 2012 Chevrolet Sonic; photo courtesy General Motors. Click image to enlarge |
While not a great handling car in the sports car sense, the Sonic is a blast to drive around the city, particularly with the 1.4-litre engine, which is where most buyers will spend most of their time. For those highway times, cruise control is standard on both LT and LTZ models, a feature that is not even available on some competitors. The 6-speed manual is quite slick and effortless to shift. With standard hill hold, a light clutch and the added benefit of shifting when you want to, it is unlikely many drivers will miss the automatic in the LTZ.
Sport cloth seats are standard as are 60/40 split folding rear seatbacks. LTZ models get perforated leather seats. On a long day driving from Montreal to Quebec City I found that both versions provided excellent lumbar support and helped prevent the fatigue felt in other small cars.
It is a roomy and comfortable interior with excellent head and leg room for front seat passengers belying the subcompact dimensions of the Sonic. Space for rear seat passenger is more than sufficient, particularly for children and with the 60/40 rear folding seat, cargo carrying capacity in the hatchback is quite large with 869 litres (30.7 cu. ft.) available with the rear seats folded. Trunk space in the sedan is 397 litres (14 cu. ft.).
 2012 Chevrolet Sonic; photo courtesy General Motors. Click image to enlarge |
A highlight of the Sonic interior is its motorcycle inspired gauge package that combines an analogue tachometer with a digital speedometer as well as all driver information readings. It is compact, but easy to read at a glance. The centre stack houses audio and HVAC controls, the latter being large round dials that are easy to operate. Dash materials were complementing shades of grey in the cars we drove, highlighted by brighter metallic-like borders surrounding the centre stack, gear shift and large protruding air ducts on either side. Interior door handles were also chrome.
Items of concern: hard plastics abound, even on the door side arm rests, while the driver’s seat arm rest is positioned too high to be used. As well, the cup holders are located at the rear of a low centre console where they are difficult to access or hidden by the armrest.
The motorcycle theme continues on the outside with motorcycle-inspired round headlamps and rear tail lamps on the hatch. Chevrolet’s global design cues are evident in the dual element grille and round tail lamps.
 2012 Chevrolet Sonic; photo courtesy General Motors. Click image to enlarge |
The sedan and hatchback models are distinctively different. The four-door hatchback is a two-box shape that looks like a two-door hatch because the rear door handles are discreetly located in the “C”-pillar area. The sedan’s profile has a more upscale and mature presence with its long tapered roof line and larger rear overhang.
The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic has distanced itself well from the distinctly down-market Aveo that it replaces. Compared to the Aveo, the Sonic truly gives new meaning to the phrase “new and improved.” But it will compete against a large collection of equally new and improved subcompacts that are coming into the market this year and next. The competition is stiff and though General Motors is counting on the Sonic to bring new customers into the GM family, ultimately consumers will decide.
