![chevy sonic engine chevy sonic engine](https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/chevrolet-sonic-engine-car-year-car-garage-bangkok-thailand-65158769.jpg)
The automatic will probably serve the interests of the commuter crowd well enough, but we found it annoying – and not just because we would have preferred to do the shifting ourselves.
#CHEVY SONIC ENGINE MANUAL#
Sonics with the 1.8-liter can be had with a five-speed manual transmission, while the tranny in the 1.4-liter has an extra gear. Doubling down on that disappointment was the transmission, as our Sonic was saddled with a six-speed automatic. The 1.8-liter Ecotec provides ample motivation, but we'd be lying if we didn't say we were disappointed our Sonic was not equipped with the available 1.4-liter turbo, also shared with theĬruze. Speaking of which, under the hood of our Sonic was the same 1.8-liter, four-cylinder that serves as the budget engine option in theĬruze, making the same 138 horsepower and 125 lb-ft of torque as in its bigger brother.
![chevy sonic engine chevy sonic engine](https://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Chevrolet-Sonic-stunt-car-Rob-Dyrdek-reverse-jump-world-record-ThatDudeinBlue-video-002.jpeg)
The cloth seats we've enjoyed in other Chevys are much preferred. The "leatherette" seating did, as it's got a rubbery taxicab texture that should either be upgraded to real hide, or just be banished altogether. While the dash is a broad expanse of grey plastics, just as you'd expect, that didn't bother us at all. Indeed, the Sonic has a few interior shortcomings, most notably the coarse headliner, which seems less like a finished product than the substrate for one. That's not entirely a criticism, as in this class of cars some style is needed, if for no other reason than to distract you from some of the corners that get cut in the interest of affordability. At any rate, the instrument panel looks cool floating above the steering wheel, though after a week of squinting at the cramped display, it still seemed like a bit too much form over function. There's no temperature gauge, however, not even a little light that goes off when the engine reaches operating temperature. Motorcycle, mom, not a Schwinn.) A large, hooded tachometer is flanked by a digital display for the speedometer and odometer, which also takes up fuel gauge duty, and communicates other relevant stuff like a compass andįuel economy. So slipping behind the wheel you're presented with an instrument panel that looks like it was plucked straight from a sport bike. This is a car meant to be taken seriously by people who enjoy driving. While it does an excellent job of making the Sonic seem like a sportier three-door, little kids will find it hard to reach.īut Chevy isn't building the Sonic just for economically strapped families anymore. So too does the clever rear door handle, hidden in the black C-pillar, Chevy Beretta-style. They will no doubt prove hard to keep clean, but fashion exacts a price. The Sonic has the best looking front fascia we've seen on aĬhevy in years, with oversize fog lamps complimenting the projector-style headlights, which are wrapped in a black bezel to make them appear even more recessed. Its design is aggressive, leaning purposefully forward thanks to two character lines running from the front wheel well towards the rear of the car. While nearly $20,000 for a subcompact that in a previous life was the cheapest car sold in America seems high, the Sonic hatchback looks and feels like a quality product from the start. This is the top-of-the-line Sonic, which is why its MSRP was so much more expensive than the $14,635 (plus $760 destination) starting priceĪdvertising. Our test vehicle was an $18,690, five-door LTZ. We'd even be willing to call it great if GM would work on a few of the details. So it's no wonder the "new" GM doesn't want us talking about the The company sold some 48,000 Aveos in 2010, over 28,000 in 2011, and stragglers onĭealer lots continue to find new homes even as you read this. Rental car fleets where they would have even greater opportunity to reflect poorly on GM. Hundreds of thousands of Aveos have been dumped here over the years, often into Instead, the Aveo was famously named the "Least Satisfying" vehicle of 2007 in a If GM had marketed the Aveo as a disposable product, meant to be driven hard and left for dead, it might have disappointed fewer people. New car that you can use and abuse and care not a whit about. Some of us actually developed a modicum of affection for the little piece of junk. It was enough of a pitch that the car sold – and stuck around. But it was available as a five-door hatchback, one of the few on the market at the time, and its starting sticker price was under $10,000. A product of its newest subsidiary,Ĭhevrolet Aveo had few charms. GM decided to import a cheap, crummy little econobox from Korea. An Aveo By Any Other Name Is, Indeed, Sweet