There were a decent amount of options that were in policy, but I wanted to take the risk that I might get something that’s slightly interesting. There was also a very real chance that I would get a Versa, and that thought filled with me with abhorrence. So what did I get?
That’s right, I got a Chevy Sonic Turbo. Or, as my coworker put, a motherfucking Sonic. My colleagues are well aware of my thoughts on the Versa.
Being a millennial, Chevy knows all about me.
Before I get too far off topic, let’s delve into the Sonic itself.
I had either a 2018 or 2019, I forgot to check, Sonic Premier with the 1.4L turbo I-4 and 6 speed auto. This trim level gave me such features as Apple Car Play, heated seats, heated steering wheel, powered seats, and keyless entry and go, to name a few things. Hell, this is equipped better than my 3 series.
This was my second experience with Apple Car Play, and I quite like it. This time my experience was further enhanced by the fact I could use Google Maps. Now, I understand that this was not developed by Chevrolet, but I was glad the car had it. It makes me want Car Play in my E9Xs; actually, I’d settle for a working AUX port in my E92. The stereo, which Chevy is responsible for, was quite good. It wasn’t a top of the line system, by any means, but it didn’t sound like the stereo in a rental car. Both of these were in line with my experience with the last time I had a Chevy rental car.
In three days, I only put 75 miles on the car. So I can’t really give a good verdict on the comfort or how it deals with a 500 mile highway drive. What I can say, is that I never felt the need for more power. Could it have used more power? Yeah, almost any car, to a certain point, can be improved by power, but need and want are two separate things. It handled merging onto the interstate with ease. I didn’t have to mash the pedal to the floor and hope someone would let me in, like I would, in oh let’s say, a Sentra. I had a Hyundai Elantra as a rental last time I was in NY, and while I never wrote about it, that car was painfully slow. You would be in 6th gear, because eco things and try to merge on the highway just praying that the gear box would select a lower ratio so you would be able to merge, not in the Chevy. It’s not a powerhouse, but it more than adequately gets the job done.
I can’t comment on fuel economy, I don’t know exactly how much fuel was in the car when I got it and I put ~20 miles on the gas I had put in the car. I know that I put ~$6, something around 2.5 gallons. Not really sure, but I would safely bet that the car returned in the high 20s or low 30s.
It’s cold in PA in November. I know it’s not the middle of winter, but it was still cold.
This was when I was glad that I had both a heated seat and steering wheel. I really liked the heated steering wheel and I really wish that my 328i had one. It would certainly make my hands happier in the colder months. Other than that, there was nothing much to note about the interior, just standard GM.
I meant to take a couple pictures, but since the sun went down when I was still inside, I was unable to. It looked exactly like this stock photo. Really isn’t a bad looking car, but then it’s not a great looking car either. Better looking than the Malibu I had, but that doesn’t make it a good looking car itself.
Now, would I buy one?
Before I answer that question, I want to talk about my bias against GM. When I was in high school, my mom had a 2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette and my dad had a 2002 Buick Regal. They were pretty garbage cars, both had a bunch of random problems over the years, such as the cluster lights in the Buick deciding to not work. Somewhat ironically, they were both done in by failing transmissions. The Regal was replaced with a Hyundai Accent, that I’m pretty sure my dad hated driving so much he bought a 135is within a year. The same man that usually owns cars for more than a decade. The Olds was replaced with an Acura RDX. The GMs my parents had just didn’t seem that well built and didn’t drive that well either. So after my experience with GMs, I’m not a fan. You might tell me they’re great, but first hand experience is always going to take precedence.
For almost 20k? That’s seems a but pricey, but it isn’t a terrible deal. If I knew someone looking at cars like this, I wouldn’t steer them away. I really like how you can get a stick in it. That alone makes it worthy of being thought of.
I wonder if my thoughts would be different if I had it for a few days of had spent 6 hours of straight driving. Probably, but for now it’s basically just a car. It’s neither spectacular nor terrible.