Bolt to Mach-E

[Nemy]

So my wife and I randomly went to a dealership this weekend and we ended up driving away in an Infinite Blue Select with C&T. I really wanted the California edition but it seems that they're delayed until at least October. Also wasn't sure if a pano roof would be the best for a baby.

Anyways, before this I had a 2017 Chevy Bolt then flipped it for a 2019 Bolt before the credits expired. All in all, I've been driving fully electric for 3.5 years and over 100k miles. The Bolt was the perfect commuter car (other than no semi-autonomous driving), it had no issues (other than the current fire recall) but after I trade it in I will essentially break even after 100k miles (trade in+fuel savings+credits/rebates). With a baby and the fire recall, though, it was time for something bigger and a Tesla didn't make sense with potential tax credits coming back. So here I am - beta testing another EV with my 130 mile commute.

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[JamieGeek]

Great, Welcome.

I had a 2018 Bolt prior to the Mach-E, and before that a C-Max Energi and before that a Focus Electric.

Seems odd that the dealer told you CA Route 1's are delayed. As far as I know they've been building them all along--picked ours up in February.

 

[AZBill]

I still have my 2017 Bolt and just got a Mach E (Route 1, picked up on June 14). I am driving my Mach E until I get my Hummer, then the wife gets the Mach E and I can finally get rid of my old 2008 GMC pickup I use for towing, and sell the Bolt then also.

Just be aware the software on the Mach E is nowhere near as mature as the Bolt when it came out.

 

[Nemy]

Seems odd that the dealer told you CA Route 1's are delayed. As far as I know they've been building them all along--picked ours up in February.

So the difference may be that I never actually placed an order - I was walking in on available inventory and didn't even start looking till last week. Three separate dealers said that the Route 1s they were expecting were made but waiting on chips till August-October. My Bolt is being repurchased this week so I needed a car and something to tie me in till the tax credits come back or the Lightning comes out. Otherwise if I can convince my wife to fall in love with the MME we can keep it or upgrade to the Route 1.

I still have my 2017 Bolt and just got a Mach E (Route 1, picked up on June 14). I am driving my Mach E until I get my Hummer, then the wife gets the Mach E and I can finally get rid of my old 2008 GMC pickup I use for towing, and sell the Bolt then also.

Just be aware the software on the Mach E is nowhere near as mature as the Bolt when it came out.

Ya, that's essentially my plan: upgrade in 2022 to a Model 3/Y or Lightning. And I can definitely tell the difference in software which is a shame given that it's a 2021 vs. a 2017.

 

[phil]

Delayed to October is what ford.com says - 16+ weeks delay for a California Route 1. The Premium and GT trims are delayed to November and December.

 

[smp]

Congratulations, and welcome to the club!
I hope that you enjoy your MME as much as I'm enjoying mine.

smp

 

[JamesInWeston]

Great, Welcome.

I had a 2018 Bolt prior to the Mach-E, and before that a C-Max Energi and before that a Focus Electric.

Seems odd that the dealer told you CA Route 1's are delayed. As far as I know they've been building them all along--picked ours up in February.

Similar path here: 2013 Ford C-Max Energi to 2017 Chev Bolt Premier. Just completed Lemon Law based sale of the Bolt to GM. I ordered a Mach-E CalRt1 8-25 and now waiting for 1-3-2022 scheduled production week for MY22.

Interested in the comments of other folks who came to Mach-E from Bolt.

 

[phil]

Interested in the comments of other folks who came to Mach-E from Bolt.

I bought my Bolt in 2016, and drove it for six months. I really liked the Bolt, and I like the Mustang too. The Ford is a bit more comfortable, and quicker, though the Bolt was fine in these respects. I liked the smaller size and maneuverability of the Bolt - very practical and easy to drive. The heavy, 4WD Mustang feels safer and more stable on the road, though again the Bolt was perfectly adequate. I miss the Bolt's rearview camera display mirror - don't know why all cars don't have that - and in general, driving visibility was far superior in the Bolt.

I can't relate to the folks saying above that Chevy's software was more mature than Ford's. My Bolt's main display went black literally as I first drove it off the dealer's lot, it was completely disabled by some 'heater control unit' fault that was reported by the car as a traction battery fault, and the A/C was unable to maintain any set temperature (just kept getting hotter), among other problems. Some of the issues took weeks to fix, others were unfixable. GM offered voluntarily to buy it back after six months, and they paid pretty much full purchase price.

