2012 Chevrolet Sonic Review

The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is the best subcompact car for you if you want evidence that America can produce a world-class small car.

The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is the all-new and immeasurably better replacement for the Chevy Aveo. A rival for the likes of the Nissan Versa and Hyundai Accent, Sonic is built in Michigan, comes as a four-door sedan and a four-door hatchback, and starts at $15,730 with automatic transmission. This solid, comfortable, and surprisingly stylish subcompact is available with base and turbocharged four-cylinder engines. It slots into Chevy’s lineup between the smaller 2013 Chevrolet Spark minicar and the larger Chevy Cruze compact sedan.

The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic breathes some life into the small-car styling formula with an aggressive-looking front end featuring a double-tier grille and motorcycle-inspired quad headlamps. The Sonic sedan has a gracefully arched roof, the hatchback a squared-off tail and rear door handles hidden in the rear roof pillars. Both body styles share a well-made and smartly laid-out interior. It’s highlighted by a main-instrument binnacle incorporating digital and analog gauges – another motorcycle-inspired touch.

Size-wise, the 2012 Chevy Sonic straddles the middle of the subcompact-car spectrum; it has almost exactly the same exterior dimensions as the Ford Fiesta sedan and hatchback, for example. Sonics are also competitive for interior space, with above-average headroom front and back. Front seating is adult-friendly. But rear-seat knee space is prohibitive unless front occupants agree to slide their seats at least halfway forward. And narrow rear doorways frustrate exits.

Stem to stern, the Sonic sedan is 14 inches longer than the Sonic hatchback. The hatchback, however, has 19 cubic feet of cargo volume behind its rear seat and 30.7 with the rear seatback folded; the sedan has a 14-cubic-foot trunk. All those cargo volumes are slightly above the class average. Standard on both body styles are 60/40 split rear seatbacks that fold virtually flat and have the sturdy backing and heavy-duty latches associated with more expensive European cars.

Both the 2012 Sonic sedan and hatchback have a three-model lineup consisting of base LS, midline LT, and top-tier LTZ trim. Chevy subdivides each into “1” and “2” trim levels, such as 1LS, 2LT, and for the LTZ, 1LZ and 2LZ. Sonic LS models have less exterior chrome trim, but visual distinctions between the various versions are relatively minor.

Alloy wheels are standard on all, with LS and LT models getting 15-inch-diameter rims and LTZs getting 17s; 16s are optional on LTs. Fog lamps are standard on LTZs and optional on LTs. Inside, LS and LT models have cloth upholstery. LTZs have perforated imitation leather and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic turns to the larger Chevy Cruze for both its engines, a move that saves development costs and imbues the smaller car with a bit of brio welcome in this budget class. Otherwise, the 2012 Sonic is conventional for the category, with front wheel drive, a torsion-beam rear axle, front-disc and rear-drum brakes with antilock and antiskid control, and electric power steering.

Standard on all 2012 Sonics is a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with 138 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque. Optional on LT and LTZ models is a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder with 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque (think of torque as the propellant behind acceleration, horsepower as the energy behind momentum). Either engine puts Sonic among the most powerful cars in its competitive set. Neither creates a hot rod, but acceleration is more than adequate for the car’s role.