Just back from a business trip to Baltimore where Hertz rented me a Chevy Sonic as a "Mid Size" car???? I was sooo pissed, and asked the counter person how is a Sonic a midsize car when it's the smallest car Chevy offers? "ohh no sir, the Aveo is" he tried to correct me. I had to inform him that the Sonic replaces the Aveo. I sent Hertz a nasty email and will rent from someone else next time.

How was the Sonic compared to my Fit - Night vs Day!! The Sonic had rattles in the dash and coming from the trunk, the driving position sucked, and while merging into traffic, the engine wanted to die a few times or hesitated. I didn't like the motorcycle inspired gauges either, and it looked really cheap inside. I used to mock the number of cup holders my Fit has, but now appreciate them. The Sonic had them in the doors and one below the driver's armrest.

So not impressed by Hertz or Chevy!

 

Haha. Chevy does indeed make some super shitty vehicles. I had an aveo given to me by enterprise while my wrecked fit was in shop, it was supposedly comparable, ha ha, drove it an hr, took it back, demanding better, what did they do, put me in a chevy hhr. Whoaaaa it sucked horribly too. Horrible loose steering, anemic power, crappy mileage, cheap plastic shitty interiors, and blind spot city!! In both! Finally went back and demanded japanese vehicle, a nissan, a mitsu, another honda, it didnt matter, just japanese please. They got all butthurt cause i wanted a foreign car over an american car, all talking about how they thought they were doing a nice thing for me with the chevys! Lol gtfo with that noise!

 

Ha! Shoulda looked me up for a ride

 

All this Chevy bashing warms my heart. I love you guys.

 

GMs SUCK! They are the cheapest cars on and off the road. Horribly cheap interiors with bad fit and finish. Yesterday me and my buddy went to a Chevy dealership just so we could cut them up and make critical videos on how horrible they feel. I got into a Sonic and it sucked! Small on the inside, toilet paper headliner, and the 2nd glove box was shitty and wobbly. Couldn't wait to get back in my Fit and drive off.

 

I was going to try and say something nice, but I couldn't think of anything.

 

lol your right

 

I just read "Car Guys Vs Bean Counters" by Bob Lutz and came away impressed that GM does a lot more technological and engineering development than I realized .. in fact world class .. and more than the end products imply. I actually think their cars are probably better than I realized.

That said, just try convincing most people that GM makes good products ... impossible. It takes decades to build up a positive reputation, and probably a string of smash hits too, like Hyundai's Sonata, Elantra and Genesis quality, all of which surprised people in a very positive way. GM should not expect that people are going to forgive them overnight for their badge-engineered 80s cars, their terrible diesels that broke every 20k miles, their built-to-a-price interiors in the 90s and '00s. The new Cadillac ATS is, from the reviews, the dynamic equal of a 3-series, but no one is going to pay the same price as the BMW for one. :P

Can't speak about the Sonic. I imagine, as GM's cheapest car, it's not their best effort. But I also bet if you drove it next to an Aveo you'd feel like you were really getting something special :P

 

We have a GM vehicle, a Cruze, sitting next to the Fit. It's quieter, faster, and more fuel efficient. 45 mpg this summer, and 44 mpg over 26k miles. The interior is just fine on both cars. It better be, as it's a long-range commuter.

Now the Fit is perfect for getting awkwardly-shaped items, or being our general "fetch-it" vehicle. It also drives like a go-kart, and is still extremely fun to drive.

The Sonic seems cheap to me. Don't like the interior much. The Cruze seems far more polished.

 

After an Aveo a polished turd seems special. I have another loaner story for you guy. My mom took in her Impreza in for a service to a joint Subaru/Chrysler dealership. Some asshole overtorqued the sump nut. Car had to stay in for a couple days for replacement parts.

Loaner car: Dodge Caliber. It could give the Aveo a real run for its money. Not a car for people who like to steer, brake, or accelerate. Actually I'm not sure they had anyone in mind when they designed that piece of crap.

 

Sure they did. Old People who wanted a smaller "American" car because the Crown Vic and Buicks were too expensive. Also it sits a little higher so they can get in and out.

WTF... am I rationalizing a dodge caliber? Need more coffee.

~SB

 

Wobble the gauge visor back and forth, and I think the gear indicator can easily be popped out of place.

 

Mythbusters proved that it actually is possible to polish a turd.

 

1.4l turbo? If anyone was to get the Sonic I would think the 1.4l turbo.

 

What gear indicator? Manual transmissions don't have gear indicators.

Yes, I've got the 1.4 turbo, 6 speed manual transmission Cruze. Fantastic engine/transmission combination after a tune and swapping the gearbox oil to Amsoil Synchromesh. It's a little slow off the line due to traction issues, and does 40-70 mph very quickly. With the tune it's a quick car that'll consistently get 45 mpg highway driven quickly. Our Fit is lucky to see 40 mpg highway.

I don't know why anybody would ever consider a Sonic with the 1.8. It's gutless, coarse, and thirsty. The 1.4T is a $700 option that's money very well spent as it's both faster and more fuel efficient. Plus, it saves a $1000 timing belt job since the 1.4T is timing chain.

Seeing how the Cruze is larger/faster than a Sonic with the same or better fuel economy, I don't see a compelling reason for a Sonic. Insurance is also higher on the Sonic since it's not as safe as a Fit or Cruze, either. It's also more likely to be driven by young guys who wreck often.

In short, if somebody wants a Sonic for the utility, they're better off with a Fit. If they want one for the fuel economy, they're better off with a Cruze.

If somebody is bashing a 1.8/automatic Sonic and generalizing ALL of GM's cars based off of it, that would be like me concluding ALL Hondas are wallowing boats based off a 2012 Civic. I know that's not the case since the Fit handles very well, and can scoot pretty well after a downshift or two. Every maker has some great cars, and some duds.

I like both our cars. They both fulfill their assigned missions well, and we wouldn't lightly get rid of either one.

 

Beat me to it. If you think a GM rental is bad, try a Chrysler product.

 

No, I won't. :P

 

When my fit was in the shop, I had a malibu as a rental for the first week, then a 2012 civic the second week. I can honestly say the 2012 civic was probably the most boring car I have ever driven in my life.

 

Since I had absolutely NO credit, and my co-signer my dad had tarnished credit, what I had to choose from was a 2012 Civic LX and a 2012 Fit base, the Fit was an obvious choice.

 

With all this being said, I got into the Entire GM lineup the other day, (minus the sports cars, which suck anyway) and I was not impressed. The seats are made out of this backpack material that is rough and get's dirty easy, and the headliners are horrid, but other than that, okay, typical GM interior, typical GM recalls (I think that car had a serious recall, probably not yours) Other than that, I'm sure that car isn't that bad. But the DESIGN, how can you stand those chinsy big 'ol front ends with the big ass grills? haha, I'm sorry dude, but all I can think of is cheapness, over-patriotism, and walmart. "An American Revolution"
The other day I was just amazed that GM was still in business, I'd say it's an improvement though to the long line of compacts since the 70s they've made that can't hold a name or value because people get tired of GMs gimmicks.