New Cars 2012: Chevy Sonic

In the 1980s, when super-eco cars started playing a major part in most automaker's lineups, GM did not want to be left out of the fold. The rise of GM's tiny econocar came to fruition in 1985 with the introduction of the Suzuki-built Chevy Sprint. It was available in both 3 and 5 door guises, and neither one was ever "fully loaded" so to speak. In 1989, Chevy introduced the Geo brand, and replaced the Sprint with the Geo Metro. Again, available in 3 and 5 door guises, but now a convertible could be had. When the Geo Metro died in 2002, there was a two year gap until the Aveo came out.
Now, for 2012, this new Sonic replaces the much-loathed Aveo. While the Aveo can be a good car if you don't really care about cars, the Sonic is said to be a good car. The Aveo had major shake at idle, and the whole car felt half-assed in terms of construction, and execution. I haven't set in the new car yet, but I can say while it isn't groundbreaking in terms of style, it doesn't appear to be as cheaply constructed as the Aveo before it. For one, all the panels are at least the same color. No paint mismatch to be found, anywhere, which is honestly a big step up from the Aveo. Another nicety is that then even its lowest trim, I don't think you can get anything but wheels on the Sonic. Again, that move shows GM is taking its small cars seriously.
While I have never ridden in one so I can't comment on the interior quality, (they just came out)but I would hope it's better than its predecessor. I mean, it should be. After all, they claimed to have invested "big money" into making sure the Sonic was a better car.
As far as motivation goes, the Aveo was powered by a lackluster 1.6L four that coughed up 108 horses and fed them to the driver through a four speed auto or a very vague five speed manual. The new Sonic, however, has a turbo 1.4L four with 138 horse. Power is fed through your choice of a five speed manual, or a six speed automatic. If you're wary of turbocharged engines, there is also a non turbo 1.8L that makes roughly the same power as the smaller turbo engine. Like its turbocharged brother, the normally aspirated car is available with a five speed stick or a six speed auto. Apparently both combos are good for at least 35 MPG highway. Honestly, I was expecting better. A Hyundai Elantra gets 40 MPG highway, so does the sportier Hyundai Veloster. The Mazda 3 gets 40 MPG highway as well, and all three of these cars are more acclimated to longer distance driving than the small Chevy.
While this new Sonic is a great step forward, it does indeed show that GM, who begged for a bailout, is obviously not serious about fuel economy. Yet.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: VW Golf

Usually, I refrain from posting modern vehicles, but honestly the VW Golfs around here are rapidly dissappearing for some reason. Rust is a huge problem on these cars, but it seems as if the only way this generation is kept in good condition is if its owned by a VW "tuner" so to speak.
Although this particular example is festooned with various decals, and it has an odd aftermarket fenders, there's nothing that couldn't be reversed once the VW trend dies down. I do like the paint choice (yes, I realize white is pretty nondescript color), and the green wheels aren't to everyone's taste. I realize that. I don't care. I know I'm in the minority here, but I honestly don't get why people are so averse to the whole VW/Audi/Euro scene. Sure, their cars may be labeled "rice", but VW enthusiasts who follow the whole stance theme aren't trying to make their cars fast.
I will say that that RK (RiceKiller) decals on this example throw me off for a bit. RK is the single douchiest car forum I've ever had the displeasure of visiting. They not only condone street racing, they condone destroying/defacing cars and property which they find inferior to their own. While I don't know the owner of this car, it wouldn't surprise me if he only modded his proud little econobox to "be cool".
In the end, I would sport this example, though I'd do so after the window decals are removed and the front fenders were replaced with stock units. As it sits, it's just another example of the whole "bright wheels" trend that's slowly becoming the new rice.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Pontiac LeMans 326

