Part 1 of my first impressions of my new Bolt EV

4500 Views 17 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Ladogaboy, Jan 20, 2017

SharkVolt

Discussion Starter · Jan 17, 2017

Part 1 of my Bolt review:

Ok, here are my first impressions after driving my new Bolt EV for five days all over Fresno.

1. Ride: It has a softer, more refined feel over little road imperfections than the gen1 Volt. I can't compare it to the gen2 Volt, having never driven one. It also does a good job of absorbing larger bumps, especially considering it has a shorter wheelbase than the Volt. I have ridden in a Jeep, and felt like I was riding a bucking bronco, and while there is a hint of that on large bumps, the Bolt handles normal roads very well.

2 Handling: The oem LRR tires are understandingly less capable than today's available performance tires, but the body roll is very minimal, and short wheelbase and slightly narrower track seem to give the Bolt very good manners and it has pretty neutral handling,
with not too much of the push American cars are known for. It may do quite well as an autocross car, and I will be exploring this subject more this year, and will try to leave updates on this forum as I learn more.

3. Acceleration: Again, the oem LRR tires limit this, due to more torque available than those tires can handle in most conditions. This is not a bad thing, though, because any good set of performance tires will alleviate the problem. And, the traction control and stability control keep the situation manageable. The biggest difference between the Bolt and Volts is that the acceleration doesn't fade above 30 mph like the Volts do, which makes freeway on ramps, etc. a blast.

4. Regeneration: This is better than the Volt in all modes, 'nough
said.

End of part 1, more to come.......

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SharkVolt

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jan 18, 2017

theo1000 said:
1. Rear visibility. (Poor in the Volt)
2. Charge door. Is it just a pop open. We need to have an auto retract option? My #1 peeve with the Volt.
3. Does it default to 8 amp charging. I have L1 charging. And will continue to have L1 charging with the Bolt.
4. Does it have the same rubber dam under the bumper in front which causes annoying low clearance in the Volt?
5. What is highway speed at which the efficiency cuts out. In the Volt it is somewhere around 58 mph.
6. How effective is the defogger. The Volt is slow and not very good.
7. How does it handle when coasting in N around corners/curves/downhill. I love the Volt in N.

Answers:

1. Rear visibility: Poor,same as gen2 Volt, unless you get the Premiere with the added camera rear view mirror, this is Great!
2. It is pop open.
3. Yes, it defaults to 8 amp charging, but you can set a home location to default to 12 amps.
4. There is a shorter dam directly in front of the front tires, which means it will almost never scrape on any dips or even curbs.
5. I would guess it's efficiency is diminished at over about 60 mph, but I didn't specifically check it yet.
6. It might be a little better than the Volts, but we haven't had much moisture in the air around Fresno for years, so It is hard to judge that yet.
7. I have never coasted in any car ever, so can't relate to that. However, the handling is at least as good or better than the Volt, IMHO.

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SharkVolt

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 18, 2017

My first impressions of my Bolt - Part II

5. Interior room:
A. Knee, leg, and head room, are all HUGE. You could seat two 6 foot 6 inch guys one behind the other, and NEITHER will feel the least bit cramped.
B. But, hip and shoulder room in the front seats are tighter than the Volt, because the Bolt is two inches narrower in track, body, and interior than the Volt. If your body is a wide load, you will probably have trouble even getting the door shut.

6. Trunk storage: This is a different shape than the Volt. With the seats up, the storage area is slightly less front to back, and sideways also, but it is taller, and has separate vertical compartments, so you can store a lot of stuff, if you package it right. And, you can remove the top cover, and/or the first shelf, which gives you a little more leeway. With the seats folded down, It is very similar to the Volt, maybe slightly shorter front to back and narrower, but much taller.

7. Braking: ABout equal to the Volt. (In other words, very good) The front brake rotors look a little smaller than my gen1 Volt, and the automotive magazine tests show slightly increased stopping distance. But the ABS will still give you excellent results for this heavy a car on LRR tires.

8. Ease of entry/exit: This is WAY better than the Volt, you can tell this vehicle was designed to be used as a taxi. It is really amazing how much leg room they managed with a shorter wheelbase than the Volt.

9. Maneuverability: This is extremely good, due to the shorter wheelbase and narrower track, along with a shorter nose and tail, with less overhang.

More to come as I get time and/or think of other important points, or if you have specific questions.

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SharkVolt

Discussion Starter · #14 · Jan 18, 2017 (Edited)

The front corner visibility is much better than the Volts. They have a full triangle small window in front of the door, so the pillars are much thinner. You can see the triangle in most pictures.

Also, there is a grab handle in the ceiling on the front passenger side, for old people, I guess.

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