Test-drove a Bolt twice today (LT and Premiere)

[CGameProgrammer]

I went to the San Diego Auto Show early today to be one of the first in line to test-drive the Bolt, which ended up being the LT. The outward visibility was quite acceptable; much much better than the horrible Volt, and also better than the Prius and Hyundai Ioniq. The side windows were very large, making it reasonably easy to spot traffic even on the passenger side.

The cloth seats are snug but I consider that a good thing. You won't be happy if you're fat though. They did seem to bottom out easily when I pushed on it with my hand, so there is some concern they might eventually wear out and become horrible, but there's only one way to find out.

Later in the day I went to my dealer to place an order and they had two Bolts in stock, one of which the orderer had declined to buy so it was available for test drives / purchase. It was a Premiere and we got to take it on the highway at 80 mph which I couldn't do with the auto show's LT since that was only a quick city loop.

The Premiere's leather seats are more comfortable than the LT's cloth ones and I generally hate leather seats and only buy cloth. Specifically they seemed firmer. The Premiere's forward visibility was compromised however by some big black plastic plate mounted in front of the rear view mirror, apparently containing sensors for the fancy collision avoidance stuff. Not sure if it's on all Premieres or only with a specific option package but I found it obnoxious.

At 80 mph the only noise was tire noise; if there was any wind noise then it was drowned out by the tire noise but I didn't notice any. Tire noise is generally easy to fix by replacing the ultra-low rolling resistance tires. The car was a bit squirrely at speed but the tires were brand new, as was the entire car, so that's very likely the reason. The steering seemed accurate with little to no dead zone, but it was really soft and springy-feeling. I didn't like it but it's acceptable. Oh, and the car accelerates very well of course, even at fast highway speeds; it had good passing power.

Another nice thing is it tells you how much power you're currently using or generating. At 80 mph on basically level ground it varied between 25-35 kW with the air conditioning on. This suggests it can do about two hours at that speed when fully charged.

The bird's-eye view option, when backing up, was pretty awesome. There's a wide-angle camera in front, underneath each side-view mirror, and in back. These are used to generate a rendered overhead view and it's a really nice feature. A regular back-up camera is standard on all Bolts.

I also tested the base sound system (which is not upgradable on the LT) and it was surprisingly decent. The touch screen interface worked well.

Oh, and I liked the center stick. You have to push a button on the left side to move it into D or R but it was very easy to do and the lever travel is very short. To put it in park you just push a button.

All in all I was really impressed with the car; unlike Honda or Tesla they did not cheapen the interior in any significant way to bring the car's price down. I can only imagine the profit margin must be razor thin if there is one at all.

Finally the orange color was really nice but not really orange. It's more complex than that, sort of a caramel gold orange color. Attached is a quick photo I snapped of it driving in sunlight.

 

[gpsman]

Nice review.

However... It's mostly orange.

 

[Michael1]

Nice review.

What did you end up ordering?

 

[MetaBolt]

A regular back-up camera is standard on all Bolts.

Is this true?

 

[marshallinwa]

A regular back-up camera is standard on all Bolts.

Is this true?

Yes, the LT has one. The premiere has the rear view mirror camera display and surround vision.

http://video.chevrolet.com/corporate/video/b-roll-360-parking/a/be3d63a9-720c-42c1-8294-e7b6a5fedce5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kZDE4Pgbdk

 

[oilerlord]

Another nice thing is it tells you how much power you're currently using or generating. At 80 mph on basically level ground it varied between 25-35 kW with the air conditioning on. This suggests it can do about two hours at that speed when fully charged.

Umm...wasn't this car supposed to go 238 miles on a charge? 80 mph on the freeway isn't unusual. When I'm on the I-5 at 80, I get passed like I'm standing still.

