Chevrolet Bolt & Bolt EUV

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edatoakrun said:
GRA said:
GM really needs to offer better deals it they want to approach the 30k annual production capacity...
GM may prefer instead to sell more of those ~30 k per year in Europe, where higher gas prices and smaller butts may make the bolt a more acceptable option...
Could be, although they've still got to sell enough here so they can get the credits needed to sell more pickups and SUVs.
 
The Bolt EV has 94.4 cu ft of interior volume, while the Leaf has 92.4. So, the Bolt EV is bigger inside than the Leaf.
 
My Leaf lease is up in December. I'm really hoping the Bolt leases come down by then. They're ridiculous at the moment. I need the range for pretty regular trips into Los Angeles, and I'm tired of paying insurance on a second "weekend" ICE care for these trips, not to mention the extra space taken and maintenance required.

If GM continues to keep the leases high, I'll have to look at the Hyundai. It doesn't have the range I want, but their unlimited miles + charge credits will be hard to resist.
 
If those represented all of the leases, or GM's lease offers, then nothing. Those require that you already have a "competitive lease" and I suspect they are for just one or two cars. At any rate, it's good sign that the glut is starting to spook dealers, if not GM. The Premiere residual is, of course, terrible, so if you want to eventually buy the car, the Bolt is still not worth it.
 
Via IEVS:
Official Range Calculator For Opel Ampera-E Shows Impact Of Temperature, HVAC Usage
http://insideevs.com/official-range-calculator-for-opel-ampera-e-shows-impact-of-temperature-hvac-usage/

  • . . . Range results are as follows:

    Temperature (HVAC OFF / ON)
    -20°C: 432 km / 242 km (268 miles/150 miles)
    -10°C: 439 km / 256 km (273 miles/159 miles)
    0°C: 473 km / 316 km (293 miles/197 miles)
    10°C: 512 km / 412 km (318 miles/256 miles)
    20°C: 527 km / 472 km (327 miles/293 miles)
    30°C: 515 km / 422 km (320 miles/252 miles)
    40°C: 502 km / 368 km (312 miles/229 miles)
    Between the highest result of 527 km (~327 miles) at 20°C and the lowest at 432 km (~269 miles) at -20°C we see some 18% range drop.

    While, the use of heating at -20°C would eat 54% of range to 242 km (~150 miles), and that’s not end as there could be also stronger wind or other factors.

    The very worst case scenario is -20°C and into the wind/aggressive driving, which decreases range to 253 km (157 miles) / 210 km (130 miles) depending on heating OFF/ ON. That’s up to around 60% less than normal.
Note the above ranges are at 'medium' speed.

Calculator here: http://www.opel.de/fahrzeuge/ampera-e/uebersicht/partials/reichweite/reichweitensimulator.html
 
Saw my first Bolt in the wild yesterday and found myself being just a hair disappointed that it was so small compared to my Gen 1 LEAF. I don't know why - it's not like I'd not seen the Bolt before, but I guess I never have been side-by-side next to one.

It probably won't stop me from buying in, but it might give me pause for thought if another option in a similar size to my LEAF but with Bolt range came about in the next few years. A Volt with Bolt underpinnings would be just perfect, even with the slight range hit.
 
mwalsh said:
Saw my first Bolt in the wild yesterday and found myself being just a hair disappointed that it was so small compared to my Gen 1 LEAF. I don't know why - it's not like I'd not seen the Bolt before, but I guess I never have been side-by-side next to one.

It probably won't stop me from buying in, but it might give me pause for thought if another option in a similar size to my LEAF but with Bolt range came about in the next few years. A Volt with Bolt underpinnings would be just perfect, even with the slight range hit.

The Bolt EV actually has more passenger space than the Leaf, and fits taller people more comfortably. The Leaf has more hatch space, but not by much.
 
NeilBlanchard said:
mwalsh said:
Saw my first Bolt in the wild yesterday and found myself being just a hair disappointed that it was so small compared to my Gen 1 LEAF. I don't know why - it's not like I'd not seen the Bolt before, but I guess I never have been side-by-side next to one.

It probably won't stop me from buying in, but it might give me pause for thought if another option in a similar size to my LEAF but with Bolt range came about in the next few years. A Volt with Bolt underpinnings would be just perfect, even with the slight range hit.

The Bolt EV actually has more passenger space than the Leaf, and fits taller people more comfortably. The Leaf has more hatch space, but not by much.
I'm a taller person and I can say for me, thats simply not true. The Leaf has more head room than the Bolt and FOR SURE the Volt, which is downright awful for head room IMO. True that the Bolt and to a lesser degree Volt has slightly more leg length room, but when I put both the Bolt and Volt all the way back, the drivers seat was almost touching the rear passenger seat :shock:
It's all about spin and numbers. I believe both the Bolt and Volt are categorized as a small station wagon, or something like that, which makes their interior numbers look larger than the Leaf. Look I'm not saying the Leaf is a large car and sure I'd like more room, especially cargo but compared to either of the Chevys it seems large.
It all boils down to what feels best to you, if you have very long legs and don't care about rear seat room, and aren't that tall, get a Bolt or possibly a Volt but IMO the Volt is way too small, unless you are also small, at lest with the Bolt a taller person has a chance.
I'm not even going to get into the Bolt's cramped front seats :lol:
 
Had the opportunity to test drive an LT & Premier Bolt. I'm 6'6", 350lbs. Absolutely cannot fit in a Focus EV & Model S.

