Five-Point Inspection: 2012 Chevy Sonic Hatchback 2LT

4. Six-Speed Auto is Too Many Gears for Not Enough Power

Equipped with the 1.8-liter engine and six-speed automatic transmission our test car had perhaps the least-desirable drivetrain setup. The automatic transmission is a little confused on the car, and it hunts for gears quite a bit. In fact, six gears might be one too many here.

With 138 hp and and 125 lb-ft of torque at 3800 rpm the car doesn’t feel like it has much until about third gear and then it tappers off quickly. Designed to deliver better fuel economy, the six-speed auto is also reluctant to gear down.

The six-speed manual would help solve many of these problems, though the lack of torque would still be an issue. The real gem is the available 1.4-liter turbo that makes the same horsepower, but boosts the torque rating significantly to 148 lb-ft.

The biggest disappointment, however, was the 27 mpg that we averaged. That’s not far off the car’s 25 mpg city and 35 mpg highway rating, though as a road trip most of our miles were cruising at highway speeds. If anything this is a warning to ignore the advertised 40 mpg claims unless that’s the exact car model you’re buying. Added miles per gallon is fair trade off for lackluster acceleration and an odd transmission, but in this case it’s just not worth it.