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Pulling up to the Prius at the red light, I revved the engine. This I did mostly in jest because I was thinking just how un-green it would seem for two modern-day battery/hybrid cars to street race, as our digital gauge readouts have a stroke over how much energy we were consuming by sprinting to the next traffic light....


View full sizePhoto by James Gaffney/The Times-Picayune

Pulling up to the Prius at the red light, I revved the engine. This I did mostly in jest because I was thinking just how un-green it would seem for two modern-day battery/hybrid cars to street race, as our digital gauge readouts have a stroke over how much energy we were consuming by sprinting to the next traffic light.



Turns out the Prius driver rightfully ignored me — and probably because she couldn’t hear my engine revving.



Seriously.



Both the lithium-ion battery and accompanying 1.4-liter internal combustion engine in the Chevy Volt are so quiet that the first few times I turned on the vehicle, I couldn’t tell if it was, well, on. Same goes for when you’re driving. I knew cars like the Volt at least in theory help reduce fossil fuel consumption, but I hadn’t counted on it also reducing noise pollution. The cabin may not be as music-salon quiet as the Mercedes-Benz S400, a hybrid of a different sort, but it comes pretty darn close.



“It’s so quiet you can sneak up on people,” noted my traveling companion. “Cops should have these cars.”



Not to mention that guy from “Cheaters.”



Post-modernist lines

Not that I was expecting the automotive equivalent of the bland and utilitarian, Communist-era apartment high-rises you still see in downtown Bratislava, but it was a pleasant surprise to take in the truly sleek and downright futuristic look Chevy designers have given the cabin right down to the George Jetson-ish center stack of flush-to-the-surface button controls and the cool, boxy gear shifter that feels ergonomic yet still, well, fun. A brushstroke-like sweep of post-modernist lines accented by hand-stitched leatherette details help keep the Volt’s cabin from even approaching totalitarianism. Even the thoughtfully sculpted inside door panels with beige accents and forward-design storage areas reflect a surprising attention to aesthetic detail and further imbue the interior with an airy, contemporary feel.

View full sizePhoto by James Gaffney/The Times-Picayune

Comfort-wise, the front cabin offered more-than-ample leg- and head-room for tall drivers but decidedly less so in the back seat.



Say goodbye to those old-school, driver’s-side analog instrument clusters with round gauges and clock-like hands that move mechanically while providing feedback on your speed, rmps and fuel level.



How utterly 20th century.



The Volt has replaced these relics with what is basically the cabin’s second LCD screen (the first is the center-stack’s navigation touchscreen). This at-a-glance data monitor conveys not only the customary driving details but also battery energy, miles left on the battery charge and how fuel-efficiently you’re driving the car overall. Drive the Volt like a golf cart and you will probably win Fuel Efficiency Driver of the Year. I became almost obsessed with keeping the little eco-green LCD ball smack in the middle of the gauge that tells you when you’re accelerating too fast or braking too hard.



The Volt not only lets you help save the planet, it gives you constant feedback on how good a job you’re doing.



Of course, getting optimal fuel efficiency requires you drive like Aunt Bea through a crowded church parking lot.



And no racing the Prius, either!



Elsewhere in the cabin, simply push the “leaf” button to access detailed information about your Volt’s power flow, charging status, and so on.



Despite the meager 149 ponies under the hood, the Volt’s 273 pound-feet of torque delivers a zippy and spirited driving experience during both around-town and highway jaunts. It’s a

Tags: Chevrolet, is-featured

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HIGH VOLT-AGE: Can Chevy make the city 'buzz' with excitement? was originally published by New Orleans Auto Reviews: Chevrolet. Read the full story by clicking here.