2013 Chevrolet Sonic: What's Changed

• Most significant changes: 7-inch touch screen and Chevy’s multimedia system added to the mix  
• Price change: TBD 
• On sale: This summer 
• Which should you buy, 2012 or 2013? Standard Bluetooth and other features make the 2013 worth the wait, especially with scarce incentives on the 2012.

For the 2013 model year, the just-released Chevrolet Sonic gets a smattering of changes, including more available features on lower trims levels. A new 7-inch touch-screen featuring Chevy's MyLink multimedia system is now standard on higher-trimmed models. Also new for the model year is the sportier 2013 Chevy Sonic RS, which is available only as a hatchback model; it will hit dealerships later this fall.

The 2013 Sonic is available in sedan and hatchback body styles and in LS, LT or LTZ trims; these trims will be available this summer.

2013 Chevrolet Spark Starts at $12,200

Although it's been on sale overseas since 2008, GM's tiny Spark will hit U.S. dealerships later this year with a less-than-tiny base price. Chevrolet's new-for-2013 Spark will start at $12,200. It may sound like a bargain, but Chevy's bigger Sonic starts only slightly higher at $13,865, though the Spark has standard power windows and the Sonic doesn't.

The subcompact four-door hatchback slots below the Sonic in Chevy's lineup. Power comes from a small 85-horsepower, 1.2-liter four-cylinder engine. A five-speed manual is standard; a four-speed automatic is available for $925, Chevy says.

Three trim levels will be offered: base LS, 1LT and 2LT.

Full pricing from Chevy is below:

2012 Chevrolet Sonic Turbo Gets Six-Speed Automatic

The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic's optional 138-horsepower, turbocharged 1.4-liter engine can now be paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, according to the carmaker.

The pairing delivers 27/37 mpg city/highway and 31 mpg combined. This is slightly better than the base 1.8-liter with a six-speed automatic, which gets 25/35/28 mpg. Previously, the 1.4-liter turbo was available only with a six-speed manual transmission and achieved 29/40 mpg. The improved ratings aren't enough to beat the scores from the best automatic transmissions in the subcompact field, such as the Ford Fiesta and Hyundai Accent, which both are rated 33 mpg combined. Even the long-in-tooth 2012 Honda Fit gets the same 31 mpg figure as the Sonic turbo.

Cars.com News Brief: March 19, 2012

Here's what we have our eye on today:

• Auto manufacturing output in the Midwest increased 17.5% year over year in January, according to the Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index. Total national automotive output increased 12.1% for the month as compared with 2011. Auto manufacturing output is now at levels last seen in mid-2008, according to a tweet from CNBC's automotive/airline correspondent Phil LeBeau.
• Toyota Prius c sales are moving at a roaring pace. The carmaker moved 1,201 units during its first three days on sale. If that pace continues, expect significant, and continuous, supply constraints, according to Automotive News. Right now, the U.S. and Canada are collectively allocated about 6,000 Prius c hybrids a month from Toyota's Iwate assembly plant in northern Japan. Although the plant can make 30,000 Prius c vehicles a month, most of the hybrids have been allocated for sale in Japan. There's a backlog of 120,000 preorders for the Prius c by Japanese customers, according to Automotive News.
• Toyota is adding an "excess wear and tear" policy to its leasing program, according to Automotive News. The policy covers up to $5,000 of excess wear and use, and up to $1,000 coverage for single "event" damage to a leased vehicle. Lexus vehicles get up to $7,500 in wear and $2,000 of single-event coverage. The plans must be bought at the beginning of the lease, and neither plan waives excess mileage charges. Pricing has not yet been disclosed. Toyota relies heavily on leasing: About 31% of all its new cars are leased through the company's captive financial firm, Toyota Financial Services, says Automotive News.
• GM is having trouble forecasting a sales target for its tiny 2013 Chevrolet Spark, which goes on sale in July, according to Automotive News. The Spark will compete with the Fiat 500, Scion iQ and Smart ForTwo. All three vehicles have seen relatively little appeal with the American buying public, says Automotive News, but Chevrolet expects the Spark to be popular with city dwellers. It plans to offer a fun assortment of exterior paint colors, an optional 7-inch touch-screen and pricing that starts below the Chevrolet Sonic (which starts at $13,865) to help distinguish the vehicle in the marketplace.

