What do I need to know?
Just bought a 14 LTZ sedan for Mrs. Woof. 1.4T. Going to tune it, would like to drop it a bit.
It was not alt all what we started looking at, but she likes it, it looks good, handles well, the 1.4T has some potential. I didn't see or hear much in the way of problems with them, and that's important because we keep our cars along time
You will need to replace your sway bar end links. Somewhere around 35k. Guaranteed. Get the greasable steel ones from ZZPerformance.
I bought my '13 with 28k and the OE links were toast by 33k.
You may already know about this, but back in 2014 GRM's own David S. Wallens thought highly of the GM factory parts newly available for the Sonic:
"Since there really isn’t a high-performance variant of the Sonic, those hop-up parts are new. The biggie is a low-restriction exhaust kit that’s 50-state legal and includes the dealer calibration; GM promises 10 more horsepower along with 15 ft.-lbs. of torque. (They also note that 2012-’13 Sonics will need the higher-capacity 2014 Sonic clutch.)
Looking for more go? They also offer a coldair kit, although the catalog doesn’t mention that it increases performance. It does sound nice when paired with the exhaust, though.
Handling upgrades are available, too, including 18-inch wheels, lowering springs and alternate dampers. The base-model car gets Sonic RS front struts plus new rear shock absorbers; the Sonic RS just gets the revised rear dampers. At some point you need to stop, too: A big-brake kit is offered that replaces the original 276mm discs with 300mm-diameter pieces.
If the RS is the sportier version of the Sonic, these bolt-ons turned the RS into an RS-RS. The chassis was nice and composed. Instead of holding on for dear life, we could use the throttle to balance the chassis in the turns. There’s still some push, but we could coax the tail around, too.
The test course set up on the infield portion of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway included a slalom, and the modified Sonic ate it up, offering great visibility, nice steering feedback and a decent amount of power.
We wouldn’t call the engine note wimpy. If anything, we wished for seats with a bit more support–perhaps one day they’ll also be added to the catalog."
I put 28k on mine in a year and generally liked it. Don't run a ref light and get hit by a Buick SUV
As many have said, the stock plastic sway bar links tend to go out fairly frequently, sound like the whole front of the car is falling off. Can't remember if '14 had the MyLink infotainment system yet or not, but that's fairly trouble-prone (locks up, stops playing, Bluetooth won't work, etc) and has had a few reflashes. Seen a few turbo issues but that's largely due to neglect, not changing the oil frequently, and is covered by powertrain anyways. If it develops a weird chirping noise in the engine bay, pull the dipstick and if it goes away or changes, it needs a crankshaft seal. Seen that more lately, and I've seen a lot of people who can't diagnose that one.
icaneat50eggs wrote: Don't run a ref light and get hit by a Buick SUV
Generally good advice.
It does have Mylink, but not too concerned about that. It will probably not be used for much more than listening to the radio, or occasional music through the USB. It looks like there's a lot of info on it on the forums, too. We'd read about the sway bar endlinks, pretty common on a lot of cars these days. Will get the ZZP links, and probably their springs. We're 10 years in on a Cobalt. We know that front end sound and more...
I thought there were a bunch of Sonic owners on here, so if anybody has modified one, or has any pertinent info, please chime in.
The Sonic and the Cruze are GM's most solid vehicles right now. Both of them seem to run for a long time without much more than basic maintenance. The 1.8L Sonics have issues with the intake tube developing holes and throwing a P0171 (just like the Aveo) and the thermostat heater throwing some codes, but the 1.4T avoids all that.
Thanks. When we determined that the Sonic might be a viable option, I was set on the 1.8. No turbo, simple, and they appear to rack up the miles fairly well. But the more I read, the better the 1.4T sounded, and the option of tuning, and more power seemed like something Mrs. Woof would like. It seems like they are very mild on the stock tune, and some real power is available easily. This particular one has the options she likes. Leather, sunroof, and has the options I like, 17's and 1.4T. It's also been tinted, and had some really good rustproofing done. Both things I was going to do anyway. We drove a few Cruzes, even a couple of RS cars, but neither of us were crazy about them. We saw nothing from the other manufacturers that excited us. The Sonic didn't either, but we disliked it less than everything else.
I can't help much with mods. Mine is a pure commuter. I have the 1.8/5-speed, one-above-strippo LT model, with no options. I probably should have gotten the 1.4T, as the 1.8 is a bit of a dog at the 2000' of elevation in Las Vegas.
The big downside of the Sonic is that they depreciate faster than used condoms. It helps you buy a used one for cheap, but there seems to be no bottom to the depreciation curve, so plan on keeping it a long time or losing your butt on resale.
Rented one. Liked it.
Not mine, but a guy who was working for me. It is a 1.8, lowered, I think he had a tune and a cold air. I'll ask him more. It gets the same mpg as my mz5 though so I'm not sure what the point is.
EvanR wrote: The big downside of the Sonic is that they depreciate faster than used condoms. It helps you buy a used one for cheap, but there seems to be no bottom to the depreciation curve, so plan on keeping it a long time or losing your butt on resale.
That's the point of buying a used one. Let somebody else take the hit. We paid less than 50 cents on the dollar compared with a new one. In fact, we did the same with Mrs. Woof's Cobalt, and the numbers were almost identical, ten years apart. We've been buying a 1-3 yr old GM car for her for almost thirty years now, and it's worked out perfectly.
Hour and a half drive home last night. It goes pretty good stock, and it feels like there's lot's more inside, and it handles. Took the highway off ramp at 120 km/h. There's some potential here. 35 (US) MPG so far.
In reply to Zomby Woof:
We're in total agreement, my friend. If a person intends to keep a car for 5+ years, a 2-3 year old Chevrolet can't be beat.
I intended to keep my Sonic for 5+ years, but after having driven it for 16 months, I really don't want to keep driving it that long. However, it has depreciated another 40% since I bought it, so I'm kind of stuck for a while.
Why have you changed your mind?
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