Ride Along With Morgan The F4CE As She Test Drives The Chevy Volt!

Grand Rapids, Mich (WOTV) - Remember being a kid and developing an image of what the future would be like? Teleportation and flying cars were some of the things I pictured. And recently, I got to make a childhood dream come true! No I didn’t get to drive a flying car, but I did get to experience one of the most advanced forms of automobile technology when I got behind the wheel of the worlds first electric car, the Chevy Volt!

I was quite ecstatic to find out the great people at Berger Chevrolet, West Michigan’s largest Chevy dealership, would be hooking me up with a 24 hour test drive of the Chevy Volt. I didn’t hesitate one second to hand over my car for the day to take advantage of this opportunity. And when I pulled in to the dealership, it was love at first sight when the sleek silver Volt was waiting for me all shiny and new. After a detailed tour of the many features and initial test drive, I was cleared for takeoff and sent on my way!

As I drove off the lot, the first thing that went through my head was, “oh lord, please don’t let me crash this car”! But my nerves quickly settled and I began to discover all the great features of the Volt. A few that really caught my attention first was how easily it accelerated and how incredibly smooth the drive was! It was like floating on air! Also, I was really enjoying the heated seats to warm me up on the cold rainy day. Perfect for those brutal Michigan winter days! Oh and did I mention an automatic start as well?

There is so much technology in this car it’s hard to really cover everything at one time! First off, the battery charge will last about 35-40 miles before converting to fuel power. That’s about the average person’s daily commute. Then to recharge, just plug it back in, yes I said plug it in. The Volt comes with a standard three-prong plug making it easy to charge wherever you are. And the good news, it will cost only about $1.50 a day in energy costs! That’s already much better than the cost of a day of fuel! I found it very easy to figure out this new way of fueling a vehicle and it didn’t take a long period of time to fully charge. Of course if you drive more than 40 miles a day, the car will automatically switch to fuel use like a normal car. I was wondering what would happen when the batter charge ran out in the car and if there would be a shift or noise. But like everything else about the car, it was completely silent and nothing changed when converting. Talk about easy right?

While driving, I couldn’t help but notice a feature that will really help the driver and the environment at the same time. An energy efficiency meter displayed showed me if I was achieving optimal battery efficiency. It was like a little game and for those that know me, I am pretty competitive so the challenge was accepted. The object, keep the green ball in the center where green leaves rotate to confirm maximum efficiency. Simple as that! And the best part, I always won!

As if electric power and eco friendly weren’t enough, the volt also has two LCD screens replacing the traditional gauges and meters in a normal car. One screen shows you everything from your power use, to the standard navigation system, to the satellite radio. The other displays the speed, fuel economy, tire pressure and more! What makes this feature nice is it’s easy to personalize the system to your unique needs.

With all of the fantastic features of this one of a kind vehicle, Chevy made sure to not forget about top of the line safety features including “On-Star” which comes standard. Because of the safety features, it earned a 2011 Top Safety Pick and 5-star Overall Vehicle Safety rating! So it’s perfect for the whole family and it’s surpassingly spacious. And, there is a minimal blind spot with an additional rear window which is a good feature for everyone!

I must admit, I was tempted to never return the Chevy Volt back to Berger Chevrolet because I absolutely loved everything about the car! I even joked with them saying they could keep my car for an even trade, but they didn’t accept. Too bad for me. I recommend this car for absolutely everyone but don’t just take it from me. Head down to Berger Chevrolet and take one for a test drive yourself! I guarantee you’ll love it as much as I did!

Check out the Volt and the full line of Chevy cars, trucks and SUVs at Berger Chevrolet located at 2525 28th Street Southeast in Grand Rapids or at Bergerchevy.com Thank you Berger Chevrolet for the opportunity to drive such a high powered and high tech vehicle!