Start, Look, and Listen!

Now’s the time to get your car ready for the demands placed on it in the coming winter months. Especially in rain, sleet, freezing rain, and maybe snow, you’ll want your vehicle to start and run reliably. And you’ll want your driving experience to be as safe and comfortable as possible. Here are some things to check to make your winter driving safer and more secure.

Start
Most important, you’ll want your car to start reliably every time. “While routine tune-ups are not what they used to be, your vehicle still needs to have new spark plugs installed periodically,” said Mark Wilkinson, Group Product Manager, Spark Plugs for Robert Bosch LLC. Installing new spark plugs will help assure quick starts even in very cold weather when battery power can be severely compromised.

Look
Visibility is critical to safe driving, and it’s doubly important when snow, sleet, and ice obstruct vision. For that reason, safer visibility in extreme winter driving conditions demand the best wiper blades you can buy.

Listen
Certainly you should listen to the advice of your trusted dealer when it comes to safe and proper maintenance of your vehicle. Your mechanic knows your car and its history, and is best qualified to recommend needed parts and service.  

Keep your car ready to beat the cold! Schedule a service appointment today.

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We’re taking No Worries^™
to a whole new level.

Introducing Owner Care: a pre-owned vehicle benefits package that raises our already-great coverage to new heights. Owner Care includes our new, exclusive 2-Year/30,000-Mile¹ Standard CPO Maintenance plan, which includes oil changes, tire rotations and a Multi-Point Vehicle Inspection (MPVI)². We also give you the added security of a 12-Month/12,000-Mile³ Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and a 5-Year/100,000-Mile⁴ Powertrain Limited Warranty. Plus you get 24/7 roadside assistance with courtesy transportation during the Powertrain Warranty period, along with our 3-Day/150-Mile Customer Satisfaction Guarantee. Owner Care is No Worries^™ on a whole new level. Rossi is the area’s formost stop for a great selection of certified car’s, truck’s, and SUV’s. Click the preowned link on this page to see our selection.

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2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ First Drive
Sonic Boom: If Small Is the Next Big Thing, Then the 2012 Chevy Sonic Is Huge

By Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor | Published Sep 29, 2011

We weren’t expecting much from our first drive of the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic: a fuel-sipping subcompact about which we’ve heard tentatively good European reviews. We knew Chevy was replacing its Aveo with the Sonic, that it would be all-new and built by Chevy in Detroit instead of by Daewoo in Korea. We knew it was supposed to be competitive in its class, but we weren’t prepared for what we experienced on our drive from hilly, urban San Francisco south to the serpentine, forested roads east of Half Moon Bay.

Starting at $14,495, the 2012 Chevy Sonic is available in both sedan and hatchback body configurations with either a naturally aspirated 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine or a turbocharged 1.4-liter four. Both engines operate on regular unleaded and make the same peak horsepower (138), but the 1.4-liter turbo offers far more torque and is also the more fuel-efficient of the two by 5 mpg on the highway. A five-speed manual is the base transmission, a six-speed automatic is an upgrade (late availability on the turbo) and a six-speed manual is available only with the turbo.

The One To Get
The 2012 Chevy Sonic we drove most — because it’s clearly the enthusiast’s choice — is the LTZ four-door hatchback ($17,995) with the optional 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual transmission ($700) coated in Inferno Orange Metallic paint ($195). At $18,890 as-tested, the top-tier Sonic is about $500 more expensive than a comparable Ford Fiesta SES Hatchback or Honda Fit Sport, but worth it.

This segment and sales of the Chevy Sonic are about to explode simultaneously.
If small is the next big thing, then the Sonic is huge. For starters, the 138-hp six-speed manual Sonic LTZ Turbo is easily the quickest subcompact by a healthy margin. Chevy estimates the turbocharged LTZ will run to 60 mph in 8.2 seconds — about a second quicker than a 120-hp Fiesta or 117-hp Fit. In a fortunate twist of fate, the “fun one” is the most fuel-efficient as well. That same turbocharged Sonic with the six-speed manual transmission will be able to make the 40-mpg-highway claim its nearest competitors cannot. From our drive (where we observed just under 30 mpg), we’d say those stats sound about right. Impressively, the little hatch didn’t even feel like it was trying that hard when we approached its limits.

