Of course, Chevy is known for their rugged trucks and SUVs, both which handle wintry conditions well. Typical of the Chevy lineup includes the Colorado Z71, an affordable truck that offers Insta-Trac stability allowing for on-the-fly two-wheel to four-wheel drive at the touch of a button. The higher end Avalanche and Silverado model truck lines, and SUVs like the Equinox, Traverse and Tahoe are also great winter vehicles.
What is less well known is how much work Chevy put into in making their latest technological jewel, the electric Chevy Volt, a good winter car. The Volt features front wheel drive like much of the Chevy car lineup, making it easy to to handle through wintry conditions, but what about cold weather's effect on the electric drive train. Can it stand up in the winter? Combustion engines naturally create heat, but efficient electric cars don't throw off that kind of heat. This is important because it takes as much energy to heat the cabin of a car as it does to drive at a constant speed.
Chevy engineers took winter weather and driving into consideration when designing the Volt. The Volt was put through challenging tests in places like Fairbanks, Alaska and Kapuskasing, Ontario, passing road tests with flying colors. For heat, Chevy recommends that owners heat the cabin while the car in charging ""on the grid"" to extend its range, but if the juice does run out, the unique backup gasoline engine, not available on other electric cars, extends the range an additional 344 miles. In addition, the heated seats of the Volt keep the vehicle's occupants feeling toasty and warm no matter the outside temperature.
With the Volt, a rugged line of pickups and SUVs, as well as front-wheel cars, Chevrolet offers vehicles to handle any weather.
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