Chevrolet Volt, road test (Exterior design, interior and finishes)

We continue with the road test of the Chevrolet Volt, this extended-range electric car. In the first part we covered everything related to its electric propulsion system, its steering response and the battery charging process. In this second part we are going to assess the design of its bodywork and its cabin, as well as the quality of its finishes and the materials it is made from.

Exterior design

The unconventional look and, to a certain extent, futuristic styling is one of the most distinctive features of the Volt. It is one of those cars that attract attention on the street, both for its design and its exclusivity; you rarely see one on the road. From the outside, the Volt’s look is reminiscent of muscular, aggressive American saloons. Personally, it reminds me of the film ‘Transformers’. Perhaps because of the futuristic touch of the whole package, I think the Volt wouldn’t look out of place in a new instalment of the saga of alien robots that take the form of all kinds of cars.

At the front, the Volt’s most striking feature is its closed grille, with no cooling intakes, and LED daytime running lights and fog lights, which form part of large sets of sculpted lines. The rear is clearly divided in two by the tailgate, which is black and has modern LED rear lights. The roof can also be black, as on our test unit. The reversing light and the rear fog light are located in the centre of the bumper, a more exposed position than if they were part of the light clusters.

At the top of the tailgate there is an integrated spoiler, which serves both aesthetic and aerodynamic functions. The whole bodywork sits close to the ground, especially at the front and, to a lesser extent, the sides. The exterior mirrors have LED turn indicators. The alloy wheels have five spokes and are 17 inches in diameter. They are fitted with Michelin Energy Saver low rolling resistance tyres, size 215/55 R17.

The electric charging port is located in the front left wing, while the fuel filler cap is on the right side, between the rear wheel arch and the rear light. The bodywork is available in seven colours: white (‘Summit White’), silver (‘Silver Ice’), grey (‘Cyber Grey’), black (‘Black’), red (‘Crystal Red’), green (‘Viridian Joule’) and blue (‘Blue Topaz’). All of them, except white and black, carry a surcharge of 540 or 820 euros.

Interior design, space and finishes

The certain futuristic touch of the Volt’s exterior carries over into the cabin, especially in the centre console and the two seven-inch screens on the dashboard and instrument cluster. The one on the central console is a touchscreen.

From the Volt’s driving position, you have access to a large number of buttons and controls. This quantity can be rather overwhelming at first, but you get used to it within a few days. The driving position is good for a wide range of drivers thanks to the generous seat and steering wheel adjustment.

In the Volt’s cabin, everything is within the driver’s reach. The driver receives a lot of information through the two screens. The one behind the steering wheel forms the instrument cluster, which is very far from a conventional one. It shows the battery charge or the fuel tank level, the range in each case and combined, the current speed, the total distance covered, the position of the gear selector and the trip computer information — there are two partial trips showing distance covered, litres of petrol used and average consumption.

At the bottom there is a menu with several icons, which show, depending on the selected computer (A and B), navigation information, oil status or tyre pressure. Next to it, on the right of the screen, an indicator measures how smoothly you accelerate and brake. It is circular in shape and moves towards the extremes the harder you press the accelerator or brake pedal. It is best to keep it as close to the central area of the scale as possible, as this means low consumption when accelerating and a lot of kinetic energy recovered when decelerating.

The instrument screen also shows the driving modes — ‘normal’, ‘sport’, ‘mountain’ and ‘hold’ — which are selected using a control just above the car’s start button on the console, labelled ‘Drive mode’.

For its part, the touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard lets you control everything from the audio system and climate control to the navigation. One of its main functions is to allow the driver to manage and receive all the information related to the electric propulsion system. Thus, after pressing a button with a leaf icon, located next to the driving modes button, you access the ‘Energy flow’ menu. Two other menus can also be reached by tapping their names: ‘Charging’ and ‘Energy info’.

In the ‘Energy flow’ menu you can see a diagram showing which motor is running and driving the wheels, and how the battery is charged during braking. It also shows the battery charge level on a scale of ten segments. The ‘Charging’ menu shows information about charging time at 230V and lets you choose the charging mode from the three different options we already covered in the first part of the test. They are ‘Immediate on plug-in’, ‘Delayed according to departure time’ and ‘Delayed according to electricity tariffs and departure time’.

The ‘Energy info’ menu has three options: energy consumption, energy efficiency and efficiency tips. The first reports the distance covered in 100% electric mode or with the petrol engine running, total distance, kWh used, litres of petrol burned and an average consumption figure. The second shows the efficiency of the driving style and the climate control setting, and the third gives advice on driving style, climate control settings and vehicle charging/maintenance.

Setting aside the peculiarities of its propulsion system, and looking only at its practicality, interior quality and boot capacity, we can say that the Volt is a good choice because it has a spacious interior made with good materials and offers a reasonable boot. One possible limitation, however, is that it has only four seats. Three rear seats are not available, not even as an option. Between the two rear seats there is a storage area for objects.

The space available in the cabin is conditioned by the bodywork’s silhouette, whose roofline drops steeply towards the rear. As a result, people 1.80 metres tall will almost brush their heads against the roof lining.

The Volt’s seats are comfortable and hold the body well in corners. Their good characteristics allow long journeys to be made without fatigue setting in too early. The access to the cabin is very easy both at the front and the rear, thanks to the doors opening wide and the generous space to climb in.

The Volt’s interior is made with good-quality materials. The fit between the different parts is correct. The controls have a good feel. The touch-sensitive buttons on the console, which are very numerous, work well because you don’t need to press them hard to give a command. Some buttons and controls are shared with other Chevrolet models. The steering wheel and the controls behind the steering column are one example.

The whole cabin of the Volt is lit by LEDs, including the reading lights. There are good details, such as both sun visors having lights, and others that are less so, such as the absence of a grab handle on the front passenger side, or the fuel filler cap having to be opened with a button inside the car. In addition, it is somewhat hidden on the inner side of the driver’s door.

Storage and boot

The Volt has many storage spaces, from the door pockets, which are a good size, to the one under the front centre armrest or the one with a lid behind the dashboard screen. There is a 12V socket there for connecting electronic devices.

Behind the gear selector there is another storage space, as there is in front of it. This last one is similar to the one found on some Volvo models, since it can be accessed from the sides. The glovebox is not very large. In the rear seats, in addition to a good-sized tray and the two cup holders between the seats, there are two small pockets in the doors.

The boot of the Volt has a capacity of 310 litres. Although this figure is clearly lower than similar models, such as a SEAT Toledo (550 litres) or a Volkswagen Jetta (510 litres), it is very usable thanks to its square shape and the possibility of loading luggage up to the parcel shelf or up to the tailgate. The boot is not very large partly because the battery, the portable charger, the puncture repair kit, a small set of tools and the warning triangles are stored under the floor.

A drawback of the Volt’s design is that part of what is left in the boot will be visible, either through the tailgate — the darkened section is not completely opaque — or through the rear seats, since there is a gap between the backrests. This is also a hazard because, if small objects are carried in the boot, one may move and reach the cabin through that gap between the seats.

The luggage cover is made of fabric, and there are bag hooks and four tie-down points for securing a net and so fixing the items to be transported. Once open, the tailgate sits quite high, so care is needed when operating it in low garages. The tailgate closes without difficulty, although it is rather heavy.

In the third part of the test of the Chevrolet Volt we will give details of its equipment, explain what safety systems it has and tell you about its price in Spain. We will conclude the test of this extended-range electric car, the twin of the Opel Ampera, with our own assessment of the whole package.

Photos | Jaime Arruz and the test team