Generations have grown up trained to shop the import brands for a good subcompact car. Sonic is out to make waves in the segment and change that kind of thinking. Tom Voelk takes a look at a turbo LTZ model.
Anyhow, most cars these days are really "world" cars. Might have components from the U.S, Japan, China, Canada, Europe, and Mexico. My 09 Solstice has an Aisin transmission in it, as does the Colorado / Canyon pickup.
@ilovecars1996 Here's why- Horsepower isn't everything and on top of that, peak hp can happen in different parts of the power band. In the case of the turbo, peak horsepower happens in the lower rpm range so there's better accessibility. The there's torque. As you might guess, the turbo engine has more of it and the sweet spot happens at a lower rev range. In short, the power is delivered earlier and there's more torque, making the whole experience much more fun. And fun is good.
It's inexpensive because there's less content or performance. At 19k Toyota even eliminates the split rear seat, you have to go up a model (and $1k) to get it, cruise control, and a cargo cover. Entune starts at the $21.600 model, alloys at 23k. The Chevy has alloy wheels, plus better performance, interior materials, and handling. The c has better fuel economy. Buyers need to prioritize. BTW, I like the olive branch Andre just extended. Peace out.
I own the 5-door LT 1.4T and while the 0-60 in 8 seconds sound slow, off the line it gets excellent acceleration. I'm definitely looking forward to upgrading mine.
dont know if you guys cares but if you are stoned like me atm then you can watch pretty much all the new series on InstaFlixxer. Been streaming with my girlfriend recently :)
@denisrenelara I don't mention every feature in every review since they would become half hour mini-documentaries. The written reviews on my web site are more thorough.
@n2dzd Motor Trend also picked the Chevy Caprice in 1991, the American Motors Alliance in 1983 and the Mustang II in 1974 as COTY. I could go on. I don't make accusations like that lightly. I have friends who owned Monzas, Vegas, Cavaliers and Chevettes. I know their pain.
GM needed to do something that is why they are now sending SPARKS to the USA now. Most of their factories are NOW closed! Sonic and spark small cars is the LAST stand for GM, their nice pick up trucks are nice, JUST to expensive to compete! They don't even have push start, mechanical emergency hand brake or around camera system like NISSAN (Chevy u r in trouble) They know it and so does EVERYONE else!
Go to originalwheels. com (sorry youtube won't let me do a full web adress) Here is a great website! I have gotten 5 different rim sets from here! For my 2000 Grand Prix GT Sedan 2003 Grand Prix GTP 2005 Bonneville GXP 2006 G6 GTP Sedan 2009 G6 GXP My mom got new rim sets from here for her Bravada Final 500 and Envoy XL SLT
This is a pretty cool little car. I think you can get a Mazda3 Skyactive for maybe a grand more though. They're quicker and sportier, and the gas mileage is comparable.
Sounds like biased opinions to me. Veloster hauls 4 with ease, and doesn't do 0-60 in 10 range. That's the old accent range. Veloster is tested at 8.6-9.0 range with turbo in high 6 second. I hate when people don't do their research either.
I've got an lt turbo and it's simply great. It's beautiful. It's got an inferno orange paint with the black rims and the chevy sign is black too. One problem is it's a very low car plus mine has a front air dam that of the front bumper which brings the car maybe an inch off the road but it's made of rubbery plastic so I don't need to worry about it
@denisrenelara There was a recall to check if a brake pad was missing (it was discovered that a Sonic in a rental fleet was missing one). I'll talk to the GM folks to see if any actually were missing, or not found as the case may be.
@denisrenelara I don't recomend cars but I encourage research and test drives. There's more going on than price and Bluetooth. The c is optimized for fuel economy, Sonic is much more fun to drive with noticably better handling and acceleration. You really have to test drive them and find out which you prefer. They are quite different once you get past the similar size. Best of luck!
Yo! Folks. I remember when the Toyota Corona bragged in it's advertising it could go 0-60 in 15 seconds flat!! My first car would have lost a drag race. 8.5 sec to 60 ain't bad for a old timer like me.
hows the clutch on the car? Iv heard that it disengages to high up the petal, is it something that can be annoying or lived with? im a tall guy and i don't want my knee knocking the steering wheel every time I let go of the clutch.
@GoMetricToday You are obviously a radical extremest left-leaning right-wing normal person trying to poison our youth with ideas that are rational and sane. And you call yourself an American?
Andre Luiz Agra apologized to you, thats all. I suggest looking at the full sized Prius, even if you go with a very base model it's a much better car than the c in my humble opinion.
Every reviewer calls the base Veloster slow at 8.6 seconds to 60, while this cars 8.5s is "quick?" They're both aimed at a similar audiences so I don't get it. Chevy just needs a turbo to get same mpg's with same power that Hyundai can get from a N/A.
w/ turbo u get more useable torque, but more maintenence, higher compression, likely more gasket problems, and less longevity-which isnt the reason why buyers are looking at practical efficient cars in the first place.
