The Chevy Bolt Is the Ugly Car of the (Very Near) Future

[Anonymous]

Just leased a bolt in July

Burnt orange
Premier option
Installed the 240v charger at home

Luv the looks
Luv the ride
Luv the range
Luv not tied to OPEC chatter

Thanks Chevy. Luv car

 

[oilerlord]

Just leased a bolt in July

Burnt orange
Premier option
Installed the 240v charger at home

Luv the looks
Luv the ride
Luv the range
Luv not tied to OPEC chatter

Thanks Chevy. Luv car

Hey! Welcome to the forum.

I dig that orange too. Enjoy your Bolt!

 

[PV1]

What I find amusing about EVs in general is that everyone has to find something negative to say about them. "Oh, well the Model S can only go 300 miles before needing a charge." Really? :|

The Bolt is a substantial vehicle that opens up electric transportation to a LOT of people. It's roomy, comfortable (at least mine is), got lots of go, and more than enough range for a daily drive. Like Bumnsun, mine's also Orange Burst, and even though it wasn't my first color choice, it is a sharp looking car. What I think got it the negative comments about all the black and chrome is that car reviewers are used to bland cars. There's not much to tell apart a Camry from a Corolla or Versa. The Bolt actually looks like a $40,000 vehicle. The chrome strips, along with the black accents, complement the orange very well. Even looking under the hood or in the door jambs, the metallic paint follows through (even though under the hood isn't clear-coated as it shouldn't be, the metallic is there and isn't just overspray). I really like the lights. The headlights are sharp whether they're on or off. The taillights are instantly recognizable, and you can never have enough side markers. Even the red lenses in the bumper have lights in them that come on if you open the hatch with the exterior lights on. Doesn't anyone like a car anymore that looks different?

Then again, everybody trashed the i-MiEV (Consumer Reports and The Fast Lane car borderline lying in their "reviews"), but I happen to really like mine. I find it funny that one car gets marked as cramped and rough-riding and the other doesn't, but both ride the same and have almost identical dimensions.

 

[oilerlord]

The Bolt actually looks like a $40,000 vehicle...Doesn't anyone like a car anymore that looks different?

Then again, everybody trashed the i-MiEV (Consumer Reports and The Fast Lane car borderline lying in their "reviews"), but I happen to really like mine. I find it funny that one car gets marked as cramped and rough-riding and the other doesn't, but both ride the same and have almost identical dimensions.

Meh, to each their own. Some people like apples, some prefer oranges...that all it is.

I almost bought an i-MiEV but couldn't get past the bare-bones, and "different" styling - even though I absolutely recognize those as attributes that i-MiEV owners love. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone is entitled to their opinion (that we're free to respectfully disagree with). To me, the Bolt doesn't look, ride, or handle like a $40,000 vehicle but that doesn't take away from it being an outstanding overall value for $40,000, or take anything away from owners that love them. It's just an opinion.

Some cars look more expensive than they are. Case in point: Tesla Model 3.

 

[TimBolt]

The Bolt actually looks like a $40,000 vehicle. .

Looks are subjective, but to me the Bolt looks like a $20k vehicle sitting on top of a $15k drivetrain.

The LT trim is very bare bones, all the interior surfaces are hard plastic, and it's missing a lot of features that are pretty common on cars costing much much less.

I knew all that before I bought my Bolt, I still think it's a great car.

 

[user 1034]

My 2004 Monte Carlo SS was just as plasticky as the Bolt is. It must be a Chevy thing.

 

[sgt1372]

Looks are subjective, but to me the Bolt looks like a $20k vehicle sitting on top of a $15k drivetrain..

Doesn't look thst way to me. To me, it just looks like a lot of other cars currently sold for $35-40k

Cars in this price range just aren't made the way they use to be. Inflation requiring the use of less costly parts resulting in a cheaper look.

Just the way it is.

 

[oilerlord]

Doesn't look thst way to me. To me, it just looks like a lot of other cars currently sold for $35-40k

Cars in this price range just aren't made the way they use to be. Inflation requiring the use of less costly parts resulting in a cheaper look.

Just the way it is.

Respectfully, I don't agree.

Sit in a 2017 BMW X1 (MSRP: $33,750) or even the best-selling SUV - the Honda CR-V (MSRP: $33,795). Might change your mind about what $35K can buy. After a day of helping a friend of ours shop for a new SUV - I was blown away at how absolutely luxurious this new crop of SUVs and crossovers are. The Honda at $33,795 is top-end, fully loaded AWD "touring model". Its massive inside with very comfortable seats, nice leather, and soft touch materials used throughout. She ended up buying a Kia Sorento EX 2.0T (MSRP: $33,000) which was just much like the Honda but with a longer warranty and no charge maintenance for the life of the car.

To Tim's point, the "way it is" pertains to building the Bolt to a budget. Something had to give. The Bolt does look like a $20K car sitting atop a $15K drivetrain because it's more or less just that. GM spent a big chunk of the budget on the electric power train & battery...not so much on the rest of the car. I'm only recognizing the choices GM had to make in order to offer a 60 kWh EV at a "game changer" price. All things considered, GM pulled off a small miracle.

 

[charge]

I don't know if the Bolt will become the next PT Cruiser of the used car world. I wanted a used Cruiser at one point, then realized people would label me as a tasteless nerd, so, just like the soccer moms who eschew mini-vans for SUVs, I surrendered to peer pressure, no Cruiser for me. Of course, some cars are so ugly they are oddly cool again, like the Pontiac Aztek. The Bolt is considered more of a no-nonsense, practical conveyance, that's all, boring, but not ugly.

