Full text here: http://blogs.insideline.com/straigh...1/06/2012-chevrolet-sonic-we-autocross-a-prototype-of-chevys-new-small-car.html2012 Chevrolet Sonic: We Autocross A Prototype Of Chevy's New Small Car
By Dan Edmunds | June 15, 2011
Sonic Youth? Sonic Boom? Sonic the Hedgehog? Super Sonic? Up 'til now, these have been among the top Google search terms around the word "sonic". But that's likely to change in the coming months once the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic hatchback and sedan hit the market.
![Image]()
Most of what we know about the all-new Sonic is a few specs and pictures. When Chevrolet recently invited us to sample a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic in Indianapolis, Indiana, we jumped at the chance.
The car, a silver four-door hatchback, was a prototype example of the sportiest variant with the sportiest engine and transmission combo that will be on the order sheet when the Sonic goes on sale later this year.
Equipped with the same direct-injected 1.4-liter turbo four found in our 2011 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ, the Sonic hatch in question churns out 138 horsepower anf 148 lb-ft of torque, easily outclassing its chief class competitors, the Honda Fit (117 hp / 106 lb-ft) and Ford Fiesta (120 hp / 112 lb-ft), as well as the Mazda 2, the Fiat 500 and others.
But we didn't just slalom a Sonic and be done with it. GM brought a Fiesta SES and a Honda Fit Sport out for us to thrash, too. And they set up timing lights.
Soon the tires were howling and the brakes were stinking. The orange cones wriggled, got knocked over a time or three and acquired some jaunty black accents.
Along the way the proto-Sonic proved to be a solid handling machine, with great grip and a pleasantly neutral chassis setup that allowed the rear end to dance around a bit with the stability control shut down. We love tossing around small cars, and the Sonic fits the bill just fine. This is clearly much more than a hopped-up Aveo.
It must be said that the Fit and Fiesta were just as fun, though the Fiesta in particular was hampered in this competitive setting by its 6-speed powershift automatic instead of a manual and a stability control system that couldn't be switched off or even dialed down a notch. The Fit seemed to roll a tad more owing to a higher seating position and a quicker steering ratio, but it stuck like anything and the high throne did offer a sweeping view of those pesky cones.
The time sheet, however, was all Sonic. It circulated the course in 47.5 seconds, some 1.8 seconds faster than the Fit and 2.6 seconds faster than the Fiesta.
It should be said that I've never driven on an autocross course with straightaways as long as these, so the extra power and torque of the Sonic's optional 1.4T engine had more than a little influence here. We can't discern which is the best pure handling machine from this contest, but the Sonic is certainly entertaining.
![Image]()
The Fit and Fiesta might have have stood a better chance against a Sonic on 16-inch tires (it can be had with 15-, 16- and 17-inch rubber) and with the Sonic's base engine, the same 1.8-liter normally aspirated four found in the Cruze. But even that engine easily bests the competition with 138 hp and 125 lb-ft of torque.
Thing is, the Sonic is unique in this segment in that it has an optional hot-rod engine; you can get wider tires; you can opt for 6 gears in you manual. The competition makes do with one engine and a take-it-or-leave-it 5-speed manual. Sure this top level Sonic creamed the others in what might be described as a lopsided contest, but that's because Chevy has chosen to offer a hotter version in the first place, and they didn't.
The insides of the Sonic prototypes weren't finished to production standards, as evidenced by a lack of final texturing on many of the parts. But we're still able to report a very clean and easy-to-use center-stack design, and we think the compact gauge cluster, comprised of an analog tach and a digital speedometer, is a pretty neat piece.
The back end of the hatchback contains some clever thinking. That sub-floor is removable enlarge the storage capacity; it slips down to the floor of the basement level so you don't have to wrangle it in your garage. And the flip up cargo cover that lifts with the hatch can be pushed forward and down as shown so you can disable it but still store it in the car.
Yes, the Fit still has them all covered with its hyper-low floor and magic seat, but the Sonic's hatch area is larger and far more flexible than that of the Ford Fiesta, its cross-town rival.
