Consumer Reports says GM Volt falls short on range

Reuters ^ | February 28, 2011 | John Crawley

[Upstate NY Guy]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - General Motors Co's mostly electric Chevy Volt turned in a lackluster performance for efficiency in its first series of road tests by product raters at Consumer Reports.

"We would have really liked to have loved it," David Champion, director of Consumer Reports auto test center told Reuters on Monday after announcing the organization's top picks for 2011.

"It was fun to drive and the ride quality was pretty good. But when you look at the finances, for us it doesn't make any sense," Champion said.

He said consumers seeking value and top fuel efficiency would be better off buying a top-performing gasoline/electric hybrid like the Toyota Motor Corp Prius or a Fusion by Ford Motor Corp.

[Blueflag]

Wow. Nice real world, honest review.

Run away it seems.

[ballplayer]

Surprising since Consumer Reports is run By a Bunch Of Lefty Loons who Drink the Obama Kool aid By the Gallon

[Blueflag]

My 4 cyl Ford Fusion will easily get 35 MPG on SE freeways on long trips, even in the summer with AC on. I have to be mindful of the accelerator pedal, but easy driving, on purpose, keeps that average MPG display on 35.

[GailA]

Our electric grid won’t handle every one having one of these rolling death traps.

I’ve had a Chevy Sprint, had an 8 gal gas tank, 3 cylenders, ran on only high test, and only from certain stations or it would foul the carb up. Great gas millage. Great for getting around town, BUT it would beat you to death on a long trip.

I’m getting about 30 mpg in my Corolya in city.

BTW gas was up .22 cents here in Memphis over the past week putting us at about $3.25 a gal for 87 octane.

[Mr. Lucky]

35 years or so ago, when the first incarnation of Jimmy Carter was President, Citicar produced an electric car from scratch with a range of 40 -50 miles on lead acid golf cart batteries. It cost $4,000, received no taxpayer subsidy and far from being the darling of the government, it was pretty much hounded into failure.

[green iguana]

“Anybody familiar with how Tesla gets those 200 mile ranges?”

A light car and a much, much bigger battery pack than vehicles like the Volt or Prius.

Interestingly, most hybrids use dozens of large batteries specifically made for automobiles. The Tesla uses thousands of small lithium ion batteries of the sort you’d buy for an LED flashlight or camera.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

bump

[RoadTest]

“Consumer Reports says GM Volt falls short on range”

CR must be the next-to-the-last to know - right before Obama.

[Myrddin]

It would be best to drive it into the ground. There is no, zero resale value. Any trade-in value is a gift.

Likely. Mercury went out of business. It had 62,000 on the odometer when I returned it to Idaho in Nov 2010 so my wife could drive it.

[Myrddin]

My 1994 Saturn SL2 with 5 speed manual yielded 34 MPG for me on the same Pocatello<-->San Diego run fairly often.

[Upstate NY Guy]

Our electric grid won’t handle every one having one of these rolling death traps....I’m getting about 30 mpg in my Corolya in city.

I agree. I have a 2 year old Corolla and get 30 mpg overall. I'll probably put at least 150,000 miles on the car before trading in for another one (or something similar). The car is comfortable even on long trips. Maintenance is affordable. So the cost of ownership is very reasonable. I don't have to turn off the heat or AC to get good mileage. I cannot imagine why anybody would buy a Volt.

[GailA]

Especially if you have a nearly 50 year old home like I have, wiring won’t handle it. And it has been upgraded at least once. Hubby is an electronics guy. But at 70 I don’t want him taking on the prospect of trying to upgrade it again. We are at our limit now.