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic

A brand-new subcompact, the 2012 Chevy Sonic is no Point A to Point B drone with its lively four-cylinder engine, according to Cars.com Family contributor Sara Lacey. She was pleasantly surprised to find that her family of four fit well in the five-seat hatchback. A sedan is also available. The Sonic’s 10 standard airbags and Top Safety Pick status will make this car a favorite for younger drivers, too.

2012 Chevrolet Sonic Review

Chevrolet Sonic Free-Falls into Super Bowl Coverage

Here's an interesting tidbit about the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic: Until this point, it hasn't received any traditional TV ads as a part of its launch campaign, according to GM. That's about to change in a big way with the minute-long spot that'll air during Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday. The ad highlights some of the cool things Chevy has been doing with the Sonic to get the attention of young car buyers.

Some stunts include shoving a Sonic out of a cargo plane, kick-flipping a Sonic and making a music video for OK Go that features the Sonic. Check out the amalgamation above.

New Chevrolets Get Ecological Label

Chevrolet says it will start putting new informational labels on its vehicles to help consumers understand the vehicle's ecological impact. But is it just a marketing gimmick?

Starting in March with the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, each new model will have a small label on the rear driver-side window. More Chevrolets will get the label starting with the 2013 model year.

The label helps explain the ecological benefits of choosing a Chevy over competing vehicles, or possibly a used car. Facts on the Sonic's label include that it was produced in the U.S. — thus reducing emissions related to transportation — and that the car is 85% recyclable. An independent third-party sustainability agency verifies the information on the labels.

We don't know of any other manufacturers with labels like this, which actually puts Chevrolet's facts into a bit of a vacuum. How will consumers know if other vehicles don't offer the same green benefits? For instance, a car is one of the most recyclable items on the planet, with about 75% to 80% being reused on average. That makes the Sonic's recyclable figure, while still better, seem less impressive.

If other automakers started printing labels like this and there were more comparative analysis and context, we could see how the labels could benefit car shoppers.

2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS: Photo Gallery

Chevrolet wants its Sonic to be considered among the sportier subcompacts, like the Ford Fiesta and Mazda3, and the new RS trim will go a long way toward solidifying that thinking.

More 2012 Detroit Auto Show Coverage

The Sonic RS features a turbocharged four-cylinder and a six-speed manual transmission. It's also got a stiffened suspension with a lower ride height.

2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS: Up Close

Amid other hot GM products — namely two shapely Chevrolet concepts and the Cadillac ATS — sat the Sonic RS. The sportier RS should augment the Sonic, a subcompact that's fared well since it went on sale in August 2011, with a dash of extra performance. A few other elements distinguish the car, and if Chevrolet keeps to a modest markup over a top-of-the-line Sonic LTZ hatch — it runs around $18,000 with the turbo four-cylinder — then the RS could find enough customers to survive.

More 2012 Detroit Auto Show Coverage

The Sonic's circular fog lamps match the car's headlights, but the RS' tear-drop fogs lose the similar look. On a budget car, dressing the side mirrors with black caps looks like a downgrade. Lesser trims have body-colored side mirrors; the black ones appear cheaper from afar.

2012 Chevrolet Sonic: Car Seat Check

With its aggressive looks, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic certainly grabs attention in a way the forgettable Aveo, which the Sonic replaces, never did. While this all-new subcompact may not scream family car — it probably doesn't even whisper it — it could be a family's second car that occasionally has child-safety seats installed in it. The Sonic is available in sedan and hatchback body styles; we tested the sedan.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat.