Sonic Review on Motorweek TV show

[BoG233]

Per my Window Sticker:
Engine: United States
Transmission: Austria

As to fit and finish: No defects noted.

As to the rear seats, both were folded down to get the OEM wheel/tires in so I could drive them home after I upgraded from the 15" to 17" wheels. No looseness noted and movement to fold and unfold quite easy.

Radio works and plays CDs as expected.

No orange peel in the paint. Headliner intact. Sun visors work as expected, and include tiny mirrors, which I did not realize were part of the car.

Very smooth transmission, may even be smoother than my 1974 Saab Sonett III which AAA bought in 1980 after I was pancaked while stopped at a red light. The Sonett had a freewheeling clutch, which contributed to the transmissions smooth shifting.

My complaint: the Sonic is too quiet and I have to adjust as I am used to shifting per the sound of the engine.

The one option I miss: powered drivers seat as I like to incrementally move the seat up and down and back and forward as I am barreling down the hi-way.

Laborsmith

I agree it is to quiet ( But I ride a Harley so every thing is quiet to me )

 

[Fit4Sonic]

Per my Window Sticker:
Engine: United States
Transmission: Austria

My complaint: the Sonic is too quiet and I have to adjust as I am used to shifting per the sound of the engine.

The one option I miss: powered drivers seat as I like to incrementally move the seat up and down and back and forward as I am barreling down the hi-way.

Laborsmith

- I hear Mercedes folks worked on, designed and/or tuned aspects of the Sonic. I don't know whether that means engine, suspension, or both... pre or post production. But those Austrian Merc guys definitely contributed a few things of significance to the Sonic.

- As far as the Sonic being "too quiet"? GOOD! All the more reason to add a CAI or a SRI, and a performance exhaust!

- I always miss powered adjustable seats. I have them in my Avalanche, but do not have them in my Fit Sport. The Fit doesn't even have a seat height adjustment... which $uck$ BIG-TIME!

Hey, install that CAI or SRI, post some pics, then tell us how it runs and sounds.

 

[Maxamillion11]

What problems have you had Sonicchef...Just curious because I know people that have the Sonic and absolutely love the car. They also haven't had any problems yet. I'm actually in the process of getting one because I see how happy my buddy is with his. From what I see the materials used are actually a lot better then previous Chevy's.

 

[Sonicchef2012]

My Sonic pops out of 2nd and 3rd gear, my left back seat back comes apart when I move it forward. The headliner is collapsing about 2-3 inches from the roof. There are rattles in the dash, should I go on. I feel this car will be a piece of junk in a couple of months and I've had this car since Sept. 2011.

 

[Sonicchef2012]

If the Chevy dealership won't do anything for you, go to another Chevy dealership. Or better yet, contact a district office. I'm guessing Chevy has waaaaay too much riding on this car to let you have a bad apple, or in this case, lemon.

I did go to another Chevy dealership and they said the same thing!!!

 

[Sonicchef2012]

Sonicchef2012, can you tell us more about your transmission problem?

The 2nd gear popping out, what engine/trans do you have. What conditions cause it to pop out of gear?
Both trans have been in use for several years in Europe and Asia. I believe that all the Sonics so far have engine/trans built somewhere else because the domestic producer is not up to speed yet. Can anyone confirm that?

As for the interior issues...I agree with the others, they should fix those without question.

What was the issue at the dealer?

I have the 1.8 engine with manual trans., when I turn the corner or step on the gas it pops out of gear. These transmissions are junk!!! Not like your father's Oldsmobile.

Dealer said that they couldn't fully replicate the problem and so they said the car was fine.

 

[Sonicchef2012]

Have you tried contacting your dealer at all about these issues? Seems like you might have gotten a bad one, and they *should* be willing to fix it. Keep in mind that the vehicle has been in production for only 3 months now (probably far less than that when yours was made) and first run vehicles are notorious for defects from all makes.

I fell like painting the car bright yellow and selling lemonade from it on saturdays from the chevy dealership where I bought it from, or running off a cliff or hoping for Jewish lightning to strike it and let it burn to the ground,

 

[Classix]

1st impressions- 2012 1LT Turbo HB (long)

Manufacture date Oct 2011
Engine: 1.4 turbo- US
Trans: 6 Speed Manual- AU

I took delivery of the car 10 days ago, and have put about 100 miles on it:

Ave. MPG: 25.5 during a moderately aggressive break-in process. while I do not yet have much data for economy style driving, I fully expect this car to exceed the stated mpg averages in normal driving conditions.

