Hello, Deciding between Sonic and Impreza!

[jrands]

Hello Everyone,

So yes, as the title states, I am looking at either the Sonic 1.4L LT hatch or the 2012 Impreza (non-turbo) hatch (and yes, I realize that they are in different class segments!). Have test driven both and like both cars. Each has it's own good qualities! I'm torn between the two and it just might come down to which one I can get the best deal on, who knows...

Well, just lurking around the site to try and get a better sense of the finer intricacies of owning a Sonic.

Thanks!

 

[Calculon]

I don't have my Sonic yet, but I had this same debate. Toss the Fit and the Golf in there too. I think the Impreza is nicer on the inside and the four or five times a year we get significant snowfall, the AWD would be nice, but for me personally it wasn't worth five grand more for me to get those. I just wanted a quiet commuter to take to work with good gas mileage and that's the Sonic. From what I remember about the Impreza test drive was the CVT had a pretty good whine to it. Perhaps you'll get the manual and it won't matter. I didn't think the radio sound was that great either, though I think I drove a lower end version. Maybe the higher trim levels come with better sound.

 

[Sonic]

Apples to oranges, but welcome to the site.

 

[jrands]

Apples to oranges, but welcome to the site.

Thanks for the welcome. I like both apples and oranges though! It's a tough decision either way.

 

[jrands]

I don't have my Sonic yet, but I had this same debate. Toss the Fit and the Golf in there too. I think the Impreza is nicer on the inside and the four or five times a year we get significant snowfall, the AWD would be nice, but for me personally it wasn't worth five grand more for me to get those. I just wanted a quiet commuter to take to work with good gas mileage and that's the Sonic. From what I remember about the Impreza test drive was the CVT had a pretty good whine to it. Perhaps you'll get the manual and it won't matter. I didn't think the radio sound was that great either, though I think I drove a lower end version. Maybe the higher trim levels come with better sound.

The higher end Impreza has the option to upgrade the sound system as you're right, Subies are known to having tinny sound systems. My old WRX was not excluded from this fact. My current car has a great sound system, but I don't place too much value on the stock sound system anyway! I would love to get a manual again, but circumstance are such that I will be stuck getting an auto. As for the CVT, yes, I definitely heard the CVT whine on the test drive, but coming from the WRX with the SPT exhaust and my current car with a pretty good exhaust note, it won't be a factor really.

If I was only looking for a straight DD, then the Sonic would definitely be the way to go, hands down. However, I am looking for an everything car and therein lies the problem for me. Will the Sonic have enough space for my needs when I go on a trip and will it be rugged enough when I go off trail for a camping trip? However, though the Impreza has greatly improved MPG, AWD, and a bit more rugged, are they enough to overcome the lower priced though nicely package, and better MPG rated Sonic...tough decision :sadbanana:

 

[TIEfighter]

I noticed you had the same exact post in a different thread here --> http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/t2072-8/

I added your quote from the last thread since you posted your question in two different places.

I haven't bought a Sonic yet, but it is coming down to either the Sonic 1.4L turbo hatch or the 2012 Impreza hatch. Yes, I know, a little different classes of cars, but I can't make up my mind! I really liked the way the Sonic drove when I test drove it (manual). It was surprisingly punchy when needed and relatively quiet ride. Because it is a subcompact, it is definitely smaller than the Impreza. The good thing it has going for it is that as mentioned, adequate power, quiet and comfortable ride for a subcompact, nice dash design, and handles pretty well. Also of course, the design is nice, it seems to have great MPG's, and has a turbo! The negatives include the speedometer design. Not sure I can take looking at that thing for the next whenever years. Also, because it is a subcompact, not sure if I would be able to live with the somewhat limited cargo space. It would be nice to have the extra cargo space.

As for the Impreza, though I'm in SoCal, it would be nice to just have AWD on that occasion when needed. I owned a Subie before and like the company overall and their cars are generally known to be reliable. My previous Subie was a WRX and I never had any problems with it. For an AWD, it has pretty good MPG at around 26 to 31 average MPG. I also like the simple dash layout and the overall design of the car overall. It seems to handle great and I didn't mind the CVT noise when I test drove it (I'm use to driving loud cars). Lastly I like the cargo space that would be available with it. If the 2012 Impreza didn't have a reported 27 to 36 MPG, then I wouldn't consider it, but since it does along with the standard AWD, it makes it very attractive.

This being said, the Sonic is also attractive for the reasons stated above. I know it's a new model, but can anyone speak for the overall reliability of Chevy's?

Really torn between the two...

