[cnicholson]

I test drove one a couple of days ago. I've been waiting for the Bolt to replace my i3 (lease up in a few months). The Bolt's driver's seat seemed very narrow with a rigid edge/shell/frame. I admittedly did not spend a lot of time trying to optimally adjust the seat, but after a 10 minute drive, it already felt uncomfortable.

I am 6'1" and fat (~240), so perhaps I exceed the design parameters, but this was the most uncomfortable car seat I think I've ever sat in. It's not *just* the narrow width (I've had several sports cars with narrow/snug seats and had no issues), but also the hard edges and limited padding.

I'm going to give the car another chance in the summer (when my lease is up and when hopefully we'll see some incentive lease deals), but for now I'm afraid the Bolt won't work for me.

I'm curious what others who own or have driven the Bolt think of the seats, especially larger humans.

 

[Charge]

Exactly my thoughts on the seats. I'm 6' 2" and 195. Really trying to give the seats another chance after two test drives.

 

[bro1999]

I'm 6', 190#.....seats are fine to me (not perfect, but fine).

I've heard people saying aftermarket cushions have helped them.

 

[Neromanceres]

I'm a very big guy. 6'1" and north of 300lbs. I got to sit in (and go for a ride) in a pre-production Bolt EV at the GM silent cruise event in August. I sat in the car for 20+ minutes. I noticed the seats were narrow but I did not find them uncomfortable.

 

[ClarksonCote]

Some find the seats very comfortable, some very uncomfortable.

While not necessarily ideal, you could buy some additional cushion to place on the seat.

 

[Ladogaboy]

Someone did measure them (I haven't verified), and he came up with 17" in width. That does make them quite narrow. Most office chairs are at least 19-20", and many vehicles are even wider than that. I think the most pertinent number is the width between "bolstering," as that is where your butt is supposed to fit.

The OP references racing seats, and though they can be narrow, they are typically sized to the driver. The Bolt EV's seats are definitely sized for medium drivers, which mean small drivers can fit and larger drivers will most likely be uncomfortable.

 

[victrolux]

My dealer had a Bolt event last week... so I drove my Volt down there to see Bolts in person. I sat in the front seat a minute or two after arriving... and definitely the seats feel narrower and less plush than my Gen 2 Volt. ... and my Volt seats are not the widest in the world. I am 5'10" 160 lbs. overall the interior was interesting and fun to interact with... but the materials look and feel a touch cheaper than I'd prefer. I realize most car interiors are kinda cheap... but some just look a bit cheaper. I think it's a groovy car... but I'm not sure the interior would hold up for me in the long run aesthetically.

Here's a shot from the Bolt event... at F.H. Dailey Chevrolet, San Leandro, CA

 

[Cari]

Seats, price (want good lease deal), and avail. roll out schedule are our biggest concerns. Both of us are about 250lbs and had no issues driving a Smart EV for 2 years, but both thought the Bolt seats we checked out when at the auto shows were narrow with hard edges. The leather seemed somewhat better, but still very concerned.

 

[stuart22]

I'm 6'2, 210, 34" waist and have also felt the hard edges at the butt/thigh area. It annoyed me enough to consider not following through with getting a Bolt to replace my SparkEV at lease end in May.

I have a 2015 Ford Transit van with front seats which are of similar design to the Bolt; they might even be from the same supplier as GM's for the Bolt. The difference is that the seat cushion on the Transit is at a higher level - maybe 1.5"-2" higher - which is probably why its similar-to-the-Bolt hard plastic seat frame does not intrude upon one's comfort as do the Bolt seats.

 

[Cari]

Yea, they could have put twice the padding in the seat and been ok. Plenty of headroom and good seating position already. Wonder what third party cushions people are getting that work well?

 

[jeff_h]

Someone did measure them (I haven't verified), and he came up with 17" in width. That does make them quite narrow. Most office chairs are at least 19-20", and many vehicles are even wider than that. I think the most pertinent number is the width between "bolstering," as that is where your butt is supposed to fit.

Here are the actual measurements, I went to the garage with measuring tape and checked width between them (at least on the top part across the similar parts of the cushions to give a basic comparison). The Bolt seat is narrower than the Volt seat, not by a huge amount but it is noticeable.

 

[khalfyard]

I test drove a BOLT today, a fully loaded Premiere with all the safety-features, and it was a zippy, super fun drive in Sport-Mode (the wee-bit-terrified salesperson was a bonus.) Seats and elbow space seemed roomy. The shifter wasn't as clunky as I thought it might be. The main infotainment screen colour pallettes (Purple with Green and White?!!) leave A LOT TO BE DESIRED, but I think I saw somewhere that you can customize it.

Space and comfort were really great. The car is small but not tiny, with a great turning radius, and very receptive on the road.

