The Chevrolet Sonic is exactly the kind of car I love.
Not being a petrol-head, my car choices tend to err on the side of an easy drive and an attractive package.
The Sonic fits this bill perfectly and this zippy little car is perfect for every women – with a huge boot for the shopaholic girl about town and child-friendly features to please every mum.
It is, in my opinion, the perfect chic-mobile.
I spent some time with master sales executive Lourens Breedt at Peter James Motors Springs getting to grips with everything this car has to offer – aside from the nine colours to choose from.
From the minute I turned on the engine I knew I was in love. For someone who drives a considerable distance on a weekly bases, the ease of driving impressed me immensely. The car is easy to handle, turn in a relatively tight circle and seems goes with the slightest encouragement on the pedals.
But, as I said, I was looking for the little extras every woman, sometimes secretly, is really look at when purchasing a new car.
Reading up on the car before joining Lourens for the test drive, I was taken by the description in the brochure: “The Sonic’s interior is inspired by Corvette’s dual cockpit with ice-blue ambient back lighting, delivering a unique sensation of comfort and style.”
Hmm, a Corvette at this price?
I can’t say that I have any idea of what the Corvette offers in terms of comfort, or that I particularly noticed the blue ambient lighting, but I can assure you that the Sonic is Comfortable to drive. That’s comfortable with a Capital C! The idea of a cockpit – the term used to describe the driver’s space – made me think the car might be boxy and claustrophobic but nothing could further from the truth.
The driver’s seat is height adjustable (as well as the expected forwards and backwards adjustments) to ensure the perfect height for your driving pleasure. This is a great feature which allows shorties like me to see over the dashboard – a rather important part of the driving process.
The steering column is also height and depth adjustable.
Back to the shopping boot – the sedan offers 466l of boot space. In visual terms, you could throw your cheating boyfriend and three of his silly mates in there and still have room for a few shopping bags.
The hatch offers an ample 253l. With only 30cm in the difference in length between the two cars, there’s no real worry that the hatch will disappoint at the mall. However, if the hatch doesn’t have quite enough room, both the hatch and sedan back seat folds down in a 40/60 arrangement.
For mums, however, the sedan may be a better option with ample room for the pram, and all baby’s paraphernalia, in a boot that has a relatively low lip. This lower lip is an added advantage for mums who need to pack the pram while holding their tyke in one arm and will appreciate not having to lift the pram quite so high one-handed.
Mums will also be pleased to know that, as with other Chev models, the Sonic has child seat restraints to ensure junior’s car seat is securely installed and, for those with rear facing seats for new babies, the Sonic offers passenger airbag deactivation – a feature not found in earlier Chevs.
My favourite feature is the new MyLink infotainment system which offers an array of possibilities help make your drive easier. The system links to your phone via Bluetooth and the MyLink screen effectively becomes your touch screen phone with access to your phone book, music, navigation system and anything else you might need off your phone.
The sonic has two dedicated phone speakers to ensure that while using the hands-free option, your call is always crystal clear.
Lourens and I tried out the system and within a matter of seconds the car and my phone were synced.
Once set up these settings are remembered so there is no need to keep setting the system up with every trip. Once the phone and your car are paired you need only enable your phone’s Bluetooth for instant access to your caller log.
What’s on offer?
While the specs aren’t the most interesting part of the car to me personally, some drivers like to know what they are getting themselves into. All of the below features come standard in all Sonic models. So here goes with the boring details:
- Six airbags – two in the dash, two in the curtains and two in the front doors.
- Side impact bars – corrugated to ensure maximum efficiency when you need it most.
- ABS and EDB
- Power steering.
- Air conditioner.
- Four power windows.
- Cruise control.
- Radio/CD front loader/MP3/Auxiliary/RDS with six speakers
- USB port.
- Bluetooth mobile hands-free with music streaming.
- Steering wheel controls.
Pain in the pocket?
The Sonic comes in six variants, each with its own price tag. There is only one diesel and one automatic option but the manual I drove was so easy to handle, it hardly seems necessary to go the automatic route if your aren’t a die-hard convert.
- 1.3 hatch diesel – R19 8500
- Hatch 1.4 – R178 600
- Hatch 1.6 – R187 000
- n Sedan 1.4 – R181 300
- Sedan 1.6 manual – 189 800
- Sedan 1.6 automatic transmission – R200 700
There are a number of optional extras to personalise the vehicle but my favourite, by far, is the MyLink on board computer system which will add R4 000 to the price tag.
This feature is a recent addition and will, according to Lourens, come pre-fitted by early next year.
For drivers who don’t feel the need to include this awesome feature, the usual radio (as listed above) will continue to be available.
* Prices correct at time of going to print.
