Used 2016 Chevrolet Sonic Hatchback Consumer Reviews

An American Built Success Story

After hitting 8,500 miles with my 2016 Sonic, I think it is time to review this surprisingly well put-together car. I commute over 100 miles round trip a day in upstate NY, so the Sonic and I have spent a lot of quality time together over the past months. Before the Sonic, I drove a 2013 Honda Fit, a car which the Sonic has blown out of the water (I decided to part with the Fit after it was out of commission for a total of 6 months for an airbag recall-and there will be another to follow). First of all, for what you get, the Sonic is priced exceptionally competitively. I paid just over $11,000 for my LS Hatch, brand new. True, it didn't come with a lot of bells and whistles, but it's an American built car that is a top safety pick, had Bluetooth and Onstar, and looks stylish to boot. Though I looked at getting a new Fit, I couldn't spend 5k-7k more for a car with the same features built in Mexico. Second, driving wise, the Somic outperforms the Fit as well. For a subcompact car, the Sonic is fun to drive (while getting an average of 35 mpg) and you sit fairly high up in comparison to other subcompacts. My wife has a Subaru Impreza and when riding in her vehicle one sits noticeably closer to the road. Third, the Sonic's interior design is functional and well thought out, however the materials could be of higher quality, though if I cared about being surrounded by "soft-touch" materials, I would have opted for a more expensive car. Overall the Sonic seems like it will be an excellent vehicle that will last a long time.

2016 Sonic LTZ 2 Cracked Cylinders, bad turbo

I bought my 2016 Chevy Sonic LTZ Turbo Hatchback Brand New so I wouldn't have to deal with all the issues of owning a used car: $17.000 ( I was looking at Used Honda Fits) I really Liked the "Appearance" and design of the Sonic. It ran good for the first 30,000 miles, Then it had a cracked cylinder, They replaced all the cylinders the first time around because it was still under the warranty, Then it had another cracked cylinder again JUST OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY at around 63.000 miles. Even though they repaired the first one, they made me pay the 2nd time around. I was extremely disappointed with the way GM handled this. After paying to get this fixed my Turbo had zero power. Ive had other mechanical issues I won't go into but after this experience, The Sonic is a great "Looking" Design but don't be fooled... Its a POS GM Product. I will not buy another GM product unless it was given to me or too cheap to pass up. I mean REALLY CHEAP. Do your research and buy something better.

Good for a little run about car, a bit small but b

Acceleration sucks, fuel economy in the city not so great, hwy mileage ok as long as you keep your foot out of it. Would probably go for the turbo version since it has more low end power. Overall safe, easy to zip in and out of small areas.

Great car for a first car, otherwise not so much

I bought this car as the second car I have ever owned. To be honest, I loved it at first. However, I live in Utah and this car is awful in the winter. It is way to light to have decent traction in the snow and rain. It also takes forever to defog.

Good size for Tall People, but cheaply built

This car had more problems than my Chevrolet Cobalt. Every winter when there is a cold spell, the engine light comes on because there is water buildup somewhere in the motor and freezes. When the temperature gets warmer the light goes off. Had the waterpump and coolant lines changed (under warranty) now have to have the suspension replaced (we mostly do highway driving, why would it need replacing?)

A good cheap car. Having the Hatchback is very gre

Compare prices with many dealers. They are all different.

2016 Sonic 1.4T LT Hatch 100K review

Back in 2016 I stacked a bunch of discounts and got this car in 2016 for 14.5K new. Was torn between a 2017 Cruze RS and a Sonic but chose the Sonic as it was 7K cheaper. Pros: I do like the quirky gen 1 styling a lot better than gen 2. Good reliability (1.4T is considered to be less reliable than the 1.8 but haven't had a problem). The 1.4T is a much more fun car to drive tho and has nice acceleration w/o turbo lag. Comfortable seats, sunroof doesn't leak, decent amount of space for a compact. Road noise is probably best in its class (its quieter than a same year corolla). Doesn't start rattling like other small cars at high speed. Enough room under the hood that w/ a bit of know-how and youtube you can easily fix and/or do preventative maint at home. 6-speed automatic is solid, quiet and doesn't get lost. Cons: only real problem I've had is w/ the cooling system, had to change a thermostat and did some preventative maint replacements, what finally fixed the leaks was LOL a bottle of stop leak. LT is higher to the ground and puts a lot of strain on the front suspension, the suspension is still fine and can prob last another 75K but hits potholes a bit harder. The tradeoff for comfort/styling/quietness is that you pay more at the pump. Car avgs about 29mpg combined. Very poor for its class. Overall: Its fun to drive and can't beat the price. Advise if you buy a used Gen 1 sonic: use synthetic oil especially on the 1.4. Change the Turbo oil feed line ($40 OEM part, can do it at home or a mechanic can do it for 1hr labor). There is no option for 1.4T hatch LT so put it as an RS model.

Sonic a great car for a college student

Nice car up to about 50,000 miles

Catalytic converter needed replaced. Car rattles and vibrates terribly. I have a 2016 Sonic and was told by dealership that this is normal for these cars. Feels like I am riding in a comfortable go-kart. Still only have 75,000 Mike's on it and it's pretty rough.