AUTO RED BOOK TEST DRIVE: 2012 CHEVROLET VOLT

In the past few months, staff members at The Automobile Red BookTM have had the opportunity to test drive a number of electric vehicles. From the Ford Focus Electric, to the Nissan Leaf, to the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, to the Smart Car Electric; we’ve tried them all. And the one thing they all have in common is limited range. Discharge the batteries, and you’re dead in the water unless you have a recharging station nearby.

But there is one electric car out there that all but eliminates that range anxiety. The Automobile Red BookTM recently spent a week with a 2012 Chevrolet Volt. And we can truly say that this car “generated” a lot of “buzz” around our Kansas City-based offices.

In a typical hybrid vehicle, an electric motor powers the car at lower speeds and keeps things like the air conditioning running at stoplights. The gasoline engine only kicks in at certain higher speeds, or when the driver blasts off the line. That’s why a normal hybrid generally shows better gas mileage numbers for the city than the highway—the opposite of a gasoline-powered vehicle.

In the Volt, the gasoline engine never actually runs the car at all. In fact, if you take short commutes (about 30-miles) and plug your Volt into the wall outlet every night to recharge it, you could conceivably never use a drop of gasoline again. The car itself runs completely, 100-percent on electricity.

Where the 1.4-liter, four-cylinder gas engine in the Volt comes into play is when the battery runs out. Then, the engine will kick-in to regenerate power in the battery. With all this going on, you may be able to travel more than 300 miles with the help of the gasoline engine.

By just using the gasoline-generated power, you can achieve as much as 37-MPG. Plug the Volt in, run off the electricity, and kick over to the gasoline for half your trip, and you’ll be looking at 60-MPG. Or, charge it up and take it on a short trip where you’ll just use electricity, and you’re looking at 94-MPGe.

The Volt proved to be a good car. It was roomy, powerful, and soothingly quiet in electric mode. For such a radical concept, it was very pleasant to live with.

All of this technology does come at a cost. Our test vehicle had an MSRP of $43,880. That does not include the government tax credit of $7,500, and there may be other discounts if you do your homework.

People really seemed to be interested in the Volt. Everywhere we went, people would want to stop and ask questions. For a car that has enjoyed as much press as the Volt has the last couple years, people don’t typically seem to understand how it works. If you dare to drive one, make sure you know what’s going on mechanically, and what all the in-dash displays mean, because you will be answering plenty of questions.

The Red Book enjoyed our time with the Chevrolet Volt. It really is a game-changer in the realm of electric vehicles. You can still do your part for the environment, and your good deeds won’t leave you stranded.

AUTO RED BOOK TEST DRIVE: 2012 GMC SIERRA DENALI

If you’re looking for a hard-working, good-looking heavy-duty pickup, The Automobile Red BookTM may have found the vehicle for you. We recently spent a week test driving a 2012 GMC Sierra Denali 2500 HD Crew Cab 4X4 with a Duramax 6.6-liter turbo diesel. And we discovered a vehicle that is made to get the job done, and still have a little left for a night on the town.

Our test vehicle had some impressive stats. It is rated to tow 17,000-lbs, or 21,300-lbs with a fifth-wheel. It has a maximum payload of 4,192-lbs, which is heavier than most cars actually weigh. And it does it all with a 5-year/100,000-mile warranty on the powertrain.

The secret to the Sierra HD’s success resides under the domed hood, where you’ll find that optional 397-hp Duramax diesel. Torque is rated at a stump-pulling 765-lb/ft at 1,600-rpm. And this is all mated to a beefy Allison 6-speed transmission. A 6.0-liter V8 is standard.

You feel the big diesel’s power constantly. When the truck isn’t loaded, it pulls hard no matter if you’re at a stop or lay into it while cruising. And it takes a pretty heavy trailer to cause any serious disruptions.

The Denali package adds luxurious touches inside and out. People everywhere commented on the impressive chrome grill and trim, and they raved about the optional 20-inch polished aluminum wheels. For such a formidable vehicle, it had a very sophisticated curbside appeal.

