Looks like 2020 is it...

[dannyg]

Well folks, it looks like 2020 will be the last year for the Sonic:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/mone...ued-gm-subcompact-car-chevy-sonic/5392908002/

There were a couple of years of rumors, but this one looks definite. The Orion factory will build a new slightly larger version of the Bolt instead of the Sonic. RIP!

I have a tiny hope that Chevy will bring the Onix to the US/Canada from Mexico where it is produced and sold. It has proved popular in Central and South America and China. They could call it a Sonic here, that would be fine by me. The 3cyl 1.2T with 5sp manual would be my choice, either sedan or hatch. I'm assuming it would pass US crash tests (but of course don't know that for sure).

https://www.chevrolet.com.mx/autos/onix-carro-sedan

 

[ScarabEpic22]

I saw this pop up as well, sad times indeed. Love my 2013 RS, been a good car for me over the past 7 years.

 

[TboneMinister]

Well folks, it looks like 2020 will be the last year for the Sonic:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/mone...ued-gm-subcompact-car-chevy-sonic/5392908002/

There were a couple of years of rumors, but this one looks definite. The Orion factory will build a new slightly larger version of the Bolt instead of the Sonic. RIP!

I have a tiny hope that Chevy will bring the Onix to the US/Canada from Mexico where it is produced and sold. It has proved popular in Central and South America and China. They could call it a Sonic here, that would be fine by me. The 3cyl 1.2T with 5sp manual would be my choice, either sedan or hatch. I'm assuming it would pass US crash tests (but of course don't know that for sure).

https://www.chevrolet.com.mx/autos/onix-carro-sedan

Saw this yesterday. It definitely saddens me. As someone who worked in Chevrolet sales for a few years and still works at a Chevy dealership, I'm a little surprised at this move (as are many others). I know the rumors had been circling, but we've really seen the Sonic start to gain back popularity as a budget to value vehicle - especially once the Cruze was discontinued. The Trax is a VERY similar vehicle and will fill this gap. However, I've had two Trax's and went to the Sonic. Crossovers just aren't as much fun to drive, in my opinion.

 

[Chazzz]

The Trax/Encore are both getting all new redesigns with the new 1.2L 3 cylinder turbo that powers the Onix. It is rated at a decent 137 Hp and 162 lbs torque. I’m guessing that will be the GM option for a Sonic replacement. No SUV”s for me tho haha... No Thank You... I for one would love to see them bring the Onix to the states, but there sadly just isn’t enough demand. I guess I will be moving on from GM, probably to Hyundai/Kia down the road. The Accent SE with a 6 speed stick is a fun to drive option that can be had under $15K is cheap to insure and delivers over 50 mpg. I also like the new Kia Forte GT Turbo with the 6 speed stick...

 

[dannyg]

The Trax/Encore are both getting all new redesigns with the new 1.2L 3 cylinder turbo that powers the Onix. It is rated at a decent 137 Hp and 162 lbs torque. I’m guessing that will be the GM option for a Sonic replacement. No SUV”s for me tho haha... No Thank You... I for one would love to see them bring the Onix to the states, but there sadly just isn’t enough demand. I guess I will be moving on from GM, probably to Hyundai/Kia down the road. The Accent SE with a 6 speed stick is a fun to drive option that can be had under $15K is cheap to insure and delivers over 50 mpg. I also like the new Kia Forte GT Turbo with the 6 speed stick...

I’m with you, I’m not buying a crossover or SUV or whatever. There’s the new Trailblazer (with the 3cyl turbo) and the Trax. They’ve been massively discounting the Trax for years, effectively killing the Sonic.

All the US companies are abandoning cars...but the Japanese and Koreans still offer them. With the Sonic and Cruze gone, alas my next car probably won’t be a GM...unless they bring the Onix from Mexico which as of now isn’t happening. I’d definitely consider a stick Onix, take one for a test drive.

I like the Accent too, with the stick. As long as the make stick cars I’m buying ‘em. Maybe a base Civic (but I’m no fan of the looks). My Sonic is running fine, fun to drive, so I really don’t have any interest in selling.

 

[dannyg]

Looks like Hyundai is dropping the manual transmission from the 2021 Elantra (except possibly the sportier/pricier N Line). Another one bites the dust...

https://www.caranddriver.com/hyundai/elantra
https://www.hyundaiusa.com/us/en/vehicles/2021-elantra

 

[Chazzz]

Another decent option is the Toyota Corolla hatchback with 6 speed stick. It is well built and has rev matching, something hard to find in anything affordable. I’m not a fan of the dual fake exhaust tho and I’m still not sure on the styling, even tho I do like it better than the current civic hatch look. The civic is due for a complete redesign for 2021 however so I’m anxious to see how the new model turns out...
..

 

[TboneMinister]

Chazzz - I really love the color of your ride! Seems to be pretty rare; it's the only one I've ever seen (for the Sonic, at least).

