Sonic RS cruising on the highway, how is it?

[Hiram]

I'm seriously considering the Sonic RS as my next car and I'd like to reach a decision soon. I test drove the Sonic RS and I really enjoyed it. However, my test drive did not include any highway time. I would like to hear from Sonic RS owners regarding extended highway driving.

How loud is the cabin at a steady 70mph? Do you have to significantly increase the volume of your music? Can you and your passenger speak in a normal voice? Is the RS any louder or quieter than the LTZ on the highway? If these questions have already been answered, feel free to point me to the appropriate threads.

Thank you in advance,
Hiram

 

[AdorableKaren]

I'm an RS owner and I love it. I've taken many extended highway trips and it is quiet to me. I just drove 3hr to PA and this weekend I'm driving 2hrs to MI. Right now I have the zzp turbo back exhaust and when all the seats are in the up postion and the trunk shelf is in the car, it is loud but not obnoxiously loud from the inside. Now put the seats down or remove the shelf is another story. Also my car with the after market exhaust is a little on the loud side for passenger conversation but I just turn the radio down. So if you don't add a loud exhaust to your RS I don't think you will have a problem with the things you are asking. I hope this helps a little.

 

[5H1F7Y]

Drove from Detroit to Boston about 6 months ago, No complaints whatsoever. It wasn't loud at all, stock exhaust is very quiet (going to be fixing that) and no more road noise from the tires than any other vehicle I've driven. Pull the trigger on the RS, you wont be disappointed.

 

[ShadowRS]

For highway driving, the LTZ will be quieter. The engine will be less busy at 70mph, I know on my RS the rpms are at 3k if not a little lower... Still, by "quieter" it isn't a very large difference between the two. Also, the RS will suffer with highway mileage because of it's higher rpm cruising. Still, the best I have gotten is 42 mpg all highway with normal averages hovering around 38-40.

What you trade for that fuel economy though on the highway:

1. A more stable car at highway speeds thanks to the suspension. (It feels that way anyways)
2. Easier passing power. You won't ever have to downshift if you need to pass someone in the RS. The 6th gear allows for easy power at those speeds.

If highway isn't a huge deal to you, stick with the RS. You'll still get good mpgs. You'll still have fun. And you get those awesome seats.

Also, I have the 6-speed manual.

 

[laborsmith]

My RS is still to quiet and I have taken it to Chicago, Indianapolis, New Orleans etc.

I say still because it has the ZZP intake and the DDM mufferless exhaust.

My radio is normally at 11 unless there is a Rolling Stones song in which case it is set to 13. (But I do have a Kicker Bass Station,)

Laborsmith

 

[Zurn]

Get the RS!

Short answer: get the RS.

Long answer: I got the RS because I didn't do my research first. If I knew what I know now about all the aftermarket parts for these cars I might have done a lesser model and added some modifications. At 70 MPH on the freeway I'm at 3K RPM's, so for highway a LTZ might be better, lower RPM’s at higher speeds = better gas mileage. I have made one longer trip in mine to the Ocean and back and I got 39 MPG staying right at 60 MPH (less than 1K miles on the car when I made this trip). You will be shifting a lot in town if you go with the manual, which I have, 1st and 2nd are so close together, a 1-3 shift seems to work much better. I’m getting right at 30 MPG in town, and 90% of my driving is under 45 MPH. Road noise will be the same no matter which you go with, but engine noise may be more in the RS due to the higher RPMs.

So my advice would be if you plan on doing some mods to lower the car like drop springs or coil overs and different rims and tires, save your money and get a lesser model. But if you like the look and handling of the RS and don’t plan on lowering it or changing the rims and tires, get the RS. The RS interior is way better in my opinion and that’s one of the reasons I got it. I like the stock stance and I don’t know if I could go much lower anyway, I’m close to scraping in my driveway already. And don’t worry, it will only be a matter of time before you want an intake, exhaust, and a tune no matter which model you go with. But with the RS, you won’t have to worry about Rims and lowering the car, you can jump right into the power mods.

And with the 2014's on the lots already, you should be able to get a great deal on a 2013!

 

[laborsmith]

Very correct, Zurn.

But I remain enchanted with my RS.


Laborsmith

 

[Hiram]

Thank you all for your thoughtful and detailed replies. Zurn, you are right there are some really good deals on the 2013 RS models. I would be getting a manual. The other car that is still in the running for me is the 2014 Fiesta ST. I'm still trying to decide between the two.

