Grandma Review: Chevrolet Sonic
I haven’t owned an American car since 1992, but it’s been over 35 years since I’ve even driven a Chevrolet. In 1979, my husband bought himself a Caprice, with the biggest V8 engine available. Usually, we owned Chryslers, Dodges and once, a green V8 Mustang, like the one Steve McQueen drove in Bullitt. There was also a Mercury Sable and a Ford Escort – a compact car that was probably smaller than the Chevrolet Sonic I rented in Florida.
When I booked the car, the rental agent told me that I’d be able to get a Honda Civic, but I ended up with this little black Sonic. I remember Derek went to drive the Sonic when it first came out, and he had good things to say about it. I don’t know if I liked it as much as he did.
I definitely like the hatchback style like my Honda Fit. It’s easier to see out of, though the Sonic felt nice and nimble and easy to park. The engine was a little quieter and a little smoother too, but didn’t feel as responsive as the Fit. I also like the way the Honda sits a little higher up.
The trunk space in the Sonic also couldn’t fit both my friend’s walker and the bundle buggy I use to carry my groceries, but it’s not really a fair comparison. The Sonic is a sedan, and can’t be expected to hold as much as a hatchback.
Two things I didn’t like: there’s no release for the fuel filler. You just press the door and it opens. It’s not a bad idea, but it’s very confusing for someone like me. It was also strange using a knob to turn the headlights on and off. It would have been easier if the rental company included the owner’s manual.
After driving the Sonic for a month, I never really warmed up to it. It’s a sharp looking car, and a lot better than what I expected from an American car, but I don’t think I’d want one over my Honda. So far, I have felt that way about both rental cars. Maybe if Derek lets me drive a Jaguar F-Type, I’ll feel differently (hint hint, Derek).
More by Derek Kreindler
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I'm surprised she liked the Fit. Most of my elderly customers can't stand them because of the hard seats, noise, sluggish response when equipped with automatic and the cheap interior furnishings. It's two big claims to fame are it's luggage capacity out back and small exterior size/fuel mileage ratio. If Honda's are talked about it's usually the CRV that they want to look at.
I owned a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic LT turbo automatic hatch for 8 months and 11,000 miles until I traded it in for a 2014 Ford Focus SE 5MT hatch, when Ford was slapping down all kinds of discounts that it basically became $1,500 more to get into the Focus in total after taxes and trade-in. I thought it was fair since the Focus was the car I wanted in the first place and an automatic compact car becomes boring. After owning the Sonic, I can say that I don't like B-segment cars in general, but for what it was, I have no complaints about the Sonic. It was reliable, quick, had almost as much room as the Fit, and drove quite well. I like the Fiesta's drive better than the Sonic, but it is ridiculously small. The three-cylinder is also not suited for driving in American conditions. I've had enough drive time with the prior Honda Fit, drove the current 2015 one, and I still preferred the Sonic. The only thing I miss from owning the Sonic is the Chevrolet dealers I dealt with for service, many of them were much more friendlier and less slimy than the Ford dealers. They were so bad that they would have very much lost the Ford Motor Company my sale had the last dealer I went to before I would have said "Screw it, I'm keeping the Sonic" actually acquiesced to give me all incentives, a good trade-in and 1.9% financing.