It would be really hard for me to leave GM. :sadbanana: Maybe by the time I'm ready to turn in my Sonic, GM will have changed course and released something I like. UGH. Just bought mine new in March, so it'll be a while...

That being said, Mazda is getting ready to release a turbo'd Mazda 3 (although it's auto trans, but AWD; manuals are fading quick and my knees can't take it like they used to). So, if nothing from GM, I may go that route.

 

[Chazzz]

Thanks man, I also really like the new for 2020 cayenne orange and oasis blue and both will be rare hues now that the Sonic is no more. I traded a 2018 Premier Hatch in ivy green metallic on this one and that was also a rare and unique color. Sonics gonna be missed...

 

[TboneMinister]

Thanks man, I also really like the new for 2020 cayenne orange and oasis blue and both will be rare hues now that the Sonic is no more. I traded a 2018 Premier Hatch in ivy green metallic on this one and that was also a rare and unique color. Sonics gonna be missed...

Agreed. I do like my Cayenne Orange, but that Ivy Green was sharp too! The dealer I work at still has another 2020 Cayenne Orange Metallic Premier Hatchback RS with black 17's, if anyone is interested.

 

[Chazzz]

I fully agree with the Sonic being picked by JD Powerr as the highest quality small car made for 2020. GM has invested $300 million in the Orion assembly plant for state of the art quality. The Sonic’s factory paint uses a Three-wet paint process that highly improves finish quality. The fit and finish of these inexpensive subcompacts rival the best luxury cars on the market. Just when GM is finally making a world class small car it’s off to the chopping block...Go figure.....

 

[JTee2017]

Saw this yesterday. It definitely saddens me. As someone who worked in Chevrolet sales for a few years and still works at a Chevy dealership, I'm a little surprised at this move (as are many others). I know the rumors had been circling, but we've really seen the Sonic start to gain back popularity as a budget to value vehicle - especially once the Cruze was discontinued. The Trax is a VERY similar vehicle and will fill this gap. However, I've had two Trax's and went to the Sonic. Crossovers just aren't as much fun to drive, in my opinion.

We recognized the value and size of the Sonic compared to Trax. Besides better ride, handling and 0 - 60 time was significantly better. MPG was better as well if driven reasonably.
And. . . The Sonic Hatchback has largely the same or even larger interior dimensions as the Trax or Encore.
The main difference is about 0.90" in interior front headroom.
The Sonic hatch should have been sold as a "Mini CUV ". The interior size is amazing, the ride is quiet and spacious and for much less than the Trax which shares essentially the same interior dash and other build items.

Chevrolet Sonic
Dimensions
Passenger Capacity: 5
Passenger Volume (cu. ft.): 90.3
Front Head Room (in.): 38.70
Front Leg Room (in.): 41.80
Front Shoulder Room (in.): 53.40
Front Hip Room (in.): 51.40
Second Head Room (in.): 38.10
Second Leg Room (in.): 34.60
Second Shoulder Room (in.): 53.00
Second Hip Room (in.): 51.60
Cargo Volume with Rear Seat Down (cu. ft.): 47.7
Cargo Vilume with Rear Seat Up (cu. ft.) : 19.0


Buick Encore / Chevrolet Trax
Dimensions
Passenger Capacity: 5
Passenger Volume (cu. ft.): 92.8
Front Head Room (in.): 39.58
Front Leg Room (in.): 40.82
Front Shoulder Room (in.): 54.18
Front Hip Room (in.): 51.65
Second Head Room (in.): 38.78
Second Leg Room (in.): 35.75
Second Shoulder Room (in.): 52.55
Second Hip Room (in.): 50.08
Cargo Volume to Seat 1 (cu. ft.): 48.40
Cargo Volume to Seat 2 (cu. ft.): 18.80


We love our Sonic RS Hatch . . . . !

 

[TboneMinister]

We recognized the value and size of the Sonic compared to Trax. Besides better ride, handling and 0 - 60 time was significantly better. MPG was better as well if driven reasonably.
And. . . The Sonic Hatchback has largely the same or even larger interior dimensions as the Trax or Encore.
The main difference is about 0.90" in interior front headroom.
The Sonic hatch should have been sold as a "Mini CUV ". The interior size is amazing, the ride is quiet and spacious and for much less than the Trax which shares essentially the same interior dash and other build items.

Chevrolet Sonic
Dimensions
Passenger Capacity: 5
Passenger Volume (cu. ft.): 90.3
Front Head Room (in.): 38.70
Front Leg Room (in.): 41.80
Front Shoulder Room (in.): 53.40
Front Hip Room (in.): 51.40
Second Head Room (in.): 38.10
Second Leg Room (in.): 34.60
Second Shoulder Room (in.): 53.00
Second Hip Room (in.): 51.60
Cargo Volume with Rear Seat Down (cu. ft.): 47.7
Cargo Vilume with Rear Seat Up (cu. ft.) : 19.0


Buick Encore / Chevrolet Trax
Dimensions
Passenger Capacity: 5
Passenger Volume (cu. ft.): 92.8
Front Head Room (in.): 39.58
Front Leg Room (in.): 40.82
Front Shoulder Room (in.): 54.18
Front Hip Room (in.): 51.65
Second Head Room (in.): 38.78
Second Leg Room (in.): 35.75
Second Shoulder Room (in.): 52.55
Second Hip Room (in.): 50.08
Cargo Volume to Seat 1 (cu. ft.): 48.40
Cargo Volume to Seat 2 (cu. ft.): 18.80


We love our Sonic RS Hatch . . . . !

