The Chevrolet Sonic may seem like an excellent used car buy with prices looking very appealing at this current point. We found that prices range from R175 000 to as little as R80 000 which certainly makes the little 5-door hatch (and even the 4-door sedans) look rather appealing.
Related: Generic Car Comparison: VW Polo vs. its two main competitors
But before you run out and grab yourself one of these cheerful cars, here are the top 3 things you need to know about the Chevrolet Sonic.
1. It's a Polo competitor
The Sonic was designed to take on the likes of the Volkswagen Polo, Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio and Hyundai i20. Its dimensions are similar and boot space will be roughly the same as its competitors. Rear legroom is generous and it is a true 5-door hatch with the rear door handles hidden away neatly in the rear C-pillar to help create smooth and flowing lines.
2. There are 4 engine to choose from
The Sonic was made available with a 1.4-litre petrol, 1.6-litre petrol and 1.3-litre turbodiesel initially and was later augmented by the sprightly 1.4 petrol turbo RS model. The hatchback was made available with a slick-shifting 5-speed manual gearbox in the petrol models and a 6-speed in the diesels. If you want an automatic, you'll have to look at the sedan version.
3. Chevrolet is no longer in South Africa
One of the reasons for the decrease in value is largely due to the fact that GM pulled out of South Africa at the end of 2017. The Chevrolet Sonic was also discontinued globally in 2018. This is worth keeping in mind as original GM parts will start to become harder to find, especially model-specific items such as body panels. Don't let this dissuade you though as Isuzu stepped up to the plate and assured owners that they would honour warranties and service agreements going forward.
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