Ms. Barra's '18 Bolt to-do list

[iletric]

1. Fix the seats.
Normal height bolsters that don't cut into thighs;

2. Fix suspension.
Softer ride that absorbs road imperfections, instead of making the whole car hop like a rabbit;

3. Fix infotainment.
Objective: fewest clicks possible, ergonomic real buttons, ease of use that is logical and intuitive;

4. Cruise control.
My personal request that WILL NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN: convenient 3-4 o'clock location with regressed buttons I don't have to hunt for and exert force to push.

 

[oilerlord]

Given the amount of customer feedback, GM may put some extra cushioning in the seats on version 1.1 but good luck on the rest.

Let's keep in mind that in the big picture, the Bolt might account for 1% of GM's overall sales, and given that they (likely) lose money on every one they sell, there's about as much chance of GM "fixing" the suspension in the Bolt as there is Mercedes offering a 60kWh upgrade in my B-Class.

Neither is going to happen.

 

[iletric]

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Then, there is that Leaf 2, of course.

 

[user 124]

Fixing the seats is an obvious one.

It will be interesting to see if / how GM decides to compete against the Tesla Mod 3 and potentially other med-to-long range EVs in 2018. They will have to add some sort of autonomous driving features or at least adaptive cruise control.

 

[LeftieBiker]

2. Fix suspension.
Softer ride that absorbs road imperfections, instead of making the whole car hop like a rabbit;

The Premiere should have either an optional softer ride package, or an adjustable-damping setup with "Normal" (soft) and "Sport" (firm) modes. Not to mention, of course, actual car seats.

 

[boltage]

1. Fix the seats.
Normal height bolsters that don't cut into thighs;

2. Fix suspension.
Softer ride that absorbs road imperfections, instead of making the whole car hop like a rabbit;

Some people actually like that the seats and suspension are on the sportier side.

I find that the suspension is on the firmer side, but not uncomfortable. I find the seats to be fine, but can see why some people may have an issue with them.

But perhaps there should be a standalone option on all trims for "sport package" versus "non-sport package" where the difference is sporty versus non-sporty seats and suspension tuning.

 

[user 387]

1. Fix the seats.
Normal height bolsters that don't cut into thighs;

2. Fix suspension.
Softer ride that absorbs road imperfections, instead of making the whole car hop like a rabbit;

3. Fix infotainment.
Objective: fewest clicks possible, ergonomic buttons, ease of use based on logic/intuition;

4. Cruise control.
My personal request that WILL NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN: convenient 3-4 o'clock location with regressed buttons I don't have to hunt for and exert force to push.

Well, if you know anything about product development, the 2018 model is in its final phase and will be released for tooling & testing within weeks. Your wish list should be focused on the 2020 model year, realistically.

Oh, and the only thing I agree on on your list is #1. The others are fine.

 

[JupiterMoon]

It's interest I've seen numerous Bolt reviews from journalists everywhere and not a single one I've come across has complained about the seats. Journalists are notorious for tearing cars apart and nitpicking more than most owners do.

 

[CGameProgrammer]

I have 1300 miles on my car and the seats have been perfectly fine. Regarding the suspension, I think it's plenty soft as it is and would definitely not want it any softer because then it would be even be worse in turns. Right now it's nowhere near as sporty as my previous car, a diesel Golf, but it's still good enough that it can go around turns at a good speed.

 

[ScooterCT]

>> Journalists are notorious for tearing cars apart and nitpicking more than most owners do

For the most part, this is no longer the case. Most of the Bolt reviews you're reading are pretty much the notes some millennial blogger took while on a media junket funded by the maker. You want to be invited back for the next boondoggle, you'd better write good stuff about our car. It's understood. And 80% - 90% of the reviews I've seen so far were from these media junkets. Further more, 99% of car reviews are now written on some blog by someone with dubious credentials for reviewing cars. Most of what I've seen is obviously copied almost verbatim from the media notes handed out by GM PR at the event.

There are a few serious reviews out there. In my opinion, the best reviews will be found right here, written by real people as they live with this car over the next few months. I'll take the reviews of other forum owners over some "journalist" every time.

I think the early reviews are also tainted by the fact that the reviewers are totally starstruck by a cheap EV with this range. They're so enamored of it, they're totally ignoring all the stuff they'd normally nit pick. If it weren't an EV, the gripe list would be a long one (crappy tires, ugly styling, horrible charge performance, nasty seats, cheap hard interior plastics, width-challenged interior). But the Bolt gets a free pass until it has some competition.

So I'd take the journalist "reviews" with some skepticism.