Thanks again,

Hiram

 

[ScarabEpic22]

It'll be pretty quiet, wish there was less road noise but honestly the engine is almost silent. Personally, this drives me nuts. Either put more sound deadening in the car so the occupants dont hear the road noise or make the engine (intake/exhaust) louder to muffle the road noise.

Fix: Ill be putting sound deadening in my RS AND putting a freer-flowing exhaust on my RS. Be fine with sound deadening and that will be done first, but I know Ill want moar power so an exhaust is part of that puzzle.

 

[Sonicnw]

It'll be pretty quiet, wish there was less road noise but honestly the engine is almost silent. Personally, this drives me nuts. Either put more sound deadening in the car so the occupants dont hear the road noise or make the engine (intake/exhaust) louder to muffle the road noise.

Fix: Ill be putting sound deadening in my RS AND putting a freer-flowing exhaust on my RS. Be fine with sound deadening and that will be done first, but I know Ill want moar power so an exhaust is part of that puzzle.

thinin about undercoating my car for winter and I have heard this also helps with sound deadening. you gain two advantages, less rust and less sound.

 

[KartRacer]

thinin about undercoating my car for winter and I have heard this also helps with sound deadening. you gain two advantages, less rust and less sound.

Not really worried about rust but I noticed my wife's new buick encore, very similar car has the underside coated where the sonic is plain. The buick is definitely quieter. sonic needs some exhaust noise, Borla really, wish it was not so expensive. I have too many hobbies oh forgot, KS is 75mph, hurts mpg, runs nearly 3500 rpm.

 

[Breezybro]

Personally when choosing between the Sonic and the Fiesta, the Fiesta felt much smaller. I am 6'4" and I set the seat to the smallest comfortable area, and tried to get in the back and had a couple inches.. I didn't even try to sit inside the rear seat, wouldn't have fit. I later did the same with the sonic, and was able to sit comfortably WITH leg room.

On top of that.. I think the Fiestas and to a lesser extent the Focus ST's are ugly, at least the sonic has some style.

Bias opinion: My RS>Fiesta/focus.. except when it comes to HP.

 

[JakeThaSnake919]

I have a 2013 RS (completely stock) and my girlfriend slept during a 4 hr road trip about two months ago on all highway driving. She is a pretty light sleeper as well. My car before my Sonic was a 2002 Buick LeSabre, and there is no doubt at all that the Sonic is not a Buick, but I don't think it is too loud by any means. Now, if you throw an intake and new exhaust on it, that's probably another story, but a stock RS is definitely not too loud at highway speeds.

 

[Red_RS]

Did a run from NC to TX and back at 70mph with three passengers. Not once did we say "huh?" when talking to each other. Also, the my link radio can be set to increase the volume automatically as your speed increases. Average MPG on that trip was 34, but my normal weekly 60mph commute yields around 38. I'm completely stock with the manual transmission. My commute is an hour and a half each way, and the seats are comfortable and the lower gearing ratio makes the commute fun. After 10 months I still love driving it, even in stop and go rush hour. Get the RS.

 

[Aj713]

I researched my 2013 rs for a few mos before I ended up with the auto trans version. If you want quiet, get a larger luxury model. For a sporty commuter car, it's really good. You'll get alittle engine sound under moderate acceleration, but on the hyw, it's pritty quiet for what it is. I average 29.1 in mixed city hyw driving- and my average hyw speed is 80+. Driving from south jersey to any of the 5 boroughs in NYC. Having the tires at 40 psi. A bully dog 40415 programmer and a k&n drop in air filter in a slightly modified stock air box netted me 3 more mpg and enough extra power to really make the car fun to drive. Cruising at 65 with the cruise on, I'm gettin 47 mpg on the straights.at 78 mpg, it dips to btw 27 and 35, depending on the road. I'm happi with it. My gf calls it my clown car cuz it's little. But when I let her drive it, she totally digs it.

 

[viperaider]

I drive 2.5 hours round trip to work all highway. If I go 80mph I get 31mpg but if I go 65mph It takes an additional 20 minutes of driving but I get 37-38mpg. My car is quiet with no wind noise really. Suspension has good dampening and I feel no body roll in a fast curve. Ive put 7000 miles on my car in less than 2 months and logged plenty of drive time in it. My only complaints is that I wish I had a 7th gear. The touchscreens buttons are too small and leave plenty of real estate to increase their sizes (driving hazard) and the fact my cell phone isnt compatible with bringgo yet.

 

[Zurn]

Small Rant...

