Fiesta to Sonic

[Casablanca]

Greetings, all!

Jason from Charlotte, NC. Long-time Ford guy, the dd was a Fiesta hatch- too small & no guts, traded for a new leftover '13 Sonic sedan, white, turbo. I love it more than words can describe, and it's still stock. I am not at all new to modifying cars, but am mostly new to tuning. I opted for the turbo motor over color and body style (they had 1.8 hb cars for the same price), and, in fact, I'm now glad I got the sedan. Motor is king. Res ipsa loquitur.

Looking forward to reading, learning & playing....

Casa

 

[Fempunk]

Welcome! I came from a ford too

 

[krakenredbeard]

I came from a first gen ford fusion

All my old fusion friends give me **** and say I downgraded etc. etc. etc. def not a downgrade only thing I don't have my fusion had is climate control and this car is faster than my fusion ever was. I had the 3.0v6

I'm currently tuned tho stock for stock the fusion was faster. Mod for mod sonic is faster lol.

Had a cobalt before my fusion.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RMinNJ]

ford fiestas

Welcome...

Both my parents and inlaws drive a Fusion. So the Sonic is definately a younger appeal.
Both of them get great gas mileage from their 4 cyl Fusions and have had very few problems with them.

I also went looking for a 1.4 HB and ended up with the sedan. I must say the 1.8s were quite easy to find.

I was considering the Fiestas and Focus's when looking but I needed an automatic (wife says it has to be an auto so she can drive it.) I was scared away by all the problems people were having with Ford's DCT transmissions.

Despite the turbo (I'm used to Saabs where the turbo is a non-issue) I was looking for simplicty in the suspension and other Sonic components. Ford's DCT seemed like technology/complexity I did not want.

 

[Casablanca]

Many thanks for the welcomes!

I've always liked the Fusion, and considered them along with Focuses. The dual-clutch automatic in the later cars is a mixed bag. In the low-power Fiesta, it could be maddening, especially with the air on. It would either bog or shift spastically. Plus- no manual mode in many of them. Once, it didn't go into D or L (just R), and I had to call roadside assistance. Not good for 40k miles on it. Needed re- flashing of the ECM & TCM.

The Fiesta handled very sharply- better than the Sonic in sum- but without enough initial cushion for jolts & swells/dips. Tiring on long drives. This is the difference between the autocross experience and the real world.

There are always many comparisons. I feel that GM has really stepped up its small-car game with the Sonic. It is a very well-rounded car with a sweet little motor and a feel of high quality. I'm very happy with it.

Next question is, do I start tweaking it? Mmmmm tempting

Thanks guys. Glad to be here!!

 

[RS Man]

Welcome here!

 

[thechill_mix]

I test drove a Fiesta. It rode like a go-kart.. hated that PowerShift. My 1.8 made the Fiesta's powerplant seem like a dog too. You made a great choice. Welcome.

 

[Stew]

I don't think a day has gone by where I wasn't happy with my decision to get a Sonic. I've always been more of a Ford guy myself, this is the first Chevy I've purchased and so far so good!

Glad to see another sedan on the forum too, lol.

Edit: Oh yeah, welcome! I always forget that part.

 

[stealth]

Did anyone test it against the fiesta ST?

 

[Eric Smit]

Did anyone test it against the fiesta ST?

we just assume the Sonic is better because it's not a Fiesta.

 

[jmwarren85]

My previous car was a 1.6L WS Fiesta zetec. The Barina (sonic) is only a 1.6 down here so they're pretty on par power wise but the fiesta seems to have a better quality interior.
The motor in the RS is definitely an upgrade from that though.

I would say that the Fiesta ST is a completely different class to the sonic though.

 

[stealth]

we just assume the Sonic is better because it's not a Fiesta.

lol I could not get over how bad the fiesta looked, so I never got to drive it.

 

[Eric Smit]

lol I could not get over how bad the fiesta looked, so I never got to drive it.

basically.

 

[Swordsmith]

I test drove a Fiesta and was prepared to buy it after testing all the other cars on my list; they were all more or less the same little econoboxes and I have owned mostly Fords all my life. But there was a battery problem in the test Fiesta and the dealer had me take a Sonic out for a spin while he recharged it, since they have a shared Ford/Chevy dealership. Sonic was not even on my list, but it was the first and only car in its class/price range that really excited me in the test drive.

I then bought the 1.4T, which beat the 1.8 I test drove, and then did quite a few mods, so the Sonic I drive is much much better than the Fiesta I tested.

 

[RMinNJ]

I didn't bother with the Fiesta as I needed an automatic and read horror stories about the DCT transmission on the Fiesta and Focus. Folks with 2013 Fiesta and Focuses having major transmission problems..to the point where the car doesn't go. It's possible Ford
fixed them by now but I was looking at used vehicles.

 

[stealth]

could thing ST only comes in manual