Sonic vs. Cobalt

[wr_guy]

Bought my daughter a 2007 Cobalt new in Feb 2007 for $12k with options Auto, ABS and side airbags.
Just bought a leftover 2012 Sonic HB 1.8 MT with upgraded radio and paint for $14k.

Can 't help but compare the two.

Similar in market segment and price but they are both very different.

Sonic Tall and narrow...Cobalt much lower and wider.
More room in the Cobalt. Better interior in the Sonic.
More features in the Sonic....power locks, TPMS, On Star, alloy wheels, way better radio.

Surprisingly 2.2 motor in the Cobalt more powerful and smoother and quieter too. 4 sp Auto in the Cobalt felt better matched to the 2.2. than the 1.8 6 speed auto I test drove which was shifting all over the place and noisy.

5 sp MT in Sonic shifts okay but revs rather high at highway speeds.

Surprisingly gas mileage is only 1-2 mpg higher in the Sonic....no difference at all if driven @ 75mph or higher...see above low gearing on the 5sp Sonic.

Handling is about the same for both when new.

Overall, I think the Sonic is a better value, the $2k price increase is not much for 6 yrs. The extra content is worth it too even though I don't use On-Star and the TPMS precludes you from switching to snow tires in the winter.

The Cobalt's cheap price showed itself with blown struts @ 30k miles, busted interior pieces, noisy rattling sway bar links and steering column etc. I guess at that price one cannot complain, it is still a great deal. It runs good today with 70k miles on it. It just rattles a bit.

I notice the Sonic already has the same lousy sway bar links. I certainly hope they changed the plastic gears in the steering column!

At this price if the Sonic can hold together a little better than the Cobalt in reliability it will be a big step forward.

I'm happy.

 

[chivalryder]

My mother has an '04 Cavalier auto and I recently drove a 2012 Cruze, the successor to the Cobalt, which was the successor to the Cavalier.

I have to say, WOW! WHAT A DIFFERENCE 8 YEARS MAKES! There is a lot more difference between the changes in the last 5 years than the 5 years before that. New(er) cars these days are worth the extra cost!

 

[Calculon]

5 sp MT in Sonic shifts okay but revs rather high at highway speeds.

If I'm doing 75MPH, I'm just a bit over 3000 RPM, but on say a Fit, it's more like 4500 RPM. I though the 5SP felt better than the 6SP, at least the ones I test drove.

 

[Goneau]

If I'm doing 75MPH, I'm just a bit over 3000 RPM, but on say a Fit, it's more like 4500 RPM. I though the 5SP felt better than the 6SP, at least the ones I test drove.

yeah 75 rides nice and it's about 33.5 MPG if i reset and keep cruise on, and my girlfriend has a Hyundai Accent GT 5MT and it's about 4200 at 75...

you'd be surprised how nice 3k feels compared to 4.2 lol

 

[Calculon]

That's why I think the Sonic is one of the best choices in the segment, it's quiet, which is the way most people will use their Sonics, as commuters.

 

[Swordsmith]

Can 't help but compare the two.
Surprisingly 2.2 motor in the Cobalt more powerful and smoother and quieter too.

2.2 liters is more powerful than 1.8 liters? I don't disagree but I'm a little confused by the word surprisingly.

4 sp Auto in the Cobalt felt better matched to the 2.2. than the 1.8 6 speed auto I test drove which was shifting all over the place and noisy.

5 sp MT in Sonic shifts okay but revs rather high at highway speeds.

Trifecta tune for auto transmission will reportedly fix the weird shifting decisions the Sonic makes. I drive the 6 speed manual so I can't really respond to either of these complaints other than that.

Surprisingly gas mileage is only 1-2 mpg higher in the Sonic....no difference at all if driven @ 75mph or higher...see above low gearing on the 5sp Sonic.

The 1.8 isn't as good on gas as the 1.4t, and as you say the lack of a sixth gear is hurting you at high speeds. That said this is still pretty surprising, the Cobalt is a bigger car with a bigger engine and an auto transmission, those factors generally each mean worse mpg, add them all together and 1-2mpg seems really small. Could be your driving style though, are you comparing your mpg on the sonic vs daughter's on the Cobalt? Driving style is a huge factor, Smit can get 60mpg out of a Sonic while I can get under 30 mpg with one rigged up practically identically.

TPMS precludes you from switching to snow tires in the winter.

TPMS doesn't preclude swapping tires. You could A) get a second set of TPMS or B) pay to have the TPMS swapped each time you swap tires or C) screw TPMS since it is pretty much useless, just leave it in the stock tires and swap them in before inspection. Or D) buy a good set of all weathers and use them year round, moving the TPMS to them just the one time. The stock Hankooks are probably the worst thing about the Sonic.

I notice the Sonic already has the same lousy sway bar links. I certainly hope they changed the plastic gears in the steering column!

Yes we've had many reports of sway bar link failures already, in fact I think I heard if you take your car to the dealership and ask they will replace them, a service bulletin item but not a recall? Haven't heard anything about steering fails but thanks for mentioning it, something to look out for.

Welcome to the Sonic family!

 

[SonicBoy24]

I'd take a 2door cobalt any day over a sonic, I wanted one instead of the Sonic I'm stuck in.
But the warranty, 6speed tranny, aggressive headlights, and mileage is definetly a plus, but I wish I had something manual with more stock power and room for mods than a sonic...

 

[chivalryder]

I'd take a 2door cobalt any day over a sonic, I wanted one instead of the Sonic I'm stuck in.
But the warranty, 6speed tranny, aggressive headlights, and mileage is definetly a plus, but I wish I had something manual with more stock power and room for mods than a sonic...

