Lost our Sonic :(
- Thread starter ChrisJ
- Start date
ChrisJ
Active member
We don't have the police report yet so no idea why they ran into it at this time.
We are trying to buy a blue 1.4 2012 with connectivity package. The only bad part about this will be teaching the wife how to drive it.
opcorn: I test drove one last night and loved it.
I had actually wanted a 1.4 when we bought this one but the dealer lied to me and told me they weren't out yet back in May 2012. Obviously we are not doing business with them this time. With my 1.8 I had pulled off 41.6MPG with A/C on but it took a lot of effort. Typically I saw 33MPG for our commute with a mix of traffic and hills so I'm curious what increase the 1.4 should give me, I'm hoping 36-38 average.
mightymeglet, my wife was in tears and is still upset over the whole thing even though in our family it was considered "my car". :sadbanana: But yea, it stunk and is still stinking even though we are buying a new one it still feels weird.
We are trying to buy a blue 1.4 2012 with connectivity package. The only bad part about this will be teaching the wife how to drive it.
opcorn: I test drove one last night and loved it.I had actually wanted a 1.4 when we bought this one but the dealer lied to me and told me they weren't out yet back in May 2012. Obviously we are not doing business with them this time. With my 1.8 I had pulled off 41.6MPG with A/C on but it took a lot of effort. Typically I saw 33MPG for our commute with a mix of traffic and hills so I'm curious what increase the 1.4 should give me, I'm hoping 36-38 average.
mightymeglet, my wife was in tears and is still upset over the whole thing even though in our family it was considered "my car". :sadbanana: But yea, it stunk and is still stinking even though we are buying a new one it still feels weird.
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I think for whatever reason, NJ dealers got screwed on the turbos. The dealer I went to didn't have very many turbos, and one had to be driven in from PA to get a blue automatic with connectivity. They did it though.We are trying to buy a blue 1.4 2012 with connectivity package. The only bad part about this will be teaching the wife how to drive it.
I had actually wanted a 1.4 when we bought this one but the dealer lied to me and told me they weren't out yet back in May 2012. Obviously we are not doing business with them this time.
Eric Smit
Enforcer
I did notice a large increase in MPG if I could keep my damn foot off the gas eating pedal.
-Eric Smit
slimjim550
New member
Looks like it may be a close call. It very well be totaled out to you then sold and fixed up taken out of state and resold. In other words it more likely then not fixable it some one wants it "fixed"
Itsalauren
New member
We don't have the police report yet so no idea why they ran into it at this time.
We are trying to buy a blue 1.4 2012 with connectivity package. The only bad part about this will be teaching the wife how to drive it.
I had actually wanted a 1.4 when we bought this one but the dealer lied to me and told me they weren't out yet back in May 2012. Obviously we are not doing business with them this time. With my 1.8 I had pulled off 41.6MPG with A/C on but it took a lot of effort. Typically I saw 33MPG for our commute with a mix of traffic and hills so I'm curious what increase the 1.4 should give me, I'm hoping 36-38 average.
You could always get the 1.4T with an automatic tranny. . . if she's not comfortable, that's alot of driving! I love mine and I drive about 100 miles a day average about 35-36mpg and I apparently have a lead foot, So I'm told anyways.
key1cc
New member
What he said.....I live in NJ and I had to go to PA to get my turbo LTZ hatch this past saturday...
Key1
Johnny Alien
New member
I am going against the crowd. I actually find it annoying how people here slam the 1.8. The benefits to the 1.8 are that you get more initial torque, there is no turbo lag, you can get larger wheels without paying for an LTZ, you can get fog lights without going to an LTZ and on a whole N/A engines require less maintenance than a turbo.
Yes, the turbo can get more MPG but that is mainly if you stay out of the boost and drive that 1.4...meaning you get little benefits from the turbo.
Yes, the turbo can get more MPG but that is mainly if you stay out of the boost and drive that 1.4...meaning you get little benefits from the turbo.
Bogus
Senior Member
hmm. I think I'm gonna have to agree with you. Both engines have their benefits.
ThatTmoGuy
New member
I agree that the only good side to the 1.8 is cost. you can try to say maintenance will be cheaper but just wait till you need to get that timing belt replaced every 60k and my chain makes it 200k no problem. i have a heavy foot and i can still hit 50mpg (trip avg) on a stretch of road that is really bad at making sure you get all the red lights.
a bit more initial torque isnt that big of a deal from the 1.8 to the 1.4T that extra torque makes up for it in big ways in just a few hundred RPM up the tach and im outta here.
there is a reason you see way more turbos on here than 1.8's.
a bit more initial torque isnt that big of a deal from the 1.8 to the 1.4T that extra torque makes up for it in big ways in just a few hundred RPM up the tach and im outta here.
there is a reason you see way more turbos on here than 1.8's.
sx sonic
New member
The 16in wheels and fog lights come as a package for either engine.. when the dealer was locating cars the first 5 or 6 they found within a 100mi were either 2lts, ltz, or had the bigger rims and fog lights.
There is no turbo lag in the 1.4t. There us a decent bit of compressor choke and there is boost threshold.. turbo lag would be putting the car in 3rd at 3000rpm hitting the gas and then nothing for a second or so.. boost threshold is the minimum rpm boost onset occurs, whcih I make boost at 1400 rpm at WOT. I believe that is well below the rpm range most ppl operate in.... not bashing the 1.8 just clarifying some things.
