2012 Chevrolet Sonic
The Chevy Aveo never lied to the American people, but it does have other connections to Richard Nixon. The former president was elected twice; the Aveo was sold for two generations. Nixon promoted American trade with Asia; the Aveo was built in Asia. Nixon sucked; the Aveo . . . well, no need to speak ill of the dead. Finally, Americans likely would have been willing to elect anyone after Nixon was gone, and so it follows that any Aveo replacement will be an improvement. Chevy says the new Sonic, set to debut at the 2011 Detroit auto show, isn’t just better than the Aveo—it’s good in its own right.
Getting Serious About Getting Small
When GM hit the skids a few years ago, one of the familiar cries from critics was that the firm hadn’t focused on small cars. The criticism appears to have been answered. The Sonic is the second of three new small Chevys; above it sits the Cruze, and come late this year, the Spark will sit below.
With this in mind, the company has skinned the new Sonic—which is available as both a five-door hatchback and a four-door sedan—to look like something more than an econobox. The execution is faithful to the Aveo RS concept car. The headlights are said to be motorcycle-inspired, and while we don’t exactly see a Kawasaki Ninja in there, they are attractive to be sure.
Astonishingly, GM has scored a coup in designing the Sonic sedan: Unlike so many other B-segment sedans, it doesn’t look like a high-waisted shopping cart. The hatch has its own noteworthy exterior design touch. Instead of the rear doors’ handles being in their traditional place on, you know, the door, they are integrated into the pillar, à la Alfa Romeo Giulietta and, much less sexily, a number of mid-1990s GM coupes. The effect is definitely helpful for the hatch’s profile, giving it the appearance of a sportier three-door car.
The Sonic’s two-tone interior is clean and, like the bigger Cruze’s, features a high-mounted center audio unit and straightforward HVAC knobs. A stylish steering wheel drives home the point that the Sonic may be a B-segment car, but it’s not anodyne
Hand-Me-Downs That Aren’t Worn-Out
The outgoing Aveo had a wheezy 1.6-liter engine, which made a max of 108 hp (woo!) and which we said helped make the car “as entertaining as televised ice fishing.” But the Sonic won’t wade into battle with another engine with horsepower circa 100, even if such weakling mills serve somewhat admirably in the Honda Fit and Mazda 2. Instead, Chevy has bestowed the Sonic with the engine lineup straight out of the bigger Cruze. That means the base engine is a 1.8-liter four with 138 hp and 125 lb-ft of torque. The optional 1.4-liter turbo four—which will be available on all Sonics except the base LS—offers the same 138 hp as the 1.8 but a more useful 148 lb-ft of torque.
Either engine gives the Sonic the highest horsepower ratings in the segment, but there’s more to light the enthusiast community’s candle: While the base engine will be available with a six-speed automatic or a five-speed manual, the optional turbo engine will be sold exclusively with a six-speed stick. Another gift from the Cruze was the torsion-beam rear suspension—you didn’t expect an independent rear in this cheap little guy, did you?—but given our experiences with the Cruze, GM has figured out how to make a torsion-beam setup deliver decent handling.
Chevy is loading up the Sonic with a litany of features and safety equipment. Inside, it has rear seats that fold nearly flat, a funky gauge cluster (also said to be motorcycle-inspired but actually closer to Sega-inspired), and options that were once reserved for more-upmarket cars, like heated front seats, a remote-start system, XM satellite radio, the MyChevrolet mobile application, and a USB/Bluetooth hookup. Fifteen-inch wheels are standard, but buyers can move up to 16s or 17s if they so desire. Standard safety features include 10 airbags, OnStar, and electronic stability control.
When, and How Much?
GM hasn’t shared the exact on-sale information yet, but it has said that the Sonic will hit showrooms late in 2011. As for pricing, the 2011 Aveo starts at $12,685, and the Sonic shouldn’t move much higher. Figure on about $13,000 for bog-standard entry-level LS to just over $18,000 for a fully-spec’d turbo car. Even at that price, we don’t expect the Sonic to invite calls for its impeachment.
