2012 Chevrolet Sonic Preview
Things are going to get very interesting a bit later this year when the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic subcompact sedan and five-door hatchback hit the market. 2011 Honda Fit and Ford Fiesta already own a good piece of the pie, but Chevy is counting on Sonic’s appeal to win over some of the competitors’ buyers – and then some.
But it’s not just a trio in this field of contenders. There’s new competition as well, in the 2012 Hyundai Accent, 2012 Kia Rio, and the U.S. version of Nissan Micra. Just what we like here at Family Car Guide – a good, healthy influx of fresh new products to keep things exciting for family small car consumers.
Debuting at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is all about nifty design details, better interior room than Honda Fit, expected five-star government safety ratings (10 standard airbags, electronic stability control, traction control, and anti-lock brakes), shared Cruze powertrains, anticipated 40 mpg fuel economy, standard OnStar hardware with six months free turn-by-turn navigation, optional remote start, heated front seats, and more. Read more about Sonic’s Detroit debut in Marty Padgett’s story in The Car Connection.
Quick Sonic stats
Here’s what we know. Sonic will be available in four-door sedan and five-door hatchback models. Size-wise, Sonic sedan sits on a 99.4-inch wheelbase and is 173.1 inches long. The Sonic hatchback is 159 inches in length. Relative to its slightly larger sibling Chevrolet Cruze, Sonic is 2 inches narrower, 6 inches shorter in wheelbase, 11 inches shorter overall, and 500 pounds lighter.
The Sonic is expected to share the same powerplants as Cruze: 135-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine (base) and optional 138-horsepower 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. Five-speed manual is standard in the base model, with five-speed automatic optional. A six-speed manual will go in the turbo.
Interior room is expected to be best-in-class – better than Fit – with 14 cubic feet of trunk storage in the Sonic sedan and 19 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat, and more than 30 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down.
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