I have to admit, though - it would've been nice to get some of the softer interior materials from the Trax in the Sonic. Especially those hard plastic door armrests! Having had two of the Trax's, I can say that the interior is quite a bit nicer and it has some additional features the Sonic just didn't get (such as blind spot monitoring, 110v plug, rear fold down cup holders, European-style rear headrests, leather on parts of the dash, a better placed 12v plug, and Bose audio w/ a factory sub). I was hoping these would get carried over at the next Sonic revision/redesign. Now my hopes are dead.

 

[JTee2017]

Yeah. . . there were a few added upgrades on the Trax. Not sure if all trim levels of Trax had what you mention and also it was a CUV so buyers look for those things and I'm sure GM put those touches in the Trax since the competition likely had them.
I would have thought the Trax ( and Encore) would have more than the one driver side center arm rest. . . . unless later some trims had two? Other than that, the dash and controls are pretty much the same as the Sonic from what I remember.
We also test drove two Encores and we felt for the money, it just was not worth it.

Heck, at the same time we looked and bought our Sonic (late 2017) we could have gotten a $40,785 MSRP Acadia SLT-1 with V6 for $30, 800. That was less than a comparably equipped Encore with then incentives. Of course Trax was somewhat less, but still more than our Sonic hatch.

 

[TboneMinister]

Yeah. . . there were a few added upgrades on the Trax. Not sure if all trim levels of Trax had what you mention and also it was a CUV so buyers look for those things and I'm sure GM put those touches in the Trax since the competition likely had them.
I would have thought the Trax ( and Encore) would have more than the one driver side center arm rest. . . . unless later some trims had two? Other than that, the dash and controls are pretty much the same as the Sonic from what I remember.
We also test drove two Encores and we felt for the money, it just was not worth it.

Heck, at the same time we looked and bought our Sonic (late 2017) we could have gotten a $40,785 MSRP Acadia SLT-1 with V6 for $30, 800. That was less than a comparably equipped Encore with then incentives. Of course Trax was somewhat less, but still more than our Sonic hatch.

I think all trims after the 16 refresh had the soft touch standard, some of those features were optional. Still one armrest, we'll see after the redesign. The gauge cluster was updated with the Sonic. The LT with rebates is about 20k. I haven't seen them above $24-26k w/ rebates.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

 

[Chazzz]

I was checking out the all new 2021 Buick Encore GX today and it now has a full size center arm rest as standard equipment on all trims, in addition to a noticeably more upscale interior with even more soft touch areas. Have yet to see the all new Trax or Trail Blazer on dealer lots near me...

 

[TboneMinister]

I was checking out the all new 2021 Buick Encore GX today and it now has a full size center arm rest as standard equipment on all trims, in addition to a noticeably more upscale interior with even more soft touch areas. Have yet to see the all new Trax or Trail Blazer on dealer lots near me...

The GX is essentially the Trailblazer, so that makes sense. The Trax is about to get a redesign and swapped to the 1.2T 3 cyl

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

 

[zomby woof]

I guess I will be moving on from GM, probably to Hyundai/Kia down the road. The Accent SE with a 6 speed stick is a fun to drive option that can be had under $15K is cheap to insure and delivers over 50 mpg. I also like the new Kia Forte GT Turbo with the 6 speed stick...

We own a 14 LTZ sedan. It's been a good car and we both really like it. So I was in the market for a commuter/project and naturally started looking for a Sonic hatch. I couldn't find the car I wanted so I started looking at Forte's. I found both an RS and the Forte model I was interested in, a 16 2dr SX wit 1.6T and 6spd manual, and test drove them back to back. I bought the Forte.

 

[orangeltz13]

We own a 14 LTZ sedan. It's been a good car and we both really like it. So I was in the market for a commuter/project and naturally started looking for a Sonic hatch. I couldn't find the car I wanted so I started looking at Forte's. I found both an RS and the Forte model I was interested in, a 16 2dr SX wit 1.6T and 6spd manual, and test drove them back to back. I bought the Forte.

What did you like most about the Forte vs Sonic RS? Are these vehicles in the same class? If not, what Kia vehicle is in the same class as the Sonic?

 

[Chazzz]

The Forte SX is a compact with 201 HP. The Kia Rio would be the subcompact in the Kia lineup, but the Forte more closely compares to a Sonic RS. 2016 was the last year Kia sold the Forte Koup in the US. They are sharp looking cars especially with the tech package with leather and a sunroof.