The Chevy Aveo never lied to the American people, but it does have other connections to Richard Nixon. The former president was elected twice; the Aveo was sold for two generations. Nixon promoted American trade with Asia; the Aveo was built in Asia. Nixon sucked; the Aveo . . . well, no need to speak ill of the dead. Finally, Americans likely would have been willing to elect anyone after Nixon was gone, and so it follows that any Aveo replacement will be an improvement. Chevy says the new Sonic, set to debut at the 2011 Detroit auto show, isn’t just better than the Aveo—it’s good in its own right.
Getting Serious About Getting Small
When GM hit the skids a few years ago, one of the familiar cries from critics was that the firm hadn’t focused on small cars. The criticism appears to have been answered. The Sonic is the second of three new small Chevys; above it sits the Cruze, and come late this year, the Spark will sit below.
With this in mind, the company has skinned the new Sonic—which is available as both a five-door hatchback and a four-door sedan—to look like something more than an econobox. The execution is faithful to the Aveo RS concept car. The headlights are said to be motorcycle-inspired, and while we don’t exactly see a Kawasaki Ninja in there, they are attractive to be sure.
Astonishingly, GM has scored a coup in designing the Sonic sedan: Unlike so many other B-segment sedans, it doesn’t look like a high-waisted shopping cart. The hatch has its own noteworthy exterior design touch. Instead of the rear doors’ handles being in their traditional place on, you know, the door, they are integrated into the pillar, à la Alfa Romeo Giulietta and, much less sexily, a number of mid-1990s GM coupes. The effect is definitely helpful for the hatch’s profile, giving it the appearance of a sportier three-door car.
The Sonic’s two-tone interior is clean and, like the bigger Cruze’s, features a high-mounted center audio unit and straightforward HVAC knobs. A stylish steering wheel drives home the point that the Sonic may be a B-segment car, but it’s not anodyne
Hand-Me-Downs That Aren’t Worn-Out
The outgoing Aveo had a wheezy 1.6-liter engine, which made a max of 108 hp (woo!) and which we said helped make the car “as entertaining as televised ice fishing.” But the Sonic won’t wade into battle with another engine with horsepower circa 100, even if such weakling mills serve somewhat admirably in the Honda Fit and Mazda 2. Instead, Chevy has bestowed the Sonic with the engine lineup straight out of the bigger Cruze. That means the base engine is a 1.8-liter four with 138 hp and 125 lb-ft of torque. The optional 1.4-liter turbo four—which will be available on all Sonics except the base LS—offers the same 138 hp as the 1.8 but a more useful 148 lb-ft of torque.
Either engine gives the Sonic the highest horsepower ratings in the segment, but there’s more to light the enthusiast community’s candle: While the base engine will be available with a six-speed automatic or a five-speed manual, the optional turbo engine will be sold exclusively with a six-speed stick. Another gift from the Cruze was the torsion-beam rear suspension—you didn’t expect an independent rear in this cheap little guy, did you?—but given our experiences with the Cruze, GM has figured out how to make a torsion-beam setup deliver decent handling.
Chevy is loading up the Sonic with a litany of features and safety equipment. Inside, it has rear seats that fold nearly flat, a funky gauge cluster (also said to be motorcycle-inspired but actually closer to Sega-inspired), and options that were once reserved for more-upmarket cars, like heated front seats, a remote-start system, XM satellite radio, the MyChevrolet mobile application, and a USB/Bluetooth hookup. Fifteen-inch wheels are standard, but buyers can move up to 16s or 17s if they so desire. Standard safety features include 10 airbags, OnStar, and electronic stability control.
When, and How Much?
GM hasn’t shared the exact on-sale information yet, but it has said that the Sonic will hit showrooms late in 2011. As for pricing, the 2011 Aveo starts at $12,685, and the Sonic shouldn’t move much higher. Figure on about $13,000 for bog-standard entry-level LS to just over $18,000 for a fully-spec’d turbo car. Even at that price, we don’t expect the Sonic to invite calls for its impeachment.
No comments:
Post a Comment