Got a few questions:
1. You comapring the Sonic 1.4L Turbo to which Impreza? Because if you are comparing the Sonic Turbo to the Subaru Impreza WRX STI there is a $20,000K price difference. Need some clarification

2. I lived in Phoenix, AZ for 18 years and never needed AWD (I live in NC now). I don't believe there is a lot of snow in So Cal but I could be wrong. You want AWD for performance or you looking to be driving in snow?

Thanks!

 

[keto06]

I think he means the base model impreza that gets 36mpg with the cvt. Ive looked into it myself. If cargo space is a concern, i think the sonic hatch is pretty sizeable. Plus some of the tunes for the Sonic Turbos are incredible.

 

[jrands]

I noticed you had the same exact post in a different thread here --> http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/t2072-8/

I added your quote from the last thread since you posted your question in two different places.



Got a few questions:
1. You comapring the Sonic 1.4L Turbo to which Impreza? Because if you are comparing the Sonic Turbo to the Subaru Impreza WRX STI there is a $20,000K price difference. Need some clarification

2. I lived in Phoenix, AZ for 18 years and never needed AWD (I live in NC now). I don't believe there is a lot of snow in So Cal but I could be wrong. You want AWD for performance or you looking to be driving in snow?

Thanks!

Hi, definitely not comparing the Sonic to the WRX or the STI (I wish :sadbanana Looking at the naturally-aspirated Impreza.

As you stated, there isn't a lot of snow in SoCal except for the local mountain ranges above 3,000 feet. However, I do board a lot and go up to the Sierra Nevada's a few times a year in addition to taking camping trips several times a year. So the AWD would be for these occasions and not really for performance, though it would naturally help with handling.

 

[sonic hotness]

i was in the same boat as you,

i got a sonic due to being like 3k cheaper and with bluetooth
and insurance was cheaper and mpg were better.

 

[RKMBrown]

Base Sonic is 16k, base Subaru hatch is 26k..
Sonic gets 40mpg hwy ... Subaru gets 25mpg hwy.
Loaded Sonic is just under 20k... loaded Subaru is just under 30k.

If looking for a 25k car you might want to look at the Mazda 3 hatch as well.

I have a Corvette for showing off, a Suburban for busing around, a truck for hauling, ... the Sonic is a B-segment gas miser, daily driver, sport run about.

Seems to me you are trying to decide if you want an inexpensive car that is economical to drive or an expensive car that will be expensive to maintain. I would consider how much you'll drive it and for what purpose. If your only car.. ok I can see the desire to drive up in a nice subaru. If daily driver .. calculate the extra cost over 5years of driving to get the car that costs twice as much to maintain and fuel up on top of the extra 8-10k in cost and taxes up front.

 

[Calculon]

A new base Impreza Wagon is about $19,500 as I recall. The Sport Premium I was looking at was $21,000, though those were with the manual. For the auto, add $1,000.

 

[jrands]

Base Sonic is 16k, base Subaru hatch is 26k..
Sonic gets 40mpg hwy ... Subaru gets 25mpg hwy.
Loaded Sonic is just under 20k... loaded Subaru is just under 30k.

If looking for a 25k car you might want to look at the Mazda 3 hatch as well.

I have a Corvette for showing off, a Suburban for busing around, a truck for hauling, ... the Sonic is a B-segment gas miser, daily driver, sport run about.

Seems to me you are trying to decide if you want an inexpensive car that is economical to drive or an expensive car that will be expensive to maintain. I would consider how much you'll drive it and for what purpose. If your only car.. ok I can see the desire to drive up in a nice subaru. If daily driver .. calculate the extra cost over 5years of driving to get the car that costs twice as much to maintain and fuel up on top of the extra 8-10k in cost and taxes up front.

Hey RKM,

Thanks for providing some additional things to consider. Regarding the price of an Impreza, as Calculon posted, a base Impreza 2.0i hatch will run about $18K to $19K depending on the tranny. The Impreza 2.0i Premium (next step up) runs about $20K to $21K. The $25K would be closer to fully decked out Impreza Sport Limited (not interested in) or a base Impreza WRX (if you're lucky!).

In any case, the price difference between the Impreza models (non-turbo) I'm looking at and the Sonic (1.4L with auto tranny) will probably be around $1,000 to $3,000 depending on which model I get and what type of deal I can find. Regarding the cost to maintain, I was a previous Subie owner (WRX) and I never had any problems and as I mentioned somewhere before, Subaru's are generally pretty reliable cars. Also, as I asked somewhere, how are Chevy's generally? Are they pretty reliable? I know it might be hard to say since the Sonic is a new model, though the engine is pretty much ported from the Cruze from my understanding.