Reasons why I didn't get a Fiesta ST: the Ford requires premium fuel. Not to say you can't run regular and the computer will pull out some timing and you might be ok, but Ford could give you warranty issues if you don't run premium because that's what the car requires. The Sonic was designed to run on regular and I think that's were a lot of your performance numbers are lost. Yes the Fiesta ST is 197 HP, but with a few mods the Sonic will be up there. As far as the car being quite on the Highway, Ford likes to "pump" the engine noise into the cabin of their ST models to give the driver more of the ST experience. I don't get why you need to do that. On a performance car with the right exhaust tuning, why "pump" the engine noise into the cabin? I would think this might be a bit annoying on a long trip. The biggest reason I didn't go for the Ford was the cost. Look at MSRP of the Sonic RS Vs. the Ford Fiesta ST base model, yes they are close but the Sonic RS comes with every option available for the Sonic plus some other cool RS only stuff. The Fiesta has several options you can add and can easily get up to $24K or even $25K. I’ve seen the RS in my area in the $18,800 range, whereas the Fiesta ST is $22,700 with no options!

*SoapBox*
I really get pissed when I read articles comparing the Sonic RS, Fiesta ST, Fiat Abarth, and Mini Cooper S and the Sonic gets ripped for not have enough performance. The authors of those articles have missed the point all together. Chevy wanted to create a fun to drive everyday economy car that was affordable and got good gas mileage. They wanted to put fun back in driving for those of us that didn’t want to spend a huge amount of money on our commuter cars. If they had created a “performance” car it would have an SS badge and not and RS badge. Here's a few questions they always leave out of those articles. Which of these have four doors and can seat four full size American adults? Well only two of these cars can, the two American cars. Which of these can be had for under $20K with all the options? Only one, the Sonic RS. Which of these four cars runs on regular fuel and can get close to 40 MPG on the highway? Only the Sonic RS. Which of these has leather seats standard, a touch screen radio, and onstar? Yep, just the Sonic RS. So the RS gives up a bit on the overall top speed and acceleration, but with the 1.4L turbo, it does just fine. And for the money I saved on the RS, I can get an intake, exhaust, and tune and I’ll be a lot closer to the performance of the ST. And the RS doesn't fall into a higher insurance bracket because it’s not a true performance car, but I can’t tell when I’m driving it. And down the road with stuff needs fixed, I can’t wait to see the repair bill on the Fiesta ST, Fiat Abarth, or Cooper S. Since they are made different from the standard cars, you can bet the parts will cost way more. Whereas the Sonic uses the same parts for the standard 1.4L that all the Chevys use. And if I’m going to spend close to $30K for a car, I’d be looking at something way different than a Fiesta, Fiat, or Mini. But when looking for a car under $20K that is fun to drive? I personally think I got the best car on the market!
*Steps off Soapbox*

 

[PlayCrackTheSky]

Short answer: get the RS.

Long answer: I got the RS because I didn't do my research first. If I knew what I know now about all the aftermarket parts for these cars I might have done a lesser model and added some modifications. At 70 MPH on the freeway I'm at 3K RPM's, so for highway a LTZ might be better, lower RPM’s at higher speeds = better gas mileage. I have made one longer trip in mine to the Ocean and back and I got 39 MPG staying right at 60 MPH (less than 1K miles on the car when I made this trip). You will be shifting a lot in town if you go with the manual, which I have, 1st and 2nd are so close together, a 1-3 shift seems to work much better. I’m getting right at 30 MPG in town, and 90% of my driving is under 45 MPH. Road noise will be the same no matter which you go with, but engine noise may be more in the RS due to the higher RPMs.

So my advice would be if you plan on doing some mods to lower the car like drop springs or coil overs and different rims and tires, save your money and get a lesser model. But if you like the look and handling of the RS and don’t plan on lowering it or changing the rims and tires, get the RS. The RS interior is way better in my opinion and that’s one of the reasons I got it. I like the stock stance and I don’t know if I could go much lower anyway, I’m close to scraping in my driveway already. And don’t worry, it will only be a matter of time before you want an intake, exhaust, and a tune no matter which model you go with. But with the RS, you won’t have to worry about Rims and lowering the car, you can jump right into the power mods.

And with the 2014's on the lots already, you should be able to get a great deal on a 2013!

Would you mind confirming your RPMs at 70mph? I'm right at 2.5k at 70mph and 3k puts me at 81mph. That's a fairly large difference... Yes, I have the RS.

 

[dp67]

Mine also turns 3k at 70 mph.

 

[PlayCrackTheSky]

Interesting...

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk