After years of happily driving one $1500 E36 M3heap after another, I finally broke down in late August and bought something new enough to require a loan, and have a warranty. I needed something in the $8k range, reliable, good mpg, and relatively practical. I looked at several Mazda 2s (liked a lot, but a little lacking in the oomph department, and I couldn't find one with cruise around here), a couple of Fiat 500s (the N/A ones didn't do much for me, the backseat was useless, and my budget wouldn't quite stretch to an Abarth) and various Fiestas and Foci (which I liked).
But I wound up with a 2012 Chevy Sonic LT hatch. 48k miles, 1.4t 6-speed, not loaded, but nicely appointed. I've put about 4000 miles on it now, and here's what I know.
-Mileage is great. I average about 28 around town and that's driving it hard. On the highway at 75 I get a steady 38-39 with the air off. The downside to that is that it is the gearing....passing on the highway requires a 6-4 downshift. The mileage computer in the instrument cluster is consistently ~2 mpg optimistic, but apparently that's not unusual for GM vehicles.
-Stock power is good. It's pretty spunky for an econobox. Apparently the computer limits boost in order to stay below an arbitrary torque limit to preserve the transaxle...you can definitely feel the boost fall off as you accelerate. It's not linear, and it's a little disconcerting. Apparently a tune "fixes" that. I'm going to do the Trifecta tune as soon as I can convince myself that it really can't be detected if I have to reflash it to stock and take it in for warranty work.
-Design is neat. I really like the instrument cluster with the big analog tach and digital everything else. Seats are comfy, ergonomics are great, and visibility is good.
-Handling and braking are good by stock economy car standards. It's nippy. Feels planted. Brakes are good, and you can disable the traction control if you feel like hooning.
-Seems to be put together nicely. I've owned a lot of economy cars, and this one definitely has the nicest interior materials, most consistent panel gaps, nicest paint, etc. The map light keeps falling out of the headliner for some reason, though, and the steering wheel is pretty plasticky. I'm going to try to upgrade to the wheel from an LTZ or RS at some point.
Minuses: Mostly niggles.
-Why the hell does it not have a water temperature gauge??! Seriously, GM. Get your E36 M3 together.
-Air dam scrapes over lots of stuff. Seems relatively resilient though.
-Overall the packaging is pretty decent (four 6 ft adults fit in a car that's like three inches longer than an NA Miata), but I'd gladly take a slight size penalty for some more cargo space.
-The oil drain plug is a 10mm bolt that is apparently super easy to round off. Mine was rounded off when I got it, and the local chevy dealer says they keep several in stock because it happens a lot. New drain plug is $18. For a 10mm bolt.
-For a motor with a turbo this small, it's pretty easy to catch it off-boost. That combined with super-tall gearing (75 mph is ~2100 rpm in 6th) means a lot of rowing. Not that that's a huge problem.
-Knowledge base is not particularly knowledgeable. The forum for this thing ain't great. It's not ForteForums bad, but it's certainly in the neighborhood. There do appear to be some knowledgeable guys, but there are also a lot of guys talking about neon lighting and flush wheels. I think GRM has spoiled me.
All in all, I'm really digging this car. For the money I spent, I think this should be a solid commuter for a very long time. Given GM resale value, and the fact that they are selling a ton of these, there's a lot of value to be had here.
The only upgrades I have planned are a Trifecta tune (more power, more torque, supposedly even better mpg), upgrading the stereo, and swapping a leather-wrapped steering wheel from an LTZ or RS.
