Yeah,
Since we are talking about Chevy small cars....
I just put about 1k miles on a Chevy Sonic. Nice car. No bad habits. Got about 30 mpg at 60 to 80 mph cruising.
Does anyone know what platform this car is based on? Suzuki? Something else?
The rental was a 4 door. I am tempted to test drive the 2 door...
Rog
I believe they are based on a Daewoo platform. Otherwise I don't know much.
Yeah, it's daewoo something.....
The basic frame is shared with the Buick Encore. The option turbo 1.4L of the Sonic is standard in the Encore. Both final assembly in Korea.
Opel Mokka too.
We got one in the press fleet last year sometime. I quite liked the car. It looks good as a hatch, is good on gas and drives well.
In reply to JohnRW1621: The Sonic (and the Buick Verano) is assembled at the Lake Orion, Michigan plant for the domestic market, I believe.
I still need to drive a Sonic RS. I loves me some B-spec cars, and adding a turbo only adds to the fun. I've been very happy with the way Korean dynamics are working in cars as of late, and if this thing held onto any Daewoo AT ALL, or even better got a little Kia/Hyundai sauce on it.... we have something here. As it sits, I was quite impressed with the Sonic sedan I rode in a while back.
I believe that Daewoo is handling all new small car development for GM, starting with the Cruze.
DeadSkunk wrote: In reply to JohnRW1621: The Sonic (and the Buick Verano) is assembled at the Lake Orion, Michigan plant for the domestic market, I believe.
You are right. Sonic is final assemb in US.
The Encore is final in Korea
Site a source: http://www.nhtsa.gov/Laws+&+Regulations/Part+583+American+Automobile+Labeling+Act+%28AALA%29+Reports
I reviewed 2013 model year
I drove a Sonic RS not along ago and really enjoyed it. Quick, handling felt great and the gauge cluster felt like a sportbike. I'd happily daily drive one 
emodspitfire wrote: The rental was a 4 door. I am tempted to test drive the 2 door...
Sadly no 2 door version in USA. 
Only 30 mpg?! I got just under 40 mpg out of a new Elantra on a road trip at those speeds, and it had a heckuva lot more room.
That's why I don't understand these "B" segment cars. They're tiny and don't really get that great of fuel economy. Can someone enlighten me on what the point of them is?
I didn't obsess about the mileage. (Vacation) I suspect it was a little better than 30.
What impressed me was the size, quiet cabin at speed, and good drivability. Nice stereo too.
Rog
Got about 30 mpg at 60 to 80 mph cruising
I'm hoping you're right and it was MUCH more than 30 because that is downright TERRIBLE for that car.
In reply to Vigo:
Yeah I get 30mpg in Detroit rush hour traffic from a 14 year old Corolla with bad plug wires, more like 40 highway.
Well, it was a rental, so its fair to say that it was likely not in its top condition.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=32575 says 40MPG highway, 33 combined.
I'll take one in Blue with the optional White 16's
If you compare a Sonic sedan to the Elantra they are very close in size. EPA highway mileage favours the Elantra by 3 mpg. The Sonic hatch is actually one of the larger "B" segment cars. My experience over the last 30 years has been that none of the hatchbacks I've owned has done particularly well on highway mileage. I've attributed that to driving over the posted speed limits and poor aerodynamics for hatches. I had a Sable wagon that would easily get better mileage than either my Mazda GLC or VW GTI back in the early 90s.
....and, new cars tend to be significantly taller these days. My MINI is considered a low car, but it's within a half inch of my 1991 VW GTI, which used to be one of the taller hatches. Both those cars are a good 4 inches lower than a Sonic.
Don't forget, Chevy also has the even smaller Spark.
In reply to Pseudonym:
Yeah, but it's butt ugly.
If they had styled it to look something like a 3/4 scale sonic it wouldn't be bad at all.
Sky_Render wrote: That's why I don't understand these "B" segment cars. They're tiny and don't really get that great of fuel economy. Can someone enlighten me on what the point of them is?
I like small cars, and am sad that even small cars aren't really that small these days. They're easier to park, easier to store, lighter weight, cheaper to build, cheaper to buy, require less natural resources to create, are easier on the roads, are more fun to drive, etc. Small cars are cool! I don't understand these crossover, SUV, and huge pickup segments when being used as daily drivers and don't see the point of them. To each his own, I guess.
Bryce
The most modern iteration does 40mpg highway.
The 1.4T in the Cruze Eco moved along quickly, the Sonic is a bit lighter and has a reallly cool dashboard. Should be fun.
A buddy of mine drives one, averaged 38 mpg on a cross country road trip. He doesn't drive slow either.
You'll need to log in to post.
