The Everyperson's EV
When it comes to electric cars, GM isn't aiming to build the largest battery-powered toy of the well-to-do; instead they're taking a page from the genius of Henry Ford: build one car and make it simple, durable, efficient, and above all, inexpensive -- or, as he said, a car "for the great multitude." The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt is all of those things and then some, beating out Porsche, Tesla, Jaguar, Volvo, and Audi, among others, to win Motor Trend's coveted car of the year acclaim.
So what makes it so good? Let's start with the two most outstanding figures: 238-mile range and $29,995 price point (with the $7,500 federal tax rebate), which is unheard of in the world of EVs. To compare, the BMW i3 is much more expensive and has half the range, and the Tesla Model 3 only offers 220 at its base price of $35,000. Now Tesla-philes will snark that you can opt-in for the range extender and get to 310 miles. But now you're looking at a base price of at least $44,000, and at that price point you're just $3,600 away from the base MSRP of an Audi A6 -- a car that doesn't necessarily scream, "I just want to be part of the masses."
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But there's more to a car than just price and efficiency. There's handling, design, safety, and tech, and the Bolt has it all: “If this car were fitted with a set of grippy tires, it’d be a helluva hot hatch,” road test editor Chris Walton said. “I’d put it against a Mazda3 or Golf for fun per mile.”
Much of the car's "fun to drive" factor stems from the fact that its batteries are mounted low, giving the Bolt a very low center of gravity. As for tech, the car has the ability to connect seven devices to its 4G LTE wifi hot-spot, and its well-built interior actually has a nice feng shui.
It's not quite right to compare the Bolt to a normal small hatchback -- because it does what small hatch buyers want, and it does it with refinement, poise, and the feeling of instant torque. I suppose you could call it the quiet, kind, yet intelligent type. "Elon Musk should be afraid. Very, very afraid," says Motor Trend executive editor Mark Rechtin.
What are your thoughts? Have you driven a Chevrolet Bolt? How was it? Let us know in the comments below!