There’s one simple reason for this.

Turbo Torque
Besides class-leading horsepower, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic’s turbocharged engine provides a welcome characteristic utterly absent in the subcompact world: torque. Producing a stout 148 lb-ft of twisting force at just 2,500 rpm, the Sonic’s 1.4 turbo practically loafs compared to the Fiesta and Fit’s naturally aspirated engines that need to be near full boil to make their peak torque at 5,000 rpm and 4,800 rpm, respectively. This low-rpm drivability around town in the Sonic is unique and is one of the reasons the competition needs to worry.

People will notice that the 2,743-pound Sonic Turbo is never caught flat-footed, delivers remarkably linear power, and on our drive, pulled itself up those notoriously steep streets of San Francisco with ease. Aiding in that effort are hill-holding brakes (standard across the entire Sonic line), which keep the car steady for 2 seconds in either 1st or Reverse gears.

Clutch bite and pedal feel are about as good as they get in a car like the Sonic, with intuitive and light action for urban repetition, but snappy response and feedback for the back roads. The shifter’s throws were short and positive, with a well-oiled and robust feel. Pedal placement, too, was just right for heel-toe downshifting. Chevy didn’t miss a thing.

What Planet Is Your Car From?
We often ask ourselves why electric-assisted power steering (EPS) isn’t more often modeled after traditional hydraulic steering. In the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, that’s exactly what appears to have happened. Sure, it’s light in a parking lot, but as soon as the car is in motion, it will fool almost anybody with its appropriate effort, response and self-centering ability. Given its excellent EPS, medium-firm brake pedal and intuitive clutch, we observed a consistency in this Chevy that Porsche engineers strive to achieve: matched effort in all driver controls.

Think about this the next time you drive your car: Do the steering, braking and clutch efforts complement each other? In the Sonic, control feel is consistent and that’s important.

Muted and Mellow
You might criticize Chevy for using an iron engine block, but there are obvious NVH advantages in doing so. A muted engine in a subcompact car is unexpected. On the highway at 70 mph, the tach hovers around 2,000 rpm (just below its torque plateau) so the Sonic may remain in 6th gear for a lazy pass or be quickly slotted into 5th if more speed is necessary.

Wind noise is low enough for casual conversation. Road seams and harsher impacts are damped without the expected concussion or compact unibody “echo” common in other small cars. Tire noise is also better than others in its class, and that’s particularly noteworthy considering the Sonic LTZ rides on high-performance all-season tires. And measuring 205/50ZR17, the Hankook Ventus rubber is the largest in the class.

Heading out of town where the roads grew less traveled, more crooked and resultantly more fun, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ Turbo Hatchback revealed more talent.

The Fun Parts
We finally ran the engine up to its 6,500-rpm limiter and discovered how much more was in this car when we put the spurs to it. As discussed, the steering weight and precision are a revelation, but its ability to grip and go around corners with authority is also notable. It reminds us of the Fiesta SES in this regard, but the Fiesta’s 16-inch wheels-tires don’t provide the same near-silent high-limit confidence — or the driver-defeatable stability control system.

It’s easy to criticize the Sonic’s rear drum brakes, and we’re not certain that the pedal softness we felt late in the day was the result of inadequate brake hardware or just a car that had been driven hard on consecutive days (we were among the third wave of journalists to drive the cars). We’ll wait until we get a fresh car for our instrumented testing before we issue a final verdict on brake fade.

Scale, Interior and Features
Having the longest wheelbase and widest track width, the 2012 Chevy Sonic is between 200-250 pounds heavier than the Honda Fit and Ford Fiesta. The one dimension where the Sonic is noticeably larger is in front-rear shoulder room. There’s a miniscule rear legroom advantage over the Fit, but we can vouch for the open and airy feeling of the Sonic’s front seats and especially generous rear legroom and headroom. Cargo capacity is competitive but not class-leading at 19 cubic feet with all seats occupied and 31 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. We doubt that includes the area available under the cargo floor.

Exterior design? The Fiesta and Fit are probably less polarizing, so you be the judge. We like the Sonic’s hidden rear door handle and almost-VW-Golf-like proportions. The corporate grille is perhaps the weakest aspect.

