May have just driven my Sonic....

[atvman29]

So I swung by a dealer in my area who actually had a hatchback (all others are sedans) and luckily it had every feature I wanted less the 1.4 w/6spd.

Ever heard of the saying ignorance is bliss?

I thought the 1.8 auto was a blast to drive. Also, it was enjoyable shifting with the buttons (some aftermarket paddles would be sweet). The manual mode is not overly aggressive on correcting and really let's you do your thing.

I'm saying this because while I love the thought of a manual, I really have almost no seat time in a manual car. I'm ace with manual dirt bikes and ATVs but all of my vehicles have been autos thus far. While there, I also drove a Cruze Eco to taste the 1.4T and 6spd and while I could see how it could become fun, I currently just find it stressful.

So I'm looking for some encouragement! The dealer is willing to sell it to me at invoice pricing so the deal is there (if I can get rid of my truck).

The question is...

Is ignorance bliss? Would I miss a 1.4T if I never had a chance to try one??

EDIT: I also sit in an hour of bumper to bumper traffic everyday...

 

[Memphis]

All I got to say is remember the tune. 138/128 or 180/190?.....

 

[Sonic-Mike]

Tough choice.

I would take it for one more test drive and see if you really love it that much. If you do, I say go for the it and never look back.

 

[atvman29]

All I got to say is remember the tune. 138/128 or 180/190?.....

Appealing? Yes... Would I get it with intentions of souping it up? Yes... Would I really ever take the time money (and risk) to doll up my daily driver? Probably not.

In reality, I don't need a fast car because I don't race; plain as that. It just has to be fun to drive.

As a side note, the people who are saying the car feels cheap must be trolls or something, because I find the fit and finish to be phenomenal. The ONLY thing that feels cheap IMO is the sun visors. But, I'm a sunglasses guy myself so no worries there.

 

[atvman29]

Tough choice.

I would take it for one more test drive and see if you really love it that much. If you do, I say go for the it and never look back.

Planning to this Saturday when I pass the dealer on the way to go hunting. Will also have my truck to get a proper trade-in estimate. Hopefully I won't need my rape whistle...

 

[buddy97]

or you could wait for the 1.4 automatic??

while there are some who legitimately need a car immediately, my guess is people get so enamored with having one as soon as possible that they get a bit impatient.

personally, id much rather have the 1.4 in LT guise than the 1.8 in LTZ form. they are probably close in price.

....not to mention it has already been established that at todays gas prices, the 1.4t would pay for itself in less than 5 years.

im really not understanding (other than for the reasons i mention) what the appeal of the 1.8 is when it has worst in class FE and the 1.4 with close to class leading FE and power is right around the corner.

 

[atvman29]

or you could wait for the 1.4 automatic??

while there are some who legitimately need a car immediately, my guess is people get so enamored with having one as soon as possible that they get a bit impatient.

personally, id much rather have the 1.4 in LT guise than the 1.8 in LTZ form. they are probably close in price.

....not to mention it has already been established that at todays gas prices, the 1.4t would pay for itself in less than 5 years.

im really not understanding (other than for the reasons i mention) what the appeal of the 1.8 is when it has worst in class FE and the 1.4 with close to class leading FE and power is right around the corner.

Time is of the essence for me as my 125 mile daily commute that I'm taking with my Explorer ends in December after graduation...at which point I'm also assuming I would lose the college discount.

So unfortunately, waiting for the 1.4 auto does not seem like a viable option at this point.

 

[Neato]

Trading in a big truck? I'd say try Craigslist and online personal sales first. You'll likely get a better deal selling it directly to a private party.

There is a college discount for buying the Sonic? How much is it?

 

[atvman29]

Trading in a big truck? I'd say try Craigslist and online personal sales first. You'll likely get a better deal selling it directly to a private party.

There is a college discount for buying the Sonic? How much is it?

I have been working the c-list. Not a lot of buying going on right now for some reason. Also have to consider the tax break on the trade in. We'll see.

I have been told there's a college student discount, but I've never received a solid figure.

 

[RichieRocket]

im really not understanding (other than for the reasons i mention) what the appeal of the 1.8 is when it has worst in class FE and the 1.4 with close to class leading FE and power is right around the corner.

buddy97, actually the worst in class is not true, the Honda Fit has a mpg of:

27 / 33 1.5L 5-spd manual

versus the Sonic's

26/ 35 1.8L 5-spd manual


There are so many facts and figures to compare, we should compile a list of mpg, weight, hp, torque, etc for all the competitors...

 

[TravsSonic]

there is all kinds of issues people are complaining about the automatics. Personally you couldn't give me one, and if you did i would sell it and buy the MT. LOTS of problems on the cruzetalk forum with the transmission and how it goes into neutral at stoplights and then won't re-engage and you just sit there rev'in your engine waiting for it to kick in. And then there is some other issues with how it shifts weird after a few thousand miles, skipping over gears and forcing people to use the manual shift to make it drive normal. Since it has the same transmission, i would suggest popping by that forum and just searching for issues about the auto transmission. I think you might change your mind.

i've owned 2 automatics in the 25 years i've been driving and both of them costed more to maintain, were unpredictable, expensive to fix, and nothing but problems, not to mention mind numbingly boring to drive. One was in a late model BMW and the other a Lexus. Never again will i own a automatic, unless i'm simply physically incapable of pushing in a clutch.

and the 1.8 vs the 1.4... timing belt vs timing chain.. $5.5k vs $3k to replace whole engine if need be.. gutless vs has pep... less vs more mpg.

