After only 100 miles in my Bolt (Premier, all options) I'm ready to pas a verdict over the BMW i3 which just came off lease after 2 years and 15000 miles, and my Tesla Model S P85D. Keep in mind the cost of each : Bolt - $43,000, i3 - $53,000, P85D - $132,000 (rounded off $$$).
Spoiler alert! Which would I rather drive when:
Everyday driving: Bolt!
At the drag strip: P85D to blow the doors off my redneck buddies hopped up gassers.
Long distance travel: Airplane. Can't think of a worst thing to do than drive a car a long distance, prefer a root canal.
OK, now for the science behind the results.
The i3 was fun, but some of it's features are just a major pita. The worst is the the skinny wheels. Besides looking stupid, it makes it feel like riding a bike when going over steel bridges or ridges in the road. Besides that, the tires are ridiculously expensive, wear out fast (8,000 mi), and are impossible to find. The stupid coach doors and no rear windows makes rear seat passengers paranoid. The carbon fiber, while a cool technology, actually turns out to be hot when parked in the sun, makes the interior like an oven and takes forever to cool down. The things that I liked better than the Bolt are the rear wheel drive and the seats. Yeah, the interior materials are better, but they better be for an extra $10,000.
The Model S P85D is a 2014 with 25,000 mi. What can I say it's fast! It's also big and driving it around reminds me of my father's Oldsmobile. When I first got it the tech was cool, like the big screen displays and autopilot. The EV one-pedal driving is awesome, although it's not exactly one pedal since you still have to use the brake to come to a full stop, unlike the Bolt and i3, which is really annoying. The autopilot and summon, at first exciting, are now just useless gimmicks to impress friends. The autopilot, Version 1, never delivered the promise for which I got it, to self park on private property. The display doesn't have surround vision promised or implied in the original advertisements. Again, yeah the interior materials are nicer with the Obeche wood, Alcantra headliner, but wtf, they better be for $100,000 more! And still no grab handles or coat hooks! Don't get me started.
OK, why after only 88 miles I can say I like the Bolt better than those two? It's actually fun to drive and the tech blows the other two away. The displays makes the Model S seem like my mother's old computer. Which reveals a problem with making cars that are computers, they will get obsoleted fast by new models. The parking display in the Bolt is awesome, blows the Model S and i3 away. The rearview camera display in the mirror and the ability to select front and rearview cameras display when parking are great. The awesome blind spot display in the side mirrors, regular rear doors with roll down windows blow i3 away. Fold down rear seats with bigger cargo area and tight turn radius makes the Bolt the preferred goto for going to the beach with all sport equipment loaded in the back. Roof racks! Yeah, now can carry those paddleboards! Regular tires that you can actually buy! and wait for it, the latest tech, grab handles and coat hooks. And most important for South Florida, an A/C that actually works, Neither the i3 nor the Model S A/C works as expected. The i3 seemed to have a mind of its own, blowing hot and cold air randomly. The Model S can't seem to sense the actual interior temperature, so have to constantly adjust fan speed manually.
So there you have it, for my average driving of 25 mi/day it's the Bolt all the way. Any body wants to buy a pristine 2014 Model S P85D, driven only occasionally at the drag strip, let me know.
Spoiler alert! Which would I rather drive when:
Everyday driving: Bolt!
At the drag strip: P85D to blow the doors off my redneck buddies hopped up gassers.
Long distance travel: Airplane. Can't think of a worst thing to do than drive a car a long distance, prefer a root canal.
OK, now for the science behind the results.
The i3 was fun, but some of it's features are just a major pita. The worst is the the skinny wheels. Besides looking stupid, it makes it feel like riding a bike when going over steel bridges or ridges in the road. Besides that, the tires are ridiculously expensive, wear out fast (8,000 mi), and are impossible to find. The stupid coach doors and no rear windows makes rear seat passengers paranoid. The carbon fiber, while a cool technology, actually turns out to be hot when parked in the sun, makes the interior like an oven and takes forever to cool down. The things that I liked better than the Bolt are the rear wheel drive and the seats. Yeah, the interior materials are better, but they better be for an extra $10,000.
The Model S P85D is a 2014 with 25,000 mi. What can I say it's fast! It's also big and driving it around reminds me of my father's Oldsmobile. When I first got it the tech was cool, like the big screen displays and autopilot. The EV one-pedal driving is awesome, although it's not exactly one pedal since you still have to use the brake to come to a full stop, unlike the Bolt and i3, which is really annoying. The autopilot and summon, at first exciting, are now just useless gimmicks to impress friends. The autopilot, Version 1, never delivered the promise for which I got it, to self park on private property. The display doesn't have surround vision promised or implied in the original advertisements. Again, yeah the interior materials are nicer with the Obeche wood, Alcantra headliner, but wtf, they better be for $100,000 more! And still no grab handles or coat hooks! Don't get me started.
OK, why after only 88 miles I can say I like the Bolt better than those two? It's actually fun to drive and the tech blows the other two away. The displays makes the Model S seem like my mother's old computer. Which reveals a problem with making cars that are computers, they will get obsoleted fast by new models. The parking display in the Bolt is awesome, blows the Model S and i3 away. The rearview camera display in the mirror and the ability to select front and rearview cameras display when parking are great. The awesome blind spot display in the side mirrors, regular rear doors with roll down windows blow i3 away. Fold down rear seats with bigger cargo area and tight turn radius makes the Bolt the preferred goto for going to the beach with all sport equipment loaded in the back. Roof racks! Yeah, now can carry those paddleboards! Regular tires that you can actually buy! and wait for it, the latest tech, grab handles and coat hooks. And most important for South Florida, an A/C that actually works, Neither the i3 nor the Model S A/C works as expected. The i3 seemed to have a mind of its own, blowing hot and cold air randomly. The Model S can't seem to sense the actual interior temperature, so have to constantly adjust fan speed manually.
So there you have it, for my average driving of 25 mi/day it's the Bolt all the way. Any body wants to buy a pristine 2014 Model S P85D, driven only occasionally at the drag strip, let me know.