Regarding the cost comparison, based on the avg fuel efficiency, insurance, cost of ownership, and the price difference between the two cars, the cost difference over a 60 month payment term would definitely have the Sonic ahead by about $4,500 roughly. This is primarily due to the Sonic being cheaper in price and it being cheaper to fuel up due to it's better fuel efficiency rating. The per monthly insurance cost is actually higher for the Sonic by about $5 compared to the Impreza when I did a quick quote through my insurance co. This may be due to the Sonic being a "new" car as oppose to the Impreza which is known for it's safety.

So if I were to only look at the money side of things, then yes, definitely the Sonic. However, as I stated in my other post, this will be my everything car (i.e., DD, haul, camping, trips, sport run about, etc...) and will be my car for at least the next 10 years to 15 years. So it comes down to having to look really hard at what I really want out of my next car, then weighing the good and the bad of each car, and finally determining which one gives me the most bang for my buck based on the values I've decided upon...In general, with the Sonic the question is, "Yes, it's cheaper, but does it provide most things I am looking for my next car to provide? If it doesn't then does the cheaper cost offset this fact?"" With the Impreza, it's, "Yes, it has many of the qualities I am looking for, but is the extra money worth it?" Again, this is a tough decision for me because both are great cars and have very strong qualities and reasons why they should be the one *sigh*

 

[Miles]

I was debating between the same two cars and chose the Sonic hatch 1.4 Turbo. I love the color (Inferno Orange) and it stands out a lot more than the Impreza IMHO. I am a musician and I can fit my drums in my Sonic (4 piece set with stands and drum throne) and still be able to see out the back okay and have someone ride up front so there's really a lot of cargo space.

The sound system in my Sonic is just the base sound system and it's really not great. I was pretty disappointed in it. With the windows down, I can hardly hear it over the wind noise and I had no problem with that in my dodge truck which also had just a base sound system. And Dodge sound systems aren't really great either...

I loved how smooth the Impreza drove and the handling was phenomenal, but I think if I were to choose again between the two, I would pick the Sonic. It's orange, it's quick, it can easily store anything I need to, and it just looks fierce.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[AndrewGS]

I had a look at the new Impreza at the auto show this year and I was pretty impressed. I like the extra room and the nicer feeling plastics and upholstery as well as the fuel economy with the CVT for an AWD car. But, with a few options the price can creep up fast and it's not the best looking car in the world IMO.

The Sonic is a nicely equipped car for the money. All you need is the LT with Connectivity Plus Cruise, the turbo engine and if you wish, the 6-Speed automatic. It's comfortable, quiet, fun to drive, looks great and gets awesome mileage. Accessories are pretty cheap too if you want to add a few things. As for the audio system, once you get it adjusted it sounds good and reproduces bass pretty well, but it's not that powerful.

To me, if I were able to spend the extra $2,400 it would be a tough decision. The gap may actually be quite a bit wider after haggling with a Chevy dealer which is usually more fruitful than haggling with a Subaru dealer.

I'm sure the Sonic would have no problems on snow and carrying your stuff up to the Sierras, just get you a nice rack for your boards and the stuff that might not fit in the back if you take a few people with you.

 

[TIEfighter]

Base Sonic is 16k, base Subaru hatch is 26k..
Sonic gets 40mpg hwy ... Subaru gets 25mpg hwy.
Loaded Sonic is just under 20k... loaded Subaru is just under 30k.

If looking for a 25k car you might want to look at the Mazda 3 hatch as well.

I have a Corvette for showing off, a Suburban for busing around, a truck for hauling, ... the Sonic is a B-segment gas miser, daily driver, sport run about.

Seems to me you are trying to decide if you want an inexpensive car that is economical to drive or an expensive car that will be expensive to maintain. I would consider how much you'll drive it and for what purpose. If your only car.. ok I can see the desire to drive up in a nice subaru. If daily driver .. calculate the extra cost over 5years of driving to get the car that costs twice as much to maintain and fuel up on top of the extra 8-10k in cost and taxes up front.

Correct the more expensive the car is out the door the more taxes ($1K+) it will cost on top of the final price.

 

[RKMBrown]

Ah ok, I thought you were talking about the wrx.

If I could only have one car it would have to be something like a traverse or a quad cab truck. Not gonna tow a large boat behind a sonic

 

[keto06]

5-Door Starting at $17,995MSRP* per Subaru website. And im pretty sure it gets 27/36mpg with the CVT, which isnt terrible when compared to the 1.4T with auto. Plus non turbo subies dont tend to need a ton of work done to them...

