2023 Chevrolet Volt EUV Premier Redline.
General Motors doesn’t get the recognition it deserves on EV Street. But despite being a Tesla enthusiast, I have a lot of faith in the Chevrolet Bolt EUV.
I’ve spent the past two weeks intermittently driving a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Premier Redline equipped with GM’s Super Cruise driver assistance technology. Before we get into the quick review, let’s talk about the price. That’s because it faces stiff competition from the Tesla Model Y, the best-selling electric SUV (and the world’s best-selling car). The MSRP for the 2023 Bolt EUV Premier Redline Edition with Super Cruise is approximately $39,000, which drops to approximately $31,500 with points. – his $7,500 federal credit on the sale. That’s a lot of money for a fully-featured electric SUV with advanced driver-assistance technology roughly on par with Tesla’s Autopilot and Rivian Highway Assist. But the Bolt EUV, which has an EPA-rated range of 247 miles, faces increased competition as Tesla lowers its prices. The rear-wheel drive Model Y starts at approximately $38,000 new, as of the end of January 2024. Select stock Model Y models also receive federal tax credits, making them even more price competitive with the Bolt.
overview: I have been driving the Bolt EV frequently since 2017. EUV is a different animal. The ride is smoother, quieter, and most importantly, it has features you can’t get with an EV. I tested these on a drive over Los Angeles and into the mountains above Simi Valley in Ventura County. The following explanation will focus on GM’s Super Cruise.
Super cruise: Super Cruise drives EUVs on major roads such as interstates. Kudos to GM for offering this in a relatively inexpensive EV. This is his $2,200 option on the Bolt EUV Premier. Essentially, it works the same way as Rivian’s highway assist technology that comes with the $90,000-plus R1S I recently test drove. If you compare it to an expensive SUV like the Rivian, you’ll obviously save a lot of money.
Super Cruise takes over the steering and, in combination with adaptive cruise control, automatically controls the car’s speed, slowing down or accelerating depending on the traffic situation (i.e. the speed of the car in front). You must change lanes manually, but Super Cruise automatically reactivates when you do so. Super Cruise only works on major highways. GM claims to have 200,000 miles of mapped roads. I was able to use it without any problems during my four-hour round trip on Interstate 5 in the suburbs of Los Angeles. However, it stopped working in the construction zone. But this was short-lived. About 5 minutes. And the Supercruise sometimes came dangerously close to the big rig in the lane next to it. But it’s just a problem that humans can deal with better, because the Rivians had the same problem. Super Cruise automatically turns off as soon as you exit the highway.
Sun and sound package: The Bolt EUV Premier I drove was equipped with a sunroof and Bose 7 speaker sound. The sound is better than the Bolt 1LT’s sound system. But it’s not that great. So I wouldn’t call this a success-defining feature. A sunroof is a different story. After driving the Model Y and several Rivians a lot over the past few months, I prefer a sunroof that can actually be closed rather than a glass roof that’s always open. The Rivian R1S I test drove in the summer was uncomfortably hot due to the glass roof, even with the air conditioning turned on. Therefore, I put this in the positive category compared to Tesla and Rivian.
charging: Unfortunately, the Bolt’s maximum fast charging speed is 55kW. By comparison, the Rivian peaks at over 200kW. In layman’s terms, that means you’ll get a full fast charge much faster on a Rivian (or Tesla) than on a Bolt. This means that if you’re on the go, your charging time will be longer at, say, an Electrify America fast-charging station. Fortunately, most people charge at home (charging costs are about the same), so this isn’t a big factor for most EV owners.
summary: General Motors has been making EVs longer than Tesla. GM’s first EV was his EV1 in 1996, followed by the Chevrolet Volt in 2010. So GM is used to making competitive EVs. It shows up on his EUV and I highly recommend it based on my driving experience. Super Cruise is basically a solid EV bonus.