When shooting, I often find the best cars tucked slightly out of sight from plain view. In this case, the finding occurred behind a repair shop on Park Avenue, I think it was. Anywhoo, I was riding down Lake, for some reason, I decided to take a left onto a little side street behind Park, and go down a block. I don't think I've shot a car this comprehensively before, and I certainly hope the opportunity arises again soon.
Every once in a blue moon, I come across a neglected muscle car, but its often tucked away on private property, be it in someone's yard, behind a house, sitting in a driveway with a tarp and cinder blocks chocking the wheels, you know, just the casual "urban automotive decay" as I like to call it. This find was a rare breed if there every was one. Not only was it in relatively plain view, the shop it was behind was closed for the day, so no employees harassed me or gave me any sort of hell.
To be honest, I'm not much up on muscle cars, but I do know that this poor LeMans was probably a badass during its heyday. Equipped with a standard bench seat, four on the floor, and a tri-power 326, this sucker meant business. While not quite a "GTO", the LeMans 326 was pretty much a slight step down the Pontiac performance totem-pole, with the anemic 215 slant six-powered cars as the bottom feeders. Don't ask how it handled, or what its skidpad numbers were, because obviously this badass meant to "live life a quarter mile at a time."
I know I usually give my overall critique of the vehicle here, but honestly, I had so much fun shooting this one, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. The paint, as any abandoned car goes, looks pretty forlorn, but at least it's complete save for the rusty and dented rear quarter panel. The trim, too, looks to be in impeccable shape, aside from pitting. And really, when you put into perspective the winters this car probably sees since its sitting out behind a repair shop, it's pretty amazing to think this once-boulevard-bruiser is still alive and trying to kick. Even with Pontiac gone, this poor muscle car seems as its saying "save me".
It's not often I get scared, or get feelings for an abandoned car, but this brute saddened me. How can someone let something so awesome, so big and brash, so menacing just linger in the cold, damp grass? It sickens me that there are people who would rather spend their time churning out half-ass rebuilt wrecks than save a muscle car icon. I know it isn't a GTO, but it still has its place in GM's hertiage-rich history. Here's hoping I'm not the only person to see this poor LeMans this way. Someone save this LeMans 326. Now.

Cars I'm thankful for going out of production soon

Starting in 2009, I did a Thanksgiving post. I totally forgot to do one last year, and to be honest, I kinda wasn't into blogging for whatever reason, but now I'm back. 2011 marks the return of happy blogging, and I can't forget about holidays. In 2009, my post was commemorating the five modern (since I was born) cars I was most thankful for. These cars shaped the auto industry for better, or at least had a positive impact on me, and made me a better enthusiast.
Unlike that post, this schpiel, if you want to call it that, rips a couple companies a new arsehole, which I think is greatly deserved. This five cars have made me hate what the auto industry is now becoming, largely in part to stupid American consumers. While there are absolutely loads upon loads of crossovers I can rip apart here, I chose to limit it strictly to cars. And so the countdown of my most abhorred cars of 2008/2009 to present begins, where I will be posting reviews of some of my least favorite vehicles, not only on principle, but on execution or lack thereof.