From a tall/big perspective, I've found the headroom on par with the Leaf. The seat felt smaller as I could barely squeeze my hand to buckle the seatbelt. No issues with the Leaf. In any case, not a deal breaker. I also noticed the padding in the seats to be softer than a leaf. Actually considerably softer, however have not experienced some of the leg pains I've read about elsewhere.

During the test drive, I took it on the highway, up to about 70mph. Wind/road noise was substantially louder in the Bolt vs Leaf. In the end it felt more like an econobox vehicle. Hard to justify $40k on this vehicle and left me with the sense that heavy discounting is inbound.
 
NeilBlanchard said:
mwalsh said:
Saw my first Bolt in the wild yesterday and found myself being just a hair disappointed that it was so small compared to my Gen 1 LEAF. I don't know why - it's not like I'd not seen the Bolt before, but I guess I never have been side-by-side next to one.

It probably won't stop me from buying in, but it might give me pause for thought if another option in a similar size to my LEAF but with Bolt range came about in the next few years. A Volt with Bolt underpinnings would be just perfect, even with the slight range hit.

The Bolt EV actually has more passenger space than the Leaf, and fits taller people more comfortably. The Leaf has more hatch space, but not by much.

the numbers don't really support your claim. The hatch area is 50% larger in the LEAF (~24 to 16 cu ft) and the Bolt has better rear passenger space. The rest of the cars are nearly identical in every way.
 
These numbers mean very little. Go sit in the car yourself and decide. For me, that means putting my kids' carseats in the backseat and sitting between them. Or taking some of our standard luggage and putting it in the trunk. An empty suitcase works well, since it takes the same amount of space as when full. It's not hard to get a feel for how much usable space a car really has. In all the ways that count, the Bolt is smaller than the Leaf.
 
We are leasing a Leaf and an e-Golf. I am 6'-4", my son is 6'-5"+ and my brother is 6'-6"+. We all have sat in the Bolt EV and we all fit much better in the Bolt EV than the Leaf. The rear leg position in the Leaf is the main problem - it is low to the floor. Our knees are up in our faces, and it is not comfortable.

The Leaf:

front headroom 41.2 in.
front legroom 42.1 in.
rear headroom 37.3 in.
rear legroom 33.3 in.

Chevy Bolt EV:
front headroom 39.7 in.
front legroom 41.6 in.
rear headroom 37.9 in.
rear legroom 36.5 in.

On paper is not equivalent to real life - the console matters and the seat height matters. If the 'U' shaped rim around the Bolt EV dash wasn't there, the Bolt EV would have even more room than it does. The Leaf has a more constrictive dash, and the Volt has a tunnel - which is pretty nasty for those of us with long legs.

For what it's worth, the BMW i3 has the most front seat room of any vehicle my brother has ever driven. He's been driving for over 30 years, and he has driven UPS trucks for a long time, too.

BMW i3:

front headroom 39.6 in.
front legroom 40.5 in.
rear headroom 37.2 in.
rear legroom 31.9 in.

I fit in in the backseat of the i3 much better than the Leaf - so numbers don't tell the whole story.

My family fit much more comfortably in the e-Golf than the Leaf. VW e-Golf:

front headroom 38.4 in.
front legroom 41.2 in.
rear headroom 38.1 in.
rear legroom 35.6 in.
 
Anecdotally...I had a chance to sit in one the other day and hit my head hard upon entering. Not as easy to get into or out of as a Leaf or Prius.
 
The back seat? Yup, the top of the door is a bit lower than I expected; but I think it is something you would learn. The front was no problem, though.
 
NeilBlanchard said:
The back seat? Yup, the top of the door is a bit lower than I expected; but I think it is something you would learn. The front was no problem, though.
I'm talking about the front seat. To be fair, I'm taller than the average guy at 6'2" but I have no problem on the Prius or Leaf.
 
Phatcat73 said:
Had the opportunity to test drive an LT & Premier Bolt. I'm 6'6", 350lbs. Absolutely cannot fit in a Focus EV & Model S.

Hard to justify $40k on this vehicle and left me with the sense that heavy discounting is inbound.

Which is why you have to play the same game that everyone else does when it comes to the pricing on these cars. "Well, you know, I get $7500 off MSRP because of the tax credit, then I got this that and the other rebate, blah, blah, and in the end, I got the car for $12,000!!" Yes, I'm being a bit sarcastic there, but not too much ;)

I've been looking at these too and for me, the Leaf is already too expensive and by that measure, the Bolt is definitely outside my price range. I saw one dealer already trying to get $47K for one! :lol:
 
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