/ 0 2 . 2 0 1 4 / C A R a n d D R I V E R . C O M / R O A D T E S T
*C/D estimated.
C O M PET I T O R S
BMW ACTIVEHYBRID3
(3.0-L I-6 + AC MOTOR, 335 HP, 8-SP AUTO)
CADILLAC ELR (AC MOTORS + 1.4-L I-4, 217 HP, AUTO)
CHEVROLET VOLT (AC MOTORS + 1.4-L I-4, 149 HP, AUTO)
FORD FUSION ENERGI TITANIUM
(2.0-L I-4 + AC MOTOR, 188 HP, CVT)
ACCELE RATION 0–60 & 1/4-mile, seconds
ACTIVEHYBRID3
ELR
FUSION ENERGI
VOLT
5 7 9 13 15 17
CURRENT BASE PRIC E* dollars x 1000
*Base price includes freight and performance options; does not include tax credit.
VOLT
FUSION ENERGI
ACTIVEHYBRID3
ELR
20 40 60 80
70–0 BRAKIN G feet
ELR
VOLT
FUSION ENERGI
ACTIVEHYBRID3
165 170 175 180 185
N O T A B L E H I G H L I G H T S GM’s HiPer strut adds significant unsprung mass,
but its crafty design reduces the tire’s scrub radius and the suspension’s spindle length—two
contributors to torque steer—in the quest for better handling.
S P E C I F I C AT ION S
PRICE
AS TESTED
.......................................... $82,135
BASE .................................................. $75,995
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive,
4-passenger, 2-door coupe
OPTIONS: Kona Brown full-leather seats, $2450;
adaptive cruise control, $1995; Luxury package,
$1695
STANDARD: power windows, seats, and locks;
remote locking; cruise control; tilting and
telescoping steering wheel
AUDIO SYSTEM: satellite radio; minijack,
USB, media-card, and Bluetooth-audio inputs;
10 speakers
MOTOR/GENERATOR 1
AC permanent-magnet synchronous
REDLINE .......................................... 9000 rpm
POWER ............................... 181 hp @ 5000 rpm
TORQUE ............................... 295 lb-ft @ 0 rpm
ENGINE
inline-4, iron block and aluminum head
BORE X STROKE ... 2.89 x 3.25 in, 73.4 x 82.6 mm
DISPLACEMENT ...................... 85 cu in, 1398 cc
COMPRESSION RATIO .............................. 10.5:1
FUEL DELIVERY SYSTEM ............. port injection
VALVE GEAR: double overhead cams, 4 valves
per cylinder, hydraulic lifters, variable intake- and
exhaust-valve timing
REDLINE .......................................... 4800 rpm
POWER ............................... 86 hp @ 4800 rpm
TORQUE ........................... 94 lb-ft @ 4250 rpm
MOTOR/GENERATOR 2
AC permanent-magnet synchronous
REDLINE .......................................... 6000 rpm
POWER ................................ 74 hp @ 3800 rpm
TORQUE ................................ 136 lb-ft @ 0 rpm
COMBINED POWER RATING ...................... 217 hp
COMBINED TORQUE RATING ................ 295 lb-ft
EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE
................................. 106.1 in
LENGTH ...................................... 186.0 in
WIDTH ........................................... 72.7 in
HEIGHT ........................................ 55.9 in
FRONT TRACK ............................... 62.1 in
REAR TRACK ................................ 62.4 in
GROUND CLEARANCE ..................... 4.3 in
INTERIOR DIMENSIONS
SAE VOLUME
............ F: 50 cu ft R: 34 cu ft
TRUNK .......................................... 9 cu ft
BRAKES
F:
12.6 x 1.2-in vented disc
R: 12.0 x 0.5-in disc
STABILITY CONTROL ............. fully defeatable,
traction off
WHEELS AND TIRES
WHEEL SIZE/CONSTRUCTION
...... 8.5 x 20 in/
cast aluminum
TIRES .............. Bridgestone Potenza RE97AS
245/40R-20 95H M+S
CADILLAC ELR
CAR AND DRIVER TEST RESULTS
HANDLING
ROADHOLDING,
300-FT-DIA SKIDPAD
.............. 0.84 g
UNDERSTEER
................... MODERATE
TEST NOTES: Feels seat-of-the-
pants quicker in extended-range mode,
when it’s basically operating as a series
hybrid. When the battery is low, the
engine hums along until there is enough
charge to maintain performance.