Coming in at number five on the list, is the Jeep Compass. Ever since its conception, Jeep has always been about providing low-cost offroad thrills to the masses. But as of late, prices on Jeeps have skyrocketed to the point where the cliche Jeep, a Wrangler, can now be turned into a $40,000 vehicle with the right options. And that's even the high quality one. The Grand Cherokee, which is a bit nicer, albeit more geared toward luxury, can push the $50,000 mark. Since Jeep needed a vehicle to lure new buyers into the fold, it had to be cheap, price-wise.
Enter the Compass, one of a wide variety of new vehicles introduced by Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, and even Mitsubishi for the 2008 model year. From the outside, it just looks incredibly ghastly. The front end reminds me of a frog that got punched between the eyes, and that isn't the worst. The rear end reminds me of a last generation Kia Sportage-- the last of the cheap-looking ones, I might add, and the side profile has this godawful "character line", and the door handles. Jesus. The idea of rear handles mounted in the pillar was a Nissan tradition with the Pathfinder. Now, the trend is synonymous with (you guessed it) "hip vehicles", like the Nissan Juke.
Inside this rattletrap, materials are so poor, you could swear the interior was assembled using leftover plastic scrap from the last deceased Rover factory. Panel fit inside is incredibly uneven. At the 2008 auto show (where I took this picture), I found a gap in the dash between the glovebox and foot rest wide enough to fit my whole hand into. On a production ready vehicle, no less.
Power comes from an unmotivated 2.4L four cylinder making 172 horses. That might not sound too horrible, but remember, there are other hatchbacks that make better use of their engines. While it does get semi-decent gas mileage for a vehicle of this Caliber (more on that later), the ride one suffers is incredibly loud, with lots of tire noise, and wind buffeting because of the godawful front end treatment. If you desire an even less potent version of this tincan, there is a 2.0L four cylinder available as well, but that engine leaves the whole vehicle shaking at idle. Not quite the experience one expects from a new car.



So, you like the Jeep Compass, but for some reason have less than $20,000 to spend on your very own Compass? No fear, Dodge has the answer, in form of the ungainly Caliber hatchback. Like its Compass cousin, the materials on this example of a slipshod, subpar uneconomy car are incredibly poor, even for the class of vehicle it is. I noticed that every single example at this past auto show had at one minor cosmetic blemish. Not content with dull colors occupying the range, Dodge has festooned their latest small car with a wide array of garish, bright colors, in hopes that people shopping for a Fiesta of other "upscale" compact car will take a look at their product. Nope, no happening. While the Ford Focus costs more than a Caliber, it is much more premium car. The Caliber just says "hey, I bought an ex-rental car. It was cheap, and it least it's new." So? It has the dynamics of a 10 year old Hyundai Accent. Noisy on the highway, rattling/shaking at idle, and quite possibly the most cumbersome interior I've seen in quite a while. Seriously, who needs heated and cooled cupholders when you can worry about whether of not you're going to slice your hand open trying to open the glovebox?
Fitted with the same geriatric engines as the Compass, the Caliber is quite slow off the line. While the 2.0 and 2.4 (as mentioned above) make okay power, Dodge did offer an SRT version which made 300 horsepower. Great, but at what cost? Well, monstrous torque steer, and periods of *lag*lag*lag*BOOOOOOOOOOOOST*lag*lag*lag. Almost like when the turbo decided to kick in, the torque steer was bad enough to send the little shitbox swerving from lane to lane. Apparently, not many people cared for the idea of a turd with 300 horses. The SRT was canned after only three years on the market.



So, a little subpar hatchback not quite your thing? This platform is also available in a sedan form, too. Since I couldn't find a picture of the grotesquely styled Chrysler Sebring, this Dodge Avenger will have to do. It's not ugly per se, it's just.. nondescript. Nothing wrong with that, but when this car came out, it was promoted as being filled with "attitude" and "style". Where? Surely they don't mean the spoiler on the back, do they? Because you can affix a spoiler to damn near anything and label it "sporty". A spoiler, four doors, a CVT and a 170 horse engine do not an exciting drive make. I've had the displeasure of riding in a rental one, presumably equipped with the 2.4; it was very loud, engine drones made the vehicle feel as it was going 100 miles an hour constantly, and my lord, the tire noise. Pitching it into corners along highway 1 was probably the single scariest moment in a car I've had. Very excessive body roll, and tire howl that would give an autocross Mustang being driven in anger a for its money. Honestly, for competing against cars like the Ford Fusion and Chevy Malibu, this Dodge should be Avenged. Like its other stablemates, the interior plastics are hard to the touch, often hurting whatever part of your body comes in contact with the dash, and door panels. I can attest. I knocked the dash at the auto show to see how the plastic felt. My knuckled turned bright red. Not exactly what I would comfortable. With the subpar interior materials out of the way, we can focus on build quality. What? You were expecting VW quality? Well, given VW's little scandal regarding poor fit and finish lately, I guess one cane say that the Avenger matches the Jetta for quality. And that's not exactly a good thing.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevy S-10 LS 4.3