The cabin is equally plush, with real leather and shiny simulated wood everywhere. And even though GM still uses familiar switch gear such as turn signal stalks and wiper controls, you won’t confuse this with your grandfather’s pickup. Our test vehicle was loaded with technology, including a very welcome backup camera, built-in GPS, and a full-scale infotainment system housed in an in-dash touch screen.

Of course, this is a serious work truck with a 10,000-lb GVWR, so you are going to have to make some concessions when you use it for day-to-day driving. Unloaded, the stiff rear springs leap off of every bump in the road. You will always find passengers that complain about how hard it is to climb into. And parking this vehicle in tight spaces or normal-sized garages is all but impossible.

Fuel costs may also be a concern. Your results may vary, but we were seeing just under 17-mpg on the highway, and around 12-mpg for mixed city driving. Now, it has a 36-gallon fuel tank, so it actually has a pretty decent range. And it is certainly much better than what a heavy-duty truck like this could achieve 5-10 years ago, but it’s no Prius. But let’s face it; when you buy something that can work as hard as this can, you have to expect to pay at the pump.

The other thing that shocked most people about this truck, even the most hard-core truck enthusiasts, was the price tag. At $62,859, you are approaching the rarified air that was formerly breathed only by General Motors vehicles such as Cadillacs and Corvettes. To be fair, you can get into a well-equipped Denali like this in the sub-$50,000 range, but options such as the engine, touch screen, and transmission really added to the bottom line.

This is the ultimate GM pickup. It is the truck Cadillac would build if they expanded the Escalade line into work vehicles. Nice doesn’t even begin to describe it, and it impresses anyone who is interested in these types of vehicles. A truck like this might not be for everyone, but if you need something like this, the GMC Sierra Denali 2500 would be hard to beat.

AUTO RED BOOK TEST DRIVE: 2012 GMC TERRAIN

When it comes to small crossovers, most people think of the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV-4, Chevrolet Equinox, or Ford Escape. One vehicle that deserves a second look, but may not immediately come to mind, is the GMC Terrain. The Automobile Red BookTM recently spent some time behind GMC’s practical, light-duty hauler, and our overall impressions lean heavily toward the positive side.

The Terrain recently made headlines when the fancy 2013 Denali version was introduced at the New York International Auto Show. Our 2012 test vehicle was an SLT-2, which may not have been quite as up-market as the Denali, but it was quite posh in its own right.

The Terrain comes standard with a 2.0-liter, 182-hp four-cylinder engine, but our Steel Blue Metallic tester was equipped with the 264-hp, 3.0-liter V6. The V6 is rated at 17-mpg/highway, 24-mpg/city. We experienced about 19-mpg in mixed driving. That seems reasonable for a blocky SUV, and the extra power was a welcome addition.

For such a small package, the Terrain offers plenty of room for four adults or a large amount of cargo. The rear seat can slide back, providing copious amounts of rear leg room while still leaving a good amount room in the covered cargo area. Or, slide the seat forward, cut down on a little leg room, and have 31.6 feet of cargo room. Finally, you can fold down the rear seat altogether for the maximum amount of cargo space at 63.9 feet.

The Jet-Black leather interior in the test vehicle was quite attractive, with soft-touch materials, impressive stitching, and fine details everywhere you looked. The optional eight-way power seat and tilt/telescoping steering wheel ensured that most drivers could find their ideal driving positions. This interior wouldn’t look out of place in a much more expensive vehicle. You could see it in, say, a Lexus or Infiniti. It really is a nice place to spend time.

Our $34,255 test vehicle was loaded with technology, including GMC Intellilink. This feature is described as “hands-free smartphone integration with Bluetooth audio streaming and voice-activated audio controls.” It also had Sirius satellite radio and OnStar Directions and Connections with Turn-by-Turn Navigation. There is also an optional rear-seat DVD entertainment system, which would further cater to the already coddled rear-seat riders.

The Terrain was similar to most good crossover vehicles in that it drove like a car, but offered command seating like a truck. You only really notice the high center of gravity during high-speed cornering. For most driving situations, the car DNA outweighs the truck side. The Terrain is more of an urban commuter than an off-road champ, however, as it only offers 6.9 inches of ground clearance. Of course, that just adds to its comfortable on-road prowess.

