So what exactly is the 2011 Chevrolet Volt? It’s a question we get all the time. A confusing array of claims and rumors have been swirling around this car since it debuted as a concept a few years back, so we’re not surprised that people aren’t clear on what the Volt is all about. Here’s the long and short of it: The Volt is a four-seat, four-door “series plug-in hybrid” hatchback with a plug-in battery pack that can power the car’s 149-horsepower (111-kilowatt) electric motor by itself for up to 40 miles. After that, the gasoline- or E85-powered four-cylinder generator powers the motor for as many as 300 additional miles. All told, the Volt is quite possibly the most fuel-efficient car you will be able to buy.

EV2? Well, the story goes that when the EV1 was in gestation (during the early 1990s), GM secured several subsequent EV number names — which, as we all know by now — never quite had to be employed. The EV2, er, Volt, we had the opportunity to drive today at Dodger Stadium represents a significant step toward the car’s eventual production, slated for late 2010 as a 2011 model. Unlike some of the other extended range (plugs-in) hybrids being developed, the Volt is entirely driven by its 149-horsepower electric motor. The gas engine itself contributes power exclusively through its generator’s output (which is 71 horses after power conversion losses, the 1.4-liter engine’s actual power hasn’t been released).

Chevrolet likes to pretend that the Spark is the car you chose. The first hint of its design came as a two-door concept version called Beat, at the 2007 New York auto show. The Beat appeared as part of a trio of concepts, alongside a micro-crossover called Trax and a retro minivan, Groove.The public was invited to vote online as to which of those three concepts should turn be turned into a production car by Chevrolet’s Korean offshoot GM DAT. GM claims 1.9 million votes were cast, the majority in favor of the Beat.

The simple truth is you can buy a 426-horsepower Camaro for the same money as a 315-horsepower Mustang. bucks more than you would for a 1SS-spec Camaro, which comes standard with Pirelli tires, Brembo brakes, a six speed manual transmission, and a 21st-century rear suspension. Chevrolet Camaro SS Ford Shelby GT500 Rear Three Quarter. Look at the price, look at the market positioning: The Mustang GT’s logical rival is the faster, more powerful, more refined Camaro SS. End of argument.

I say seems because its interior passenger volume is actually slightly less than the CR-V’s, and considerably short of the RAV4’s. There’s no psycho-trickery about the interior’s quietness, though. GM’s application of quiet glass, triple door seals, and quite a novelty here active noise cancellation all make the Equinox darn silent for its category.