 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ hatchback. Click image to enlarge |
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Review by Michael Schlee; photos by Nelson Sta Mina
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2012 Chevrolet Sonic
You can be forgiven if the thought of a new subcompact car from General Motors doesn’t send your heart racing. Over the past few decades the poor General has struck out more times than A Rod in a cold slump. The Pontiac Le Mans, Geo Metro and Chevrolet Aveo never lived up to the standards set by the class front-runners – or even mid-packers. So, the question is then, can the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic break this losing streak and get the General back on top? Yes, yes it can.
All new for 2012, the Chevrolet Sonic is available in both hatchback and sedan forms. We sampled the top-of-the-line Chevrolet Sonic LTZ Turbo Hatchback. The LTZ ditches the regular Sonic’s 1.8-litre 136-hp motor for a 138-hp 1.4-litre turbocharged gas burner. Although the horsepower numbers are very similar, the difference lies in the torque: 125 lb.-ft. for the 1.8 vs 148 lb.-ft. for the 1.4 turbo. If you think you’ve heard this all before, you’re right, these are the same engines offered in the larger Chevrolet Cruze. Interestingly, the LTZ model is only available with a 6-speed manual transmission.
 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ hatchback. Click image to enlarge |
The Sonic starts at a base price of $14,495 for the sedan and $15,495 for the Hatchback. The LTZ Hatchback comes fully loaded at a sticker price of $20,995 ($22,590 after destination fees). For that price some unexpected features pop up that were not available in subcompact cars a few years ago. Our car had a tilt/telescopic steering wheel, heated leatherette seats and, of course, the turbocharged engine. The only options available on the LTZ are a smoker’s package, sunroof and oil pan heater; our car came with none of these options.
Unlike its predecessor, the Sonic is built in the USA. In fact, Chevrolet touts this car as the only subcompact built in the USA. Although it is based on GM’s new Gamma II global subcompact platform, the Sonic unfortunately shares some styling cues from the outgoing Aveo. It’s not that there’s anything I would have changed with the Sonic, it’s just a shame that GM dressed up the last Aveo redesign in some of the styling cues that were also in the pipeline for the Sonic, especially the new signature Chevy split grille. It would have been nice if they had withheld these styling cues to completely make a break from the Aveo stigma. If you are going to change the name, why not change the looks? Make no mistake though; these two cars share nothing in common, except for some of those looks.
 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ hatchback. Click image to enlarge |
An initial drive reveals that the steering is artificially light in the tradition of recent Chevrolet vehicles, but very direct; just over two rotations lock to lock. It makes the car a bit darty on the highways at first until you are used to it; I was weaving back and forth like a texting-and-driving idiot for the first few seconds. Once adjusted to the responsiveness, the car becomes very tossable and light on its feet. The chassis is refined and very solid feeling for a car in this class. We had a Hyundai Accent and Nissan Versa on hand when testing the Sonic and neither of them could match the Sonic’s solid feel. Part of it may be due to the Sonic’s higher curb weight of 1,259 kg.
