plance1
plance1 SuperDork
11/8/14 5:15 p.m.

Is there something wrong with me? I'm used to my daily driver, my 92 volvo turbo wagon that has seen better days. I rented one of these sonics the other day and I liked it.

mndsm
mndsm MegaDork
11/8/14 5:54 p.m.

Was it a turbo one? They intrigue me.

BlueInGreen44
BlueInGreen44 Reader
11/8/14 6:03 p.m.

They intrigue me too. I'd like to drive one and see if it overcomes my bias against small GM cars.

accordionfolder
accordionfolder HalfDork
11/8/14 6:03 p.m.

I love the gauge cluster on the Sonic. The 1.4T has plenty of grunt for a small car and responds well to mods (it scoots just fine in the much heavier Cruze).

So no, cool little car IMO. If the cruze is any indication pedal feel and steering aren't top notch, but are tolerable.

nepa03focus
nepa03focus HalfDork
11/8/14 6:15 p.m.

I saw a sonic rs the other day, it looked nice.

wbjones
wbjones UltimaDork
11/8/14 6:28 p.m.

I just bought a '14 Sonic 1.4T 6MT a month ago … so far I'm liking it every bit as much as I thought I would

one road trip … to VIR and back … 42.xx going and 37.xx coming back … the difference being that it's (overall) down hill there and uphill coming back … around town I'm avg. mid 37's … but then I don't drive like I did when I was 30 … LOL … it's fun to see how high I can get the avg. without actually becoming a hypermiler …

as to the gauge cluster .. I'm not sold on it yet … I like to be able to see both the trip odometer and the overall odometer with out having to push buttons .. and I'd love to have a temp gauge … even if it is nothing more than what's passed for a temp gauge for the last dozen or more yrs (i.e. an idiot light with a needle) nor have I figured out a use for the built in timer …

but over all I like the car

Driven5
Driven5 HalfDork
11/8/14 6:37 p.m.

I drove a Sonic and liked it too. The torque biased turbo makes it feel more eager than its power rating would suggest, and in non-RS trim is one of the only small cars I'm aware of that uses the 6-speed to provide a proper highway gear. My only real complaont is the poor interior space utilization compared to our Fit.

HiTempguy
HiTempguy UberDork
11/8/14 8:12 p.m.

I had a big thread about buying one. In short, the rs is awesome!

plance1
plance1 SuperDork
11/8/14 8:40 p.m.

Yes, I searched "Chevy Sonic" after I posted originally and I found some interesting threads. The one I had was a turbo but I didn't even know it until I was filling it with gas and saw the badge. The car did not feel very powerful and I certainly didn't notice any turbo lag. Also, probably because of the small wheelbase it didn't exactly track down the road that I thought it would, but still, it was a decent little car!

Mr_Clutch42
Mr_Clutch42 Dork
11/8/14 8:43 p.m.

Oh, no! What is this forum coming to?!

Just joking, someone on here has said that cheap cars now are much better built than 10+ years ago. Car and Driver has reported that manufacturers are now going to share platforms more than in the past to reduce costs and it will make the small cars even better.

boulder_dweeb
boulder_dweeb New Reader
11/8/14 10:10 p.m.

Yeah....

I rented a Sonic about a year ago. Put about 1k miles on it, and was happy about all those miles.

This thread reminded me to look at used Sonics...

Rog

Vigo
Vigo PowerDork
11/12/14 10:11 p.m.

I was following a Sonic RS Turbo hatch on a road trip last weekend and really liked the look of it.

I hassled him a little bit in my SRT4 Caravan but he didn't bite. Just as well for him. I know they aren't fast but they seem like a really cool starting point. I know i have seen the Cruzes can do low 15s with minor mods so it stands to reason a lightly modded Sonic turbo can be a 14 second 40mpg 4dr hatch, which is pretty cool in my opinion.

MrChaos
MrChaos GRM+ Memberand Reader
11/12/14 10:36 p.m.

the issue with the Sonic is that it is in the Fiesta ST/500 Abarth price range, and both have much better performance.

wbjones
wbjones UltimaDork
11/13/14 7:02 a.m.

stock they are spec'ed at 139 hp and 149 ft/lbs …

there are tunes out there (if you run 93 octane) that will nearly double those figures (and these are at the wheel not the flywheel)

the same tunes, held back a bit, will also bump the numbers a lot even on 87

and you switch back and forth from OEM to tuned by turning on/off the cruise control …

Tmc22
Tmc22 New Reader
11/13/14 8:04 a.m.

No, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. I used to rag on one of my close friends for owning a Sonic until I drove it about 3 weeks ago. I haven't said anything negative since. I can't explain what it was, but something about that little car is just fun.

wbjones
wbjones UltimaDork
11/13/14 8:16 a.m.

and keep in mind that there are lots of suspension upgrades available for these cars

belteshazzar
belteshazzar UberDork
11/13/14 8:23 a.m.

i drove a $hitty NAPA delivery Sonic. Didn't want to tell anyone how impressed I was.

pinchvalve
pinchvalve MegaDork
11/13/14 8:24 a.m.

I think they are super-cool looking. Occasionally one wants to come and play with the FiST, but they are way outgunned by the Ford. If the folks who did the 1LE and Z28 could spend some time on the Sonic, then add another 75 hp, it would be such a hot ride.

HiTempguy
HiTempguy UberDork
11/13/14 8:36 a.m.

The only reason I was looking at one is because chev cant give away manual rs sonics whereas ford can sell tons of fists.

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