TEST NOTES: We learned on the
road that the ELR willingly accepts
aggressive steering inputs. This translates
to very controllable behavior on the
skidpad. Tires howl as the limit nears.
INTERIOR SO UND L EVEL
IDLE ............................................ 29 dBA
FULL THROTTLE
....................... 74 dBA
70-MPH CRUISING
..................... 71 dBA
FUEL
CAPACITY ................................... 9.3 gal
OCTANE .......................... 91 (required)
EPA CITY/HWY
................... 32/38* mpg
EPA ELECTRICITY
COMBINED
.............................. 90* MPGe
C/D OBSERVED
................. 37 MPGe
WEIGHT
CURB .......................................... 4054 lb
PER HORSEPOWER
..................... 18.7 lb
DISTRIBUTION
........... F: 61.1% R: 38.9%
CENTER–OF–GRAVITY HEIGHT .....
21.0 in
TOWING CAPACITY
........................... 0 lb
TEST NOTES: With the exception
of zero pedal feedback, the brakes work
without flaw and our six test stops are
separated by three feet. A digital readout
in the dash says braking can generate up
to 60 kW when used in conjunction with
the Regen on Demand feature.
BRAKING, 70 -TO -ZERO MPH
FIRST STOP ................................... 172 ft
SHORTEST STOP
....................... 173 ft
LONGEST STOP
............................ 175 ft
FADE RATING
................................ NONE
ACCELERATION
EV MODE /E X TEN D ED -RANGE MODE
ZERO TO SECONDS
30 MPH ....................................... 3.4/3.4
40 MPH
........................................ 4.9/4.7
50 MPH
........................................ 6.7/6.2
60 MPH ................................. 9.0/8.1
70 MPH ...................................... 11.9/10.5
80 MPH
..................................... 15.4/13.5
90 MPH
...................................... 20.1/17.5
100 MPH ......................... 26.9/24.0
ROLLING START, 5–60 MPH
..... 8.8/7.8
TOP GEAR, 30–50 MPH
........... 3.4/2.9
TOP GEAR, 50–70 MPH ........... 5.2/4.3
1/4-MILE
........... 17.0 sec @ 84 mph/
16.5 sec @ 87 mph
TOP SPEED
(GOVERNOR LTD) .... 107 mph
tested by K.C. COLWELL in Chelsea, Michigan
BATTERY PACK
lithium-ion, liquid-cooled
CELL COUNT/CONSTRUCTION ...... 288/prismatic
MANUFACTURER ......................... LG Chem, GM
CAPACITY ......................................... 16.5 kWh
DRIVETRAIN
TRANSMISSION
.......... automatic with fixed- and
variable-ratio modes
FINAL-DRIVE RATIO ................................. 2.16:1
CHASSIS
unit construction with a rubber-isolated front
subframe
BODY MATERIAL: steel and aluminum stampings
STEERING
rack-and-pinion with variable electric power assist
RATIO ..................................................... 15.4:1
TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK ................................ 2.5
TURNING CIRCLE CURB-TO-CURB ........... 38.4 ft
SUSPENSION
F:
ind, strut located by a control arm, coil springs,
anti-roll bar
R: ind, trailing arm integral with a transverse
member, transverse Watt’s linkage, coil springs
ROADHO LDING 200- or 300-foot skidpad, g
ELR
FUSION ENERGI
VOLT
ACTIVEHYBRID3: UNAVAILABLE
0.70 0.75 0.80 0.85 0.90
