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  • Both sedan and hatch versions feature a distinctive prow with the body-color single-bar grille supporting Chevy’s bow-tie badge

  • Tail treatment consists of a brief notchback deck on the sedan but a near-vertical door on the hatch with articulated round lamps in red, another motorcycle cue

  • Layout of Sonic’s cabin amounts to a pair of bucket seats in front of a bench for three with the seatback split and folding to add room for cargo

2012 Chevrolet Sonic Subcompact Sedan And Hatchback

Chevrolet Sonic sedan and hatch replace Aveo subcompacts

  • Review
  • Fast Facts

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Chevrolet says adios to itsy-bitsy Aveo, the Korean-built economy subcompacts conformed as a 4-door notchback sedan and 5-door hatchback.

Two made-in-Michigan vehicles replacing Aveo in Chevy’s 2012 line are the stylish and agile Sonic, also in 4-door sedan and 5-door hatchback formats.

The two new Sonic models vary toward the tail, where Sonic Sedan shows an arched roof concluding at a brief trunk ledge while Sonic Hatch has the roof extending beyond the lip of the back door before diving down through a liftgate to the body-colored wrap of a tail bumper.

Both Sonic Sedan and Sonic Hatch contain a passenger compartment with room for five riders plus more personal space than the pint-size appearance may indicate and far more standard features than the typical economy car.

Both vehicles ride on a rigid front-wheel-drive platform with sleek skin dressing the external package in the manner of stylish and edgy European city cars.

And both pack a naturally aspirated 1.8-liter Ecotech four-pack engine which feels downright zippy when running the stoplight derby on suburban streets.

The in-line-four plant, with dual overhead cams (DOHC) and variable valve timing (VVT) controls, delivers 138 hp at 6300 rpm with torque of 125 lb-ft at 3800 rpm. EPA fuel economy numbers for the 1.8-liter plant tally to 26/35 mpg City/Highway with either the standard five-speed manual shifter or optional six-speed electronic automatic.

The estimated fuel consumption numbers reach 40 mpg when Sonic is equipped with an optional turbo-charged Ecotec four-in-line engine displacing 1.4 liters.

It produces 138 hp at 4900 rpm plus 148 lb-ft of torque at 2500 rpm and achieves the highest fuel economy scores when linked to a six-speed manual transmission, although Chevy also offers a six-speed automatic transaxle with electronic controls, the Hydra-Matic 6T40 by GM.

Styling of Sonic’s shell appears smooth and tailored on the sedan but it’s more sharply drawn on the hatchback with a boxy format and concealed rear door handles.

Both sedan and hatch versions feature a distinctive prow with the body-color single-bar grille supporting Chevy’s bow-tie badge. The articulated round lamps on front corners draw design cues from motorcycles.

Flanks are relatively flat but interrupted by subtle flares on wheelwell arches, with counterbalance above coming from smooth roof rails which stretch over an arched cab.

Tail treatment consists of a brief notchback deck on the sedan but a near-vertical door on the hatch with articulated round lamps in red, another motorcycle cue.

Sonic’s wheelbase length measures to 99.7 inches long (1.8 inches longer than the Aveo wheelbase) while the distance from the prow up front to the back bumper tallies to 173.1 inches on the sedan (3.4 inches longer than the Aveo sedan) and 159.0 inches for the hatch (4.7 inches longer than Aveo5 hatchback).

Cabin dimensions are generous, despite the pint-size category of subcompacts. Sonic sedan has 90.4 cubic feet of room for riders with headroom up to 38.7 inches and legroom to 41.8 inches front and 34.6 inches rear.

Layout of Sonic’s cabin amounts to a pair of bucket seats in front of a bench for three with the seatback split and folding to add room for cargo. The cargo area runs to 14.0 cubic feet for the sedan, but 19.0 cubic feet for the hatch with rear seatback up or 30.7 cubic feet with rear seatback down.

Sonic also comes with a long list of passive safety equipment — front seatbelts with pretensioning apparatus, backseat restraints with anchors to mount a child’s seat, smart multi-stage frontal air bags and side air bags for front seats along with curtain-style air bags tucked in the ceiling for outboard seats on two rows, even air bags aimed at the knees of front-seat riders.

And Chevy loads every Sonic edition with active safety systems — anti-lock brake system (ABS), traction control system (TCS), electronic skid controller (ESC) with rollover sensing and a hill-hold feature (HHF).

Chevrolet casts the Sonic sedan and hatch in three grades:  LS, LT and LTZ.

Sonic LS rolls on 15-inch alloy wheels and comes with an air conditioner, tilting/telescoping steering wheel, 60/40-split rear seatback, manual adjustments for driver seat, a trip computer and a 4-speaker audio package with AM/FM/AUX.

Sonic LT models provide power controls for windows and door locks plus upgraded cloth upholstery and heated exterior mirrors. Optional packages add more equipment, like the Wheels and Foglamp kit with 16-inch wheels and the Connectivity Plus Cruise package installing cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity, iPod/USB audio interface and steering-wheel-mounted audio controls.

Sonic LTZ nets more gear — contents of the Connectivity Plus Cruise package plus heated front seats, premium vinyl upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, foglamps on the prow and 17-inch alloy wheels.

How low are price points on the new economy cars at Chevrolet?

The MSRP chart begins at $13,740 for Sonic LS Sedan, or $14,640 for Sonic LS Hatch.

Top LTZ trim climbs upward from $16,540 (sedan) or $17,240 (hatch).

2012 CHEVROLET SONIC SERIES SPECIFICATIONS

  • Description:
    • Subcompact 5-door hatchback
    • Subcompact 4-door sedan
  • Model options: LS / LT / LTZ
  • Wheelbase: 99.4 inches
  • Overall length:
    • 5-door: 159.0 inches
    • 4-door: 173.1 inches
  • Engine size:
    • DOHC 1.8-L I4/VVT
    • DOHC 1.4-L I4/TC/VVT
  • Transmissions/speeds:
    • 1.8: Manual/5 or Auto/6
    • 1.4: Manual/6 or Auto/6
  • Rear/front drive: Front
  • Steering: EPS/rack and pinion
  • Braking: Power disc/drum, ABS/EBD/TCS/ESC/HHF
  • Air bags: 2 (front)., 2 (side front), 4 (side curtain), 2 (knee)
  • EPA mileage est. city/hwy.:
    •  1.8 M/5: 26/35 mpg
    • 1.8 A/6: 25/35 mpg
    • 1.4 M/6: 29/40 mpg
  • MSRP range, est:
    • 5-door:  $14,640 to $17,240
    • 4-door:  $13,740 to $16,540