It's here! That is right, after a lengthy delay I was able to take delivery of the 2012 Chevy Sonic 1.4L Turbo hatchback! Let me first state that I had no illusions for the class of car I was about to purchase and fully understood this is a inexpensive, small city car, not first class luxury.
Upon first inspection the two things I noticed beyond the styling was the quality of the paint and seals. When you close the doors the seals really worked well and outside noise reduction inside the car was on par with much more expensive cars I have encountered. The paint has an excellent gloss with zero imperfections. But the door design is not without exception. The rear doors of the hatchback are somewhat awkward. The position of the rear handle, although aesthetically concealed, is not exactly user friendly when trying to open the door from behind the handle. Plus, be careful when first learning the rear door and how it opens because the sharp upward angle could just smack you in the face if you are not paying attention. Nobody wants a busted lip or needs to pick their chiclets up off the dealer lot! Of course there is a slight embellishment with the previous sentence but the rest is very true. Other than that the exterior of the Sonic is very appealing and in my first 100 miles I encountered a number of people asking about the car.
The interior styling is nice considering the class for which the Sonic is competing. The instrument cluster is designed very well and was easy to read even in the mid-day sunlight. I was somewhat curious how well the LCD speedometer readout would work in the Florida sunlight, but it was clear and had no reflective coatings which could impair the readout. Nighttime driving is especially interesting because the large tachometer really lights up well and adds a nice sporty appearance. The seating is firm and actually pretty nice when compared to other vehicles in the same class. If the Sonic gains momentum in the marketplace then it would be nice to have a more supportive, racing inspired seat package with the higher end models. The air vents are not only attractive but actually very functional. Some of my rear seat passengers were able to feel a nice breeze when the vents were angled in their direction. The power windows operate smoothly and fast. There are multiple cup holders, three in the center console and one in each front door. The basic radio option performed quite well with the bass and treble adjusted to maximum. The speakers failed to have any distortion when cranked up high, but of course they are brand new so check back in six months to see if this still holds true. The rear seats fold down easily and my large Doberman was able to hop in the hatch and lay down with extra room! Now, with each of these good marks I have mentioned with the interior I must admit there are a couple of things that fall in the not-so-good category. First, the glove box is missing any locking capability. I am not sure why this is missing. Personally, there are times where I have items for which I want to have secured in the car, even if locking a glove box is a false sense of security I still want it! Second, the manual seat adjustments need to be a little more user friendly. One of my passengers in the front seat accidently kicked the front adjustment because it sticks out a little far and it sounded as if it almost broke. This might have been an isolated incident but we will see how well it holds up over the long run. Lastly, an added boost gauge would be a nice feature. Granted the Sonic is not a "performance" car, but a nice positioned boost gauge would be fun to view. Overall it appears the engineers really did everything they could to offer the most proverbial "bang-for the-buck" on the interior.
Driving. Everyone who is considering purchasing the manual Sonic should know that reverse is engaged by pulling a small release under the shift nob while shifting to reverse. So how does it handle and ride? Surprisingly, the Sonic has a firm and planted feel when cruising. As someone who loves to drive around a high horsepower twin turbo vehicle as a second car I know all too well about performance features. The stock Sonic suspension package performs wonderfully in city driving. One can feel the suspension does have some sport tuning but it is not overly done. Minor road imperfections go all but unnoticed with the smaller 15" wheels. The larger wheels with lower profile tires do indeed pick up more of the little things on the road so if you are not someone who likes the feel of low profile tires then opt for the smaller wheels. Highway speeds are nice and smooth, but the other day here in Florida we had some strong wind gusts and while cruising at 70MPH the little Sonic was getting pushed around and may benefit from a slightly lower ride height. The six-speed clutch is butter smooth. In gears 2-6 passengers will not even notice you shifting. Engine performance is not bad considering the stock output. Engine noise is quiet, so quiet actually at one point while sitting at a busy traffic light with the windows up, air conditioning and radio turned off, I had to check the tach to ensure the car was still on. When you get on throttle and open the Sonic up the engine revs up smooth through and noise does increase considerably. The peak torque appears to occur right before 3,000 RPM's and falls of after that. The turbo seems to be more for low end power. The traction control works well. I have yet to test the Hill-Hold because, well, I am in Florida. On the highway I averaged 45.6 MPG, well above the 40 MPG. City driving I did not manage to get over 26 MPG. It is too early for me to point out stock improvements or dislikes with the engine. But the advantage of having a TURBO will be appealing to a number of individuals like myself who are looking for a little gas-sipper.
Overall, the Sonic is well designed for those who want an inexpensive, good gas milage vehicle. And the Sonic has potential with the added TURBO option. Check back for more updates and reviews.
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