Bolt Premier at Jim Ellis Chevy in Atlanta Ga.

[Mailman13]

For those people in Atlanta that want to test drive the Bolt, Jim Ellis Chevy has one demo unit on their lot! It's a silver Premier.
I've been talking to a sales rep up there for weeks and she told me today that they just received this Premier model days ago for people to test drive.

The car looks great, is pretty fast and has some great features. The front seats for me are very uncomfortable though and I only drove it down a few back streets. I'm 6'2'' about 235 pounds. I like the headroom and its easy for me to get in and out of, but having recently had a 2013 Leaf "S", it feels much smaller than the Leaf.
My wife and kids rode with me too. Even my wife said that it felt much smaller.

After wanting this car forever, now I'm a little on the fence about buying one. Maybe it's because I had that Leaf and already expected certain things, or maybe because I had it practically free for the two-year lease time period. Fed and Ga state tax kickbacks, so not much out-of-pocket from me.
The Leaf only went about 60 miles for me on a full charge and wasn't too pretty, but like I said above it felt roomier to me.

I will tell you this;
In my opinion go and drive one FIRST BEFORE you buy/order one from out-of state, so that you can be absolutely sure that you want it.

Also, thanks to everyone here for posting all the info. I feel like I know more about the Bolt than the average car person thanks to you all.

 

[SeanNelson]

After wanting this car forever, now I'm a little on the fence about buying one.

I kind of had the same reaction after getting a look at and taking very quick test drive of the Bolt at the Portland Auto Show. It kind of brought me back down to earth in terms of what to expect from the car. But I absolutely want an electric car (I drive a Prius C right now) and the Bolt is the only one available that has the form factor I want (let alone being priced within my reach). So I'm still planning to buy one.

But first I'm waiting for a dealer here in Vancouver Canada to get in a demo unit so I can take a longer test drive and decide if I can live with the seats. I wasn't uncomfortable when I sat in the ones at the auto show, but I could feel the pressure points that people were complaining about and I want to make sure that they don't become problematic on a drive of more than 5 minutes.

We're lucky enough here that there are some units being delivered, but they are so few and far between and there are so many already spoken for that it's extremely frustrating.

 

[oilerlord]

I kind of had the same reaction after getting a look at and taking very quick test drive of the Bolt at the Portland Auto Show. It kind of brought me back down to earth in terms of what to expect from the car. But I absolutely want an electric car (I drive a Prius C right now) and the Bolt is the only one available that has the form factor I want (let alone being priced within my reach). So I'm still planning to buy one.

Same, but when shopping around for a low-mileage, used Gen 1 Volt. From pictures, and on paper, my mind was made up. I was 100% sure it was going to be the car for us...until we sat in it. Not that it was awful, just not for us. The Internet is great at feeding into our personal confirmation bias.

 

[VideoSteve]

Thanks Mailman13. Finally we have car in Atlanta...and for extended test drives

I did go to the Atlanta Auto show this weekend, and was able to test drive a Premiere, finally. I must say it was pretty fantastic. Really handled well, and great 0-60. The test drive was designed to go thru an unused side street, so you could test the pick-up.

Yes, the seats were not as wide as my Leaf, and the Chevy person told me this car is one that travels to auto shows for demos, therefore, it's seen a lot of butts. Consequently, or not, the sides of the seat did not dig into my thighs, nor did I feel like I was sitting on a funnel. I'm 5'11" and 155 lbs, so I am just under average weight, I think.

I did sit in a LT on the lot in Palm Springs, and I definitely felt like I was atop a funnel (wide end up; lol) The next day at a different dealership, in a Premiere, the seat felt pretty normal. The Premiere inside the Atlanta auto show also felt the same to me. So out of 4, 1 was no good. Maybe this was a seat vendor issue that's been resolved.

 

[SeanNelson]

I kind of had the same reaction after getting a look at and taking very quick test drive of the Bolt at the Portland Auto Show. It kind of brought me back down to earth in terms of what to expect from the car. But I absolutely want an electric car (I drive a Prius C right now) and the Bolt is the only one available that has the form factor I want (let alone being priced within my reach). So I'm still planning to buy one.

Same, but when shopping around for a low-mileage, used Gen 1 Volt. From pictures, and on paper, my mind was made up. I was 100% sure it was going to be the car for us...until we sat in it. Not that it was awful, just not for us.

I had fully intended to buy a Gen2 Volt, but the very cramped rear seat and awful rear visibility killed it for me. And after waiting almost a year before I could actually see and drive the Gen2 Volt, the Bolt had already been announced - so now I'm waiting for a chance to take it on a decent test drive to see if the seats are OK. Unfortunately Bolt supply here in Vancouver BC is very limited - they've been trickling in one or two at a time, everyone's allocation is presold and nobody has a demonstrator or can tell me when they might get one.

It's been a couple of years of waiting, I'm getting impatient...

 

[ssspinball]

But I absolutely want an electric car (I drive a Prius C right now) and the Bolt is the only one available that has the form factor I want (let alone being priced within my reach). So I'm still planning to buy one.

If form factor + electric are your only concerns, I would check out the i3. It's extremely comfortable and the form factor is nearly identical to the Bolt. The coach doors are a negative vs Bolt if you have a frequent need for rear passengers. There is plenty of room in the back however.

Can't say how it works out in Canada, but in the US you can often get an i3 for less than a Bolt, even though the MSRP is significantly more.

 

[SeanNelson]

But I absolutely want an electric car (I drive a Prius C right now) and the Bolt is the only one available that has the form factor I want (let alone being priced within my reach). So I'm still planning to buy one.

If form factor + electric are your only concerns, I would check out the i3.

Range is as much a concern, and the i3 REX just doesn't cut it IMHO.

 

[oilerlord]

Range is as much a concern, and the i3 REX just doesn't cut it IMHO.

How so, Sean? The i3 REX uses gasoline. Gasoline is available everywhere while DCFC isn't. If range is your concern, and given the choice of a Bolt or an i3 REX for a road trip, I'd go with the i3 REX because stopping to charge for hours on L2 every 200 miles doesn't cut it IMHO.

 

[SeanNelson]

Range is as much a concern, and the i3 REX just doesn't cut it IMHO.

How so, Sean? The i3 REX uses gasoline. Gasoline is available everywhere while DCFC isn't. If range is your concern, and given the choice of a Bolt or an i3 REX for a road trip, I'd go with the i3 REX because stopping to charge for hours on L2 every 200 miles doesn't cut it IMHO.

What I've learned about myself from driving the Prius C is that I find it really frustrating when the gas engine coming on. And I see this same reaction from a lot of folks in the Volt forums as well. So I've decided I want electric all the way.

Even if that weren't the case, the ridiculous limited gas range of the BMW just annoys me. If I were to go that route I'd be much more inclined to go with a Volt. In fact a couple of years ago when I started this search for an electric vehicle of some sort it was my intention to buy a Volt. But the Gen2 was announced so I waited for it, and when I was eventually able to actually see one I was very disappointed in the rear seat and rear visibility. And by that time the Bolt was announced with the hatchback form factor that I prefer, so now here I am waiting for it.

I'm retired, and for me the journey is as enjoyable as the destination - so for moderate road trips the thought of driving perhaps 600km in a day with a charging stop for lunch seems just about right. For longer trips I can just use my camper van or, if I sell it, rent something.