[Posatronic]

Some one ask about photos of bolt size to Prius. Here are side by side photos. More to come for bolt vs suburban, Volt and Miata.
Bolt is shorter by a bit, in the front and the trunk. But it's defiantly has more room inside. ( drive the 2008 Prius last 9 1/2 years 218,675 miles) have everything on Prius but leather. Have a Bolt with everything (except like the tablet holder, who wants that??) loved the Prius but I love the bolt better. Saves 200+ dollars(@2.00 per gallon of gas) per month. I drive a min of 130 miles a day 5 days a week. Prius was very solid at first but like most cars it looseness up after a couple of years. I.E. sound proof and ride. Love not ever having to never go to a gas station. Back seat has way more room. Miss hauling big stuff cause trunk is much smaller but is ok cause seats in Bolt also fold down so I can still haul a bit.

 

[Raymondjram]

The 2017 Chevy Bolt EV is "light years" ahead of the Toyota Prius. When GM had the EV1, Toyota produced a small amount of electric RAV4s (I have the factory service manual for it), but Toyota didn't follow up on it, until Tesla Motors produced the Model S. Then Toyota tried again with the Rav4-E whic used a Tesla Motors supplied battery and powertrain (the DIC indicated "Powered by Tesla" when powered on). That model didn't sell much either.

But now that the Chevy Bolt EV has arrived, Toyota dropped all BEVs, and returned to the hybrids and a small upgrade they call the Prius Prime (Optimus must be worried!). Toyota is falling behind, as Inside EVs' scoreboard has shown where the Ford Fusion Hybrid sold more in a month (January) than the Toyota Prius for the first time.

As more Chevy Bolt EVs hit the GM distribution timeline, less and less hybrids (including both Fusion and Prius) will be sold, and therefore a downfall of basic hybrid sales will happen for the 2017 model year. Now it all depends on GM's attention toward more Bolt EV inventory and advertisements to displace the Toyota Prius (and even the Chevy Volt) as the most sold EV in 2017.

 

[Sean Nelson]

Below is a side view of both the Bolt and the Prius C (the "small" Prius C) to the same scale. I drive a Prius C, and after seeing the Bolt in person at the Portland Auto show I came away with a new appreciation for it. I think that the Prius C is almost as deserving of all that praise that's been heaped on the Bolt for being "small on the outside but big on the inside". I found the Bolt to have a lot more front seat headroom, but the "C" has plenty enough for me. And the Bolt does have more rear seat leg room. But in terms of cargo capacity they're far more similar than different. The "C" lacks the extra underfloor cargo space but it does manage to squeeze a spare tire in below the load floor, which is something that's important to me.

I still plan to buy a Bolt and I'll treasure being able to drive without the ICE coming on at the slightest provocation. But my expectations for it are now more realistic than all the praise I've been reading had led them to be.

 

[SparkE]

I am waiting for the "Bolt compared to Jessica Alba" thread ...

 

[Posatronic]

I am waiting for the "Bolt compared to Jessica Alba" thread ...

She can ride in any of my cars....

 

[Roth33d]

What might help to anyone open to buying used is exactly that, buying a used Prius. Doing that alone will obviously save you a lot right off the bat and we all know how reliable these Toyotas are.

Who here is open to going that route?

 

[Sean Nelson]

What might help to anyone open to buying used is exactly that, buying a used Prius. Doing that alone will obviously save you a lot right off the bat and we all know how reliable these Toyotas are.

Who here is open to going that route?

Well I already bought my used Prius C (a 2012 model bought in 2014) and I call it a "gateway drug" to true EVs. It gives you a tantalizing hint of what EV driving would be like. I've heard that more people move from various Prius variants to Volts and Bolts than from any other car.

And from what I can see Toyota's reputation for reliability is deserved. My Prius C hasn't had a single glitch, aside from some tire punctures which I can't really blame on the car, and which the car's TPMS system alerted me to.

 

[TotaledJetta]

What is remarkable to me, is how close they are in size and form. The Bolt sits higher because of its huge battery pack. The roof also slopes up a lot and gives a lot of head room in the front. I tested that with my 6'7" friend, who had plenty of spare head room. But quickly glancing at the side view, doesn't provide many distinguishing clues.

Below is a side view of both the Bolt and the Prius C (the "small" Prius C) to the same scale. I drive a Prius C, and after seeing the Bolt in person at the Portland Auto show I came away with a new appreciation for it. I think that the Prius C is almost as deserving of all that praise that's been heaped on the Bolt for being "small on the outside but big on the inside". I found the Bolt to have a lot more front seat headroom, but the "C" has plenty enough for me. And the Bolt does have more rear seat leg room. But in terms of cargo capacity they're far more similar than different. The "C" lacks the extra underfloor cargo space but it does manage to squeeze a spare tire in below the load floor, which is something that's important to me.

I still plan to buy a Bolt and I'll treasure being able to drive without the ICE coming on at the slightest provocation. But my expectations for it are now more realistic than all the praise I've been reading had led them to be.

 

[TotaledJetta]

My guess is Toyota is in the same bind Kodak was with film vs digital. They choose to ride film too long, but cash in along the way. In Berkeley, there are a huge number of Prius's and as far as I can tell, two Bolts. It is almost against the rules in Berkeley to have a Chevy. :x

The 2017 Chevy Bolt EV is "light years" ahead of the Toyota Prius. When GM had the EV1, Toyota produced a small amount of electric RAV4s (I have the factory service manual for it), but Toyota didn't follow up on it, until Tesla Motors produced the Model S. Then Toyota tried again with the Rav4-E whic used a Tesla Motors supplied battery and powertrain (the DIC indicated "Powered by Tesla" when powered on). That model didn't sell much either.

But now that the Chevy Bolt EV has arrived, Toyota dropped all BEVs, and returned to the hybrids and a small upgrade they call the Prius Prime (Optimus must be worried!). Toyota is falling behind, as Inside EVs' scoreboard has shown where the Ford Fusion Hybrid sold more in a month (January) than the Toyota Prius for the first time.

As more Chevy Bolt EVs hit the GM distribution timeline, less and less hybrids (including both Fusion and Prius) will be sold, and therefore a downfall of basic hybrid sales will happen for the 2017 model year. Now it all depends on GM's attention toward more Bolt EV inventory and advertisements to displace the Toyota Prius (and even the Chevy Volt) as the most sold EV in 2017.

 

[eops]

Well I already bought my used Prius C (a 2012 model bought in 2014) and I call it a "gateway drug" to true EVs. It gives you a tantalizing hint of what EV driving would be like. I've heard that more people move from various Prius variants to Volts and Bolts than from any other car.

And from what I can see Toyota's reputation for reliability is deserved. My Prius C hasn't had a single glitch, aside from some tire punctures which I can't really blame on the car, and which the car's TPMS system alerted me to.

Point proven and I agree its a great gateway. For the first time buyer of something green its a great cheap start while we wait for even cheaper EV's to come to market. If MB can have success with the Smart Car maybe GM can rival it with some GM compact city car.

 

[DucRider]

Point proven and I agree its a great gateway. For the first time buyer of something green its a great cheap start while we wait for even cheaper EV's to come to market. If MB can have success with the Smart Car maybe GM can rival it with some GM compact city car.

Success is relative --- smart fortwo ED sales:
2014 2,594
2015 1,387
2016 657
YTD 37 (on pace for < 250)

And the Prius Prime is an even better gateway (and cheaper than the "standard" Prius after the Tax Credit). I actually think the Prime one factor in Volt sales taking off. It gets people looking seriously at PHEV's, and the Volt is more attractive to many.

Car & Driver did a comparison
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2017-chevrolet-volt-premier-vs-2017-toyota-prius-prime-advanced-comparison-test

 

[TotaledJetta]

Salesman at Fremont Chevrolet that sold me my car said they are selling 3 or 4 Bolts a day. They were the first to get a sizeable shipment in the Bay Area and may be doing the best.

 

[Sean Nelson]

Success is relative --- smart fortwo ED sales:
2014 2,594
2015 1,387
2016 657
YTD 37 (on pace for < 250)

To be fair, the Smart ED is transitioning to the new body style and all the old stock, at least where I live in Vancouver BC, dried up several months ago. We'll see more realistic numbers when the 2017 model actually becomes available for sale.

But yeah, it's a bit of a niche vehicle with only 2 seats. When the first Smart cars arrived here in the early 2000's I was rather intrigued by them, but when it came time for me to actually look for a car I discovered that they don't even get as good fuel economy as a Prius C. So I couldn't see any reason to buy one.