Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Second-gen Chevy Bolt EV is a treat. Pity it isn’t a Caddy.
All-electric, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger subcompact
hatchback/SUV
2022 Chevrolet Bolt
EV/EUV
As tested: $43,000
Base price: $31,995 Powerplant: 65 kW lithiumion battery pack mated to
front electric motor Power: 200 horsepower, 266 pound-feet of torque Transmission: One-speed
direct drive Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.5 seconds (mnfr.); top speed, 93 mph
Fuel economy: 259-mile range (Bolt EV);
250(Bolt EUV) The second-generation, battery-powered Chevy Bolt EV is better than ever. I just wish it were a Caddy.
The 2022 Bolt EV (as in Electric Vehicle) has acquired a stretched version — called the Bolt EUV (Electric Utility Vehicle) — and all kinds of luxury touches. Super Cruise self-driving like a Cadillac Escalade. Three inches of rear legroom like a stretched Audi A8 L model. Panoramic sunroof like an Acura RDX. Rearview camera mirror like a Caddy. Clean, grille-less fascia like a Tesla.
The old Bolt’s plastic grille never quite fit. Like the Tesla Model S’s original plastic “nose cone,” it appeared fake and cheap. The new Bolt mug is post-petrol modern. Inside, the cabin is stylish with console “trigger shifter” and all-digital displays.
At the wheel of a Bolt EUV, I nailed the throttle out of an Interstate 75 cloverleaf. The wee ute responded with instant torque — and minimal body roll thanks to the subfloor battery pack. Approaching a stoplight, I lifted my right foot and Bolt eased to a stop with regenerative braking. Just like Tesla.
A size smaller than the compact Tesla Model 3/Y lineup that starts at $38,190, the subcompact Bolt EV/ EUV model line begins at $31,995 and is perfectly priced to take on the Silicon Valley electric vehicle maker.
If it were a Caddy. Cadillac has announced it is going all-electric this decade, a bold move aimed directly at the Tesla juggernaut — the only American luxury brand to make a dent in the Teutonic trio of Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Caddy has already announced the $60,000 Lyriq — an upmarket Tesla Model S fighter due in
2023. The Bolt EUV would make a perfect, entry-level companion.
If it were a Caddy.
Alas, as a Chevy, the subcompact Bolt EV’s $31,000-plus price tag will seem exorbitant when it arrives in showrooms this summer next to the brand’s attractive lineup of gas-powered utes. The similarly sized subcompact Chevy Trailblazer, for example, starts at $19,995. The Bolt EUV? $33,995. Oh.
“There is no better demonstration to GM’s commitment to electrification than the offering of a Chevy product,” said Chevy marketing chief Tony Johnson. GM says all its brands will be electric-only by 2035.
Range anxiety is a serious problem for EVs — especially for the average Chevy customer who uses their steed as primary transportation.
More likely the folks buying the Bolt EV/EUV will be niche customers who seek out EVs: customers who would expect to pay a 10-grand premium on a subcompact SUV, or who would have a second (or third) car for long-distance trips and only use the EV for daily commutes.