I read our comments every day, and through it, I’ve been able to notice some trends every now and then. At any given moment and for no discernable reason, you like breaking out into pun threads. Also, it seems like certain cars are mentioned on a near-weekly basis. The Miata frequently comes up, as does the Chevy Volt. Today, the Chevy Bolt is getting some love.
David wrote about how good the BMW i3 is as a baby carriage. I found 3WiperB’s response fascinating:
The Bolt EUV or new 2027 Bolt might be one of the best compacts for babying. It has 39.1″ of legroom compared to 31.9″ the i3. It’s actually slightly more legroom than some fullsize cars like the Toyota Crown and it’s only 6″ less than something with crazy legroom like a RAM 1500 Crew Cab. I’m shocked every time I look in the back of the EUV on how well packaged that car is. There is no Frunk, but the trunk on the Bolt EUV is a healthy 16.3 cu ft too.
Brian wrote about how the Iran conflict is hitting engine oil. I’m not sure why, but this from PlugInPA made me laugh:
Laughs in my Chevy Bolt.
Data:
This could lead us down a slippery slope.
Andrew Pappas:
Definitely will bring some friction to the situation.
Thomas wrote about the latest car to get a dash that’s just a screen, the new Mercedes C-Class. Bassracerx has a dystopian prediction:
There is going to be advertisements all over that screen in 2-5 years, I guarantee it. they will charge you $100 month to go “ad free”.
RidesBicyclesButLovesCars has a chaotic prediction:
“Look at that nice large screen I can suction cup my phone mount to instead of reaching all the way to the windshield” – Someone who will buy this and still use their phone for everything instead of the built-in infotainment.
Nsane In The MembraNe:
We live in hell.
Finally, we end with an Autopian classic. Brian wrote about new wheel-shaped pasta. RustyJunkyardClassicFanatic:
Now I feel like eating some shower spaghetti…
Have a great evening, everyone!
Top graphic image: GM
I like by 2020 Bolt EV.
I would not say it is well packaged. It isn’t bad, but I have less usable room inside it than my old Honda Fit, which was smaller outside.
Maybe the EUV is better?
Either way, it babies well. Or at least 6 to 8 year olds really well. Seems like the infant seat will work well this summer.
Larger stroller will be tough to get in the back.
I think I might be responsible for about half of the Volt comments. That and the CHURCH OF TRACKER.
I’d consider the bolt if Chevy didn’t axe carplay from its EVs. I think they have lost a lot of potential sales over a stupid data grab for more money. I will not willingly go back to having to learn a new stupid interface for every car I drive. I will not give up the easy convenience of being able to set up navigation for a trip and getting my music/podcast set up while sitting on my couch rather than in the car.
I find it funny that Honda is selling far more rebadged blazers than Chevy is selling actual blazers. The main differences are badge, styling and carplay. Badge is probably the key factor here, but the other two are non trivial. If another manufacturer sold a rebadged bolt with carplay, yeah I’d be interested.
The 23s still have Carplay. It’s frustrating that the new ones don’t.
If I had a long commute, the Bolt would be top on my list for my 3rd or 4th car.
I love my Bolt but my old man trait is I think the ride is punishingly stiff. Soften up, Bolt! Take a lesson from the Volt.
Old Bolt or Resurrected Bolt?
I thought I heard they softened up the ride some in the new one.
Mine’s a 2019, so old.
My dad’s 2027 is quite comfy.
Bolts are fantastic cars. Basically the perfect commuter and city car.
Chevy Bolt is peak Autopian EV car.
It’s a shame Stellantis doesn’t have an equivalent.
They could call it – I dunno – Dodge Colt.
Which Mitsubishi would it be based off of?
The Outlander Sport, of course, like every Mitsu-based Chrysler for the last 20 years. (Not hyperbole)
I’d use the Peugeot e-208/Opel Corsa E
I really think that a reboot of the Neon name would make a ton of sense for a small Dodge EV.
Will never happen, but one can dream.
That makes a lot of sense, which is why it will never happen
I dunno’. Some write-in votes for the BMW i3 and Changli.