Another reviewer driving the "hills of Malibu" said the car would easily achieve the EPA 238 miles. Perhaps that was stop & go traffic, or at speeds not exceeding 50 mph. It does appear that the car's somewhat uninspiring 0.32 drag coefficient is a factor in determining the Bolt's ultimate range.

https://electrek.co/2016/08/08/chevy-bolt-disaster-aero-lead-designer-drag-coefficient-of-0-32/

Alternatively, the real-time consumption meter could be displaying inaccurate results. Who knows. Too bad you couldn't drive it for those two hours at 80 mph to find out.

 

[mbepic]

Like any Electric Vehicle, the faster you go (except down a hill), the more draw on the battery and the result is less range to get from A to B.

That speed of 80mph would be a perfect example where you will not get the 238 miles of range as opposed to going at speeds of much less or stop and go traffic; The 238 miles is an expected average of both city/hwy driving.......I'm sure a bit more info goes into coming up with that figure but that would be the main difference.

The bottom line is that some owners driving habits (commute) will get a lot more than 238miles of range and some others will get a lot less. Of course, in colder weather, you can expect to get lower over-all range..........quite typical of battery electric vehicles (as opposed to those driven with a very long extension cord.........lol).

 

[devbolt]

Nobody expects the car to be able to do 238 miles at 80mph. The Car and Driver folks got 190 miles when driving at 75mph with the AC set to 72. The faster you drive, the more energy you use. My 2005 Prius would average 42 to 45 MPG when I was driving it to work, around town, etc. But when I took it on road trips where I was doing 80 mph, the gas mileage dropped to around 38.

The readout on the display is an instantaneous one, much like the gas consumption meter that most cars have these days. So it's important to take what says with a grain of salt as far as predicting what the useful range is going to be at that speed.

 

[mbepic]

Thanks for the very concise review after just a simple test drive.........nice to have that info about both the LT and Premier;

Yes, I too am interested in what your final decision was...........did you buy the Premier or order one from the dealership?

Do you know anything about the 'navigation' system that does or does not come with the Bolt (Premier or otherwise); I hearing that there is no specific navigation system included in any of the BOLTs but there is something that is used possibly relative to your smart phone and onstar. Can you clarify what that is. If it has to do with your smart phone, is it currently limited to Android and Apple systems?

Please clarify what you or anyone else knows about 'navigation' on the BOLT EV.

 

[oilerlord]

Nobody expects the car to be able to do 238 miles at 80mph.

Nobody - Except many first-time EV customers that accept what they read and what they are told at face value. This includes GM marketing claims, and assurances from their salesperson that the car will get 238 miles of range. Remember the backlash as a result of original Leaf claim of "100 miles"? Instead of putting out a number for what's "possible", GM needs to set realistic expectations.

We're going to see dozens of "what's wrong with my car's range" posts from frustrated EV newbies. It's only a matter of time.

 

[mbepic]

I'm not sure exactly how GM explains the 'range' aspect of the BOLT EV but it is similar to what they did/do wth the Chevy Volt; it is something like 'up to' but I believe it is clear enough for the well read potential owner.

During the summer months, I consistently get over 40miles of battery range with my '12 Volt when in fact the official word is about 38miles; other owners do get much better than I do but they also have a consistent commute with very little gas generator engine usage. The same thing is going to occur with the BOLT EV, where some owners will likely see consistent 250miles or more and others might be lucky to get 200, especially in the winter months. Buyer beware that they are purchasing a battery only electric vehicle and don't expect to use it for very long trips, at least not in the foreseeable future, with EV infra-structure the way it is.

BTW, there is an outstanding 'class action' law suit being waged against GM Canada on the Chevy Volt mileage issue; without getting into a lot of details, it appears that this is the reason. The Volt's battery range does live up to what I expected, based on GM's claims on 'range' but I also understood that 'range' would suffer during the winter cold months. Seems like some smart lawyer (vulcher) is taking advantage of the possibility that this was stated too vaguely and is trying to make a lot of money for himself and possibly Volt owners in Canada. This is nothing new where some manufacturers have over-stated actual mileage and they were found guilty of that............I really don't believe GM will be found guilty but who knows, they may not take the chance and settle out of court.