 

[NYRob]

It would be helpful if posters who have actually sat/test driven a Bolt and are commenting seat comfort gave some indication of their build, height/weight, etc... so we have some sort of idea of who seems to fit and who won't fit comfortably in the Bolt seats.

So far we've seen medium build and smaller folks classifying the Bolt seats as acceptable...
IIRC from his post Bro1999 is 6'0 and 190lbs, I'm 5'11 and 190lbs.. going by past posts of others in that "average build" group I should find the Bolt seats "acceptable".

 

[Taser54]

Fat people ain't nobody ... fat people ain't nobody...

 

[jeff_h]

It would be helpful if posters who have actually sat/test driven a Bolt and are commenting seat comfort gave some indication of their build, height/weight, etc... so we have some sort of idea of who seems to fit and who won't fit comfortably in the Bolt seats.

So far we've seen medium build and smaller folks classifying the Bolt seats as acceptable...
IIRC from his post Bro1999 is 6'0 and 190lbs, I'm 5'11 and 190lbs.. going by past posts of others in that "average build" group I should find the Bolt seats "acceptable".

Pretty average here, 5' 10" and 180lbs. I would say "acceptable" after having a couple days to get used to them, so for those that take a single test drive I think they may be more aware of the fit of the seat than those who have gotten more used to them.

I'm definitely no car seat engineer, I suppose they know best the ins and outs of physiology and all that. But from my layman's perspective, it seems to me that the center of the seat is a bit deep when compared to the side bolsters, and those side bolsters feel like they are at a steeper angle than in many other cars (or other seats are wider so one doesn't notice it), so the side pressure on the thighs is a bit more persistent. So I can deal with the seats as they are but am going to maybe sample with a slight cushion in the center in order to help "level out" the seat a bit and ease up on the feel from the side bolsters.

 

[Lewis9]

My experience has been if clothes, seats etc. are not comfortable on an initial short test they will get more uncomfortable to me over time, not less so. I can't help but wonder what is going on with seats in our electrified Chevys.

The seats in my gen 1 Volt were much more comfortable than my gen 2 Volt and now it appears the Bolt would even be worse. Tip to Chevy........Seat comfort is NO place to take cost out of the electric cars to pay for 200 mile batteries. Bad seats in the Bolt are making me rethink what my next lease will be. I have found over the years that comfortable seats are very critical to my enjoyment of a car.

Phone chargers that don't work, crappy seating, USB ports outside of the console all scream to me that Chevy desperately needs new leadership in their shop that does the interior design for their electric cars.

 

[Bacardi]

My experience has been if clothes, seats etc. are not comfortable on an initial short test they will get more uncomfortable to me over time, not less so. I can't help but wonder what is going on with seats in our electrified Chevys. The seats in my gen 1 Volt were much more comfortable than my gen 2 Volt and now it appears the Bolt would even be worse. Tip to Chevy........Seat comfort is NO place to take cost out of the electric cars to pay for 200 mile batteries. Bad seats in the Bolt are making me rethink what my next lease will be. Phone chargers that don't work, crappy seating, USB ports outside of the console all scream to me that Chevy needs new leadership in the shop that does the interior design for electric cars.

http://articles.sae.org/14913/

"According to the Bolt’s Chief Engineer, Josh Tavel, the UTSB front seats also are lighter overall than comparable GM seats as used on the Chevy Sonic, for example, but he was not yet prepared to reveal the exact mass delta"

What are the Sonic's seats width? May not be possible for GM to cost effectively widen the seats...

Now the "plastic pincher", hopefully they find away to fix that...It's the actual structure causing the pinch and not a removable trim piece, correct?

 

[Charge]

Here are the actual measurements, I went to the garage with measuring tape and checked width between them (at least on the top part across the similar parts of the cushions to give a basic comparison). The Bolt seat is narrower than the Volt seat, not by a huge amount but it is noticeable.

That extra row of stitching between the edge and insert in the Volt might make a lot of difference. That and the steep angle to the insert where there seems to be very little cushioning.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I test drove a BOLT today, a fully loaded Premiere with all the safety-features, and it was a zippy, super fun drive in Sport-Mode (the wee-bit-terrified salesperson was a bonus.) Seats and elbow space seemed roomy. The shifter wasn't as clunky as I thought it might be. The main infotainment screen colour pallettes (Purple with Green and White?!!) leave A LOT TO BE DESIRED, but I think I saw somewhere that you can customize it.

Space and comfort were really great. The car is small but not tiny, with a great turning radius, and very receptive on the road.

No, it's not great. It's a foot more than the Prius. What are you comparing it to?

 

[khalfyard]

No, it's not great. It's a foot more than the Prius. What are you comparing it to?

The VOLT, it felt about the same, and had no issues doing a tight U-y in traffic, at reasonable speed.