Hurricane
2012 Chevrolet Sonic: We Autocross A Prototype Of Chevy's New Small Car
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Full text here: http://blogs.insideline.com/straigh...1/06/2012-chevrolet-sonic-we-autocross-a-prototype-of-chevys-new-small-car.html2012 Chevrolet Sonic: We Autocross A Prototype Of Chevy's New Small Car
By Dan Edmunds | June 15, 2011
Sonic Youth? Sonic Boom? Sonic the Hedgehog? Super Sonic? Up 'til now, these have been among the top Google search terms around the word "sonic". But that's likely to change in the coming months once the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic hatchback and sedan hit the market.
![Image]()
Most of what we know about the all-new Sonic is a few specs and pictures. When Chevrolet recently invited us to sample a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic in Indianapolis, Indiana, we jumped at the chance.
The car, a silver four-door hatchback, was a prototype example of the sportiest variant with the sportiest engine and transmission combo that will be on the order sheet when the Sonic goes on sale later this year.
Equipped with the same direct-injected 1.4-liter turbo four found in our 2011 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ, the Sonic hatch in question churns out 138 horsepower anf 148 lb-ft of torque, easily outclassing its chief class competitors, the Honda Fit (117 hp / 106 lb-ft) and Ford Fiesta (120 hp / 112 lb-ft), as well as the Mazda 2, the Fiat 500 and others.
But we didn't just slalom a Sonic and be done with it. GM brought a Fiesta SES and a Honda Fit Sport out for us to thrash, too. And they set up timing lights.
Soon the tires were howling and the brakes were stinking. The orange cones wriggled, got knocked over a time or three and acquired some jaunty black accents.
Along the way the proto-Sonic proved to be a solid handling machine, with great grip and a pleasantly neutral chassis setup that allowed the rear end to dance around a bit with the stability control shut down. We love tossing around small cars, and the Sonic fits the bill just fine. This is clearly much more than a hopped-up Aveo.
It must be said that the Fit and Fiesta were just as fun, though the Fiesta in particular was hampered in this competitive setting by its 6-speed powershift automatic instead of a manual and a stability control system that couldn't be switched off or even dialed down a notch. The Fit seemed to roll a tad more owing to a higher seating position and a quicker steering ratio, but it stuck like anything and the high throne did offer a sweeping view of those pesky cones.
The time sheet, however, was all Sonic. It circulated the course in 47.5 seconds, some 1.8 seconds faster than the Fit and 2.6 seconds faster than the Fiesta.
It should be said that I've never driven on an autocross course with straightaways as long as these, so the extra power and torque of the Sonic's optional 1.4T engine had more than a little influence here. We can't discern which is the best pure handling machine from this contest, but the Sonic is certainly entertaining.
![Image]()
The Fit and Fiesta might have have stood a better chance against a Sonic on 16-inch tires (it can be had with 15-, 16- and 17-inch rubber) and with the Sonic's base engine, the same 1.8-liter normally aspirated four found in the Cruze. But even that engine easily bests the competition with 138 hp and 125 lb-ft of torque.
Thing is, the Sonic is unique in this segment in that it has an optional hot-rod engine; you can get wider tires; you can opt for 6 gears in you manual. The competition makes do with one engine and a take-it-or-leave-it 5-speed manual. Sure this top level Sonic creamed the others in what might be described as a lopsided contest, but that's because Chevy has chosen to offer a hotter version in the first place, and they didn't.
The insides of the Sonic prototypes weren't finished to production standards, as evidenced by a lack of final texturing on many of the parts. But we're still able to report a very clean and easy-to-use center-stack design, and we think the compact gauge cluster, comprised of an analog tach and a digital speedometer, is a pretty neat piece.
The back end of the hatchback contains some clever thinking. That sub-floor is removable enlarge the storage capacity; it slips down to the floor of the basement level so you don't have to wrangle it in your garage. And the flip up cargo cover that lifts with the hatch can be pushed forward and down as shown so you can disable it but still store it in the car.
Yes, the Fit still has them all covered with its hyper-low floor and magic seat, but the Sonic's hatch area is larger and far more flexible than that of the Ford Fiesta, its cross-town rival.
Are you sure? According to Chevy.com, the Cruze uses a Direct Injected 1.4L Turbo. http://www.chevrolet.com/cruze/features-specs/
This is going to be a very nice little car, should give the Fit and Fiesta a run for its money, it already seems like its the performance leader in the class...
Edmunds has had a joint marketing agreement with GM/Government Motors so anything that they say positively about these wretched products is unacceptable - especially since they don't mention this whoring activity in their reviews of Government Motors products. It is one thing to be bought off - it is another to fail to disclose the relationship.
