Holden Volt 2013 Review

Holden Volt

The Cruze-based four-seat hatch, which uses an electric motor to provide propulsion, is operable in full electric mode (for a range of up to almost 90km) or is assisted by a 1.4-litre petrol engine which essentially acts as a generator, extending the single-spec model’s range to more than 600km.

The first mass-produced car of its kind, the Volt can be charged at home via a regular 10-amp outlet, providing what Holden says is enough range to satisfy the commuting needs of 80 per cent of Australians living in capital cities. At the same time, unlike conventional EVs that are typically limited to about 160km, the range-extending petrol engine allows the flexibility and piece of mind to undertake longer trips, all but eliminating EV range anxiety.

Priced locally at $59,990 plus on-road costs, the Volt comes here generously equipped as standard, with the only choice required by the consumer being which of the five available colours they’ll take home.

The Volt is equipped as standard with 17-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, single-zone climate-control, heated front seats, cruise control, satellite-navigation, Bluetooth telephony (no audio streaming), USB connectivity and a premium single-CD/tuner with voice recognition, DVD playback and 30GB hard-drive.

Anti-collision and lane keeping technology is also offered as standard, as is a reversing camera and pedestrian alert feature. The seven-inch centre touch-screen and main cluster offer a variety of trip and vehicle status information, including programmable charging software and a nifty key-activated pre-start feature.

Also worth considering is the value of capped-price servicing, which limits the cost of servicing the Volt to $185 for each of its first four services during the first three years or 60,000km of ownership.

Volt owners also receive a transferable eight-year warranty on the car's advanced Voltec powertrain components, covering 161 of the car’s battery, charging, thermal management and electric drive systems.

Sound complicated? You betcha. But once you’re behind the wheel the system is seamless.

Holden says its dual-electric motor/generator system offers a combined output of 111kW/370Nm, making it about as powerful but much beefier in terms of peak torque than most small conventional petrol cars.

It draws power from a lithium-ion battery pack made up of 288 prismatic cells totalling 16.5kWh. The battery is either charged at home via a 10-amp domestic outlet or via a high-energy charging station, where available. This combination offers a theoretical range of 87km.

If you run out of electricity, the Volt’s onboard petrol engine fires into life, its 63kW output generating an electric supply which in turn feeds the battery and then the electric drive motor. Depending on how you drive, Holden says a range of “more than 600km” is achievable from its 35-litre tank. Volt requires 95 RON premium unleaded fuel.

Unlike a traditional petrol-electric hybrid, the Volt’s petrol engine at no time drives the wheels directly.

The car is driven via a single-speed transmission and is front-wheel drive. It is suspended by a MacPherson strut (front) and torsion beam (rear) arrangement and arrested by four-wheel electro-hydraulic disc brakes.

The Volt uses a rack-mounted electric steering system, naturally, which offers the five-door a competitive turning circle of 11.0 metres.

As mentioned earlier, the relatively heavy 1721kg Volt rolls on 17-inch alloy wheels shod with specially selected low rolling resistance 215/55 Michelin rubber. A temporary mobility kit -- rather than a full-size spare wheel/tyre -- equips the Volt with a means of getting around a flat tyre.

Where all-important consumption figures are concerned, it’s worth noting that EV vehicles are tested by a separate annex than conventionally powered models, and therefore present a different combined figure.

Under this test, the Volt consumes 135Wh/km during its electric-only phase, while its combined fuel consumption figure has been rated at 1.2L/100km and its combined CO2 emissions at 27g/km. Now that doesn’t mean you’re going to achieve these figures when driving, but on the launch we achieved 3.6L/100km through a mix of inner-city and highway cruising over hilly terrain.

That sees the Volt ride on an identical wheelbase to the Cruze at 2685mm, but a wider front track of 1554mm (v 1545mm) and a rear track of 1577mm (v 1567mm). In length, the Volt tips the tape measure at 4498mm, against 4615mm for Cruze. It is 1788mm wide (v 1797mm) and 1439mm high (v 1477mm).

Inside, the Volt’s T-shaped battery sits in the tunnel between the outboard seats and under the rear pews. Behind this is the fuel tank. The packaging means the Volt sacrifices its rear centre seat, however, loses none of its hatch flexibility. The Volt offers just 300 litres of cargo space, expandable via fold-flat rear seatbacks. That’s 145 litres fewer than Cruze sedan and 113 less than Cruze hatch.

Otherwise, seating accommodation is quite similar. Despite being shorter than the Cruze, the Volt manages decent headroom at 960mm (v 991mm for Cruze) up front and 915mm (v 963mm) in the rear. Packaging requirements see legroom reduced slightly front and rear, with the Volt measuring 1068mm for front seats passengers (v 1074mm for Cruze) and 866mm (v 917mm) for those up back.

Shoulder room is similar between the new range-extended model and its conventional cousin, with 1436mm in the front (v 1391mm for Cruze) and 1369mm in the rear (v 1370mm).

Nissan's LEAF is the most notable all-electric competitor and is probably the Volt’s closest match on the technology front. It can’t, however, hope to match the extended-range capabilities of Volt, even if it is a very nifty drive and $8500 cheaper at $51,500.

Mitsubishi has its golf cart-sized i-MiEV, too -- although at close to the same list price as LEAF ($48,800) and with a similar all-electric range, it’s unlikely to be considered by those in need of a little more space.