 

[JupiterMoon]

For the most part, this is no longer the case. Most of the Bolt reviews you're reading are pretty much the notes some millennial blogger took while on a media junket funded by the maker. You want to be invited back for the next boondoggle, you'd better write good stuff about our car. It's understood. And 80% - 90% of the reviews I've seen so far were from these media junkets. Further more, 99% of car reviews are now written on some blog by someone with dubious credentials for reviewing cars. Most of what I've seen is obviously copied almost verbatim from the media notes handed out by GM PR at the event.

There are a few serious reviews out there. In my opinion, the best reviews will be found right here, written by real people as they live with this car over the next few months. I'll take the reviews of other forum owners over some "journalist" every time.

I think the early reviews are also tainted by the fact that the reviewers are totally starstruck by a cheap EV with this range. They're so enamored of it, they're totally ignoring all the stuff they'd normally nit pick. If it weren't an EV, the gripe list would be a long one (crappy tires, ugly styling, horrible charge performance, nasty seats, cheap hard interior plastics, width-challenged interior). But the Bolt gets a free pass until it has some competition.

So I'd take the journalist "reviews" with some skepticism.

Actually it is the case. I'm talking about professional reviewers and actually journalist reviews...not bloggers and owners. I understand the difference between a blogger, an unknown reviewer, and someone who is a professional who's job it is to review cars. Not a single professional review I've come across mentions anything about the seats.

I don't think it has anything to do with being star-struck. If it takes 10-20 minutes of driving to become uncomfortable as seems to be the case by some owners/posters here, then a journalist sitting in the Bolt driving up and down the PCH for a few hours would surely notice the issue too.

The complaints you listed (crappy tires, ugly styling, etc) are actually what most journalists DO point out so to me their reviews are pretty accurate.

 

[drdiesel1]

The seats are highly adjustable. I suggest using the levers to get the seat setup for you. If you have it positioned
incorrectly, any seat will be uncomfortable. Work on it a little and you'll most likely find a setup that works for you.

I did :mrgreen:

I would also include the tilt/telescopic features of the steering column to gain maximum comfort

Complaining about thigh comfort sounds like they may have the seat too high causing undue pressure from the weight of the lower
leg to be applied to the thigh from the seat cushion. Lower the seat until it's no longer a problem.

It's like anything else that's adjustable. It needs to be properly adjusted to fit EACH INDIVIDUAL!

 

[iletric]

1. Fix the seats.
Normal height bolsters that don't cut into thighs;

2. Fix suspension.
Softer ride that absorbs road imperfections, instead of making the whole car hop like a rabbit;

3. Fix infotainment.
Objective: fewest clicks possible, ergonomically placed real buttons, ease of use that's logical and intuitive;

4. Cruise control.
My personal request that WILL NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN: convenient 3-4 o'clock location with regressed buttons I don't have to hunt for and exert force to push.

 

[Fargoneandout]

1. Keep the suspension just like it is and award Josh Travel the Nobel in courage for coming in every night after everyone else was gone for the day and re-tuning the suspension so that the Bolt offers some joy. If you think it hops around like a rabbit, swap out the tires for something more compliant.

2. If you simply MUST listen to those who deride the suspension, go with a multi-link setup in the rear.

3. Execute whichever of your employees it was who decided to default the audio system to Sirius XM.

4. Stiffen up the throttle response. The pedal is kind of soft.

5. The brakes could be better. The three pillars of performance-oriented driving are handling, acceleration, and braking. Josh got two of three right but to really lend confidence to the spirited the Bolt EV will need a gripper brake setup.

 

[drdiesel1]

It's an EV... Not a Corvette.

 

[LeftieBiker]

4. Stiffen up the throttle response. The pedal is kind of soft.

Did you drive it in Eco mode or Normal?

 

[Fargoneandout]

It's an EV... Not a Corvette.

Well thank the Lord then that they put some Corvette in it.

Look, broadening the appeal of EVs will require that EVs be judged on exactly the same terms as ICE vehicles, which is what I did when I bought mine. The number of folks who want to run around in something as tedious as a Leaf is small. Will people buy the Bolt EV for lots of different reasons? Sure and great. But why does 'EV' have to go hand in hand with bland?

And making a suspension MORE compliant is way easier to fix than tightening it up.

 

[Fargoneandout]

4. Stiffen up the throttle response. The pedal is kind of soft.

Did you drive it in Eco mode or Normal?

Normal and Sport. Can't really tell the difference yet but I'll be conducting some experiments in the very near future. Throttle response isn't wretched, just a little softer with what seems like a tiny bit of delay when accelerating hard. It's a minor quibble though.

 

[JupiterMoon]

I'm glad the suspension is firm....I can't stand the spongy Cadillac ride of my Spark EV.

 

[summit]

add heat pump for heat, garage door opener