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We do know several things about the Sonic with Tots....
1. It has a horrible interior. Talk about useless in design. The car looks like a plastic version of some 1950's Renault. That is not a compliment.
2. Government Motors will commit fraud with its EPA mileage ratings. Right now its rent-a-engineers are tuning the engine to simulations of the EPA circuit and will over-inflate the mileage ratings by 25%. Just today the Chevrolet Snuze was tested by another enthusiast site and delivered 23.9 mpgs. This is simply unacceptable for such a small vehicle. I could do that in a 1985 Lincoln Town Car I once owned.
3. It is interesting to compare apples and oranges. Government Motors supplies its latest products to test against disparate competitor's offerings. I'd like to see the Sonic with Tots against the soon to be released Fiesta ST. Let's see Edmunds spin that. And soon the Fiesta will have six-speeds and a bit later a turbo 3 cylinder that will make the Sonic with Tots look old-fashioned.
4. You all will continue to slobber over this product until you see the production version and realize it will be yet another let down of promises not delivered and fraud and deception.
I'm convinced more than ever that Government Motors is incompetent and unable to deliver world class products. At least GM wouldn't have fabricated its mileage ratings - it wouldn't have put the effort to be that dishonest. This latest bunch of criminals has stolen $50 billion of taxpayers money and spent it in China and delivered products tuned to EPA cycles to intentionally deceive. Heads should roll and managers should go to prison for this deception!
1. It has a horrible interior. Talk about useless in design. The car looks like a plastic version of some 1950's Renault. That is not a compliment.
2. Government Motors will commit fraud with its EPA mileage ratings. Right now its rent-a-engineers are tuning the engine to simulations of the EPA circuit and will over-inflate the mileage ratings by 25%. Just today the Chevrolet Snuze was tested by another enthusiast site and delivered 23.9 mpgs. This is simply unacceptable for such a small vehicle. I could do that in a 1985 Lincoln Town Car I once owned.
3. It is interesting to compare apples and oranges. Government Motors supplies its latest products to test against disparate competitor's offerings. I'd like to see the Sonic with Tots against the soon to be released Fiesta ST. Let's see Edmunds spin that. And soon the Fiesta will have six-speeds and a bit later a turbo 3 cylinder that will make the Sonic with Tots look old-fashioned.
4. You all will continue to slobber over this product until you see the production version and realize it will be yet another let down of promises not delivered and fraud and deception.
I'm convinced more than ever that Government Motors is incompetent and unable to deliver world class products. At least GM wouldn't have fabricated its mileage ratings - it wouldn't have put the effort to be that dishonest. This latest bunch of criminals has stolen $50 billion of taxpayers money and spent it in China and delivered products tuned to EPA cycles to intentionally deceive. Heads should roll and managers should go to prison for this deception!
I gotta say good job GM. The proportions of the hatch are best in class IMO and the optional engine trans seems to definitely be class leading. The 6 speed stick is a nice touch.
Worlds better than the Aveo it replaces, but I saw a Fiesta up close that came to my store a couple days ago and was really impressed. It looked really good and upscale in person. I saw a new Focus up close today and was VERY UNDERWHELMED! The Cruze is better in person than it, but back to topic, I like the Sonic, and really WANT to like it, but to me, unless I'm missing something until I see it in person, it really lost alot in transition from concept to production. The front is my problem with it I guess.
Yes, finally an exciting GM small car. Not since my beloved Corvair Corsa have I've been overwhelmed by such an interesting concept. 1.4 Turbo, 6-speed, big wheels and decent suspension along with great gas mileage place the fun meter at the top.
I can't believe they screwed it up again. I really really liked the concept, but they dropped the nose on the production and now it looks like a minivan. That second picture is horrendous. This looks like something mitsubishi would put out. They should just call it the venture and get it over with.
What does a Cruze stick do 0-60 in? I thought Chevy quoted it slower than the automatic or around 9 seconds. If the Sonic is 300 LBS lighter I would expect 8 seconds or less. When did this suddenly become fast or muscle car like? The 3500 Impalas I have driven easily make that same run in 7.8 seconds and many consider that slow. To me a quick car is below 7 seconds with outstanding effortless highway passing power and a muscle car is typically under 5 seconds. The outgoing Cobalt with stick did 7.5 seconds to 60 with a 2.2 and stick and nobody ever called that quick.
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