On the same vein as yesterday's post, here is another truck. This time, although the example shown is quite a bit newer, it still pushes twenty years old-- and it shows. These first generation GM S trucks aged well in the styling department. Carrying the same basic look from 1982 to 1993, they were sold by the hundred thousands; pickups, Blazers, Jimmys, Bravadas, two doors, extended cabs, two wheel drive, four wheel drives, four cylinder, V6, the choices and configurations were endless. Coming in at a hair under $6500 for a base model when new in 1982, the price slowly crept upward toward that $10,000 mark. Not too bad, but it still was a basic truck.
While the first generation lasted until 1993, it got its a midcycle update in 1990, which included a more modern and (to me, anyway) better looking front fascia. Unlike the pre-1990 trucks, this facelift allowed for a black grille, and paintable bumpers. It also gave way to a slightly more modern wheel and tire setup.
Inside this generation S-Series, however, was the same basic package that had been around since 1982-- and it showed. While the outside looked relatively up to date, the interior was a very barebones hark back in time to when car interiors (for basic vehicles) were pretty damn ugly. Flat, hard surfaces, small and antiquated controls and knobs, flimsy metal square seltbelt buckles, big steering wheel with small center area, just a bunch of general cheapness and utilitarian details not found even in base trucks anymore.
Being a Minnesota truck, this particular example is far from pristine. It's pretty unusual to see hood rust, though, so I'm betting this poor thing has been repainted a time or two. Although, since it has all its badges in place, I'm not so sure it has. Aside from the basic rust damage, everything else appears to be in semi-decent shape for its age. Heck, even the ever-so-missing centercaps seem to be intact--certainly a rare feat, especially on such a workhorse-prone truck.
Since most of these first gen workhorse trucks are the four-cylinder variety, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this version was indeed a V6 extended cab with a bench. I know, I know, it's probably not rare, and I'm weird for liking this, but the idea of a mix-and-match truck seems pretty cool. I don't think I've ever seen this combo before, and I doubt I will ever again.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ford Bronco Special

Since I live in the snowbelt, older trucks are relatively common as winter approaches. Unlike the plethora of vehicles I see that meet this criteria, this example of Ford's legendary first gen Bronco is remarkably un-cut up. No lift, no big tires, none of the normal modifications people do to their Broncos-- and that fact alone made this sighting very dear to me. I've grown to really appreciate the first generation Bronco. I know it's not the biggest SUV there is, and it certainly doesn't have the widespread image as a Jeep/CJ-5/Willys, but I love these for what they are.
On the surface, this example seemed to be pretty clean, save for obvious crash damage. Upon closer inspection, though, this little Bronco revealed a tragic amount of rust, visible and otherwise. Aside from the tailgate and spare tire mount, the body doesn't look all that bad, but whose to say what the undercarriage looks like? Given this truck's age, I guess that's not too surprising, really; after all, it lives in a state where winter is nearly 6 months long. I do like the hubcaps on this particular example; I'm not quite sure if they're factory to this year, or if they're off a later model Ford truck, but they seem to fit rather well. I do like the period graphics, though I'm not quite sure whether they're paint, or whether it's a decal package, but either way it looks fantastic on this truck.
Judging by the older license plate (pre numbers then letters format), I'd venture to say this Bronco has been a daily driver since at least 2005 if not beforehand. While I do respect the idea of using a near four decade vehicle as a daily, I have to wonder how much longer it will last, given the months that lie ahead. All in all, this is a relatively clean old Ford that definitely deserves a better life that what its living right now, but I can't fault the owner's choice in using this uncommon Bronco as his daily. I would too, given the resources to do so.