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| Don't do this at home! On a long enough test track, the 1,4 turbo can like seriously shunt. |
I am, for now, the fastest motoring hack in the all-new Chevrolet Sonic RS in
South Africa.
The official figures for the turbo-charged hatch are a zero to 100
km/h sprint time of 9,5 seconds and a top speed of 197 km/h.But in a little informal dice (one which can only ever be staged on
a rather long test track and which should never, ever be tried at home!), I
managed to get the speedometer over 200 km/h.
This would be considered serious shunting in any hot hatch, but in
the Sonic RS, things get downright adventurous at this rate, with the suspension
feeling like it would bottom out over the slight undulations and the suddenly
over-eager powersteering making even long sweeps feel like hairpins.
This is because, as Chevrolet brand manager Tim Hendon stressed:
“The Sonic is sporty in nature, but not outright sporty.”
He added the new Sonic RS “exhibits performance-enhancing
mechanical upgrades, superior levels of driving comfort and a high-specification
level”.
This includes Chevrolet’s new MyLink infotainment system, about the
only thing I did not like in the sexy hatchback, which otherwise delivered in
spades all the driving enjoyment promised in the marketing brochures.
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| The Chevrolet Sonic RS |
It comes with a tuned suspension, with a MacPherson strut design
upfront and a multilink setup at the rear that did manage to keep things from
scraping the tar for me, while a lower ride height with stiffer suspension and
performance-tuned dampers helped the motoring editor I was chasing get away
around a corner in one piece. (Or it could just be because that editor Dennis
Droppa is a much better driver.)
All the fun was driven by GM’s global 1,4-litre turbocharged Ecotec
petrol engine, which needs no introduction to petrolheads.
In the Sonic RS, it makes 103 kW at 6 000 rpm and 200 Nm at 4 000
rpm. To get it over the 200 threshold on the speedometer requires keeping the
six-speed manual gearbox in its first four gears, where close ratios make for
sporty performance.
Chev says the tuned exhaust system “allows the improved performance
to be heard while still maintaining comfortable noise levels at all times”, but
I’m afraid that at serious shunting speeds, the road and wind noise are such
that you won’t be able to use the radio or the exhaust notes for auditory
entertainment.
The new Chevrolet Sonic RS can be easily identified by more
aggressive front-bumper features and chrome detailing around the more angular
fog lights.
It rides on 17-inch alloy wheels with five spokes and comes with
new side skirts and black-painted door mirrors with integrated LED indicators
and a roof spoiler and, of course, special Sonic RS badging.
Inside, the best thing about the RS is the bucket seats. Covered in
a combination of leather and ribbed suede inserts, it provides both a
comfortable seat on a long drive and lateral support around corners.
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| The MyLink infotainment system is not idiot friendly. But the upside is you get the nice geek lady to help you. |
But back to the MyLink infotainment system. It refused to link to
this luddite’s Sony Experia because it came pre-paired to that fruity phone from
the United States; the overly expensive one which refuses to allow one ownership
of the music you had laboriously turned into MP3 from your old LP
collection.
When the attractive assistant finally managed to unlink the
overpriced U.S. phone and pair my Sony — having to at one point use both hands I
might add — the MyLink worked fine.
Hendon told me I must think like an owner, who would link up the
system with a smartphone only once, after which the MyLink system will
automatically link via Bluetooth whenever said owner gets in the car. At least I
think that’s what he meant.
I still remember when a carrier pigeon could beat Telkom’s copper
lines to deliver one gigabyte of data between Pietermaritzburg and Pinetown. It
was as recent as 2009 — go check it out on that webnet thingy; the youngsters
tell me it’s all on there too.
The rest of the literature states: “MyLink incorporates a host of
different media sources and formats, allowing the user to play or watch their
favourite media in the car.
“Bluetooth audio streaming with playlist customisation and full
smartphone integration allows MyLink to stay connected and become an extension
of the phone itself. Full phonebook and call list integration with a smart
dialling feature makes calling easier than ever before. Video playback and
picture gallery viewing while the vehicle is stationary adds another,
class-leading touch.
“The high-resolution seven-inch touch screen is perfectly
integrated into the vehicle’s dashboard and features touch-button controls for a
thoroughly modern look and feel. Voice control on most smartphones and steering
wheel-mounted controls also mean the system can be operated in complete safety
with both hands on the steering wheel.”
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| This story was first broadcast on Radio Overberg, housed in this building in Bredasdorp, South Africa. |
The new Sonic RS retails for R225 300 and is available as standard
with a five-year/ 120 000 km warranty and a three-year/ 60 000 km service plan
linked to service intervals of 15 000 km. For this price, one could also buy the
big-booted Corolla 1,6 Esteem.
But if you don’t have any of the baggage that comes with kids yet,
go for the Sonic.
It’s R30 k cheaper than the nearest proper hot hatch; and you can
have fun burning all that savings in petrol. After all, you’re only young
once.