Clutch: My vehicle's clutch engages consistently at approx. 1" from the floor.
I did not take note of the disengage point; my foot tells me i am dealing with less then 1/4" of "slip" range before the clutch is fully engaged or disengaged. I have not experienced any grabbing, uncontrolled slipping or chattering.
There is about 3/4" of free-play at the beginning of the peddle travel, before the throwout bearing touches the leaf springs on the clutch.
I have not measured the distance of full peddle travel.

Trans: Shifting seems smooth, the syncros solid. I have not been able to pop it out of any gear throughout the useable power band during hard acceleration or deceleration. The gearing seems intuitive for me. It feels like a 4 speed with 2 overdrives. My car does about 90mph at 6000rpm in 3rd (cant say exactly, I was watching for speed traps and monitoring the tach), and i didn't take it over 90mph, because i don't know the speed range of the factory Hankook tires

Engine: The 1.4L turbo/6 speed trans combo seems to be a great match for the Sonic's GVW of ~3500lbs.
The low end of the power band is about 2000rpm. From 2-6krpm, acceleration is smooth, positive, and very responsive. Deceleration is dampened (naturally or intentionally) so the car is not jerky during transition from accel to decel or during engine breaking.
The turbo appears to have 2 modes of operation, demand-driven and load-driven. I have not researched the Ecotec series specs or implementation yet, so I am simply reporting my experience and suspicions.
In the 2-6k rpm range it feels demand-driven. The response to accelerator pedal input is immediate and satisfying (applying 3/4 to full throttle at 3-5k rpm is impressive).
In the economy range (idle to 2k rpm) it feels load-driven, response to accelerator pedal input is dampened. The engine will ramp up to the low end of the power band, where there is a slight but noticeable step up to the demand-driven mode. It does not feel like its lugging, as a normally aspirated 1.4L hauling 3500lbs around would, so I think the turbo kicks in and out in this rpm range to achieve fuel economy while still supplying sufficient power.
I got into a couple of situations where i needed to jack rabbit in traffic while in this rpm range. Downshifting and punching it worked every time.

Suspension, Steering and Brakes: I feel very much in control while driving this car. It is responsive, stable, and handles like a sports car. The ride is reasonably comfortable, yet stiff enough to provide good road feedback. I expected the turning radius to be a bit tighter, but it is sufficient to negotiate most parking situations. Braking is smooth and positive. Its been raining for 7 of the 10 days that I have had the car and it handles well in both wet and dry conditions. We have not had snow yet. I do not have access to a track so I have not yet invoked the anti-lock braking or Stabilitrac systems.

Exterior: I have not found any problems with the fit and finish. As with all Hatchbacks, the aerodynamics of the car are not ideal. Additionally, I can hear some wind turbulence in the front wheel wells starting at about 50mph. The car does not buffet at high speeds on an open road. I have not tried it in the wake of semi at highway speeds, but it seemed to handle a variable 20mph crosswind well.

Interior: Fit and finish seem fine so far. The 1LT package is pretty nice, and the car doesn't look or feel cheap. There is an unbelievable amount of head and leg room for a compact model. The storage space in the HB is great (30+ cu ft). I'm still getting used to the blind spots, but the external mirrors are surprisingly effective. The head rests on the rear seats block about 30% of the view in the rear view mirror, I wish they were removable. I don't normally have more than 1 passenger, so i keep them folded down anyway.

Overall: I expected the learning curve that comes with jumping from a 1964 Chevy Van to 2012 Chevy Sonic to be pretty steep. I am pleasantly surprised to find how easy this car is to transition to. It is practical, economic, cheap to operate and insure, affordable, and fun.
GM did an outstanding job of bundling performance and economy with the 1.4L turbo, its worth every penny of the additional $700. If you follow the shift indicator, you will find yourself cruising along at about 1200rpm. Need power? Its a simple downshift away. I'm somewhat surprised GM released the Sonic at a price point so close to the Cruze. For under $20k this car is a gem.

Sorry about the length of this post, but i wanted to report on some of the issues other posters had brought up. Hope u find this helpful.

 

[LS1notFOUND]

I've been waiting for a while to post something about the clutch and gearing on my 1.8L 5SPD hoping that I just needed to learn to drive a non-turbo non-diesel car again. I think enough time has passed that I can conclusively say that something is wrong with 2nd gear in this car. Let me briefly explain.

