Chevy Bolt EV ‘production intent’ vehicle spotted in Detroit

[Geo]

The GM engineer driving the vehicle reportedly referred to it as a ‘production intent’ vehicle, which generally means that it’s more than a prototype or a pre-production car and that it has all its production parts, trims, and finishes.

https://electrek.co/2016/08/29/chevy-bolt-ev-production-intent-vehicle-spotted/

 

[GetOffYourGas]

It looks really good in this color! It's just too bad that it's so tall. That will make it look awkward overall, not to mention detracting from the driving experience. I can't wait to see one in person.

 

[roundpeg]

It looks really good in this color! It's just too bad that it's so tall. That will make it look awkward overall, not to mention detracting from the driving experience. I can't wait to see one in person.

The assessments of the Bolt's handling will be interesting. Looking forward to reading about if not experiencing it. With the low COG and the wheels pushed out to the corners it should handle well for a car with this profile. Coming from driving a Mini for years it would be difficult to adjust to a car with a much higher driving position if it isn't at least reasonably flat in turns.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

It looks really good in this color! It's just too bad that it's so tall. That will make it look awkward overall, not to mention detracting from the driving experience. I can't wait to see one in person.

The assessments of the Bolt's handling will be interesting. Looking forward to reading about if not experiencing it. With the low COG and the wheels pushed out to the corners it should handle well for a car with this profile. Coming from driving a Mini for years it would be difficult to adjust to a car with a much higher driving position if it isn't at least reasonably flat in turns.

Agreed. And the car will likely handle well enough. I suspect it will be flatter in the turns than its height would otherwise suggest.

Speaking out of personal preference, simply having a higher / upright driving position detracts from the driving experience. Even with zero body roll, that position is more about feeling like you have more visibility (not necessarily true - definitely not linked to the seating position) and less about engaging the driver with the car and the road. If you are coming from a Mini, you probably know what I'm talking about.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

The Bolt EV is about 1 1/2" taller than a Honda Fit, so it is not low (like the convertible Corvette (?) next to it in the picture, but it is not tall, like even a CUV.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

The Honda Fit is absolutely a "small-but-tall" car. For a compact car, it is tall. And the Bolt is 1 1/2" taller? Yeah, the Bolt is a tall compact car.

 

[Rivu]

The Honda Fit is absolutely a "small-but-tall" car. For a compact car, it is tall. And the Bolt is 1 1/2" taller? Yeah, the Bolt is a tall compact car.

How much taller is Chevy Bolt than normal compact cars?

 

[DucRider]

The Honda Fit is absolutely a "small-but-tall" car. For a compact car, it is tall. And the Bolt is 1 1/2" taller? Yeah, the Bolt is a tall compact car.

Fit EV is 62.2 (they raised it ~1.5" to fit the batteries under the floor), so very little difference to the 62.8" of the Bolt.

Car doesn't feel tall at all when driving, especially when compared to our C Max (63.9"). It corners fairly flat, but it's not very hard to overwhelm the front suspension/tire combo (the rear gained a multilink suspension to make more room for the batteries). I know of one Fit EV that was fitted with Koni struts with a report of vast improvement.

Flat cornering on the Bolt will greatly depend on how it is sprung. Don't expect a sports car ride, as that is not their target market. Aftermarket suspension could potentially stiffen it up considerably if that's the ride you're looking for. Stock suspension components will almost certainly be much more "budget" than "performance".