The wife and I both have LTZ trim Sonic's as daily drivers; hers is a 1.8 auto sedan, mine a 1.4 turbo manual hatch. They are first year model Sonics (2012) and have had few problems with them. I still enjoy driving mine, it handles well and is good on fuel. They both have adequate power, but are no means hot rods. I would purchase one again, if only I could find one equivalent to what I have. Most dealers have a slim selection of Sonic's. Back to your question; the Sonic probably would be adequate for your needs.
I've been driving my 1.4 Turbo Hatch for about a month now, and I can easily say I have zero regrets. It's fun to drive, it's roomy, it's comfortably. It's just an all around great car. Great for commuting, great on fuel, and if you like the fun aspect, the turbo kicks in pretty well.
Howdy, I grew up in Kirkland, in the Finn Hill area! Mine's not a hatch or an LT but as far as the engine and other common parts go, my Sonic has exceeded every expectation I've had, the biggest one being reliability. I've only had a couple mechanical hiccups, so far all minor and the gas mileage is great - especially considering the fact that I don't take it easy on it. I have no problems recommending one.
Thanks Stew, Which year is your LT? Do you have the 1.4 turbo of 1.8?
I test drove a 1.8L and it seems to be suffecient for my needs, but I see the 1.4 gets a little better gas milage.
Papasonic, thanks for the reply.
Yes, I'm also seeing slim dealer supplies on the sonics.
I've only test driven an 2017 LT hatch 1.8L so far. But, I'd like to try the turbo.
BTW, my first impression of the 2017 sonic hatch was how sturdy it felt to drive. And, fairly quiet on the highway. RS Seats were comfortable, as well as the steering wheel.
Thanks Stew, Which year is your LT? Do you have the 1.4 turbo of 1.8?
I test drove a 1.8L and it seems to be suffecient for my needs, but I see the 1.4 gets a little better gas milage.
I have a 2015 LT 1.4 turbo with 6sp manual. The turbo with the 6sp manual tranny is somewhat rare at dealers so I had to locate a new one about 80 kilometers away.
I drove quite a number of sub-compacts and it was the best as a practical 'drivers' car; meaning it has decent power and has responsive agility. Combined with excellent comfort, stabilty and road-manners it just does everything very well.
The practical part being it's spacious for its class and very economical. If the fun aspect is important to you, be sure to get the turbo.
Bought mine new for the wife back in 2012 as someone totalled her old integra and I didn't want to worry about her having an unreliable old car anymore. The sonic has been really good for 4+ years, has about 45k miles on it, needed a water pump replaced under warranty, and a shifter assembly for a broken button. That's been about it, everything else has been me putting upgrades on it. It's quite fun with decent tires, a downpipe and tune. Not the fastest car but perfect for blasting around town. A good trans tune makes the shifting very crisp in the auto and a lot more fun to hustle around.
I have the 1.4 turbo auto and it's a 2014... I just drove from Seattle to mesa AZ and the trip down I did in 2 days of hard driving and had zero issues, on the way back to WA, my turbo went out but was replaced at the dealership in a few hours under warranty. I did a few mods to my car but nothing extreme. Just throwing in my 2 cents