No roof rack for the LT???!!???

[cooltheplanet]

I've been saving up for some time to buy an all electric vehicle, and had decided that the Bolt was the one. Went for a test drive a few days ago when Bolts arrived at my local dealership. All was a dream....until I sat down to discuss an order with the manager.

I was absolutely flummoxed to learn that you have to upgrade to the premier in order to have the option of getting cross bars installed. C'mon, Chevy, you've been advertising this car as an SUV. Why should a buyer have to spend an extra $5K to get cross bars on an SUV?

Of course I know at some point there will be after-market clamp on bars available somewhere, but I have a true aversion to those. I want to be able to purchase the not infrequent 2x4 and put it on the factory installed ergonomic roof rack that is custom made for the vehicle.

I've written and called Chevy about this. Maybe there are more of you out there that share my beef. If so, please let Chevy know you want the cross bar option on the LT. These marketing decisions are constantly remade by management, and if enough of us squawk, maybe they'll do the right thing for their entry level buyers.

[admin]

Here is a full discussion on Chevy Bolt Roof Rack options, hope it helps: http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6036

[gpsman]

Statistically speaking fewer than 1 in 1000 owners will actually use the roof rack. So, it makes sense not to have it on the LT. I think the car looks cleaner, sleeker, sexier, and more aerodynamic without them as well.

So my questions to you are:
Is this really your one and only car?
Do you go skiing, snowboarding, or surfing more than a few times a year?
Would you really use it more than a few times a year?

Unless you answer yes to the above, you are correct, it is not a good purchase to pay extra for the roof rack.

For a few times a year it makes more sense to drive another car, rent another car, or just rent your skis after you get to your destination.

[GetOffYourGas]

Statistically speaking fewer than 1 in 1000 owners will actually use the roof rack. So, it makes sense not to have it on the LT. I think the car looks cleaner, sleeker, sexier, and more aerodynamic without them as well.

So my questions to you are:
Is this really your one and only car?
Do you go skiing, snowboarding, or surfing more than a few times a year?
Would you really use it more than a few times a year?

Unless you answer yes to the above, you are correct, it is not a good purchase to pay extra for the roof rack.

For a few times a year it makes more sense to drive another car, rent another car, or just rent your skis after you get to your destination.

Just to offer another perspective...

I have a Yakima after-market roof rack for my car. With the Q-Towers, it is easy to add or remove it and it seems solid enough. For the occasional route, this is another option. I only put the rack on the car when I need it (twice a year - Christmas and Summer vacations). It is a great way to expand the utility of your car without the need to own/rent another car (in my case, it would mean renting during peak travel times).

I would prefer the rails built into the Premier, but I'm not willing to spend the extra money over an LT when I could just use an aftermarket solution.

[boltage]

I would prefer the rails built into the Premier, but I'm not willing to spend the extra money over an LT when I could just use an aftermarket solution.

Unfortunately, the flush rails effectively function as fixed point mounts (where the holes on the inside of the rails are). Although they have advantages over the door-clip method (such as not potentially scratching the paint on the door frames, particularly if installed or removed frequently), they are nowhere near as useful as full length raised rails, on which crossbars can be mounted any distance apart and without needing to wait for vehicle-specific fit parts from the rack companies. The Bolt flush rails apparently do not have enough of a ridge to be reliably gripped by a rack tower that clamps onto flush rails and would allow more options in where to mount crossbars.

As noted in the other thread, both Yakima and Thule treat the Premier flush rails as fixed point mounts. Thule apparently has a door clip solution for the LT without flush rails, while Yakima says that it is still being evaluated. However, the Yakima fit parts are only beginning to be available in the US; the Thule fit parts are listed on its UK web site but not its US web site and are not yet available in the US.

[boltage]

Statistically speaking fewer than 1 in 1000 owners will actually use the roof rack. So, it makes sense not to have it on the LT. I think the car looks cleaner, sleeker, sexier, and more aerodynamic without them as well.

So my questions to you are:
Is this really your one and only car?
Do you go skiing, snowboarding, or surfing more than a few times a year?
Would you really use it more than a few times a year?

Unless you answer yes to the above, you are correct, it is not a good purchase to pay extra for the roof rack.

For a few times a year it makes more sense to drive another car, rent another car, or just rent your skis after you get to your destination.

Guessing that someone who is actually looking into roof rack options is the 1 in 1,000 owners who would answer "yes" to the above questions.

If I were at a car company designing the roof of a wagon/SUV/van, I would consider full length raised rails or tracks. Or perhaps a provision where raised rails can be installed as an accessory.

[Jasykas]

I need a roof rack to carry skis to the slopes all Winter. Sad, my new Bolt does not have mounts. So will use Nissan Rogue until Rivian comes.
Our Bolt is to small to be a ski vehicle without a Thule
Sad

[PackardV8]

I've written and called Chevy about this. Maybe there are more of you out there that share my beef. If so, please let Chevy know you want the cross bar option on the LT. These marketing decisions are constantly remade by management, and if enough of us squawk, maybe they'll do the right thing for their entry level buyers.

It took you a few years to get their attention, but AFAIK, all Bolts now have roof rails.

BTW, we don't share your beef; it's the one feature of the Premier we've never used in four years.

jack vines