Interior materials quality is very good. Yes, there’s plenty of plastic, but there are soft-touch and padded materials where hands are likely to rest. Without laundry-listing, things like perforated, heated, leatherette front seats; a leather-wrapped steering wheel (better than a Corvette’s); and 17-inch alloy wheels are all standard on the LTZ. In fact, alloy wheels are standard on every Sonic regardless of model. In terms of content, the only thing not available is an inexpensive in-dash navigation system. We’ve used the one in the Nissan Versa and your smartphone does a better job. Chevy made the right call here.

The design of the Sonic’s cockpit is intuitive and well labeled — something we cannot say of either the Fit or Fiesta. The instrument panel is particularly out of the ordinary, as its design is inspired by a motorcycle gauge cluster. We like the intent and execution with its large, analog tachometer with very large LCD/LED speedometer alongside. We found it very easy to read at a quick glance.

A six-speaker stereo with AM/FM/XMSirius is standard on the LTZ, and both Bluetooth and wired iPhone connectivity on our hatchback were a breeze. A USB jack in the upper glovebox (there are two) with a cutout for the cord provides a charged connection (with expected head unit menus/submenus). Unlike recent GM products, the Sonic’s Bluetooth connection is thankfully not a 5-minute-long voice-activated negotiation. A few button presses and it’s done. The music menus/submenus remain active on your iPhone, and using the steering wheel buttons allows you to advance or reverse one song at a time.

Finally, Chevy was quick to point out that the Sonic was designed from the beginning to be a world car. And not just any world car, but a car that would score five stars, or recommended, or whatever the top safety rating is by any crash-testing agency in the world. Standard equipment includes ABS with brake assist, stability control with a defeat button and 10 airbags (dual front-side, dual front knee, dual rear side and dual side curtains).

Sonic Boom
It’s obvious GM is very serious about the subcompact class. Name a category and the Sonic either matches or dominates its competitors. The difference between the Sonic and say, the Cobalt SS is that while the Cobalt SS made good numbers at the track, it was utterly lacking in personality. The Sonic will clean up at the track, but it is actually fun to drive and has a personality. The ride quality, quiet and airy cabin and aggressive feature content are icing on the cake.

The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ Hatchback doesn’t need to be this good to fill the subcompact corner of the Chevy dealership. But we believe both this segment and sales of the Chevy Sonic are about to explode simultaneously. If you’re considering downsizing but aren’t looking to downgrade in the process, go drive a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ. It’s on dealership lots right now.

Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.

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GM to offer first center air bag between front seats

Crash test dummies involved in a side impact collision with General Motors’ new front center air bag, the industry’s first inflatable center restraint designed to help protect drivers and front passengers in side impact crashes.

Just when you think there is no place left in a car to put another airbag, General Motors has found one. GM says it will introduce the industry’s first front center air bag. It’s designed to help protect drivers and front passengers in far-side impact crashes where the affected occupant is on the opposite, non-struck side of the vehicle.

The front center air bag will be introduced on the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Chevrolet Traverse midsize crossovers in the 2013 model year. This new safety feature will be standard on Acadia and Traverse with power seats and all Enclaves.

The front center air bag deploys from the right side of the driver’s seat and positions itself between the front row seats near the center of the vehicle, GM says. It is designed to provide restraint during passenger-side crashes when the driver is the only front occupant, and also acts as an energy absorbing cushion between driver and front passenger in both driver- and passenger-side crashes. The air bag also is expected to provide benefit in rollovers:

GM analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System database, found that far-side impact crashes, which the front center airbag primarily addresses, accounted for 11% of the belted front occupant fatalities in non-rollover impacts between 2004 and 2009 involving 1999 model year or newer vehicles. These far-side fatalities, where the occupant is on the non-struck side of the vehicle, also represent 29% of all the belted front occupant fatalities in side impacts.

“The front center air bag is not required by federal regulation, and no other air bag in passenger vehicles today offers the type of restraint and cushioning this air bag is designed to provide for front occupants,” said Scott Thomas, senior staff engineer in GM’s advanced restraint systems.