Off topic below, sorry.

I have now begun to think about what to give my father for the anniversary of his 50th birthday. I decided that a good gift would be a car. So far I've been reading Buick Encore reviews. The car seems nice, but I still have my doubts. Can you tell me anything else?

Encore is decent. I prefer cheaper equivalent Chevrolets (Trailblazer, Equinox) but to each their own. Personally I would never buy a vehicle to surprise someone else, since individual tastes, needs, etc. can vary from my own!
Depends on your Dad's personality. Ten years ago, at 50 years old, I was going thru a mid-life crisis, did a lot of crazy (fun) things for about 5 years, so I got a red 2011 Camaro V6 for not much $$ really. Had a blast in it. The current Camaro or Mustang is very good these days. Always told people I got the sports car for the engineering, partly true.

So without knowing your Dad's situation, needs, wants, & personality, it's impossible to tell what to get.

 

[PackardV8]

The headline labeling the Bolt as "Ugly" is just clickbait. The styling is generic 4-door-hatchback, similar to a dozen others in the market today.

Agree completely the value is in the drivetrain. As a small car, the Bolt is just average. As a breakthrough BEV, it's uniquely wonderful.

As an ooold Bolt owner and a lifetime builder of ICE engines, we'll never buy another new ICE. Today, I see my engine building in the same category as the farrier, the dog trainer or the golf pro. We cater to obsolete, expensive, absolutely unnecessary hobbies.

jack vines

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Today, I see my engine building in the same category as the farrier, the dog trainer or the golf pro. We cater to obsolete, expensive, absolutely unnecessary hobbies.

As someone who races sailboats for a hobby, I feel this in my soul. But being "unnecessary" doesn't mean your hobby isn't worth it if it gives you satisfaction.

 

[summit]

the real reason for low sale volume: cheap gas ! remove oil/gas subsidies and let the market prices the real cost. Imagine $7/gal, guzzlers would be parked.

We have 2x 2017 Bolts, and have been very impressed for a 1st generation product. You can slap a bunch of solar PV on your roof and make your own juice, can't generate your own gasoline, nor biodiesel for that matter.

 

[PackardV8]

You can slap a bunch of solar PV on your roof and make your own juice, can't generate your own gasoline, nor biodiesel

But for those of us in the frozen-far-north-end-of-nowhere, neither can one generate enough sunshine for solar to be cost-effective.

jack vines

 

[summit]

But for those of us in the frozen-far-north-end-of-nowhere, neither can one generate enough sunshine for solar to be cost-effective.

jack vines

I was hiking in Anchorage a couple years ago and saw houses with solar panels mounted on their sides facing southward. Besides for the low sun angle, a benefit is no snow accumulation. But your point is well taken, still, Germany is at pretty high latitude and there are lots of PVs

 

[PackardV8]

But for those of us in the frozen-far-north-end-of-nowhere, neither can one generate enough sunshine for solar to be cost-effective.

jack vines

I was hiking in Anchorage a couple years ago and saw houses with solar panels mounted on their sides facing southward. Besides for the low sun angle, a benefit is no snow accumulation. But your point is well taken, still, Germany is at pretty high latitude and there are lots of PVs

Some Frozen types are sufficiently environmentally conscious and active they will install solar even when not cost-effective. As to Germany, they have both high costs of electrical generation and a national policy to go green sooner than later. To that end, grid power is made prohibitively expensive and PV is subsidized.

FWIW, i've had a couple of professional PVl surveys done of my house and none of the installers will guarantee sufficient production for a ten-year payback.

jack vines

 

[summit]

jack vines[/quote]


FWIW, i've had a couple of professional PVl surveys done of my house and none of the installers will guarantee sufficient production for a ten-year payback.

jack vines[/quote]

most installer calculation only consider electrical usage. Pay-back looks much better when consider gasoline costing as well, of course it depends on the vehicle's MPG

 

[GetOffYourGas]

most installer calculation only consider electrical usage. Pay-back looks much better when consider gasoline costing as well, of course it depends on the vehicle's MPG

The trouble is, this is double-counting. If you convert from ICEV to BEV, you see those savings regardless of whether you went solar. So Jack's concern still stands.

 

[summit]

boy we are getting OT, but it's ok. The Bolt is definitely not ugly at all in my eyes.

It's not double counting if it's done right. Eliminating gasoline increase your e-cost, and solar PV reduces that cost. In my case, I even converted the home furnace & water heater to heat-pumps. So my "pay-back" calculation included my propane cost. Am now investigating those heat-pump (sold as ventless) cloth dryer.

Cheers,

 

[GetOffYourGas]

boy we are getting OT, but it's ok. The Bolt is definitely not ugly at all in my eyes.

It's not double counting if it's done right. Eliminating gasoline increase your e-cost, and solar PV reduces that cost. In my case, I even converted the home furnace & water heater to heat-pumps. So my "pay-back" calculation included my propane cost. Am now investigating those heat-pump (sold as ventless) cloth dryer.

Cheers,

Oh but it is always double-counting. The increase to your e-cost is not as much as the decrease in your gasoline cost. That has nothing to do with PV.

But if telling yourself it does makes you happy, suit yourself.