I'm coming off of owning a TDI Jetta for 10 years. Torque in that car is awesome. I could easily start going in 2nd gear if I wanted to with very little riding of the clutch. I had shifting in that car pretty well down pat.

So, when I test drove this car, I noticed 2nd gear was a real dog unless you shifted from 5-6k rpm in 1st gear. Even then, there was a noticeable lag on the lower end of 2nd gear. I chalked it up to being used to shifting in a lower rpm range on my Jetta and that with enough practice, I'd "learn" to drive a non diesel again.

Well, that hasn't happened. There is certainly a sweet spot between 1st and 2nd gear but I only hit it about 50% of the time. It's gotten to the point where it's starting to annoy me how much I have to pay attention to my clutching. By "sweet spot" I mean when you shift into 2nd gear, there is no "dogging" or "lagging" when accelerating. If I don't try my best to hit the sweet spot, the car really dogs until about 3K then takes off.

The power band on this car is weird for me. I'm still hoping that I'm just not shifting right but more and more I'm realizing that the gearing just seems "off" for me.

Anyone else experience this? Remember, I've got the 1.8L 5SPD.

I did notice the 1.8L likes to be revved through 1 and 2, closer to the torque peak you get it to land in 2nd, the better off it is. With only 20 miles on mine I haven't really pushed it. I honestly think it probably likes "aggressive" quick shifts more than slow casual smooth if its like most economy cars. stop and go on the way home from the dealer for me.

 

[LS1notFOUND]

motorweek has this video up on youtube:
road test Chevy Sonic MP4 Online HD 1080 - YouTube

 

[leaky]

The one option I miss: powered drivers seat as I like to incrementally move the seat up and down and back and forward as I am barreling down the hi-way.

Laborsmith

Even on the "uplevel" seats, it's interesting they went with heated but not electric. As far as luxuries go I'd order them the other way, and I'm in NH where it definitely gets cold..

Have noticed though females always like to play with the electric seats. Maybe GM did some homework and decided adding heat was a deal-maker in the market space.

Myself I don't care, can take or leave electric in a Sonic, a luxury vehicle or loaded truck would be different.. My current vehicle has a failure in one of the motors and/or gears, it's jammed, lights dim if you hit the switch. Luckily it's in a position I'm good with.

Heat I guess is a bonus though the driver side may never get turned on.

Jon

 

[AndrewGS]

Here's the review in case anyone missed it: road test Chevy Sonic MP4 Online HD 1080 - YouTube

 

[slitzell]

I will saY IT AGAIN, I think I have a lemon, and chevy won't do anything about it, Therfore, I plan to paint it Yellow and sell lemonade out of it in front a Chevy dealership on Saturdays.

A little extreme sounding. go to another dealership and get the problems fixed. The car is def not a lemon and is built way better IMO than other cars in its class.

 

[Natesriv]

Clutch engagment

Reading this post they did mention the engagement point, but never answered is this adjustable.

Is there any way to adjust it? I'm getting used to it, but I'd still prefer the clutch engage about 1/2 up the pedal travel instead of 3/4's.

 

[RS Turbo]

I fell like painting the car bright yellow and selling lemonade from it on saturdays from the chevy dealership where I bought it from, or running off a cliff or hoping for Jewish lightning to strike it and let it burn to the ground,

Please post the Pics... I always support local Lemonade stands.

 

[Swordsmith]

They mention clutch engagement point twice in the segment, it's apparent they really hated that part. I haven't had any complaints about it, although lower would be better. We should put this on the Wish List for our various vendors to work on an aftermarket adjustment kit!

 

[Natesriv]

I mean is it just a wire being pulled, where one could adjust, or is it more an hydraulic setup where it's constant...no "screw" to turn?

 

[wr_guy]

I wonder if there is an adjustable push rod on the clutch master cylinder.

I notice the same high engagement and a clicking noise as well.

Just bought the car yesterday.

 

[Spartan_chaz]

I do agree with them on the high clutch engagment coming from my 86 fiero gt which even on its origanal clutch it bit almost right off the bat so it took some getting used to. But, I believe they did a great review on it most everything they said I agree with!

 

[Papasonic]

I'll never totally get used to the high clutch engagement. A high clutch engagement used to be a symptom of a clutch nearing the end of its service life.