1000 mile owner mini-review

With a little over 1100 miles in six weeks of daily driving on my Bolt EV LT I thought I'd share or update my views (see BMW Man Likes Bolt EV for my initial views if you care).

What I like? Pretty much everything that matters. The Bolt EV rides wonderfully and quietly, has plenty of power, responds nicely to quick steering movements without obvious understeer, currently meets EPA (4.1 miles/kW lifetime X 60 kW battery = 246 theoretical miles on a full charge). No rattles or squeaks yet. Terrific visibility, roomy, comfy, tight-fitting seats, excellent control location, intuitive interface, and loving CarPlay (which kicks the snot out of BMW's 2014 version of iDrive, which is the version in my 328i Msport). We have 110V charging for free at work and I've used that almost exclusively to charge my Bolt. Throw it on the 12A setting and I can easily put 50 miles of range back on the car a day. I purchased a 20A 220V Level 2 charger for home but I have yet to use it. Got my white HOV stickers the other day and enjoyed a spot of solo HOV lane cruising at rush hour. Backup camera is great and about the only option I now question buying is the DC fast charger, which I have yet to use. I did get the two drivers packages (what are they now, heated seats and steering wheel and the cross traffic and lane change alerts, all of which I use and like a great deal).

What I don't like or like less? Not terribly keen on the tires which, though super comfy and very quiet, are pretty poor in the rain and squeal like my little sister when provoked even gently. Also not super fond of the torque steer upon high throttle combined with any steering motion. Fun, but unpredictable.

I totally prefer driving the Bolt to my 328i Msport, which is sitting in the garage soon to hit Craigslist. The Bolt rides more compliantly and aside from straight line speed and freeway cruising at 85+, where the BMW is hitting its sweet spot, the Bolt is a nicer car to drive daily IMHO. And don't get me started on the Prius. My daughter drives one and I drove it to put gas in it for her today and nearly barfed in the front seat at what a POS it is as a driving implement.

Good review - thanks.
I expect that the stock tires on mine (coming next week) will be going away soon in favor of some good summer tires, which should greatly reduce the torque steer.

If you do swap to summer tires please report back. I contemplated doing the same but decided that the quiet, smooth ride imparted by the stock Michelins was worth keeping for now. If you swap and find a set of summer tires that are nearly as quiet and smooth but impart better steering response and cut the torque steer I would love to know that, as I'm sure many others would as well.

Here's a photo showing efficiency. Note that I have never reset my trip meter. Also I should mention that the 4.1 mile/kW is for 75% suburban and 25% freeway driving at ambient temps between 40F and 80F.

I couldn't be happier with the efficiency. Of the 30 or so cars I've owned in my life this is the first one to ever hit EPA estimates, let alone actually exceed them.

Thanks for the updates. I'm glad to hear you are loving your Bolt!

I too am very interested in how the car does with a decent set of summer tires. How is the torque steer affected? What about range?

If I do end up in a Bolt, I will eventually be buying two sets of tires - a good snow tire for the winter and a solid summer tire for that other season (some around here refer to it as "waiting for winter")

For full power applications the car could use braking vector or a limited slip dif. It has enough power that with the low adherence tires (low rolling resistance means less friction) you really have to have both hands on the wheel and keep your wits about you when you nail it, particularly when turning. I myself don't mind - it's not dangerous but just mildly unpredictable. Wheelspin can be had pretty easily too.

But I want to be clear here: I wouldn't take one lb/ft of torque or hp less. Having all that power at hand is wonderful. No problem staying ahead of the Accord Sports with lane envy, if you catch my drift.

GetOffYourGas said:

I too am very interested in how the car does with a decent set of summer tires. How is the torque steer affected? What about range?

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Same here. I am planning to switch as soon as I find a good summer tire that fits. My main concern is safety, rather than range, performance or torque steer. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Note that tires in the Bolt's stock size of 215/50R17 come in load ratings of 90, 91, 93, and 95. The OEM tires have load rating of 91, so stay with that or higher.

Tires do vary in rolling resistance (even among those with similar performance), and those with similar rolling resistance may perform differently. Rolling resistance affects both range and miles per kWh.

Fargoneandout said:

For full power applications the car could use braking vector or a limited slip dif. It has enough power that with the low adherence tires (low rolling resistance means less friction) you really have to have both hands on the wheel and keep your wits about you when you nail it, particularly when turning. I myself don't mind - it's not dangerous but just mildly unpredictable. Wheelspin can be had pretty easily too.

But I want to be clear here: I wouldn't take one lb/ft of torque or hp less. Having all that power at hand is wonderful. No problem staying ahead of the Accord Sports with lane envy, if you catch my drift.

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You continue to keep framing the car like it's a 911 on track day, but I want to be clear here: It isn't. Not even close. No one is buying what you're selling.

phil0909 said:

Same here. I am planning to switch as soon as I find a good summer tire that fits. My main concern is safety, rather than range, performance or torque steer. Any suggestions would be welcome.

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From experience, I was going to recommend Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tires, but they aren't available in the Bolt's size. Any sticky tire may grip the road better, but will wear faster, and may be less safe since the OEM Michelins have the self-sealing feature. Being caught on the highway with a flat tire isn't exactly a safe place to be.

oilerlord said:

Fargoneandout said:

For full power applications the car could use braking vector or a limited slip dif. It has enough power that with the low adherence tires (low rolling resistance means less friction) you really have to have both hands on the wheel and keep your wits about you when you nail it, particularly when turning. I myself don't mind - it's not dangerous but just mildly unpredictable. Wheelspin can be had pretty easily too.

But I want to be clear here: I wouldn't take one lb/ft of torque or hp less. Having all that power at hand is wonderful. No problem staying ahead of the Accord Sports with lane envy, if you catch my drift.

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You continue to keep framing the car like it's a 911 on track day, but I want to be clear here: It isn't. Not even close. No one is buying what you're selling.

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Speak for yourself. I had enough time behind the wheel to know the Bolt's potential (and limitations). No, I don't agree that he is framing the car "like it's a 911 on track day". Sounds more to me like he likes to drive his cars (whatever they may be). Occasionally, he pushes them to their limits "like it's a 911 on track day". Some people enjoy that. It's called an enthusiast. A driving enthusiast and an EV enthusiast do not have to be mutually exclusive!

GetOffYourGas said:

Occasionally, he pushes them to their limits "like it's a 911 on track day". It's called an enthusiast. A driving enthusiast and an EV enthusiast do not have to be mutually exclusive!

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What you call an "enthusiast", I call an old guy posing as Mario Andretti behind the wheel of a heavy, understeering car on public streets with ill-equipped tires - "dangerous". There is nothing smart, funny, or interesting about that - it's just stupid. Further, how do you know it's happening "occasionally"? Given the number of performance references the guy is so proudly posting, I'm more inclined to believe it happens a lot. You want this "enthusiast" on your street? I don't.

oilerlord said:

Any sticky tire may grip the road better, but will wear faster, and may be less safe since the OEM Michelins have the self-sealing feature.

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I can compensate for this 'safety' aspect by carrying a can of fix-a-flat. In fact, I expect the can will work better than the self-sealing tires - I have seen multiple reports of the OEM tires failing, and I have not yet seen a single report of successful self-sealing. Of course, it's still early. But so far, I am not optimistic on the OEM tires' performance.

The Bolt doesn't have to be a Porsche - it's all about the Old Car Guy's adage "It's a lot more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slowly."
I'm with Fargoneandout: the Bolt suspension can handle better, grippier tires, and it will be even more fun to drive with a good set of summer tires. Sure, it will cost some range - between tires and my locale and driving, I expect to get about 210 miles range, based on experience with my Spark EV.
I plan to put 225x50s on an aftermarket 7.5" wheel for summer, and use the stock wheels for winter tires. I'll keep the OEM tires for when I eventually sell the car.

phil0909 said:

I have not yet seen a single report of successful self-sealing.

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Successful self-sealing might not be noticed. This can make it difficult to know how effective the self-sealing feature is, since only failures can be reliably counted, while successes cannot.

oilerlord said:

Fargoneandout said:

For full power applications the car could use braking vector or a limited slip dif. It has enough power that with the low adherence tires (low rolling resistance means less friction) you really have to have both hands on the wheel and keep your wits about you when you nail it, particularly when turning. I myself don't mind - it's not dangerous but just mildly unpredictable. Wheelspin can be had pretty easily too.

But I want to be clear here: I wouldn't take one lb/ft of torque or hp less. Having all that power at hand is wonderful. No problem staying ahead of the Accord Sports with lane envy, if you catch my drift.

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You continue to keep framing the car like it's a 911 on track day, but I want to be clear here: It isn't. Not even close. No one is buying what you're selling.

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That's hilarious, because that's not what he said... or even implied.

But since you brought it up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOIAk8TA6b4

IOW, put a decent set of track tires on a Bolt, and then compare the two. The Bolt and Leaf are both bottom loaded, so the Bolt should do even better than the Leaf.

dandrewk said:

That's hilarious, because that's not what he said... or even implied.

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Do me a favor, go read his posts and get back to me. He's been at it for a while, and the more we encourage it, the more it's going to happen. You want to test the limits of your car on private property, or at the track? Fine. Please don't do it on my street.

oilerlord said:

dandrewk said:

That's hilarious, because that's not what he said... or even implied.

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Do me a favor, go read his posts and get back to me. He's been at it for a while, and the more we encourage it, the more it's going to happen. You want to test the limits of your car on private property, or at the track? Fine. Please don't do it on my street.

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Well of course I agree, and most here would. But you are overreacting. I read all the posts. He loves his Bolts, and I think the vast majority here agree with that, too.

Personally, I'm not worried about crazed Bolt owners street racing in front of my house. OTOH, stepping on it from the onramp is damn fun.

dandrewk said:

Well of course I agree, and most here would. But you are overreacting. I read all the posts. He loves his Bolts, and I think the vast majority here agree with that, too.

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I hope so. From what I read, I see a picture of an old-fart, wannabe street racer loose on our streets who lifts of some of the performance terms straight out of a R&T magazine in the attempt to convince everyone he knows what he's talking about. He sometimes even uses them in the correct context.

Let's be safe out there. Please.

Oiler - get over yourself. Some of us actually enjoy spirited driving quite safely, while others prefer slow heavy cars that are like being transported in an overstuffed sofa.
You don't speak for the Forum, so keep the personal attacks down.