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.

[Upstate NY Guy]

Gee what a surprise. And I thought Obama said this car would turn Government Motors around. Huh, isn't that strange? And the taxpayers shelled out 86 billion for what? A lackluster car that costs $41000 and doesn't do what the Prius does for $23000.

[Ev Reeman]

Like Gomer Pyles would say SURPRISE SURPRISE SURPRISE...

[nascarnation]

Consumer Reports drove the Volt at its test track in Connecticut under the coldest temperatures this winter, and Champion acknowledged that car may perform better in temperate climates

Global cooling strikes again.....

[centurion316]

But when you look at the finances, for us it doesn't make any sense

Nothing that the lunatic left does makes any sense, but that doesn't seem to deter them.

[Steven Tyler]

Chevy Volt-Conceived, designed and financed (via the taxpayers) by a Community Organizer

[Minus_The_Bear]

Exactly who would be stupid enough to purchase a Volt?

It was shredded on Auto blogs for years before it was released. Everyone knew it was a lemon for years.

[nascarnation]

Not true. The Volt was in the GM pipeline well before Baraq became POTUS.

[bunkerhill7]

I`m Shocked!!!

[HiTech RedNeck]

And these are a bunch of screaming liberals too.

Funny how temperature sensitive these electric cars are. Even when compared with the variations in gas mileage that are seen in conventionally fueled cars. Weather that might cut gas mileage in half will cause an electric car to be able to barely budge.

[roadcat]

A lackluster car that costs $41000 and doesn't do what the Prius does for $23000.

Yup, what a bunch of us here have been saying. Yet some lib trolls vociferously defend the Volt saying it'll replace all other cars on the road. We'll see, as money talks! My daughter bought a Nissan Altima Hybrid a few years ago for under $24000. It gets over 700 miles to a tank of gas - proven as she has driven it between California and Kansas, and other states. (The Nissan uses Prius tech.)

[screaminsunshine]

Can it make 18 holes?

[Nachum]

The list, ping

Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list

http://www.nachumlist.com/

[boop]

But, the union thugs got $4000 a piece in “bonuses”. How can you SAY it’s not a success? Make cars at a loss and still the workin’ man gets a bonus. Meanwhile the taxpayers who paid the bonus for the workin’ man gets the boner.

[BobL]

It’s sure nice to see Consumer Reports honestly report on this. I guess they feel that their credibility and fairness overrides their liberalism.

Too bad they seem to be the only ones with that opinion.

[EyeGuy]

“Nothing that the lunatic left does makes any sense, but that doesn’t seem to deter them.”

####

Because it is ALWAYS OPM. Always.

[SonOfDarkSkies]

It makes perfect sense to the Left because it keeps the unions working, the satisfies the Environmental Extremists, it is powered by windmills off Cape Cod (so there is no flow of capital to the ME), and the price tag is irrelevant since the Left will just take the money from taxpayers to pay for it (and, as everyone knows,there is no limit to that stash).

This is the kind of infantile thinking the world is up against.

[Horusra]

I almost bought a Prius for about $20,000. I finally went for a nice Civic sedan. Good room, good mileage, nice to drive and can get out of its way if it needs to. It cost about 1/3 what the Volt costs. The $24000 I saved will buy a lot of gasoline!

[bmwcyle]

[Let_It_Be_So]

So, let’s see if I understand... if we all drive electric cars, the temperature will decrease, thereby reducing the efficiency of our electric cars...so, we will then all start driving our gasoline-fueled autos and increase the temperature so our electric cars will drive better...until the temperature drops too far at which time we’ll...oh, never mind.

[rockvillem]

I’m a long-time CR subscriber - this is very damning. I like CR’s reviews of ordinary products, but CR is very far-left at this point and they are rooting very hard for Obama, have fully drunk the “global warming” Kool-Aid, and they accordingly would be expected to go out of their way to lavish praise on Obama’s Government Motors “green” car.

For them to say that the Volt might have some problems is equivalent to saying that it might not have been such a great idea to have the Hindenburg lifted by a highly flammable gas.