We enjoyed our time with the 2012 GMC Terrain, and were sad to give up the keys of the versatile crossover when our week ran out. Whether you are using it to haul people or cargo, the Terrain offered a comfortable, convenient package with rugged good looks. This is the type of vehicle that should have a great deal of appeal to a great number of people. 

AUTO RED BOOK TEST DRIVE: 2012 FORD FOCUS ELECTRIC

A couple of us from The Automobile Red BookTM staff recently had the opportunity to drive the soon-to-be-available 2012 Focus Electric. What is it like to drive an electric car? Read on.

The Focus Electric is much anticipated and already has a lot of brand awareness even before launch. It has been in testing for several years and Jay Leno had a regular feature on his show where celebrity guests would race a Focus Electric for fastest times. The price of gas on our drive route was $4.89 for regular. That certainly gets people’s attention as well. The timing couldn’t be better.

As is routine on a test drive program, we spent the morning in the classroom learning about product features and comparisons to other like vehicles. Suffice it to say the standard equipment list is long. Some of the more notable features include Sony® Branded Audio, HID headlights, rain-sensing wipers, 17” wheels, heated seats, rear camera with parking sensors, and dual zone heating/cooling. In fact, the order guide only shows one option: leather seats with a 6-way Power Driver Seat.

There is a smart phone app in the works that can be programmed to precondition the temperature of the cabin, check your battery charge remotely, plan a trip, as well as program the home charging station to find the optimum time to charge based on local KW rates. You get a 25’ cord that can be used to plug in wherever there is a 110v outlet. I asked if I could use an additional extension cord so as to reach my neighbors house while they were on vacation and the official response from Ford was, “They do not recommended using an additional extension cord to plug into your neighbor's house.”

When getting behind the wheel, you first notice the brightly colored twin LCD instrument displays and a large 8” LCD color touch screen in the center-stack. The interior is modern and the seats are very comfortable. To begin driving, merely press your foot on the brake, hit the start button and place in D and go. Not unlike the car you drive every day.

The beauty of an electric car is the torque is there instantaneously. You give it throttle and it goes. No hesitation like your usual small underpowered gas or diesel car, it simply goes when you need it to go. Ford has an economy coach programmed into the instrument display that provides continuous feedback regarding acceleration, cruising and braking. When you don’t stomp on the accelerator or brake hard, your instrument panel rewards you with extra trip range and butterflies. If butterflies annoy you, the instrument cluster display is programmable to individual tastes. I found it to be a lot of fun and engaging to maximize my battery charge. Others on the drive found great pleasure in trying to deplete the batteries before the next driver rotation. The brakes are regenerative, so if you lightly engage the brakes the batteries recharge. Part of our course included a long downhill run and by lightly applying the brakes quite a few extra miles were added. In fact, often times we would return the vehicle back to the hotel with slightly less charge than when we started. The route was about 15 miles, which included urban, suburban and highway. We drove the route for hours, rotating driving one of the Nissan Leafs about every 15 minutes. The Leaf was OK, but not as well-contented and noisy when compared to the Focus Electric. The electric motor whine was particularly annoying when driving along the Pacific Coast Highway back to the hotel.

One of the reasons to buy such a vehicle is that mileage is rated at 105 MPGe combined city/highway. MPGe is the EPA rating equivalent of MPG. Another reason to purchase is the Federal Government gives a $7500 tax credit and California kicks in another $2500. California also allows driving in the HOV lane and free parking at LAX and other places that are metered. The list is too long to post here, but if you go to www.DriveClean.ca.gov you can read all the latest regulations and incentives.

A battery electric car isn’t for everyone, as range is limited and they are expensive to purchase relative to fossil-fueled cars of similar size and content. My commute is such that one full charge would be sufficient to get me to work and back most of the time, but not always. Because of that, unfortunately, it isn’t on my buy list. The Fusion HEV may be just the ticket for my driving habits so I will anxiously await its introduction which is later in 2012.

When compared to the Leaf, the Focus Electric is much more refined and styling is modern and main stream. The Leaf was styled to yell, “Look at me, I have an electric car!” Pricing has been set at $39,995 but drops to $29,995 in California with qualifying tax credits.

For those that want to follow the latest social networking buzz, tweet @forddrivegreen and join Facebook Friends at FordElectricVehicles.