2017 Chevrolet Bolt
While last year saw Tesla attract plenty of press and hoopla over their compact Model 3, it is still months away from hitting the streets. But, what has already been hitting the streets for months now, is the Chevrolet Bolt EV. It does just about everything the Model 3 promises, for a whole lot less money. Score one for the bowtie boys!
We’re sure you’ve already heard plenty about this 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV from us and others, but this is the first chance we’ve had to spend an extended amount of time with one.
As you probably also know, the Bolt EV is the first to achieve the “EV holy grail” of traveling over 200-miles on a single charge and cost under 30-grand, with federal incentives of course.
The Bolt EV uses a 60kWh battery pack from LG that weighs 946-lbs. It powers a 150kW high capacity electric motor with a robust 266 lb-ft. of torque.
Range is rated at 238-miles; that’s further than any EV not made by Tesla. The Bolt EV earns a 119-Combined MPGe rating, and a near perfect Energy Impact Score, burning just 0.2-barrels of oil annually with no CO2 emissions.
Both the batteries and the motor are liquid-cooled, and can bolt this EV to 60 in just 6.5-seconds. That’s about as fast as a Mercedes-Benz C300 Coupe. But to make sure you don’t get too crazy, top speed is limited to 92 miles-per-hour.
And, if you’ve replaced your “range anxiety” with “battery anxiety”, just relax. Like most EVs and hybrids, the battery pack is covered by an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty.
You’ll probably want a Level 2, 240 Volt charger at home to juice it up, however. With that, it takes about 9-hours to fully charge; verses the almost 60 with standard 120. Even faster Level 3 charging is an option.
Setting aside the environmental benefits, as we’ve learned the more time we spend in the Bolt EV, it really is a great everyday car.
Unlike many subcompacts, it never feels underpowered. In fact it’s enormously peppy off the line, even throwing you back in your seat. It does settle down as you get up to speed, while providing more than enough capability, and is even mildly sporty in corners.
You can also play with regen braking, dialing up enough to barely have to touch the brake pedal in normal driving.
Overall, the interior is great, with fit and finish among the best from GM, though the piano white trim can cause some glares and reflections on sunny days. The front seating positions are also higher than a typical compact car.
There’s plenty of head and leg room for the rear seat too, and it really can accommodate three across. Even then, there’s ample cargo space at 16.9 cu-ft. That’s more than many subcompact crossovers. For more, the seatbacks fold almost completely flat.
It even has that small crossover look, with no obvious EV elements whatsoever. Being fully “in the now”, Chevy not only applied the “floating roof” treatment to the rear pillars, but to the front ones as well.
And, wherever we went, the Bolt EV attracted quite a bit of attention. We even got a few thumbs up from petrol drivers.
On that under 30G price, once you factor in $7,500 worth of federal tax credits, you’re left with $29,995. State credits may lower it more. Up level Premier trim, with heated leather seats front and rear, and a host of other niceties, can be yours for $34,280.
The bad news for some, is that the Bolt EV isn’t available everywhere yet. That will take till the end of summer, and even then not all Chevy dealers will have made the upgrades required to sell and service it. Also, looking at it from a pure penny pinching standpoint, many 40 MPG subcompact cars are available for much less money.
So, while it’s impossible to predict success of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, as fuel prices more than anything else will ultimately make or break its fortunes, it’s easy to recognize when the game has been changed. It may not offer the performance or cache of a Tesla, but the Bolt EV has clearly set a new standard for mass market electric vehicles; a real car that can be used by just about everybody, every day. In other words, the future has arrived, and it’s built in Detroit.
Specifications
- Torque: 266 lb-ft.
- 0-60 mph: 6.5 seconds
- Energy Impact: 0.2 barrels of oil/yr
2025 Subaru WRX tS
Subaru’s “World Rally eXperimental” Gets Tecnica-Tuned Tech
Building on its global rally heritage, WRX has been a standalone Subaru nameplate, marketed separately from garden variety Impreza, for two generations now. And while the current WRX still lacks the full STI treatment, this WRX tS serves up some of that high-performance spice we’ve been longing for.
Before we go flat out into our Track Test of this 2025 Subaru WRX tS, lets open the Subaru dictionary so we’re all on the same page. “tS” stands for “tuned by STI;” and “STI” is an acronym for “Subaru Tecnica International,” the brand’s high-performance sub-group best known for upgrading the WRX— oh, that stands for “World Rally eXperimental,” in case you didn’t know.
All that said, STI has been largely dormant for this WRX generation, but this tS sprinkles more of their engineering magic into the mix. No, that doesn’t mean extra power, but does mean significant chassis-related improvements.
First, electronically controlled dampers, adjustable through the 11.6-inch tablet-style infotainment screen. That meant a softer “comfort” mode on the 10+ hour commute to and from Savannah’s Roebling Road Raceway. But once we were there, it was the firmer “Sport+” setting all the way, heightening response from the WRX’s throttle and already quick dual-pinion power steering system. There’s still some body roll for rally-esque weight transfer, but it’s well sorted and provides the “toss-ability” you want in a WRX.
Though if you do autocross your tS, which we implore you to do, you might feel the six-piston front, two-piston rear Brembo brakes first. The bite is strong, giving good rotation in the corners and plenty of “halt” for this 3,400 lb. compact with minimal fade, keeping us on track all week…until some unfortunate winter weather passed overhead. No worries here, as Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive system got us to the track for some powdered deserts: Frosted donuts served up Michelin style, a set of winter tires different from the grippy Bridgestone Potenza S007 rubber the tS typically rides on. Some prior hot laps of California’s Sonoma Raceway gave credence to those Bridgestones, and showed us what this hot-compact can do in ideal conditions.
It’s well sorted and provides the “toss-ability” you want in a WRX.
Other tS enhancements are cabin-based, namely these beautiful blue Recaros. Most of our staff appreciated their moderately-aggressive bolstering on both street and track. And they’re even heated, too. Another tS-only appointment is this 12.3-inch digital gauge display. It mimics the standard analog gauges with some additional info, but can switch to a navigation mode for more convenient route guidance.
We do wish our tS came in the new Galaxy Purple or the trademark World Rally Blue, but this Crystal White paint wasn’t too shabby, contrasting its Cherry Blossom Red badging and blacked-out lip spoiler. Otherwise, the tS is like any other WRX, down to the hood scoop funneling air to the top-mounted intercooler.
Underneath is the same turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four in all other trims, boxing at 271 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. The freak winter weather stopped straight-line testing, but a 0-60 time estimate of 5.5 seconds is about as spry as you realistically need, pulling strong through most of the tach; though the 6,000 RPM redline required attentive shifting of the six-speed box, which the tS comes exclusively with. The throws are precise, if a little long, and the clutch is wonderfully weighted.
With discontinuation of the Base trim, pricing for the WRX now starts with Premium at $36,920. The tS is at the top of the lineup with the automatic-only GT, both starting at $46,875. All WRXs continue to be made in Gunma, Japan.
If you’re an enthusiast itching to do the tuning yourself, perhaps the 2025 Subaru WRX tS is not for you. But if you want a plug-and-play experience, this is it. While it won’t exactly bestow the loose-cannon, top-level driving skills exhibited by famous WRC drivers upon you, the tS moves this WRX’s game in a direction we’ve so desperately wanted Subaru to take.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 2.4-liter flat-four
- Tranmission: 6-speed manual
- Horsepower: 271
- Torque: 258 lb-ft