What are you cross shopping?

[Stic5]

We all know what cars will be the Sonic's main segment competition (Fit, Fiesta, Accent, Rio, Yaris, etc), but what new or used cars are you personally cross shopping? The alternative I have in mind is probably different than most of you...

If I do buy a Sonic, I will be getting a turbo sedan 6 speed in either LT or LTZ trim. The only car that I'm considering as an alternative would be an '08 - '10 Cobalt SS turbo. An example with around 30k miles would currently cost around $17,000 to $19,000 so it's a little more expensive, but I have some connections that might allow me to get one a little cheaper if I'm patient. Obviously the Cobalt SS is in a different league from a performance perspective, but the Sonic turbo has a large fuel economy advantage and it would be a brand new car with a full warranty which matters a lot to me. I really want something practical (since I have a '69 Vette for entertainment) but not quite as boring as my current '11 Kia Rio. There is also a possibility that the car I buy will see some track time at the local road courses. I'm leaning towards the Sonic because I think it will be the perfect blend of practicality and fun, but in the back of my head the racer side of me says screw practicality and buy the Cobalt SS and take it to the track. At this point I think I will wait and test drive a Sonic when it comes out. If I'm happy with the power and handling then I will probably buy it sometime next year.

 

[piro216]

I have two other cars I have been looking at, a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon Gt and a 2007 Monte Carlo SS. Unfortunately, it has been very difficult to find one with the options I want. So I started looking a cheap new cars and of those the only ones I even kind of liked was the Ford Fiesta and the Sonic. And I liked the Sonic so much more.

 

[Screamer4]

It's hard to cross shop new/used and make a fair comparison. With the Cobalt you have to figure things are going to break sooner, and you take the risk that it was beat on badly by the previous owner. But on the other hand, you get pretty awesome performance out of them. FWIW, the interior of the Sonic looks about 150x better than the Cobalt's, and with the Sonic you get a new car warranty and at least 10 more MPGs.

As for me I'll be checking out the 2012 Veloster, Accent, SX4 and Rio5. With the Sonic, the presence of a turbo and the focus on fun factor are HUGE pluses for me. Even if the Asian cars get a few more MPGs than the Sonic (which is very likely), the tunability of the turbo engine and the fun of a lively chassis will probably more than make up the difference.

The only other cars that offer fun handling in this segment are the Fit, SX4, Fiesta and Mazda2... and they are all slow compared to the Sonic (well stock vs stock the SX4 should be close, but lacks the potential of a turbo powerplant).

 

[TravsSonic]

(well stock vs stock the SX4 should be close, but lacks the potential of a turbo powerplant).

I really liked the looks of the sx4 and was seriously considering it, but i just couldn't get over how bad its MPG is.

 

[MacGregor]

2005 Cobalt

Dang! I just put $1K into my 2005 Cobalt for complete suspension replacement - shocks and struts. She really drives nice now. 130K miles on this little red coupe sweetheart! NO complaints. Best car I ever owned, with the possible exception of a premium gas-guzzling 2001 Caddy ElDo (before I discovered Cobalt).

Hey Dudes! I NEED Heated Seats. You can only get them on the Chevy Cruze TURBO and I will bet the dummies @ Chevy will only offer them on the Sonic TURBO!!! (I sure hope the GM dummies are reading this board!)(but I doubt it; GM management is famous in Detroit for having their heads up their butts).

If that be the case, then I will make a bee-line to my VW dealer. Truly, the Vee Dub standard (NON-TURBO) Golf is a motor vehicle with amenities and handling that will Blow Yer Socks Off!!!

 

[Stic5]

It's hard to cross shop new/used and make a fair comparison. With the Cobalt you have to figure things are going to break sooner, and you take the risk that it was beat on badly by the previous owner. But on the other hand, you get pretty awesome performance out of them. FWIW, the interior of the Sonic looks about 150x better than the Cobalt's, and with the Sonic you get a new car warranty and at least 10 more MPGs

I agree with everything you said there. If I get the Sonic I will get a tune which will probably hurt its fuel economy a little but give it some added performance, making it a little closer to the Cobalt SS on both counts.

As for me I'll be checking out the 2012 Veloster, Accent, SX4 and Rio5. With the Sonic, the presence of a turbo and the focus on fun factor are HUGE pluses for me. Even if the Asian cars get a few more MPGs than the Sonic (which is very likely), the tunability of the turbo engine and the fun of a lively chassis will probably more than make up the difference.

How do you figure that those asian options will get better fuel economy? It's likely to be the other way around unless you tune the Sonic really agressively.

 

[Memphis]

I'm beginning to get interested in the Honda civic si sedan. That's probably because I'm just impatient and am getting annoyed at waiting for the sonic.

 

[Screamer4]

How do you figure that those asian options will get better fuel economy? It's likely to be the other way around unless you tune the Sonic really agressively.

It's speculation, but they will probably undercut the Sonic's weight by a couple hundred pounds. The Sonic is supposed to weigh about 500lbs less than the Cruze, which will put it at around 2600lbs, the Korean twins are shooting for a curb weight of 2400lbs.

The engine in the Koreans is already rated at 29/40 in the heavier Elantra, so it stands to reason that they will be able to better that figure in the subcompacts.

Yeah the Cruze ECO is rated at 42mpg/hwy, but from lurking the Cruze forums it seems like that is a really optimistic number. That's why I said that I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Koreans slightly edge out the Sonic in real world fuel economy.

It's doubtful that the difference will be huge though.

 

[Memphis]

Korean twins?

 

[TravsSonic]

kia and hyundai. Both are owned by hyundai and are pretty much the same cars, just different body lines.

 

[Memphis]

Gotcha never heard of them referred to that name. I hope the sonic weights about 2600. It's body is 60% steel. Change the hood and remove the spare tire and stuff and it will be down to probably about 2480.