![]() It remains a compact five-door hatchback with only four seats, though it now has a fifth "seating" position that's largely restricted to agile and tolerant teenagers willing to sit on a small padded hump and straddle the wide battery tunnel. The all-new Chevrolet Volt is sleeker, better-looking, quieter, faster, and more refined than the first-generation car sold from 2011 to 2015. MORE: Read our latest reviews of the 2017 Chevrolet Volt and 2017 BMW i3 What was once a close battle has eroded even though the BMW has the option of a greater range for 2017. There is a range extender i3, but this, obviously, has a gas tank and emissions sticker and is best compared to the Chevy Volt.On our scale, the Volt is the runaway winner here simply because its real-world benefits outweigh the fact that the BMW i3 has a nicer interior. This comparison keeps to the pure EV versions of the i3. However, if you are in the market for a new EV, I’d definitely take a long look at the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt. If you have a BMW i3, I wouldn’t sell it to buy a Bolt. The Bolt has more twice the range and costs less, accelerates faster while carrying more. So in the comparison, the Bolt takes the crown. Time and tide wait for no man, and in the EV realm, price and range are king. ![]() With the Bolt, though Chevrolet shows you really can have a 200 mile+ range EV and not have to spend a ton to get it. The BMW i3’s materials are of a higher quality and the entire feel of the i3 is more head turning and futuristic. BMW made this mistake on the i3 when it was launched and then promptly made DC charging standard on all i3s. Chevrolet tells me roughly 75 percent of the Bolts being shipped right now have DC charging spec’d. Standard 32 Amp charging will take about 9 hours to recharge a fully depleted Bolt battery pack which doesn’t lend itself well to road trips. For fast charging, DC charging is standard on the i3 versus optional on the Bolt. Though not standard in the i3, it is at least optional. ![]() ![]() In stop-and-go traffic in an electric vehicle with one pedal driving, I have found it invaluable. Neither electric vehicle has a Head-Up Display, however I’ve used both cars navigation and both perform well. The i3 and the Bolt have two LCD screens – one for the instrument cluster and one for the navigation system, and they both customizable.įor the Bolt, I wish that Active Cruise Control was at least an option. You can use the Bolt’s WiFi hotspot to help keep data usage on your cell phone down, but the Bolts data costs extra beyond a free trial.īoth EVs require trips to the dealer to get updates as there are no over the air updates. For navigation, the Bolt requires use of your smartphone’s Apple Car Play or Android Auto. The Bolt comes with a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot whereas the BMW i3 uses cellular data to locate, perform certain functions and update traffic but will not function as a WiFi hotspot. There was no tipsy nature to it like there is with the i3. It is very stable and handled cross winds and quick steering inputs needed to zip in and out of traffic with aplomb. This translates into much better highway speed stability. The Bolt I drove on California Highways had no problem zipping along at 75 mph in heavy traffic. The Bolt does have a longer wheel base and weighs about 600 lbs more than the i3. In fact, the Bolt is quicker from 0-60 at 6.5 seconds compared to the i3’s 7.0 to 7.2s. The Bolt is a front wheel drive and under heavy acceleration can exhibit torque steer. The Bolt’s driving dynamics are almost the opposite of the BMW i3’s. Of the line it is very quick. The i3 gets blown around on even mild cross winds and can feel tipsy on the freeway if steering inputs are too quick. BMW i3 owners report that this goes away with putting after market springs on the car, but to me BMW shouldn’t make a car that doesn’t handle well on the freeway, even if it is designed as a “city car.” BMW is rumored to be coming out with an i3 S which I suspect will handle better. The disappointing part, is that these dynamics are gone on the highway. BMW knows this and even highlighted the i3’s low speed handling prowess with an autocross during its international launch in Amsterdam. Combine this with instant torque, a quick turning radius and the i3 is a blast around town. The BMW on paper at least should be the most fun to drive because of the rear wheel drive nature of the car and the i3’s low, low curb weight.
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