The front center air bag is expected to add to the vehicles’ record of third-party crash test performance. The 2012 model year editions of these midsize crossovers have received five-star Overall and Side Crash safety ratings from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program, and 2011 Top Safety Picks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

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SOLD for $250,000

At the Barrett-Jackson auction in Las Vegas on Saturday, Rick Hendrick, owner of the motorsports team that has placed three of its four drivers in the Nascar Chase for the Sprint Cup, bid the winning amount of $250,000 for the first 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to be offered to the public. Full proceeds from the sale of the 580-horsepower coupe, which was first displayed at the Chicago auto show in February, were destined for the Y.M.C.A. of Southern Nevada.

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G.M. said the contract, ratified earlier Wednesday by the U.A.W., will have a minimal impact on profitability while allowing workers to share in the company’s financial success. It projected that added expenses would be $175 million this year and $20 million in each of the following two years for a total of $215 million. G.M. spent $5 billion on hourly labor in 2010, less than one-third of its costs in 2005.

“It is a win-win for both membership and the company,” G.M.’s chief executive, Daniel F. Akerson, said on a conference call with analysts and reporters. “This new agreement is further evidence that this is really a new G.M.”

Mr. Akerson spoke shortly after the union said 65 percent of G.M. production workers and 63 percent of skilled-trades workers who voted on the contract approved the deal, the first new labor agreement with one of the Detroit carmakers since the government’s $82 billion auto industry bailout in 2009.

The contract calls for G.M. to create 6,400 jobs at American plants, move some work to the United States from Mexico and raise its entry-level pay scale.

“In these uncertain economic times, we were able to win an agreement with G.M. that guarantees good American jobs at a good American company,” Joe Ashton, the U.A.W. vice president in charge of negotiations with G.M., said in a statement. “When G.M. was down, our members sacrificed and saved G.M. Now that G.M. is posting strong profits, our members, as a result of this agreement, are going to share in the company’s success.” 

As a result, the 48,500 G.M. workers covered by the contract will each receive bonuses of $5,000 later this fall. They also will get $1,000 annual bonuses starting in 2013 and larger profit-sharing checks than the old contract provided.

The deal offers a retirement incentive of $75,000 to skilled-trade workers and $10,000 to other workers. G.M.’s treasurer, Daniel Ammann, said the company expects about 10 percent of its 10,000 skilled-trade workers to accept the offer and retire. He said those workers would not be replaced, saving the company $30 million after accounting for the cost of the buyout payments.

G.M. said the bonuses and entry-level wage increase will cost $585 million through 2013. But it expects to save $340 million by eliminating a program that provided free legal services to workers.

“Now we believe we have the tools in place that will further improve our competitiveness going forward, which is important both for the U.A.W. and for G.M.,” Mr. Ammann said.

Among the workers who voted, a majority supported the deal at nearly all G.M. plants across the United States. The contract, which was reached Sept. 16, was rejected by only two U.A.W. chapters: Local 602, which represents 3,400 workers who build crossover vehicles near Lansing, Mich., and Local 23, which represents a small number of workers at a metal-stamping plant in Indianapolis that is shutting down this year.

At several large plants, fewer than 40 percent of eligible workers made the effort to vote, based on results posted online, evidence of considerable apathy toward the agreement. Most U.A.W. locals publicly report only the percentage who favored the deal and not actual vote totals, so the overall turnout was not clear.

Meanwhile, the union is closing in on a tentative agreement with Ford, although negotiations have not advanced to the long, late-night sessions that usually occur in the final days.

On Tuesday, Mr. King and other negotiators met with Ford management for several hours before adjourning in the afternoon, according to a recorded message the union posted on a telephone hot line. In the message, Anderson Robinson, the U.A.W. national negotiating team’s recording secretary, said that no major breakthroughs occurred but that the union was “on track to secure an economic package that our membership deserves.”

Mr. Robinson did not update its timetable for concluding talks with Ford. On Monday, the hot line message said the union was optimistic that it would have “good news for our membership by the end of the week.”

Union negotiators want the Ford contract to follow the same framework as the G.M. deal, but they are seeking a more lucrative deal from Ford, which did not go through bankruptcy. The negotiators have told organizers at Ford plants to prepare for the possibility of a strike, even though there were no signs that a labor stoppage would occur.

G.M. and Chrysler workers gave up their right to strike through 2015 as part of those companies’ 2009 bankruptcies.

Talks with Chrysler were continuing but were not expected to pick up until after the union had a deal with Ford. The U.A.W.’s contract with Chrysler has been extended through Oct. 19.

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