure out a way to let “THE RICH” keep enough of their own money to be able to purchase one of these expensive suckers.

[EGPWS]

General Motors bills the Volt as the “world’s first electric vehicle with extended-range capability.”

Fire up the fossil fuels and stop for restroom break only.

Perhaps the Amish have the right idea. /s

[Red6]

Anything “green” will automatically get great reviews and be hailed for it's awesomeness.

You can't be critical of anything “green.”

I'm sure they measured success and how great it is based on: safety (crash tests), reliability, cost, towing capacity, range, performance, interior space, trunk volume, slalom, braking, head and leg space, over all comfort, visibility out of the car...........

Products like this are successful and get great reviews because those rating them use an abstract concept of environmentalism in their assessment. Long gone are the days where an American would get on his knees and look at the underside of a car and how it's built or care about specs. Give it a nice color and name, the official approval of the green movement and the car will be the greatest thing since sliced bread, sort of like that POS Prius- a $26,000 car that had a poorly visible instrumentation, batteries with a very finite life expectancy, numerous design defects that led to recalls, A/C that turns off when at a red light, that can't tow, has little space, crappy acceleration........... But it too was “green” and was rated as this awesome machine.

[EGPWS]

Now all the government has to do is figure out a way to let “THE RICH” keep enough of their own money to be able to purchase one of these expensive suckers.

Lets not get crazy now...

When the rich reach the point of earning a dollar for every 5 dollars they pay into government perhaps then we can begin to talk "fair share" by beltway definition.

[Sacajaweau]

You really think people are ready to give up their Lexus for this piece of cr**.

Cuz I sure can't afford it.

[Yardstick]

I had a FORD Fusion as a rental while on travel this past week and was really impressed with it. The biggie was the interior fit/finish & materials which was easily on par with the imports.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I’m waiting to hear from Tallahassee.

[Eye of Unk]

I wonder if there was a trailer that can be hooked up and having a combination small diesel generator and also an axle driven alternator doubling over with dynamic braking to use regeneration into the battery bank.

Either that or 500 miles of extension cords.

This car will be a failure, nobody years from now will be able to afford to keep it on the road, first thing will be alternative batteries, homeboy backyard mechanics will be converting the car to use something else or the body will be stripped off and something else will be mounted, like something classic.

The Volt will be a modern day Pinto, its not collectible and will never be a classic, who saves worn out batteries?

[budwiesest]

You can't be critical of anything “green.”

Exactly! I'm so sick of 'green' everything. Just the latest marketing ploy to recieve the Good Seal of Public Correctness approval. I fear what happens when, like your average stop-light, green turns to red.

[EGPWS]

You really think people are ready to give up their Lexus for this piece of cr**.

Paying a total burden of 53% to government is enough for me, I'm NOT going to give Washington another dime by buying a GM.

It's time to stop digging and fill in the hole.

[correctthought]

Obama’s “Voltswagon”, if you will.

[stboz]

Obama’s “Voltswagon”, if you will.

I won't.

[Army Air Corps]

“Voltswagen” - I love it!

[spokeshave]

I’m waiting to hear from Tallahassee ...yeah and in winter.

[egannacht]

Honda CR-Z get 31/37 mpg, is relatively slow and cornering is ordinary. The battery must be changed after 150,000 miles. The braking system is complicated and the parts are not subsidized by the Japanese and US governments.

By comparison, the 1984-90s Honda CRX Si came in 2 seconds faster, was a beastly joy all around the circuit and the gas mileage for the sports SI was 31/38 mpg. The 1.3 liter clocked in at 10.1 sec 0-60 and made 49/54 mpg.

Can we all admit that only nerds with bad dandruff, snobby elites, and the granola crowd would imagine hybrids and electric vehicles save gasoline, the planet, and are sexy sporty.