What happened to your car is nothing short of a tragedy I hope you are able to get a new car, my condolences to ur baby sonic.
Im. Assuming your wifes commute is mostly highway/interstate if that is the case and she has few stops id say opt for the turbo manual. If not you'll have to make a judgement call, got any friends with manuals haha?!? If you can teach her how to take off the rest will come very quickly.
The best way I've found to teach ppl to drive manual anything is to tell the person to smoothly let out the clutch all the way until your foot comes off the pedal, don't dump it after you feel the car start to move, keep releasing smoothly. Then have them take off a bunch of time with out touching the throttle. That seems to work the clutch release point into the pesrsons mind... after that its using a little gas to take off and if they get that shifting is easy. If after a day they can't learn clutch control then assume they will be better off with an auto.
Hope things work out for you bud and you get the car you and your wife want
-tyler
There is no turbo lag in the 1.4t. There us a decent bit of compressor choke and there is boost threshold.. turbo lag would be putting the car in 3rd at 3000rpm hitting the gas and then nothing for a second or so.. boost threshold is the minimum rpm boost onset occurs, whcih I make boost at 1400 rpm at WOT. I believe that is well below the rpm range most ppl operate in.... not bashing the 1.8 just clarifying some things.
What happened to your car is nothing short of a tragedy
I hope you are able to get a new car, my condolences to ur baby sonic.Im. Assuming your wifes commute is mostly highway/interstate if that is the case and she has few stops id say opt for the turbo manual. If not you'll have to make a judgement call, got any friends with manuals haha?!? If you can teach her how to take off the rest will come very quickly.
The best way I've found to teach ppl to drive manual anything is to tell the person to smoothly let out the clutch all the way until your foot comes off the pedal, don't dump it after you feel the car start to move, keep releasing smoothly. Then have them take off a bunch of time with out touching the throttle. That seems to work the clutch release point into the pesrsons mind... after that its using a little gas to take off and if they get that shifting is easy. If after a day they can't learn clutch control then assume they will be better off with an auto.
Hope things work out for you bud and you get the car you and your wife want
-tyler
ChrisJ
Active member
The 16in wheels and fog lights come as a package for either engine.. when the dealer was locating cars the first 5 or 6 they found within a 100mi were either 2lts, ltz, or had the bigger rims and fog lights.
There is no turbo lag in the 1.4t. There us a decent bit of compressor choke and there is boost threshold.. turbo lag would be putting the car in 3rd at 3000rpm hitting the gas and then nothing for a second or so.. boost threshold is the minimum rpm boost onset occurs, whcih I make boost at 1400 rpm at WOT. I believe that is well below the rpm range most ppl operate in.... not bashing the 1.8 just clarifying some things.
What happened to your car is nothing short of a tragedy
Im. Assuming your wifes commute is mostly highway/interstate if that is the case and she has few stops id say opt for the turbo manual. If not you'll have to make a judgement call, got any friends with manuals haha?!? If you can teach her how to take off the rest will come very quickly.
The best way I've found to teach ppl to drive manual anything is to tell the person to smoothly let out the clutch all the way until your foot comes off the pedal, don't dump it after you feel the car start to move, keep releasing smoothly. Then have them take off a bunch of time with out touching the throttle. That seems to work the clutch release point into the pesrsons mind... after that its using a little gas to take off and if they get that shifting is easy. If after a day they can't learn clutch control then assume they will be better off with an auto.
Hope things work out for you bud and you get the car you and your wife want
-tyler
Its actually both of our commutes as we car pool, just after I get to work she has to drive her self around 10 miles to where she works.
We are picking up our new Blue 1LT 1.4T 6spd manual 2012 Sonic tomorrow morning. Only special package it has is connectivity which our old Sonic didn't have.
By the way, I don't think you can get 16" rims and fog lights with the 1.4 unless you go with the LTZ at least not on a 2012. This is going by GM's build your own on the website.
Though I only test drove the 1.4 turbo with manual for 30 minutes or so, I personally didn't notice any problems with delay. I've been in cars with turbos that didn't spool up until 2500-3K and that was very noticeable.
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I was told that the 1.4L could NOT get the wheels and fog lamp package. That it was only available for the 1.8L engine.
sx sonic
New member
ChrisJ that is awesome news. I hope the new car works out for you.
It is possible I am wrong about the package options, I was very picky about all my options (sans color) and while they were locating one that suited my demands dealer said they found one but it had rims and foglights, it is possible that they were looking up wrong engine/package or I heard wrong
-tyler
It is possible I am wrong about the package options, I was very picky about all my options (sans color) and while they were locating one that suited my demands dealer said they found one but it had rims and foglights, it is possible that they were looking up wrong engine/package or I heard wrong
-tyler
ChrisJ
Active member
OR they didn't understand the packages.
Something I'd love to know is on the 2012 series is the ONLY difference between a 1LT and a 2LT is the 1LT is manual and the 2LT is auto?
It seemed to me like both dealers I've been to didn't really quite know the stuff on the Sonics. They certainly didnt know the difference between a 1LT or a 2LT without looking in the book which only lists "LT".
Chevrolet Customer Care
New member
Oh no, glad no one was hurt! Good luck with your new Sonic that you're picking up tomorrow. Post a pic if you can.
Vanessa
GM Customer Service
Vanessa
GM Customer Service
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Maddog2020
Active member
It looks really sharp, I like the color. The 1.4 does get better mileage than the 1.8. Hope you enjoy your new car.
