Trying to decide between 2013 LT and LTZ

[1980PontiacWagon]

LTZ for sure, but if it is in your budget I would try and get the RS. And I agree with everyone else saying get the manual..I will admit that I did not know how to drive a manual, but I taught myself on cars a work..I would say i've gotten pretty good and only slip up every now and than...mostly when I try to drive it like my wagon and take off from a stop light agressively.

 

[sx sonic]

well depends what your after (as everyones already rightly saying). You said you don't want the sunroof because of cost, so from the perspective I'm seeing the LT would be more cost effecient.

Do you value rims (17 vs 15) and leather (leatherette or whatever GMs calling it) over saving a few hundre to athousand (can't recall price diff). Aside from that you can get everything else the LTZ has. The better stereo and cruise control come as the LT connectivity package and I recommend it.
The ride will be equivelant, as others have stated GM had the foresight to offset the diffrent ride characteristics of the rims with dampening changes.

Since your used to use cars either package will be an upgrade, but my vote would be for the LT with 1.4t and "connectivity package". It has everything you need and alil more, your just not paying that extra for status. Its also lighter but that's a moot point for most.

If you have a chance to practice and don't do much stop and go driving the manual is more rewarding and also $1k cheaper than an auto slushbox. If you do try to learn stick the biggest pcs of advice you can get is be smooth releasing the clutch all the way until its fully released (really important on take off, not so much when moving) and shifting at 2k-3k RPM until you get the hang of things. And FYI if you get an auto we won't hassle you

-tyler

P.s. welcome to the forum

 

[Kuntryboy865]

If you want an auto get one, its not a slushbox when you switch to semi auto mode anyway. If you want to drag race people you can and win, i've beaten several people and beat them off the line in semi auto mode. I like that i can switch between both automatic and semi manual.

But that's my 2 cents I have an automatic and love it.

 

[Swordsmith]

I would say get the LT, make sure it has cruise control, and use the cash you save versus getting LTZ to get the trifecta budget tune. I can see not bothering with any other mods, but the tune makes it a whole other level of great... and is simple to do and invisible.

Manual is great, and cheaper, and more fuel efficient, and really not that hard to learn. But if you have a commute where you spend a lot of time in stop and go traffic the auto might be worth it. Trifecta modifies the auto as well, making it perhaps an even bigger deal if you go that way.

 

[Maddog2020]

If you go with an LT get the turbo and get the connectivity package. Not ordering a Sonic LT with cruise is probably my only real regret.

+1
I agree with RDSS on this one. I would probably add MyLink because it's way cool. Whatever you do, I see a lot of people regret getting a 1.8. I have not heard of 1 person regret getting the 1.4 Turbo. If later you decide to want more power the Turbo has better options for modding.

For the leather seats, if you live in a warm climate I would save the money and get cloth seats. If you live up North, the heated leather seats are really nice.

 

[Eranthe]

The current plan is to get the blue LTZ automatic with the turbo. Comes in at about $20.5k. Getting the LT with the turbo and mylink saves a pretty small amount of money, all told.

Thanks for the discussion, everyone. I'm very glad I decided to make a post here.

 

[bornchevy]

I say if you don't intend to mod then go loaded LTZ Auto. It will be an awesome car for a long term daily driver and if you can afford it you will never regret it.

Even though I plan on modding mine slightly in the future, as it sets now it is a wonderful daily driver and I love the extra features on the LTZ.

 

[Eranthe]

Went to my dealer today and sat in all three trim levels on the Sonic hatch. The LTZ's leatherette seats are definitely a huge upgrade over the LT trim's cloth. I wish the dash area wasn't so plasticky on all of them.

Several sources have backed up the word that the LT and LTZ have the same overall ride. I'm glad to hear that, because I'd hate to trade ride comfort for seat comfort.

 

[CoHPhasor]

Thanks a ton for the quick advice, everyone.

My plans for the car are very basic. I don't have a lot of money to spend, so this is going to be a major investment for me and I plan to drive it for a long time (My current car is a 2001 Hyundai Elantra, for comparison). I don't plan to modify the car at all.

My driving needs are very basic, but I do want a car that will be fun and efficient. The sonic seems to fit the bill! My trim of choice is the LTZ in TARDIS (I mean, Topaz) blue with the 1.4L turbo. No sunroof or anything else. It's expensive enough as it is!

If anyone has any advice, I'd love to hear it. It's my first new-car purchase. All of my previous cars have been used.

Nerd-tastic.
My other 'everyday car' is a 2002 Elantra, hahahha!
I went with the LTZ and don't mind the suspension at all, there's no harsh ride feel detectable.
As for weight savings,besides any small difference between cloth and leatherette, the biggest difference is the sunroof option as well as the wheels.
(Heated seats are nice, as is remote starting on the way to the car to get the engine a little warm/lubed)

I like the look of the wheels and they'll more than do until I get a lighter setup. (if ever)

Bigger on the inside than the out, comes in handy.

 

[Chevrolet Customer Care]

Went to my dealer today and sat in all three trim levels on the Sonic hatch. The LTZ's leatherette seats are definitely a huge upgrade over the LT trim's cloth. I wish the dash area wasn't so plasticky on all of them.

Several sources have backed up the word that the LT and LTZ have the same overall ride. I'm glad to hear that, because I'd hate to trade ride comfort for seat comfort.

Thank your for your interest in the Sonic! I would highly suggest test driving them both and visiting the Chevrolet site to see what features are offered in both. Keep us updated and please post a pic. when you have one. Good luck!

Matt,

GM Customer Assistance

 

[seanp1]

I don't plan to modify the car at all.

My driving needs are very basic, but I do want a car that will be fun and efficient. The sonic seems to fit the bill!

He must not have seen the Trifecta tune thread yet

 

[ThatTmoGuy]

Preloader didnt plan on modding it out either, look what happened there.

 

[HareBrained]

Don't forget the auto trans gets a tune as well. They're able to remove the 'slush' as good as the Heat Miser.

 

[ungawd]

I got a fully loaded blue LTZ auto. I have no regrets save for one; I wish it had the manual transmission. I needed a car right then and it more than fit the bill. The sunroof is actually very nice to have in cold weather. The heater blasts me out, so I leave the shade drawn forward and tilt the sunroof to vent. With the heater off it still produces heat. With the sunroof venting, that warm air gets pulled through the car without the fan running. It saves energy, I assume, while still keeping the interior very warm. It actually gets so hot that I cook my feet if I set the output to the floor.

 

[Kuntryboy865]

I took the LT over the LTZ because I didn't need the extra's.

 

[bornchevy]

(Heated seats are nice, as is remote starting on the way to the car to get the engine a little warm/lubed)

Also if you don't mind keeping the onstar I would recommend the onstar app if you have remote start option. It works great and I love to start my car before even leaving my office.

Also I'm a bit forgetful sometimes so if I can't remember pushing the lock button I just pull up the onstar app and hit lock.

 

[seanp1]

Also I'm a bit forgetful sometimes so if I can't remember pushing the lock button I just pull up the onstar app and hit lock.

I used this feature last weekend. We went out of town and I forgot to lock my car. Out came the Android and onstar app. Doors locked and all was well.