Chevy Prices Sonic RS At $20,995
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$20,995. That’s how much the top-of-the-line Chevy Sonic RS will cost when it arrives at dealerships this fall. The price, which includes destination, is for a Sonic RS equipped with a six-speed manual transmission; an automatic starts at $22,880.
Available only as a five-door hatchback, the Sonic RS features unique exterior and interior features described by Chevy as “performance inspired”. It’s powered by the same 1.4 liter turbocharged engine found in the Sonic and Cruze, making 138 hp and 148 lb.-ft. of torque. The six-speed manual transmission features unique gearing while the auto has a 3.53 final drive ratio. As a result, the shifting is meant to be more dynamic.
The Sonic RS starts production in October at Orion Assembly Center in Michigan, which recently received $545 million in investment for upgrades and tooling. The Sonic is the only subcompact built in the U.S.
2013 Chevy Sonic RS Features
Exterior
- New RS-specific grille
- New rear fascia
- New rear spoiler
- New rocker moldings
- Bright exhaust outlet
- Unique 17-inch five-spoke wheel design
- Lowered and stiffened suspension with performance-tuned dampers
- RS badging
- A power, tilt-sliding sunroof with express-open and wind deflector feature is available.
- Exterior colors include Victory Red, Summit White, Cyber Gray Metallic and Black Granite Metallic – a new, premium exterior color for 2013.
Interior
- Leather-appointed front bucket seats with sueded microfiber inserts and red RS accents
- New sport three-spoke, leather-wrapped steering wheel with contrasting stitching and racing-inspired flat-bottom design
- New, leather-wrapped shifter knob with red stitching (manual transmission)
- New aluminum sport pedals
- Specific instrument panel cluster graphics
- Standard Chevrolet MyLink
The GM Authority Take
The idea of RS as a standalone trim level seems like a good one to us. But we’re still waiting for a real high-performance variant of the Sonic/Aveo and Cruze. But while we’re waiting for Chevy to make our dreams come true, perhaps you may be interested in reading our Sonic review. And what do you think of the price? Sound off in the comments below.
$21K??!! Nuts…..
I really hope that they put the 1.6T quick on this car since it’s still unknown for the Fiesta ST if they want to bring to the states.
Wow!
My 2007 Cobalt SS Supercharged with all of the options was about $21K and I had 205hp (250hp for the turbo in 2008)! For that kind of money, they need to get it at least 200hp.
I think they missed the price by about $1200-1500? With zero additional power over lesser Sonics, why go to so much trouble with suspension tweaks? The car has already been praised as fun to drive? They could have saved a few bucks on the seats? I would think most interested in this ride prefer a durable cloth seat material ( a la GTI).
Crazy idea: put the 2.0L Ecotec turbo engine in there.
Less crazy idea: put a turbo on the 1.8L engine and tune it for 220-ish bhp.
Yupp. What’s more likely is the new direct-injected 1.6T. Up to 200 hp and 221 lb.-ft. of torque:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2012/08/genera-motors-commences-4-cylinder-powertrain-renewal-with-1-6l-turbo-ecotec/
Then save the 2.0T for the Cruze.
That works too.
I guess they can put that on the Cruze RS (available on LT and LTZ) and then have Cruze SS with 2.0T