[Charge]

I did an impromptu test drive of the Bolt today at Momentum Chevy in San Jose. I happened to be driving nearby and was behind an orange Bolt so I followed it for a couple blocks to the dealership.

Quick background. I've been thru a lot of cars in the last 10 years, everything including SUV's, sedans, coupes and cabs. Brands from MB, Porsche, BMW, Audi, Acura, Toyota and Honda as well as two Volts. My 2nd Volt lease is set to expire in March and I've been waiting to get Bolt as I really liked both my Volts. My teenager just got their license and has taken over driving duties of the Volt since Aug. I leased an X5 40e for myself in August but wanted a full electric and I thought the Bolt would be it.

Anyway a quick scan of my license and we were off in an orange prem model. I didn't even leave the parking lot before noticing how bad the drivers seat was! It was like they took all the padding out of the seat as well as the springs. I sunk into the seat and the side bolsters (lower and back) kept me locked in an unmovable position. There was no wiggle room or adjustment - at all. I thought they left part of the seat out, it was very uncomfortable to say the least. BTW, I'm 6' 2" and 195 lbs. with a thin build.

Leaving the parking lot the car felt great, and the L range was very nice bringing the car to a complete stop if desired. I didn't mess with the displays much as I mainly wanted to drive the car. We got onto the freeway and I floored it and the car felt very quick, much quicker than my Volt. It drove great on the highway but I was still struggling with that darn seat.

Arriving back at the dealership I started to notice all the hard plastic in the interior. The dash, door panels console, etc. were very obvious. I hadn't noticed this nearly as much when I sat in the car at the SF auto show last month. I guess a few months of driving my X5 made me notice these things much more.

I asked the sales guy about leasing and he said they don't have numbers yet. They are expecting 44 cars on the 27th and when those arrive they will have firm lease and purchase numbers.

After waiting for the Bolt for many months and pretty much deciding I would be leasing one at some point I now have to reconsider. The drivers seat was just plain awful and I don't see a way to fix it. I'm not totally crossing it off my list yet as I will wait to try a few others when they arrive at the dealership before I make up my mind. Maybe the seat in the LT model will fit me better, I sure hope so.

PS Also drove the new Honda CRV. Very nice and great bang for the buck. Fully loaded with safety features for $31K and more cargo room than my X5.

 

[DonC]

If the seats don't work for you then that's a deal breaker. Seems like the seats are fairly polarizing. Some people think they're fine/great and some find them uncomfortable.

 

[Ladogaboy]

So the seats were the same as the ones in the Bolt you sat in at the car show? Was the Bolt Premier with leather or the base interior? Regardless, I can see how going from the seats in a $70,000 semi-luxury vehicle to the seats in the Bolt could be jarring.

Also, I'm not sure what to make of your plastic interior comments. I'm not sure why that should be a surprise. Really, every vehicle under $50,000 (and many over that price point) has a lot of plastic paneling on the inside. That is true of your Volt as well.

Either way, I'll make an assessment of the Bolt's seats when I get mine. I tend to have a higher tolerance for spartan amenities as long as the features that really matter are there.

 

[Mister Dave]

There's lots of aftermarket seat padding to be had out there if that's your only issue.

 

[Charge]

I think the seats were the same as the show car but I can't be sure. Bolt Premiere with leather. The seats in my Volt are much better. Maybe the hard plastics were more noticeable because my Volt interior is black and the Bolt was a light color interior.

I agree it's a personal choice, but at this point I just can't ignore the seats as I'm sitting interim the entire time! Hoping the LT or another car will somehow fit better.

 

[Nebula]

Front seats are thinner/stiffer to make room for the rear passengers. I sat in the car in August when they had them for test rides during the Silent Cruise just before the Woodward Dream Cruise. For me, and this is why it is subjective, they were just fine.

 

[Charge]

Front seats are thinner/stiffer to make room for the rear passengers. I sat in the car in August when they had them for test rides during the Silent Cruise just before the Woodward Dream Cruise. For me, and this is why it is subjective, they were just fine.

Yes, there is a lot of leg room in the rear seats. My biggest concern was lack of padding/support in the lower seat cushions.

 

[Ladogaboy]

If the plastic interior is white/off-white, I could see it really standing out. As long as it is matte, I'm not worried. I actually really dug the white interior option they had for the Volt center console.

 

[Cari]

I hated the white console in the base Volt. So, yes it is all subjective. Some things are simple facts though. The seats are thinner yes, but they are also narrow. The cloth seats in the Bolt felt worse to us than the leather. Sitting in the cloth seats, it takes very little pressure and you reach unforgiving metal on the sides. The leather offers a little better feel, but it is still our main concern and would be the thing most likely to stop us from getting one in March when our Volt lease is up.

 

[somms]

Bolt seat issue resolved!?

 

[samotlietuvis]

Sat in Bolt twice during LA Auto show - same observation - the seat was surprisingly not comfortable because it was too narrow. Just the upper part of the seat. Hopefully Chevy will acknowledge and address the seat comfort issue at some point. Or maybe the seats will wear in.

 

[Barry]

It wasn't long ago when a problem like that could be solved by installing an aftermarket seat. But modern seats usually have an airbag inside, and may have other things like a pressure sensor and heating element, etc. And the thin architecture means a new seat could change rear seat leg room dramatically. Maybe that is no longer a practical option. Not sure. But having a comfortable seat is vital.

