Chevy Bolt

[cashcow]

I haven't test drove one, but I plan to sometime in January. I don't really care about the extra range. I mainly care about size and the bolt just won't cut it. Much smaller than the RAV4 EV. The main thing I'd want is the CCS Combo but Jdemo is an option for the rav4 ev. I like the tesla power train in the rav4 ev, but Toyota made some bad decisions on the software bits . Not really like reading about the failures, but I got my ext warranty 125k miles so I am set for a while. If I get a new battery that would be great. New motor? Nice. New whatever? Cool. Downtime? Not so cool unless I get another car. Out of warranty? Sounds like NOT an option with this car unless you absolutely love it and know how to DIY fix it.... or just have a lot of cash on hand.

Still, I wouldn't buy the bolt, but I'd test drive it. I think I'd preferred a CPO MS (Its wider/longer but shorter) or MX with out those cursed rigid seats. Better yet, I'd love an E-Truck or big E-Van that doesn't cost 100k plus USD like the converted Zenith Ram Promaster Electric

Wish nissan had brought the E-NV200 over they sell it @ 3 other countries....

 

[MDR]

Hi All,

My first post as I am new to electric vehicles in general, and interested in getting a RAV4 EV.

Last week I had a chance to drive the new Bolt. The dealer was cool enough to let me take it out on my own for about 30 minutes, and I really thought prior to the test-drive that it was the ideal car for me. However, my impression was not positive. I found the driver's seat to be really uncomfortable. Granted, I have had lower-back issues, but the seat felt really particularly bad. The car had a ton of pick-up and torque, but I didn't find that it handled well. I've driven a number of electric vehicles--including the RAV4--that feel much more stable. The lease numbers I got on the LT were $2,500 down and $413.00 per month (before tax) for 36 months. To obtain $355.00 per month (pre-tax) it is $4,500 down. These numbers are higher than originally released online.

Hope this info is helpful.

 

[drmanny3]

I just acquired a Bolt EV Premier with the infotainment package,driver confidence package, DC fast charging, and Cajun Red Tint coat. That is about the max that you can get the car for. The MSRP was $43,999 and the dealer gave us a $2000 discount off of that price. While GM is not giving out super lease deals, I leased it for $376 per month including taxes with $4500 down. I just applied for the State's $2500 rebate. Thus far I would say that it is about the size of our Kia Soul EV without the rear being as tall. It drives nicely and feels secure. The seats are not as comfortable as the Kia's, though perhaps I just need to get use to them. Good visibility. We drive back and forth from Santa Barbara to Corona del mar two or three times a month to see my wife's parents. I then often end up working a day or so before we head back. We had turned in our Rav4EV because they could not fix the Air Bag problem. The Highlander Hybrid we got as a replacement now has 7000 miles over and above the lease allocation. So we will use the Bolt to go back and forth for a while. We are not as excited with the color as we thought we would be. It looks like a lot of other cars on the road. The infotainment system is interesting in that there is no Navigation built in. You use either your smart phone or you use OnStar which is a subscription based program. It does have built in Wi-Fi but that also is a service that requires a subscription (though it is not too expensive). It has an interesting rear view mirror that you can use either as a traditional mirror or flip a switch and it becomes a camera that sees in back. That way if you have the car full with stuff you still have a clear view behind you. It has most of the current safety stuff that is coming out on new cars. Pedestrian alert and braking, blind spot warning, lane departure warning and minor auto adjusting. If you allow the car to drift it will try and pull itself back into the lane. Not super great, but a start. While this car has leather seating the rest of the interior is not very upgraded. We have driven it on a 100 mile trip at freeway speeds of 75 mph and it would appear that we have about a 180 mile range at that speed. Slowing it down to 60 would probably bump that up to 220 or so. It did not come with a charger other than a 110 volt system. I have the charger we purchased for the Rav4EV setup at home. So I am going to purchase a Tesla mobile charger and have Tony's company upgrade it. I miss that charger as it was light and easy to work with. That is what comes to mine thus far. It has heated seats, and steering wheel. The stereo has a subwoofer which is not too bad. The system syncs with iPhones easily enough. Voice recognition seems to work well.

 

[kingkos]

Hey DrManny, I actually ended up buying a Bolt last week in the exact same configuration as you....premier, Cajun Red, infotainment and Diver confidence package. We were 50/50 on the colour between the red and dark grey. If I had read your post, it might have pushed me to the grey.

I'm not expecting to see it for 10-14 weeks though and it will be replacing our ICE SUV, so we'll only have the bolt and Rav4.

I've found the Rav4 to be pretty much exactly what I was expecting in terms of its utility and functionality (we have 3 kids), so I couldn't wait to get rid of the ICE car. Next step, solar panels.