1.4 w/MT is the only realistic set up for this car imho.. but thats just me.

And if you aren't going to tune the 1.4, then you won't be having any clutch issues. Which is the MT's issue atm. I think the pressure plate is weak on it from the looks of my flywheel clutch and pressure plate i pulled out the other day. Give it 50 more hp/tq than stock and the pressure plate lets the the clutch break loose, so not alot of clamping power.

just my 2 cents

 

[atvman29]

Haven't heard of the transmission issues but shouldn't these be corrected under warranty if indeed they are that severe? Also, its important to keep in mind the number of Cruzes out there compared to the number of complaints. Mad people are more vocal than happy people.

Also, engine replacement costs don't necessarily concern me as I usually don't hold onto vehicles for longer than 3-5 years.

 

[Neato]

TravsSonic, do you have a rough estimate for the tune cost and replacement of the clutch with a beefier one? I haven't heard much about it yet, but was just wondering if it was in the hundreds, thousands, etc.

 

[Suzuki Phil]

Patience grasshopper, good things come to thou who wait.

SP

 

[atvman29]

Patience grasshopper, good things come to thou who wait.

SP

I'm hemmorrhaging money with this commute though! $75 of gas every other day!

 

[buddy97]

buddy97, actually the worst in class is not true, the Honda Fit has a mpg of:

27 / 33 1.5L 5-spd manual

versus the Sonic's

26/ 35 1.8L 5-spd manual


There are so many facts and figures to compare, we should compile a list of mpg, weight, hp, torque, etc for all the competitors...

just looking at the most commonly bought fit vs what will surely be the most commonly bought 1.8 (automatic). the automatic (non sport) fit is 28/35 vs 25/35 for the auto sonic.

 

[TravsSonic]

atvman - dude i completely understand bleeding money due to a current vehicle. I was driving a BMW X5 4.6is, my gas bill the month before i traded it was over $800. I REALLY REALLY wanted the sonic i had ordered, but when my eco cruze plopped in my lap for only $400 more than i was going to spend on the Sonic, and 3 months sooner. I had to take it from an economic side of it.

anyway, as far as warranty issues go, the kicking into neutral and no re-engaging is one of those problems that is transient that people are having but can't reproduce for the dealers. And when one person posts about it, plenty of others chim in on it, so that is something that makes me very nervous. And yes unhappy people are vocal, but to many people are being vocal imho. Dealerships can't do anything because there isn't a fault code being thrown, it has something to do with the angle your car is sitting when you apply the brakes at a full stop.. just go read about it. I've buzzed through a few of those threads to know they are all pissed off about the same thing. But since it doesn't apply to me, i normally just don't read them anymore.

Neato -the most popular tune right now is from trifecta performance, Vince is the owner and programer/tuner. There is also one from vermont tuning, although i only know of one car running it. Supposedly zzp is suppose to come up with a tune, but currently their car is tuned by trifecta.. haha. (i'm not a fan, i think their crap is over priced, plus they offer cat delete pipes which i feel is completely irresponsible)

Trifecta tune runs: $350
performance clutch: clutchmasters and SPEC both make one, i know they are a few hundred for the stage 2 kevlar type clutches. But i'm not going that route personally because i want to shed some rotating mass and pull the MOI in closer.

Soooo.. Currently my flywheel/clutch/pressure plate is on its way to clutchmasters, so they can pull all the dimensions from the whole assembly. Then hopefully they can build me a 7.25" twin disc setup. That one.. is NOT cheap.. estimates are $1400-1800 for the assembly. But their typical 7.25" twin discs weigh 11-13 lbs range from what i've seen. The OEM assembly weighs are

pressure plate: 8.24 lbs
clutch: 2.38 lbs
flywheel: 23.96 lbs

total: 34.58 lbs

(thats what the FedEx scales said yesterday when i mailed them)

boy did we get off track from the original post.... sorry OP.. haha

 

[RichieRocket]

just looking at the most commonly bought fit vs what will surely be the most commonly bought 1.8 (automatic). the automatic (non sport) fit is 28/35 vs 25/35 for the auto sonic.

Yeah, I guess it depends on how you spin the numbers. When you said "worst in class" I didn't realize you actually meant "worst in class, but only comparing the most commonly bought automatics".
Taken literally, your comment was not correct...The 5-spd Fit has worse hwy mpg.

 

[Suzuki Phil]

I'm hemmorrhaging money with this commute though! $75 of gas every other day!

Drive slower.

SP

 

[atvman29]

Drive slower.

SP

The Explorer can only go slow...

Seriously though, not sure what you mean by that. The Explorer gets less than 20mpg @ any speed.