Test Drive: Chevy Volt is nearly purrrrr-fect

At Moise's block party, neighbors gathered around two of the sleek cars, taking turns taking them on a spin around the neighborhood, under the watchful eye of Chevy engineers who were along for the ride. 

Chevy controls design engineer Scott Skelton says the car gets around 40 miles on an electric charge and then the gasoline engine kicks in to extend the range to 300 miles. When plugged into a regular home outlet , it takes 10 hours to charge the battery. With a quick charger device, the battery can be up to speed in four hours.

"Everyone has been ecstatic about how smooth it drives," Skelton said. "And the steering is really responsive." 

I drove it around the neighborhood for about five minutes — and while that's not much time to assess a new car — my first impressions were favorable. It has a lot of get-up-and-go, the ride is incredibly smooth, even on Houston's bumpy roads, and it's easy to maneuver. It's also really quiet, so the carmaker provided a second horn that makes a gentle honking sound — not too loud to startle the neighbors but loud enough to let them know you're coming their way.

I was also mesmerized by a small green ball on the LED dashboard screen that jumped when I accelerated too quickly. It's designed to maximize mileage — as long as the ball doesn't jump around you're saving electricity (and gasoline once it kicks in) — so I quickly began to play a video game of  "keep the ball from moving."

Another LED screen shows a drawing of the car with the electric volts cascading through the chassis as you drive. It was a little disconcerting, but mesmerizing nonetheless.

The base price for the four-door car, which seats four people comfortably and is made in Detroit, is $41,000. But a federal tax credit can bring the price down to around $33,500.

I'll admit I haven't had any desire to drive a Chevy product for years, but, if I were in the market for a new car, I would seriously consider the Volt. Chevy could have a winner here — and a big boost for the carmaker's battered reputation.