I've tested the Sonic, Fiesta, Fit, Accent, Rio, Mazda2, Versa and Yaris and I managed to narrow it down between Sonic vs. Accent. I seem to be really stuck between those two. :/
The base Veloster is more in the 10 sec 0-60 range according to Hyundai. Are you thinking of the turbo in the 7 sec range? Also, Sonic's turbo is smaller than the base Veloster engine. Reviewers describe Sonic as quick because the turbo give it lots of low end torque, making it very responsive off the line. Sometimes the sensation is more important than the numbers. I don't think Veloster and Sonic play to the same demo. Sonic buyers need to haul four. Veloster doesn't do that very well.
First, I would go out and drive them all again to refresh my memory because that's how close they all are these days. Then I would decide. I might lean toward the Chevy...
That's because you have drunk too much of the Consumer Reports Kool-Aid. Any car, if well maintained and not abused, should last you 200K miles (well, maybe not a Lada or a Yugo). I've never had a serious issue with any of my cars - foreign or domestic. Just keep the oil changed, the fluids topped off and you'll be fine. 139,000 miles isn't at all impressive, by today's standards, and if you already have "some problems," you're no better off than anyone else.
No covered storage means no arm rest (didn't see a flip down one either) for the right arm/elbow - would miss that confort feature. I do love the fact that you can get a 6sp. manual, but you need the high end turbo model to get it? If they put the right packing together (look at how Ford does it with their models) it could be a real winner, but choosing preferable options, it can bump the price up to compete with larger and higher end models i.e. Focus SE..
The RS should have at least 20 more horses under the hood. Great looking little car. Love the front, but the back not so much. Overall GM did a great job with the Sonic. WRX Owner
Though, and may never buy another GM car or truck. The company simply doesn't back up/support it's products. Still, I think your reviews are among the best on the web.
I've never had a transmission go out on me in any car after only 78000 miles, unless badly abused (like lots of 5-6000 RPM clutch drops). Most of the bad name previously given to American cars had more to do with interior squeaks and rattles and convenience items than actual failed major powertrain components (the notorious diesel Olds that auto mags still can't help mentioning even after 3 full decades have gone by is one notable exception). Hondas have had just as much trans trouble, IMHO.
Nice review.i have the 2018 Sonic turbo RS 1.4l.i love it for my wife or a family car,still can't wait to get my Camaro though.check out my channel sometime?
@marshknute Dude I tried to help you but if you refuse to learn. You cry about loans bailouts and your tax money and don;t realize that the Drug Benefit help balloon the deficit and raise the health cost you just cried about. Someone body has to pay for those benefit.....it is you with and me with the increase you spoke of it is not Obama. Lord have mercy this country is gone when people blindly hate and will not even learn just keep charging in the wrong direction. I can not help !
@marshknute I always wonder about people who will cut their nose off to spit their face. You can claim this great love for America and desire for jobs then say boy I wish they would have let the American auto industries die along with millions of additional jobs and certainly no way for them to come back soon all because of your hate for one man. I am happy we have 3 auto companies posting profits, hiring Americans, paying millions a month in retirement and health cost, and such.
Pro-tip: "People's opinions" matter when those people are female and you are trying to get into their pants. If it weren't for impressing women, I'd probably give up on shaving or cutting my hair entirely and would just wear a jumpsuit and flipflops.
Sorry man,sorry for saying that,but i think Prius is too feminine (okay,i stopped saying "gay") if it was a offense to you,i'm sorry,i just wanted to talk how feminine is prius,but that's okay,right?
everything is nice and all, except the price, if it tops out around $20k, +tax is 22, that is Compact car territory, might as well can shop for a based midsize for that price.
I drive 20 hwy miles and 10 city miles 2 x a day . I couldnt see doing it in the prius c after driving it. I been very happy with my fuel economy in mine. I got 38.4 all winter , so far this summer im getting 36.7 due to more traffic making me change pace. Ive heard the onboard meter is optimistic , however , onstar has me at 37mpg avg overall and it logs fuel used / mileage . Its a great car.
Did you check your's if all the brake pads were installed? And yeah, Motoweek also had issues with the clutch engagement. If I was shopping in the B-segment category, it's the Honda Fit or the Sonic turbo. I like the kia Rio 5 but the manual trans. is only on the base model. The false floor is a great touch so the cargo area is flat with the seats folded. More manufacturers should look into it. Oh, does the radio text display autoscroll in ipod mode?
If youve driven the veloster, its slow as fuck and has no torque. The mpg rating is bullshit too. Where as the sonic has way more room inside, easy for a 6ft 3 man to get into and has torque all over. Oh and the gas mileage is better than youd think, unlike the crap hyundais that are being up priced 2k at the dealerships with take it or leave it trim options, who are were sued for false mpg rating. I struggled to get 36-37mpg on the highway with veloster and got that easy in city with sonic.
I have a question for you guys at Drivencarreviews. You're not the only ones who do this but I've seen this trend take over many, many forms of today's advertising and even review circles in the USA only: No offense intended but why do you only mention the car's name BY ITSELF without being preceded by the word "the"? It sounds extremely strange and is distracting from the actual content of the review. I'd love to know because it doesn't feel like intuitive and familiar speech to me.
i own a sonic ltz turbo 6 speed , you have to drive one to get it , its fun quiet and well insulated from the road compared to similar cars. I drove the prius c , its literally the engine with a shell . It feels really cheap. My friend has a prius 3 , much much better than the c , but also much more expensive. I also drove the elantra , focus , accent , fit , and insight. I chose the sonic. Its such a fun car to drive but comfortable like bigger car. I dont know how they did it.
if a sonic and a C roll up next to each other (assuming both automatic) the sonic will blast the C. the problem with prius' is that those batteries needed to run the electric motor make the car heavy and sluggish. and speaking from experience going around a tight corner in the sonic brings out my inner 6 year old. id go with the sonic LT model. you get all the electric gizmos except heated seats and you have to settle with the larger engine. but overall it is a fantastic car.
IMO.. when clean the white chevy sonic is the best looking.. and im not being biased just because i have one lol... its fun to drive and peppy even though i have the 1.8L engine. one complaint is that there is an air pocket from the hatch spoiler down the trunk lid.. any owner will understand when theyre driving down a dirt road and youre hatch lid is caked in dirt... hopefully might invest in a rear splitter... great car, great fuel economy, fun to drive.
Best new eco box. In all the reviews the fiesta is #1 i dont understand why. The sonic is better in every way. They need to offer the turbo with an auto tranny. The tail lights need to be redone. They used the old aveo lights. But dont get cocky chevy! $19k? You gotta be joking! LOWER THE DAMN PRICE this is a good car not a great car. I went to go look at a base and it was $17k+. NOT GOOD. you want to sell these to where ppl dont have to think so much about it.
@rueben44 The simple fact of the matter is this: everything the government does is unsustainable. Amtrak, DMV, post office, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, etc are all losing money b/c of the nature of our government: we are too busy logrolling and amending in search of votes, that we fail to make legislation adaptable as time progresses. SS and Medicare were set at 65 years of age--the life expectancy at the time. The life expectancy is now 78.1 years--no wonder it's losing money.
@rueben44 It's not fair for me to pay 83% more for the same healthcare coverage so people with chronic problems can pay less--if you have more health issues, you should have to pay more. It's not fair that my grandparents can no longer see their trusted surgeon b/c he is no longer covered by Medicare (Obama promised that they could keep their doctor, but it was a flat-out lie). I have never watched Fox. I don't know of anyone my age who watches the news.
@rueben44 Not sure where you are getting your information, but that 5.9 billion was not to overhaul factories, but rather to develop hybrid and other fuel-saving technologies (like the newly unveiled Fusion Energi). There is a difference between a loan and a bailout, but you probably glossed over that difference when reading about it. ANYWAY, I still don't care if it is American or not--I just get pissed when Obama gives my taxes to Canadians and doubles my healthcare insurance costs.
@rueben44 What is this patriotism you think I am expressing? I don't care where a manufacturer is from--if it gives jobs to Americans, I support them. As for the Chrysler engines, Fiat did last minute work on fuel economy to make them more efficient. Ultimately, I don't care about any of that. I only hate GM b/c it directly hurt me financially. My taxes could have gone to Americans building Camry's rather than Canadians building Camaros.
@rueben44 Millions of lost jobs? I could care less about Canadian, Mexican and Colombian employees who build Chevy's. If GM did go out of business, another manufacturer would have filled the open niche (like Toyota and Honda, who build many of their new cars in the States, giving jobs to Americans). Nonetheless, GM was bailed out and the unemployment rate still rose. I never claimed a great love for America--I said I gained respect for Ford and have forgiven Chrysler now that Fiat is in charge.
@rueben44 That's part of it: I certainly don't want to support Obama in any way. That said, I will never support any car company that requires government bailout money (even if I support the politicians in power)--GM made shitty cars and deserved to go out of business. I have gained lots of respect for Ford--while their American cars were equally terrible, they had a very competitive European and Australian market which prevented them from requiring bailout money.
@rueben44 There is a difference between Ford's loan and GM's bailout, even if they are the same on paper. GM needed the money to save themselves from bankruptcy, Ford wanted the money to explore new technologies. If Ford were denied, they would have tried to evolve their current engine technologies rather than explore electric drivetrains.
I would never buy this car for two reasons: 1) It's ugly and has an idiotic Hot Wheels dashboard. 2) It's made by GM--I know it's a great hatchback, but I will never buy from Government Motors.
Just curious, what are you averaging in MPG? I am assuming you have an automatic. I want to pick this car but I want to know if it is worth ditching the turbo manual (and higher MPG) for the convenient automatic (crowded streets here!). Other competition has better MPG but I still gravitate to this. It would be a hands down choice if Chevy could squeeze a few more MPG out of the 1.8 L.
Why does it get 40 mpg hwy here in the U.S. but the euro version gets 67 mpg hwy? I'm certain I saw a video minutes ago from the U.K. stating the sonic gets 67.3 mpg.
