Chevy says it will offer a performance version of the Sonic in 2013.

Now you might think it's ugly, and you'll never ever drive one, BUT, it's the competition. And competition is good because it will hopefully drive other car manufactures to add performance variations of their B-segment cars, including Honda.

 

I actually like the gauges. It looks like something you would see on a sportbike. And the rest of the car looks good and the numbers arent too bad.

 

1. not much different than a base kit kraftwerks supercharged fit in terms of power, but with the huge advantages of OEM quality and a turbo.

2. take a look at what easily available power is out there for factory turbo'd cars. 138hp is just a start.

if it had the same cargo capacity as the fit, it would be lights out. alas, the more pedestrian considerations come into play - 16" vs 17" tire prices, high probability that the honda will cost less to maintain and retain greater resale value, and more cargo room in a similar footprint.

i'll take that engine in the fit and call it a day.

 

This made me laugh way to fucking hard.

 

1. A turbo should net more horsepower than a supercharger with similar boost any day. You can't really talk about the advantages of OEM quality on an untested platform from a company who has been notoriously bad for quality in this particular segment.

2. We'll see but I highly doubt this car will see very much aftermarket support.

 

The initial part of your first statement requires some qualifiers: you are assuming the compressors are of comparable size and efficiency, as well as that the turbine side is properly matched not only the to the compressor but to the engines mass flow at that pressure ratio. There is more to it than that, but the condensed version is you cannot directly compare boost between compressors of the same family let alone different styles.

 

I wouldn't automatically assume that the OEM is necessarily quality. Companies have used turbos that have known to fail. Look at the IHI VF46 turbo used in the 05 to 09 Subaru Legacy GTs, they were incredibly prone to failure. I think the best benefit is warranty supported, not quality :)

 

i agree w/ the warranty part.

but when it comes to r+d resources, you can't beat an OEM. GM has more money and more resources than any other major. then compare that to an aftermarket company, it isn't even a comparison. i'd trust a new factory turbo'd motor from the new GM over an aftermarket bolt-on supercharger for a motor that was designed for an NA economy car.

 

You do realize that R&D resources aren't the whole story, especially with OE manufacturing?

GM is particularly awful in this regard. They have the bean counters, life cycle engineers (read: planned obsolence and intended failures) as well as all the lawyers that help churn out a truly underwhelming, mild performing and often flawed product that pisses all over the visions of the original draft and design engineers.

If the aftermarket bolt-on kit you are referring to is the Rotrex kit developed by Oscar Jackson (Kraftwerks) You truly have no concept of what you are discussing. It is an extremely well configured package. And it certainly can beat OEM, because the game involves more than just the money they throw at it. If you were talking about something from an eBay group like CXRacing, you may have had a point.

To try and be fair to your assertion, at the other end of the spectrum from GM and Chrysler's wheeled abortions of late, we will find the only real triumph for a Domestic OEM and forced induction in the last 5 years (perhaps 10), and that is the 3.5L Ford EcoBoost motor. But again, this is one example rising out of many failures, most of which never made it past the concept phase because of the bean counters and lawyers.

Maybe you could say the same of the LS9 in the ZR1, but that is still has its heritage in the LSx series so its not exactly new. It's just a blower on a legacy V8.

Do not make the logical fallacies of appealling to authority. OEM's churn out well funded crap constantly.

The warranty on said crap would be the only bonus. Even then the customer service you get with Oscar is top notch as long as you aren't a childish dick on the phone as some owners in this segment of the market tend to be.

Edit: Just to clarify, this isn't solely for bashing on GM or Chrysler/Dodge. I've had a couple Chevys including a 5.0L swapped Monza, and a 5.9L Cummins Ram. Enjoyed them all. Just don't put OEMs on a pedestal where they don't belong.

 

Yep, assuming all that

 

watch:

Chevy Camaro ZL1 | Phase One: Track-tuning the magnetic ride suspension - YouTube
Chevy Camaro ZL1 | Phase Two: Refining launch performance - YouTube
Chevy Camaro ZL1 | Phase Three: 24-hour Track Endurance - YouTube
Chevy Camaro ZL1 | Phase Four: Aerodynamic Testing - YouTube
2012 Camaro ZL1 Takes on Nurburgring | Chevrolet - YouTube

 

You found some videos on youtube ergo, everything GM makes is awesome and infallible because they have money?

 

When I was car shopping a few months ago I checked out the sonic and I'm sure it is made as cheap as it looks.

I bought a 9 3 w/ 5k on it.


The ford focus st will be much nicer than the sonic.

The beauty of a dd 4 cyl. turbo is the great mpgs and having power when you need it.