MotorMouths

With commendable driving dynamics, a segment-leading interior, an IIHS Top Safety Pick trophy and competitive fuel economy, the Sonic is a stand-up value with the stats and swagger to match.

There’s no question that the Chevrolet Sonic is a very compelling choice in the subcompact segment. Competition in the segment is stiff, and Chevrolet has found a way to set itself apart.

Run the 2012 Sonic hard and it’s genuine fun. It has a nice nose, handsome wheels and bright accents, which is not to say it’s not a bit of an ugly duckling, but the real revelation is the interior.

The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is a peppy, well-executed subcompact car with lots of standard features and surprisingly good performance at a reasonable price.

The Sonic’s quiet cabin and stout exterior design combine with its relative enthusiasm for the road, especially the turbo, to push it above the Accent and Fiesta sedans. Chevy finally has a tiny winner.

The Sonic definitely earns merit points for spicing up the exterior and interior presentations, and for offering a peppy, turbocharged engine that doesn’t ding the fuel economy numbers.

The overall improved design, engineering and build quality of the new Sonic justifies every penny of its higher cost over the Aveo. But the Sonic gains little in value-for-dollar bragging rights.

We were gobsmacked by the LTZ’s fundamental goodness. It cruises confidently, handles deftly, accelerates eagerly, and sips fuel like an ’85 Tercel. Oh, and like every Sonic, it’s got one of the coolest instrument panels on the planet.

The Sonic is safer, better and more capable than any small car yet built in the United States. The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is a small car worth buying and driving.

Sonic is a good car: useful, easy to drive, a good value. It’s just not the high-class, scintillating little scooter we were expecting. For many buyers, though, it could hit the sweet spot.

If a small car with spunk and thrift is what you’re after, you would be remiss not to put the Sonic on your short list of cars to test drive.

The all-new Chevrolet Sonic’s style, ride quality and fun-to-drive nature land the new car well past the Chevrolet Aveo it replaces and establish it as a competitive player in the exploding subcompact field.