 

[devbolt]

Nobody expects the car to be able to do 238 miles at 80mph.

Nobody - Except many first-time EV customers that accept what they read and what they are told at face value. This includes GM marketing claims, and assurances from their salesperson that the car will get 238 miles of range. Remember the backlash as a result of original Leaf claim of "100 miles"? Instead of putting out a number for what's "possible", GM needs to set realistic expectations.

We're going to see dozens of "what's wrong with my car's range" posts from frustrated EV newbies. It's only a matter of time.

The same kind of thing happens when people buy an ICE vehicle and they don't get the rated EPA mileage. "Your mileage may vary" is now "Your range may vary". Car manufacturers are only allowed to advertise the EPA numbers. They cannot use a lower or higher one. GM is setting the only expectation they are allowed to: up to 238 miles per charge.

 

[SparkE]

Nobody expects the car to be able to do 238 miles at 80mph.

Nobody - Except many first-time EV customers that accept what they read and what they are told at face value. This includes GM marketing claims, and assurances from their salesperson that the car will get 238 miles of range. Remember the backlash as a result of original Leaf claim of "100 miles"? Instead of putting out a number for what's "possible", GM needs to set realistic expectations.

We're going to see dozens of "what's wrong with my car's range" posts from frustrated EV newbies. It's only a matter of time.

Similarly, anybody that buys an ICE that gets "40 mpg on the freeway" and complains that they didn't even get close to 40 mpg when doing 80 mph on the trip between San Diego and Sacramento is an idiot. Same explanation : "just like in a gasoline car, if you drive at 80 mph you will have lower range than when you drive at 65".

I don't care about idiots, personally - heck, I will even tell then they are idiots. "Hey, don't you get better mileage when you drive your gas vehicle at 55 mph? Does that surprise you? Why do you think that it would be any different in an electric vehicle?"

 

[CGameProgrammer]

I looked at numerous new Bolts and test-drove another Premiere and have some more feedback. But first, to answer someone's question, there is no built-in navigation; instead you pair an Android or Apple smartphone with the device and it basically clones your phone's screen and functionality, so you can use your phone's own map application on the car's display. I consider this superior to built-in navigation because it will never become obsolete; it's always as up-to-date as your phone since it *is* your phone behind the scenes.

Anyway, I spent a lot of time today comparing the LT and Premiere to figure out what I wanted to order. In my original post I complained that the Premiere had a fairly large sensor block near the rear view mirror; well it turns out this is only part of the Driver Confidence II package option on the Premiere. My dealer had both a base Premiere and a loaded Premiere and the base Premiere did not have that wide thing.

Also, others have complained that the seats were too tight. Well it turns out the seats' side bolsters are much more rigid on the leather seats than the cloth. So even though the seat width is the same, only the Premiere felt tight.

I also compared the base radio (on the LT) with the upgraded Bose radio on a Premiere that I briefly test-drove. The Bose radio had more bass but was otherwise no better that I can see, although this was not a scientific test since I had compared two different radio stations and not at the same time. But the base radio was surprisingly good so I think I'd be satisfied with it.

I'll be ordering an LT because the seats aren't as tight, I generally prefer cloth anyway, and the extra tech of the Premiere are not anything I would need. Bird's-eye view is an awesome gimmick but is disabled when moving forward more than 5 mph. It might have been useful on the highway for lane monitoring... too bad. The fancy screen rear-view mirror is something I don't think anyone would like in practice, even though it seems like a neat idea. Blind-spot monitoring is very useful and is really the most useful Premiere feature that the LT lacks.

Oh, just FYI, the car does creep forward like a traditional automatic when in the regular drive mode (D), but when in L it does not, and instead holds you still without any pedal application. It's very simple to toggle between D and L, you just pull the shifter back a fraction of an inch to toggle between them. So I anticipate switching to L whenever I'm at a stoplight, or keeping it in L in heavy traffic.

