2012 Chevrolet Sonic: What Do You Want To Know About New Subcompact?

By John Voelcker

John Voelcker

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2012 Chevrolet Sonic

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The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is the first subcompact car built in the U.S. in a very long time, and one of several new Chevy models that aim to lift the carmaker's overall fuel efficiency.

We'll be driving at least three separate 2012 Sonics within four weeks, so we're seeking your input.

What do you want to know about the new 2012 Chevrolet Sonic? Leave us your questions and thoughts in the Comments section below, and we'll do our best to get you answers on our various Sonic drives.

While the Chevy Sonic is rated by the EPA at roughly the same gas mileage as its larger compact Cruze sibling, the little Chevy is the company's first serious attempt to compete with the best of the subcompact field.

That includes the newly redesigned 2012 Toyota Yaris, the capacious, flexible, and fun-to-drive Honda Fit, the all-new 2012 Nissan Versa, and the high-style Ford Fiesta, among others.

2012 Chevrolet Sonic

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The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is offered as a five-door hatchback and four-door sedan, with a pair of engine choices. The base engine is a 138-horsepower, 1.8-liter four, with an optional 138-hp turbocharged 1.4-liter four that produces the same power and more torque, but uses less fuel.

Transmission options for the base engine are a five-speed manual gearbox and a six-speed automatic; the smaller turbo has six-speed manual and automatic options. The base engine with five-speed is EPA-rated at 26 mpg city, 35 mpg highway, for a combined rating of 29 mpg, which isn't particularly stellar.

The optional 1.4-liter turbo has already hit the magic 40-mpg highway mark, however. The version fitted with the six-speed manual gearbox is rated at 29 mpg city, 40 mpg highway, and 32 mpg combined..

There are three trim levels--LS, LT, and the high-end LTZ--and the base Sonic LS sedan starts at $13,735, plus a mandatory delivery fee of $760.

Tell us what you'd like to know about the 2012 Chevy Sonic below, and we'll respond both in our drive reports and directly to your comments.

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