 

[jrands]

I was debating between the same two cars and chose the Sonic hatch 1.4 Turbo. I love the color (Inferno Orange) and it stands out a lot more than the Impreza IMHO. I am a musician and I can fit my drums in my Sonic (4 piece set with stands and drum throne) and still be able to see out the back okay and have someone ride up front so there's really a lot of cargo space.

The sound system in my Sonic is just the base sound system and it's really not great. I was pretty disappointed in it. With the windows down, I can hardly hear it over the wind noise and I had no problem with that in my dodge truck which also had just a base sound system. And Dodge sound systems aren't really great either...

I loved how smooth the Impreza drove and the handling was phenomenal, but I think if I were to choose again between the two, I would pick the Sonic. It's orange, it's quick, it can easily store anything I need to, and it just looks fierce.

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for sharing the fact that you can fit your drum kit in the Sonic. It gives a real perspective of the cargo space it provides. +1 on the Sonic looking more fierce especially in the Inferno Orange which is a beautiful color on it. However, if I did go with the Sonic, I'd probably go with something a bit more reserved, something like the cyber grey or the BTM. However, I do like the Impreza's design. Though it is a bit more mainstream than past Subies, I do overall like it's relatively conservative design. Obviously, I think both cars stand out. Regarding the music, though my current car has a pretty nice stock system, I drove a '92 Civic for years and also drove a WRX for a couple years so I'm use to the tinny sound system unfortunately...lol so it won't bother me too much.

I had a look at the new Impreza at the auto show this year and I was pretty impressed. I like the extra room and the nicer feeling plastics and upholstery as well as the fuel economy with the CVT for an AWD car. But, with a few options the price can creep up fast and it's not the best looking car in the world IMO.

The Sonic is a nicely equipped car for the money. All you need is the LT with Connectivity Plus Cruise, the turbo engine and if you wish, the 6-Speed automatic. It's comfortable, quiet, fun to drive, looks great and gets awesome mileage. Accessories are pretty cheap too if you want to add a few things. As for the audio system, once you get it adjusted it sounds good and reproduces bass pretty well, but it's not that powerful.

To me, if I were able to spend the extra $2,400 it would be a tough decision. The gap may actually be quite a bit wider after haggling with a Chevy dealer which is usually more fruitful than haggling with a Subaru dealer.

I'm sure the Sonic would have no problems on snow and carrying your stuff up to the Sierras, just get you a nice rack for your boards and the stuff that might not fit in the back if you take a few people with you.

Yes, options can creep up pretty fast with any car For the Sonic, I'm looking at the 1.4L 2LT with the only option being the Convenience option. So MSRP would be about $19k. For the Impreza, it gets a bit trickier since there are more trims. Basically I am looking for either the base Premium ($21.5K) or the base Sport Premium ($22.5K). The former is a bit harder to find than the latter at the moment. Regarding the haggling, I haven't been able to find much info for the Sonic, but for the Impreza, it's ranged between MSRP to $2K below MSRP. I do have a bit of wiggle room on how much I can spend therefore, the conundrum I find myself...I do know that I'll need to start looking soon as the 2012 supply for both cars dwindle for the upcoming 2013's.

Ah ok, I thought you were talking about the wrx.

If I could only have one car it would have to be something like a traverse or a quad cab truck. Not gonna tow a large boat behind a sonic

Wouldn't that be something to see???

5-Door Starting at $17,995MSRP* per Subaru website. And im pretty sure it gets 27/36mpg with the CVT, which isnt terrible when compared to the 1.4T with auto. Plus non turbo subies dont tend to need a ton of work done to them...

Yeah, I was pretty settled on the Sonic until I checked up on the Impreza and its specs. Pretty impressive fuel efficiency for an AWD. I started considering the Impreza primarily because of these two things.

 

[wingman]

Tough call. I like them both equally for different reasons. I'd probably go with the Sonic based on looks and FE alone. The subie has a lot more room for all your gear. I also favor the subie boxer to any 4 banger out there, probably because I like old vw's.

 

[jrands]

Tough call. I like them both equally for different reasons. I'd probably go with the Sonic based on looks and FE alone. The subie has a lot more room for all your gear. I also favor the subie boxer to any 4 banger out there, probably because I like old vw's.

Yeah, it's exactly the 'different reasons' why I am having so much trouble choosing between the two. Will just to weigh the pros and cons of each very carefully and maybe do another test drive!