Dallas Auto Show - March 22 through 26, 2017

Chevy Bolt EV Forum

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jhm614

Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2016
Messages
19
I see Chevy is has test drives on Saturday and Sunday. Does anyone know if the Bolt is going to be available to drive? Or if the Bolt is even going to be at the show?
 
There is a Bolt Premiere at the show and there is supposed to be two Bolts there to test drive.
 
Thanks! I can confirm that they had two Premier's in the Drive area and a Silver Premier in the show. I drove the Electric Blue twice. The front seat didn't bother me (5'11", 175, 34" waist, 32" inseam) and I like the leather on the seats. The back seat is a different story but that is because I like to sit further back so my thighs are completely supported by the seat. That isn't an option in most smaller cars. I did have plenty of rear leg room but I wouldn't want to be a rear seat passenger for any length of time.

I thought the interior looked fine - I have no problem what so ever with the visual appearance of the materials. Also loved the rear view camera and the 360 surround camera view.

Take off from the line was great but what really impressed me was the regen in "L". It was strong enough that I never had to use the paddle on the steering wheel.

Overall, I was impressed by the Bolt EV. It feels smaller than my Leaf but not in a bad way. It's peppy and nothing in it's price range comes close on actual range. I will definitely consider it when it comes time for my next vehicle.

For reference, I also drove the Gen 2 Volt (Nice! It just needs 75 or 80 miles of AER and it would be on my short list) and I drove the new Miata. If I had to back to a gasser, the Miata might actually be my choice. What the world really needs is a 150mi Miata-EV!!
 
Sooo...I test drove the Silver premium at the Dallas auto show today, but only got to drive it once. My wife rode in the back seat and the sales rep sat in the passenger seat.

The Seats
The seat edge was as I had remembered it getting in and out. Once centered it was OK, but it is definitely narrow and sitting in a couple hundred other seats at the auto show confirmed the Bolt's seats are in the lower 25th percentile in terms of comfort. Some of that is, however, offset by the increased comfort offered by a more upright seating position. A comparison with the Volt, which is more comfortable overall, showed that. Is it as huge an issue as I first experienced when I sat in it last Fall? Perhaps not, but it would be nice if it was an inch wider for a 200 pounder like me.

Ride Quality and Acceleration
This is the area I was most interested in since you can't determine it w/o driving - it is also one of the most important areas for me..Unfortunately, the test was a short square loop around the auto show so not much drive time, nor any higher speed freeway driving. My initial impression is the ride quality is pretty decent while still offering good road feel. I think Chevy has really done a VERY nice job balancing these two. I had no opportunity to whip it around to test the handling unfortunately, but I know I liked what I was feeling through the wheel and seat of my pants based on this very limited drive.
Acceleration was, unfortunately, a mixed bag for me. From a stop I just didn't get that wave of instant torque sensation I expected. It actually seemed a bit soft off the line, which surprised me since the 0-30 numbers seemed decent. I could tell that, unlike my old Volt, it kept on pulling which I did appreciate...again, we were on city streets around the convention center so I couldn't leg it too long. Still, I remember my initial BMW i3 test drives a couple of years ago, and the "hit" here had less fanfare. I have to believe that some of this has something to do with having 3 folks in the car (just a bit too much weight to overcome)...and it probably doesn't help that I'm driving a 2013 P85+ these days.

Overall
My overall impression was pretty positive, and enough to know I want another proper (i.e. longer, just one or two folks, freeway driving, etc.) test drive. I also felt I would want some concession on price given everything else out there at this price point (note: in fairness, my wife and I sat in a mid-level Kia and I pointed out it was markedly nicer than my Tesla inside). The interior is just a bit more low rent than I'd like. $4-$5k discount on a loaded premium (putting me at $30k after rebate ) would make me feel "better" about what I was getting for the money.
 
cab said:
Sooo...I test drove the Silver premium at the Dallas auto show today, but only got to drive it once. My wife rode in the back seat and the sales rep sat in the passenger seat.
What did your wife think of the back seats?
 
jhm614 said:
cab said:
Sooo...I test drove the Silver premium at the Dallas auto show today, but only got to drive it once. My wife rode in the back seat and the sales rep sat in the passenger seat.
What did your wife think of the back seats?

Unfortunately, the drive was, as you know, short and she sat in the middle to get a better view of all the stuff we were discussing up front. She said it was fine, but a bit awkward (like most middle seats). Interestingly enough, it immediately pointed out the benefit of the rear mirror "camera" as virtually all I could see was her face in the rear mirror making it virtually useless for driving. The rear mirror camera would definitely take some getting used to. I suspect I would only use it when transporting rear seat passengers or hauling something that blocked the rear mirror.
 
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