The Compact Car That Packs a Punch

Spend any amount of time in a Chevrolet Sonic and you’ll see quite a bit of thought went into creating this small car. The Sonic might be cute, but it’s serious too. From its stellar performance in NHTSA’s crash testing (five stars overall) to its wealth of standard features (including Bluetooth and blind spot mirrors), as cute as it is, the Sonic is also a rational choice.

Power comes from a choice of two engines, a normally aspirated 1.8-liter inline four with 138 horsepower and 125 ft-lbs of torque, or a 1.4-liter turbocharged four with 138 horsepower and 148 ft-lbs of torque. The turbo engine can be had with a choice of a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic, while the normal engine gets a five-speed manual or a six-speed automatic. Fuel economy ranges from a low of 26 in the city to a high of 40 on the highway—depending upon the engine and transmission combination.