I was actually looking at used Chevy Bolt’s after Trump started his war, specifically targeting ones that had the battery replacement. In the end I went with the Prius PHEV. It completes my 26 mile commute on battery, allows me to get front door parking at work, and get free charging for my return trip home.
80% of my commute is on the interstate at 70+ and it drinks electrons like a drunken sailor on liberty. It will be interesting to see if it can keep me warm and get me to work on full electric in the winter when efficiency drops.
Free charge at work really tilts the scales.
thats my situation, in 4 hours I recover what I need to go home-work roundtrip. They just added more stations (12 charging cords) and I try to get there early, bu lunch I am all set.
We have 6 chargers (12 cords) that were installed when we moved into the location in January 2022. We have never had more than 2 vehicles using the chargers in those 4 years.
QA manager had a Bolt and Ops Manager had a Jeep Wrangler 4xE.
They both retired and then my boss got a Cadillac something ending in Q and there is currently a Tesla Model 3. My boss is retiring in July and already sold off the Cadillac.
Now I join the Model 3 to maintain the 2 user status quo.
There’s also much to be said for a cheap, DIY friendly economy car like a 20 yo Civic that sips gas and has ultra low purchase and running costs, especially for shorter commutes.
My dad picked one up last month and loves it. It’s brought me around on the EV driving experience. I wouldn’t want my sports car, muscle car, or sports sedan to drive this way, but for a commuter compact or a luxury sedan, I like it.
With slightly better than OEM tires you can really improve the performance.
this is a trivial thing but i read a lot of this website on my work computer, not logged in, and the “you don’t want to get back to work yet” overlay that appears after switching tabs is genuinely a terrible user experience and i encourage you to reconsider it
love,
a really huge fan of this place with several tabs of it open across phone, iPad, work computer, and personal computer at virtually any given time
Yes, that is very annoying. I get it when logged in or out on my work computer.
Yea I don’t like it, somehow I get it on mobile if I accidentally click an ad.
I’ve owned quite a few cars including multiple Lexus and Honda products… Somehow the Chevy Bolt EUV was one of the best put together cars I’ve owned. I regret getting rid of it, especially now!
Mine had SuperCruise, too…Amazing feature I really miss!
Yay! Thank you…I dedicate this to DT!
That’s an interesting one to make COTD, but I’ll take it. My babies are 18, 21, and 23, but I know the struggles DT is talking about. Baby seats are huge and so hard to fit in any small car. We owned a Ford Contour and an Alero when we had our first kid. Both did not baby. I didn’t give up on small cars, and managed to squeeze a baby seat and 2 boosters in the back of an Astra and somehow get the doors shut. But we did end up with 3 row SUV’s as primary family hauler until they went to college. Because even when they are older, you want to maintain a couple feet of separation between kids at all time or they constantly fight.
As a note. The 23 year old dailies the Bolt EUV to work but I borrow it often since he’s making payments to me for it and I pay for the electric bill. It really is a great commuter car and I will sing it’s praises for that. He really likes it too.
I’m curious how much legroom your baby needs? I don’t have any kids myself, but I’ve heard they’re somewhat vertically challenged.
It’s not the legroom of the child, its the space required to fit baby seats that eat up the room. To safely transport a tiny human in a car, you require more backseat space than a linebacker.
An anecdote, my best friend and his wife had twins, and in the run up to baby-readiness they replaced their XJ Cherokee with a WK Grand Cherokee, only to find out when it came time to fit both seats to the thing, neither of them could fit in the front seats anymore, granted they are both tall people; but even 5’7 me and my 5’6 ex wife struggled with front legroom when we had two bay seats in the rear. Fortunately this is only a couple years of struggle, but those years seem like forever when you’re in the thick of it.
The mom from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape takes up less rear seat space than a rear facing car seat.
For the first four and a half years as a parent, our only car was a Mazda2, and until my kid went forward-facing, it was effectively a three-seater with storage beside me (like a London cab). Even then, we were able to squeeze enough stuff in it for weekend trips, but it’s much nicer having a slightly bigger car now.