After getting the details on the 2017 Chevrolet Sonic, and having a chance to take a seat behind the wheel of it, we have compiled our first thoughts on the refreshed subcompact.
We had a chance to climb aboard the Sonic RS hatchback in particular and comb over its styling. Below, you will find our thoughts, but do talk to us in the comments about your opinions and questions.
The styling looks better in person
This was the most dramatic change. Gone is the Sonic’s cartoonish front face, where a mature, grown-up fascia has been painted on instead. In person, it’s much more pleasing to see and stare at. It looks fresh and modern, but we do miss the car’s character, which still lacks in the 2017 Sonic’s case. In any case, it’s a nice fusion of Chevrolet Spark and Cruze character. The angular eyes and LED strips help bring a more premium feel to the affordable subcompact, too, and we still can’t get over the similarities to the 2016 Chevrolet SS‘ front fascia and this car’s face.
The missing character is found inside
If the 2017 Chevrolet Sonic lost some of its character on the outside, it hasn’t been forgotten on the inside. We still love the motorcycle-inspired gauge cluster with digital speed readout. Chevrolet has also spruced up the inside with a flat-bottom steering wheel, which should help sway the kids into thinking the Sonic is a rightful pocket rocket (even though it’s not…).
Details, details
Despite being a fairly budget vehicle, the RS trim feels well appointed. The red accented cloth seats help bring life into the cabin, and contrast well with the red trimmed floormats and red RS logos inside. Even the plastics help deter their budget looks by utilizing a texture. It helps feel a bit more special, however, there are still plenty of hard plastics where your hand will be touching. We also don’t understand why piano black inserts are still popular; fingerprints love it, your eyes won’t.
Still a compelling package
Overall, we still can’t help but like the Chevrolet Sonic for what it is. No, it’s not luxurious, nor is it sporty, but it does do a lot of things right. And the 2017 Sonic’s new looks should help it find plenty of homes.
Comments
Any interior pictures?
Yeah interior shots!
They are forthcoming, we’re back on the floor grabbing more photos as you read this!
Cheers,
-Sean
That grill is soooo much better then the current one. A wider look is usually a better look.
Still needs 200+ HP to compete in the hot hatch market.
I wish there was official comment on this: ie, we don’t want to because of CAFE; we don’t want to because it’s a small market and we won’t recoup our costs; we want Ford to have the edge on us in this market; we don’t want people to buy this instead of a Camaro.
Then I would have an official reason to be mad at the product planners instead of a generic one.
Did someone say because all those reasons, but especially because 4cyl Camaro???? C’mon, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see GM ain’t got no fvcks to give about the subcompact market.
The last valid car to be supported was the Cobalt SS which was supported in NHRA Drag Racing as well as a Factory Time Attack (both programs gone, btw because they were TOO good).
The Sonic was ALMOST supported by GM in early 2012 as a Spec B race car, even sent the imaginary project to SEMA to test the water. All parts were killed off and now you can barely get an intake from Chevy for the Sonic.
GM obviously has not interest in winning in this segment. They’re happy enough with a participation ribbon
Do you touch black pianos except for the keys? Then don’t touch the black piano inserts! (They don’t have keys!) And slap away passengers hands if they try to too! They look fine if you take care of that.
How are the interior materials? Is it still hard plastics or?
vic1212,
Yeah, everything is still pretty much a hard plastic. The texture kind of breaks it up, but nothing feels quite luxurious, but we understand that’s not the Sonic’s place to offer too much of it.
Cheers,
-Sean
I mean I think they should offer some soft touch plastics. By looking at the competition, some of them like the Fit have soft touch plastics. Even the Refreshed Trax has them so I don’t see why sonic shouldn’t
Everything doesn’t have to put off the illusion of luxury. That would actually kind of work against the Sonic, which is billed as an athletic economy car. It would also probably raise the price, which is already a little high.
We grew up in cars with plastic interiors. It’s down-to-earth, practical, and realistic. There’s nothing wrong with it. And other competitors tend to come off as pretentious with their surfaces. The Sonic is fine, in this regard.
Still needs 200+ HP to compete in the hot hatch market.
What market this is or what cars ther is today what compete event this motor?
Still beats owning a Fiesta, they would do well to drop their 2.0t crate engine in one of these and label it an ss
Still not feeling it. The current front end doesn’t look “cartoony”, and the new one doesn’t look “mature”. It actually looks kind of creepy. And the overall profile of it looks less confident, and balanced. It looks squat, and squashed together in a very inexpert, ungraceful sort of a way. Particularly towards the top, where the proportion is so off, it kind of looks like the anime car from hell, Toyota Echo. Its wheels are even uglier… This is a downgrade from the current one, not a step up.
Another thing, probably the trim level reassignments will punish hatchback buyers with the thirstier gearing of the current RS model. Which, how does that even work…? “The 2017 Chevrolet Sonic RS LT”…? Why even split the trims up like that? And somehow, I can see them coming to believe it would be a good idea to sell all non-RS models — which, apparently, is now the entire hatchback line-up, for some reason — with the poorly conceived shrunken 10.8 gas tank from the 2016 LT manual turbo. And it’s probably heavier than the current Sonic, which could be a strain on the gas.
Even if that doesn’t happen, this is still an ugly little car. Far less characteristic, and likably different, than the current model. Even the covered up headlights and rearranged tail lights look bad, and that was one thing that shouldn’t have been done with the first Sonic. This looks better on the new Trax.
Ugly black Krylon spray painted wheels got to go!
I bought my Sonic in part for the interesting and attractive front end.
This… this thing is a disappointment. If it had looked like this I would have skipped right over it. It doesn’t look more mature. It just looks forgettably generic.
No thank you, 2017. I still love my 2013 RS hatchback. Style-wise, it looks generic.