My Mustang has a few hundred miles on it, and one problem so far - reported 12v battery fault. I think immature software - and hardware problems, too - are par for the course in EVs.

 

[JamieGeek]

I bought my Bolt in 2016, and drove it for six months. I really liked the Bolt, and I like the Mustang too. The Ford is a bit more comfortable, and quicker, though the Bolt was fine in these respects. I liked the smaller size and maneuverability of the Bolt - very practical and easy to drive. The heavy, 4WD Mustang feels safer and more stable on the road, though again the Bolt was perfectly adequate. I miss the Bolt's rearview camera display mirror - don't know why all cars don't have that - and in general, driving visibility was far superior in the Bolt.

I can't relate to the folks saying above that Chevy's software was more mature than Ford's. My Bolt's main display went black literally as I first drove it off the dealer's lot, it was completely disabled by some 'heater control unit' fault that was reported by the car as a traction battery fault, and the A/C was unable to maintain any set temperature (just kept getting hotter), among other problems. Some of the issues took weeks to fix, others were unfixable. GM offered voluntarily to buy it back after six months, and they paid pretty much full purchase price.

My Mustang has a few hundred miles on it, and one problem so far - reported 12v battery fault. I think immature software - and hardware problems, too - are par for the course in EVs.

We picked up our Bolt in 2018 but prior to that I rented a Premier for a week.

At the time I rented the Bolt I was primarily using readers and thus I hated the rear camera mirror as I had to adjust focus to use it which took time. In mirror mode my eyes would retain infinite focus and I could just glance at the mirror (like any other car) to see what is behind me.

Now that I have progressive glasses I bet it would be a lot easier to use the rear camera mirror.

I did not have any of the software issues that you describe (granted its 2 years later).

The one thing about the Bolt that I found annoying was how much it wanted to engage the parking brake--it would panic frequently and turn that on.

 

[phil]

At the time I rented the Bolt I was primarily using readers and thus I hated the rear camera mirror as I had to adjust focus to use it which took time.

Huh. Well, maybe that's why it hasn't become more popular. I easily got accustomed to focusing on the rearview display almost immediately. But peoples' eyes and brains are different, so I could understand the focus thing being annoying for others.

I do remember the Bolt automatically applying the parking brake at times, but it wasn't enough to bother me.

 

[Malacandra]

I recently completed a buyback for my 2019 Bolt, and before that I leased a 2017 Volt.

I really missed the adaptive cruise control that the Volt had, and couldn’t understand how the Bolt didn‘t offer that as an option until the EUV came out. In stop-and-go traffic it makes a world of difference.

Once I got used to the rear-view mirror display I loved having the completely unobstructed (and wide angle) view it provided. I’ll miss that whenever I actually take delivery of my Mach-E. And since I haven’t yet, I can’t speak to the relative stability of the software - and the infotainment hardware reliability, which relates directly to that.

But I can say that I had plenty of problems with the Volt’s console, which was flaky and temperature related, and necessitated a replacement of the head unit/computer. Aside from that, even on the later Bolt, CarPlay lockups or failure-to-connect was common - and the system always struck me as a bit laggy. And the MyChevrolet mobile app was flaky as hell, always slow, and often not connecting at all even when the Chevy support website could clearly communicate with the car.

So… it sounds like FordPass falls into the “more of the same” category.

 

[generaltso]

If some version of BBB passes that keeps the proposed $12,500 tax credit, I’ll buy a 2022 Bolt for my son. At this point, it seems unlikely, but with a credit like that, the base model Bolt would be one of the least expensive new cars of any type. Of course, that also assumes they have enough non-defective batteries to start making them again.

 

[phil]

If some version of BBB passes that keeps the proposed $12,500 tax credit, I’ll buy a 2022 Bolt for my son. At this point, it seems unlikely, but with a credit like that, the base model Bolt would be one of the least expensive new cars of any type.

I understand GM plans to promptly increase Bolt prices by $12,499 if the BBB passes.

 

[generaltso]

I understand GM plans to promptly increase Bolt prices by $12,499 if the BBB passes.

Ha! Wouldn’t be surprised.

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