The soon-to-be-released Renault Fluence ZE (for Zero Emissions) comes close on the size front and offers a competitive all-electric range. Though, like the LEAF, doesn’t offer the valuable additional range that gives Volt such an appealing leg-up -- particularly in a country like Australia, where you won't get between big cities (let alone across the continent) on electric power alone.

Then there’s any number of hybrid models you might care to consider, especially the trio of Toyota Priuses and the loved-for-being-normal Hybrid Camry, plus Honda's Insight and CR-Z. Each offer their own unique packaging and the efficiency and performance benefits of an electrically assisted petrol engine.

Sure, there’s the obvious argument of “where does the electricity come from?” and, for the sake of this review, we’re not touching that one with a ten-foot pole. Yes, it’s an important question that needs careful consideration in a nation so dependent on non-renewable coal-fired power, but when you factor in just what GM has achieved here in terms of advancing technology in the right direction, we think this is the place to judge the Volt on its merits and at face value... for now, at least.

Sure, you can plan your trip and you can factor in a buffer, but for the distances some of us need to cover (especially when we break from routine) a pure electric vehicle just doesn’t cut it. Not unless you like making an adventure out of every drive...

This is where the Volt is (and I hate to use this term) such a breakthrough. You can buzz around town silently on electricity gleaned from the grid. It costs about $1.50 to ‘fill up’ and when you consider just how close to the claimed range you can realistically get, that’s cheap transportation (yes, I’m ignoring the hideous list price).

Want to go further? Something just cropped up? No sweat. Keep driving and when you run out of Wattage, the good old combustion engine springs into life to save the day.

Of course, it’s not as simple as all that. But, for the average consumer, that’s the crux of it and there’s only a few other small factors you need to consider.

Driving the Volt is no different to any other car. Sure, there’s a baffling (at first) array of screens and menus and buttons you just don’t come across in a ‘normal’ car. But, as with any new technology, these soon become not only easier to understand, but beneficial in achieving the best out of your shiny new acquisition.

Then there’s the driving controls themselves. A lot of electric and hybrid cars feel quite ‘toy-like’ and, thanks to their ultra-light steering and weird pedal response, detract from the driving experience almost to the point of distraction. Pleasingly, the Volt isn’t like this... Well, mostly.

The steering is light but direct, and offers enough feel and feedback to point the nose accurately through twists and turns. Here, the body is controlled and handles as good as most cars in this class. It’s heavier and will understeer when you get carried away, but the low centre of gravity and good front-to-rear weight distribution go a long way to improving a recipe that’s far from ideal (front-wheel drive and VERY heavy).

Suspension is a comfortable compromise between cushy ride and confident handling and there’s very few adjustments you need to make to your driving style. The car copes well with potholes and uneven surfaces, and doesn’t track over ruts and corrugations like some we’ve sampled.

The electric motor is quite strong, with an almost-instant hit of torque. Power delivery is expectedly linear and, depending on just how frugal you wish to be, is regulated via a selector on the centre stack to alter the 'flavour' of the motor’s response to throttle inputs depending on your surrounds.

Then there’s the brakes… As much as GM has tried to build in that vacuum-assisted hydraulic feel, it does come unstuck in a few situations -- almost literally. Unlike the i-MiEV, LEAF and Fluence ZE, when coasting to a stop in Drive there’s almost no deceleration to speak of, leaving the braking to the driver alone. The pedal seems to be modulated differently in D to L (or regenerative mode), which presents an issue to the uninitiated.

When coming to a stop behind slowly decelerating traffic, the pedal’s lack of fluidity is easily compensated for by applying more pressure as you reach half pedal. Similarly, when you ‘jump’ on the brakes, the car stops quite well considering its mass. However, when the traffic all of a sudden grinds to a halt after braking at what first seemed to be a consistent rate, the Volt’s brake pedal seems to doze off, taking substantial input to achieve a timely stop.

While we’re sure it’s one of those ‘familiarity’ issues we speak of now and then, it is disconcerting to the uninitiated. Any wonder the Volt is equipped as standard with an audible frontal collision avoidance system.

That aside, the Volt is quite straight-forward in operation and seemingly versatile in its amenity.

The rear pews are decent for the segment and front seat space generous. You sit low behind the wheel, snug in your own half of the cockpit, and with enough adjustment from the steering column and the seat to make the most of the car’s peculiar outward vision.

Thick A-pillars hinder the view through shallow corners where you’re not quite angled enough to see out the side window. Likewise, thick C-pillars and a high bum restrict rearward vision. Thankfully, there’s a reversing camera as standard.

Other quibbles include a rear seat without heating/ventilation outlets and little protection from the sun streaming in the large rear window that stretches out overhead. There’s also little to stop loose items in the cargo compartment traveling into the cabin under heavy braking (though Holden tells us a fabric cover will come standard).

Once you’re used to the touch controls of the centre stack and hefty gear lever, the Volt’s amenity and functionality becomes more normal than novelty, and considering the level of technology involved here, the interface is very user-friendly.

Like we said, the Volt is not a panacea to the increasingly important issue of sustainable personal mobility, but it is a very good step in the right direction.

It’s futuristic-looking enough to stand out in a crowd, but doesn’t shout about it either. It’s a refined drive with an enjoyable level of equipment, and, it’s completely usable, too.

It’s not hard to understand and, when you look at the bigger picture, the Volt's really not that hard on the hip pocket either.