 

[an_outsider]

After almost 2 years of Spark EV ownership, I gave up for few personal reasons even if I loved that little bugger, front seats were part of the reason I went back to first generation Volt, I missed so much the front seat comfort.

I did have yet the occasion to seat into a Bolt but I'm a bit skeptical...

 

[volt11]

True to form, Chevy is killing these cars with cheap materials inside. I just can't figure out why. It's not just that there's plenty of plastic, that is to be expected. It's the finish. Way back in 2000 I had a great Ford Focus wagon whose plastic was mostly "skinned" with some kind of coating that made it low-gloss and soft to the touch, very nice. I think the sticker was around 16K, with full power accessories. Here we are 16 years later and Chevy is still using Play-Skool grade plastic in its $38K car of the future. It's face palm worthy and should not get a pass from consumers. I mean, go ahead and buy the car, but make those opinions heard!

 

[Qinsp]

True to form, Chevy is killing these cars with cheap materials inside. I just can't figure out why. It's not just that there's plenty of plastic, that is to be expected. It's the finish. Way back in 2000 I had a great Ford Focus wagon whose plastic was mostly "skinned" with some kind of coating that made it low-gloss and soft to the touch, very nice. I think the sticker was around 16K, with full power accessories. Here we are 16 years later and Chevy is still using Play-Skool grade plastic in its $38K car of the future. It's face palm worthy and should not get a pass from consumers. I mean, go ahead and buy the car, but make those opinions heard!

Because padding weighs more, consumes volume. and costs more. Engineering decision that was probably made way before they knew it would go over 200 miles.

Personally, I'd pay a couple grand more for even more weight reduction since it improves performance and range.

But you are saying you'd pay more for less performance, less range, and less interior room?

It appears the Model S 60 is just right for your needs. Well except for the peak acceleration.

Note: Fords tend to weigh more and have worse MPG and acceleration. But many folk love them.

 

[llninja]

There's lots of aftermarket seat padding to be had out there if that's your only issue.

My favorite, the purple seat cushion (I'm also a big fan of the bed)

https://youtu.be/QReYVEVZ3pY
And
https://youtu.be/RzvD6fd85X4

 

[canehdian]

It wasn't long ago when a problem like that could be solved by installing an aftermarket seat. But modern seats usually have an airbag inside, and may have other things like a pressure sensor and heating element, etc. And the thin architecture means a new seat could change rear seat leg room dramatically. Maybe that is no longer a practical option. Not sure. But having a comfortable seat is vital.

The wiring connections are likely all GM standard.
Assuming the bolt pattern is also standard, you could possibly get any other GM model seat and put it in there and still have all existing functionality and safety.
I would think most would only change the driver's seat. So only leg room of one position (which is often unused, or used by children) impacted is a small compromise if you otherwise like the vehicle as it is.

 

[stuart22]

Sitting in the cloth seats, it takes very little pressure and you reach unforgiving metal on the sides. The leather offers a little better feel, but it is still our main concern and would be the thing most likely to stop us from getting one in March when our Volt lease is up.

I also sat in the Bolt at the San Francisco Auto Show - it was a Premier with leather seats - and had a similar experience which I reported a week or two ago here. The hard plastic (metal?) shell framing the seat cushion and back rest can intrude upon one's comfort. Sitting smack in the middle of the seat is fine, but shifting around to where one's butt goes off center can cause the annoying contact with that cold, hard seat frame. Entering and exiting will almost guarantee contact. It's like somebody poking you in the butt.

This was enough to quell my momentum towards getting a Bolt when my SparkEV lease runs out in May. Hopefully some remedy - an aftermarket seat; switching out the Bolt's seat for that from a Volt; GM coming up with a less intrusive seat frame - will be found by then.

 

[Ladogaboy]

It wasn't long ago when a problem like that could be solved by installing an aftermarket seat. But modern seats usually have an airbag inside, and may have other things like a pressure sensor and heating element, etc. And the thin architecture means a new seat could change rear seat leg room dramatically. Maybe that is no longer a practical option. Not sure. But having a comfortable seat is vital.

I don't see those as much of an issue to overcome. At worst, you also need rails and a wiring harness to connect the electronics. The big issue to me is price. Most of my favorite aftermarket seats are $1,000 to $1,500, and like Lays, you can't get just one.

In some ways, it makes me glad I went with the LT. If even the Primer's seats are that bad, it's not really worth the money. I'd rather save the several thousand and get seats that I really like... maybe even FIA approved.

 

[mtndrew1]

The seats in the Bolt at the LA auto show felt fine to me, just a bit narrow. I'm 5'11" 160 lbs and didn't notice any hard points.

The Bolt's interior though was made with some seriously chintzy materials for a car with an MSRP of $44,000. Everything is hard plastic that is clearly not going to wear well based on all the scratches on everything after a few days at the auto show. I took a video of it.

https://youtu.be/isB6CS1EPyo

Same materials in my Kia for comparison (a car that starts under $20k in gas trim)

https://youtu.be/TnJI9-pFN20

The Volt in the vicinity felt like a Lexus in comparison. Coated plastics, soft touch trim, chunky supportive seats, etc. Night and day difference.

Not that the Bolt was high on my list after my experience with plagued Volts but the interior trim eliminated the car from my list entirely. Nevertheless I hope the car sells well and I'm looking forward to seeing them on the streets.