 

[Schnort]

What is "L", or what is it supposed to stand for?

 

[mbepic]

I looked at numerous new Bolts and test-drove another Premiere and have some more feedback. But first, to answer someone's question, there is no built-in navigation; instead you pair an Android or Apple smartphone with the device and it basically clones your phone's screen and functionality, so you can use your phone's own map application on the car's display. I consider this superior to built-in navigation because it will never become obsolete; it's always as up-to-date as your phone since it *is* your phone behind the scenes.

Thanks for your update; I guess I'm SOL for now on the phone thing..........I have a WINDOWS, cellphone, and tablet.........same with the wife;
I wonder if there is a place where I can put my Tom Tom, other than the windshield. If and when Chevy decides to implement a Windows 'driver', I hope they will give us a retro software update..........no point on waiting to purchase until later in the year, because no guarantee it will ever occur.
My problem.

I'm going for the Premier because I believe the leather/with trim will be more desireable and bring in more resale value than the cloth...........at 170lbs with small touche, I should be comfortable; I'm glad to see your comment about the radio difference, because paying the extra for the Boss dpes not appeal to me. I want the mirror display and the side alerts, so I'm glad that they are standard on the Premier. In Canada, the DC charging is standard equipment so hopefully that will future proof the BOLT somewhat. I already have a Clipper Creek L2 HCS-40amp charge station, so that will be good too!

Thanks again.

 

[mbepic]

What is "L", or what is it supposed to stand for?

I'm going to reply to this because I own a Chevy Volt and other than cruising speed on the highway, I always drive in 'L' (Low); since the EV has no traditional transmission, you don't have to worry about going too fast in 'L' and you don't have to drive in 'D' (Drive) on the hwy, Chevy just says it is more efficient at the higher speeds, when you slow down slightly and then have to speed up again.

The 'regen' in 'L' is generally more aggressive and more efficient for around town stop and go driving..........with that said, you will have a paddle on steering column that applies more aggressive 'regen' to the point that you can come to a full stop by using the paddle. The more 'regen', the car will slow down faster and put more energy back into the battery. With 'L' you will save your brake pads and could almost one pedal accelerate and slow down.........'regen' occurs as soon as you take your foot off the accelerator.

I'm saying all this based on my experience with my current Chevy Volt (ie driving in 'L') and I have test drove the GEN2 Volt with paddle 'regen'.

Looking forward to using the paddle on the new BOLT EV.

 

[CGameProgrammer]

OK, more specifics on braking: in regular drive mode, when you release the 'gas' pedal, only a small amount of regeneration is activated, not being a pure coast but mostly allowing you to coast with a bit of resistance. If you hold down the left paddle, the regeneration amount will steadily increase. However this is not a permanent setting and as soon as you use the gas pedal again, the regeneration amount will reset. Personally the paddle seems nearly useless to me.

I think that in Sport mode (toggled with the push of a button) there is no implicit regeneration at all when you aren't pressing any pedal, meaning it's a true pure coast, but I couldn't test this adequately enough to be sure.

In L mode (as in 'Low') you can do one-pedal driving; if you lift off the gas pedal completely then a lot of regeneration is activated, and as you slow down so much that regeneration wouldn't do much, it smoothly applies something (friction brakes? reverse motor?) to bring you completely to a stop and hold you there. It also turns off the automatic creep that is programmed into the D mode.

Nothing about this would ever be a deal-breaker for anyone so basically don't worry about it.

 

[Schnort]

Can you just leave it in low and do one pedal driving (even on the highway?) I'm completely used to this with my i3, and the normal coast/creep forward thing really irritates me now.

 

[SeanNelson]

Nobody expects the car to be able to do 238 miles at 80mph.

Nobody - Except many first-time EV customers that accept what they read and what they are told at face value.

Good grief. Anyone who expects EPA ratings to exactly apply to their particular circumstances is a rube and has nobody to blame but himself. Prius owners don't expect to get the EPA rating at 80MPH, why should Bolt EV owners?