OshawaSonic
New member
Picked the car up Wednesday of this week: 2012 Sonic LTZ 5door 1.4t 6-spd manual with 28 miles on the clock.
Likes:
Great handling little car, reminds me very strongly of my '89 Civic DX hatchback just with a much nicer interior.
Fairly peppy for such a small engine and a fairly heavy (for what it is) car.
Spending $50 to fill it up rather than $140 for my pickup truck (I live in Canada, eh!)
Factory Stereo isn't half bad (really enjoy the OnStar system, turn by turn directions done beautifully)
Removable hatchback liner (this is going to be perfect for a completely stealth stereo upgrade, my shallow sub, amps, crossovers, etc can all fit underneath this)
Dislikes:
Dealer didn't check my tire pressures before delivery and my low-pressure light came on the very next day
Vague clutch that engages at the top of the pedal (especially 1-2 shifts, I find I can't do my usual heel on the floor action, must lift my foot right off the floor to get it to shift smoothly)
Only 1 setting on the heated seats (they get too hot and I have to manually cycle it on and off to avoid burning my a$$ off)
I put my keys in my left pocket and use my left hand to unlock the car, etc. The button to extend the 'key' in on the wrong side for me when I handle it with my left hand and the key won't snap out unless I move my hand - not a dealbreaker just obviously engineered to be used by the right hand.
Fuel economy is just so so at this time, I know it's still breaking in but for example I was averaging 36.0 mpg over a 150 mile range and went to work this morning (50 mile trip). Got on the EMPTY highway, engaged the cruise control at 60mph in 6th gear and didn't tap the brakes once. When I got to work I was averaging 36.1 mpg. I feel like I should be getting better highway mileage at this point.
Other points:
Good rear seat room so far. I've had the car filled up with four people several times now and nobody has complained about a lack of space yet.
Feels great to drive a manual again as it's been a few years since we've been able to order pickup trucks with manual transmission.
There was a large scratch on the plastic bezel of my tachometer that was very ugly looking in direct sunlight - mentioned it to the dealer when I was picking up the car and they ordered me an entire new cluster right on the spot with no haggling needed.
The car IS able to hop a standard curb (I back it in each time) without rubbing so I can park it in my empty lot beside my house without issue (I don't have a driveway)
Everything feels very tight and controlled inside the car, materials are of high quality and the fit and finish to me is very nice for a made-in-USA vehicle.
This car (and the Cruze before it) has really turned me back on to GM vehicles. I haven't been a fan over the last decade and had gone rogue and switched to Ford.
Overall a very nice ride that I know I will be happy with for the many miles to come.
Likes:
Great handling little car, reminds me very strongly of my '89 Civic DX hatchback just with a much nicer interior.
Fairly peppy for such a small engine and a fairly heavy (for what it is) car.
Spending $50 to fill it up rather than $140 for my pickup truck (I live in Canada, eh!)
Factory Stereo isn't half bad (really enjoy the OnStar system, turn by turn directions done beautifully)
Removable hatchback liner (this is going to be perfect for a completely stealth stereo upgrade, my shallow sub, amps, crossovers, etc can all fit underneath this)
Dislikes:
Dealer didn't check my tire pressures before delivery and my low-pressure light came on the very next day
Vague clutch that engages at the top of the pedal (especially 1-2 shifts, I find I can't do my usual heel on the floor action, must lift my foot right off the floor to get it to shift smoothly)
Only 1 setting on the heated seats (they get too hot and I have to manually cycle it on and off to avoid burning my a$$ off)
I put my keys in my left pocket and use my left hand to unlock the car, etc. The button to extend the 'key' in on the wrong side for me when I handle it with my left hand and the key won't snap out unless I move my hand - not a dealbreaker just obviously engineered to be used by the right hand.
Fuel economy is just so so at this time, I know it's still breaking in but for example I was averaging 36.0 mpg over a 150 mile range and went to work this morning (50 mile trip). Got on the EMPTY highway, engaged the cruise control at 60mph in 6th gear and didn't tap the brakes once. When I got to work I was averaging 36.1 mpg. I feel like I should be getting better highway mileage at this point.
Other points:
Good rear seat room so far. I've had the car filled up with four people several times now and nobody has complained about a lack of space yet.
Feels great to drive a manual again as it's been a few years since we've been able to order pickup trucks with manual transmission.
There was a large scratch on the plastic bezel of my tachometer that was very ugly looking in direct sunlight - mentioned it to the dealer when I was picking up the car and they ordered me an entire new cluster right on the spot with no haggling needed.
The car IS able to hop a standard curb (I back it in each time) without rubbing so I can park it in my empty lot beside my house without issue (I don't have a driveway)
Everything feels very tight and controlled inside the car, materials are of high quality and the fit and finish to me is very nice for a made-in-USA vehicle.
This car (and the Cruze before it) has really turned me back on to GM vehicles. I haven't been a fan over the last decade and had gone rogue and switched to Ford.
Overall a very nice ride that I know I will be happy with for the many miles to come.
