The Sonic has been a decent hit for Chevrolet—some 76,000 have been sold so far this year—and the brand is eager to keep things rolling along, having introduced two new sedan variants in Los Angeles this week. Well, "new" is perhaps a bit too strong a word—the four-door RS merely expands the badge beyond the hatchback and the Dusk was previewed as a SEMA concept in 2011 before being confirmed for production at the same event last year.
Chevrolet Sonic RS Sedan
As with the hatchback version, which we tested this past summer, Chevy's RS treatment brings rather understated upgrades to the sedan. It uses the same 1.4-liter turbo four that's available in other Sonics, which means you get a full 138 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque to mess around with. A new, deeper front fascia is the main piece of exterior flair, while the interior sees aluminum pedals, a leather-wrapped flat-bottomed steering wheel, and a set of sport seats that we loved in our test of the five-door. It can be painted black, silver, or white, each of which is paired with a black interior.
The car also receives special gearing in the six-speed manual (or a 3.53 final drive in the automatic), disc brakes all around, and a suspension that's both lower and "sport-tuned." The suspension work allowed the hatchback to cling marginally better to our skidpad, but didn't really do much in the real world. The Sonic RS sedan costs $20,530, or some $620 cheaper than the comparable hatch. But that still makes it just $1665 less than the 10Best-winning, 197-hp Ford Fiesta ST.
- Instrumented Test: 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS Hatchback Manual
- Instrumented Test: 2014 Ford Fiesta ST
- Instrumented Test: Chevrolet Sonic LTZ Turbo Hatchback
Chevrolet Sonic Dusk Sedan
The Dusk aims to bring more aesthetic refinement to the Sonic experience. The engine is the same 1.4-liter turbo as in the RS, and it can be mated to six-speed manual or automatic transmissions. Eighteen-inch matte-finish wheels are standard, as are four-wheel disc brakes, a rear spoiler, a body kit, and black leather seats with microfiber trim and tan inserts. The only available paint color is dark gray—because dusk—and the front, rear, and body sides are dotted with matte trim. Pricing for this one starts at $20,945, and both it and the RS sedan go on sale in the spring.
For what it's worth, Chevy also announced some performance parts upgrades for the Sonic, including a staged turbocharger kit that brings 10 horsepower and 15 lb-ft, a cold-air intake, a suspension kit that lowers the car (and which we assume to be the same as fitted to the RS), and a brake upgrade kit with Wilwood front calipers.
from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com
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