I imagine the Sonic will have a very strong aftermarket following in a few more years. It targets the right crowd for that. It's just too new to have the strong support. Everything still needs to be developed!

 

[SonicBoy24]

I imagine the Sonic will have a very strong aftermarket following in a few more years. It targets the right crowd for that. It's just too new to have the strong support. Everything still needs to be developed!

its still a 4 door.

 

[ChrisJ]

If I'm doing 75MPH, I'm just a bit over 3000 RPM, but on say a Fit, it's more like 4500 RPM. I though the 5SP felt better than the 6SP, at least the ones I test drove.

With the 1.4 + 6spd I'm at around 2500rpm at 75mph.

its still a 4 door.

You say this like its a bad thing.


Making a car with two rows of seats and only 1 set of doors is like building a room and not putting a door in so you have to crawl through a window. They have longer doors making it tighter in parking lots, very awkward getting in and out of back seats, hard to put anything in the backseat for same reason. And why? Because people for some reason think the quantity of doors has some magical effect on how "cool" or "sporty" a car is? A STI is a 4 door and is one of the best "sporty" cars on the market in my book.

I owned two 2 door cars previously because I bought them used and had no money so it was what it was. Never again unless its only a 2 seater of course. Making a 2 seater with 4 doors would be as dumb as a 4\5 seater with 2 doors.

 

[Swordsmith]

My sonic has five doors, four is just sad. Unless it's that funny one with one on the left and two on the right plus a hatch, that's so crazy it just might work.

Sonic HB tries to pretend it's a two door, with the hidden handles on the rear doors. I'm not sure anyone is fooled, but if there's a perception two doors is cooler, I guess maybe that makes sense. I always wondered why they did that to us.

 

[chivalryder]

2 door is beomcing so obsolete these days, most "2-door" cars being produced now have a 3rd suicide door to make access to the rear seats easier. That nullifies the "2 door" "coolness."

The only cars that really should only have 2 doors are cars that only have 2 seats, which is almost none. I yearn for the day where someone makes a car the origional Miata was: Simple, bare-bones, no frills sports car. 2 doors, 2 seats, no features. My dream!

There's also the arguement that a 4 door car, with smaller openings on the side of the car, are stiffer. Therefore, 4 door cars arguably handle better.

There's a reason why nearly all WRC are/used to be 4 door sedans.

 

[chivalryder]

My sonic has five doors, four is just sad. Unless it's that funny one with one on the left and two on the right plus a hatch, that's so crazy it just might work.

Sonic HB tries to pretend it's a two door, with the hidden handles on the rear doors. I'm not sure anyone is fooled, but if there's a perception two doors is cooler, I guess maybe that makes sense. I always wondered why they did that to us.

I've had people go up to my car and were like "Whoa! There are doors on the back!?"

 

[Ltguy]

^ me too

I have had several delta platform cars and I'm happier with the Sonic... '07 G5 I bought brand new, '06 Cobalt SS, and a '10 Cobalt SS. The SS is deff worth the price increase as it is built 100x better but it's still a rattle trap and cheap plastic parts break very easy. The '10 was a wicked car but I drive 50+ miles every day and the mpg sucked cuz I couldn't keep my foot out of it. Plus insurance costs a lot more on a cobalt, mostly because its younger drivers that have them insured whereas the Sonic being so new and having so many air bags help lower the insurance cuz a lot of parents aren't going to buy their 16 yr old a brand new car...

 

[cndctrdj]

Just own both. I have my cobalt ss 2 door and my sonic 4 door

 

[sx sonic]

I've had people go up to my car and were like "Whoa! There are doors on the back!?"

I've had many people ask where the back door handles where and two girls me and my friend convinced there were no back doors and the only way they could get in the back seats was thru the hatch.

It was amusing watch them clamber in thru the hatch and even funnier when they found the inside door handles!

 

[Ltguy]

^ lol

 

[RobbyS]

My parents bought a brand new 2007 Cobalt LS manual for $7k. My parents just bought my Sonic LT HB 1.4 manual for $13k.
The pedals in the Cobalt are really weird compared to my Sonic. I've never read anything about this before, but the Sonic has long pedals. I think my car handles better, is more powerful, and is more comfortable than the Cobalt.
And while it is a 4-5 door, it's still somewhat sporty. I wanted a 2 door, but the only 2 door GM has under $25k is the Camaro. The Camaro's insurance would've been WAY too much for me to get. I've had two girls try getting into the back of my car, after I convinced them they had to go behind the seats of the driver door. (like in 2 door cars) They did get a little mad when they figured out it had more than two doors.

 

[chivalryder]

I've had many people ask where the back door handles where and two girls me and my friend convinced there were no back doors and the only way they could get in the back seats was thru the hatch.

It was amusing watch them clamber in thru the hatch and even funnier when they found the inside door handles!

I've had two girls try getting into the back of my car, after I convinced them they had to go behind the seats of the driver door. (like in 2 door cars) They did get a little mad when they figured out it had more than two doors.

Totally worth it!

I've also had people go up to the back door and go "wtf!? Where is the handle!?" Some people I even had to show them where it was.

 

[klystron]

I have a 2009 Cobalt LT XFE. I like it a lot more than the Sonic. It's more comfortable and can actually get up a hill in 5th gear. (Sometimes the Sonic can.) I've been getting better mileage in the Cobalt. I bought the Sonic for a more modern flashy car with neat stuff, but I find I don't really like the neat stuff. I'm glad I kept the Cobalt instead of trading it in, and the Sonic is now for sale.

And the 2.2 is a lot faster, but if I ever tuned the Sonic I know the Sonic would be faster.