Sonic enters unknown territory with small capacity diesel
CHEVROLET IS TREADING
on unfamiliar turf in the hatchback territory. Small capacity diesels have been on the market for a while and sell particularly well in Europe but have never really caught on in South Africa. In fact the only diesel hatchbacks you can find for under R200k are the Nissan Micra, Ford Figo and Fiesta and the Polo Bluemotion. A short list considering the B-segment is the most hotly contested in SA. A further look at the hatch’s diesel engine reveals that it is also the most powerful ofthe
lot, pushing out 70kW and 210Nm. The engine is also a very refrned once you get going; it sounds a little rough at idle but once up to speed it copes adequately with acceleration bursts and, thanks to the dual vane trubocharger employed, the lag is minor.
The diesel is grafted to a six-speed manual box that helps keeps the small diesel rev range
on the boil for the best part. The major advantage though to owning a small capacity diesel is the fuel you save when it comes time to fill up. At 4.6L./100km the Sonic hatch will do arotmd roookm on a tank less than go litres in capacity. Being this frugal also means the Sonic sneaks under the CO2 tax barrier as well, emitting just 119g/km of CO2.
Diesel models usually carry a slight price inflation as manufacturers explain there is increased production costs on common rail
diesels and therefore the Sonic is inflated by Riok over the top petrol model taking it up to R178730.
This still makes it cheaper than the Fiesta and Polo whilst being around 2okW and 50Nm more powerful than the cheaper Figo and Micra. The other addition to the range is the sedan and some would argue that, thanks to the boot, the styling issue at the back has been resolved.
The sedan models carry with it the two petrol engines in the 1.4-litre, 74kW and 130Nm, only available in a 5-speed manual, as well as the 1.6-litre, 85kW and 155Nm, that can be also mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. The boot capacity is a healthy 466-litres, up from 290-litres in the hatch whilst rear seat legroom is generous for a car in this segment.
ASHLEY OLDFIELD
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar