When General Motors previewed the Chevrolet Sonic series with the Aveo RS Concept at last year’s North American Auto Show, the company also hinted at a spicier version inspired by the study.
Following the launch of the regular Sonic models, Chevrolet has now revealed the production Sonic RS that will go on sale late next year after making its world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show in January.
GM makes talk of “performance-oriented look and feel”, which translates into a cosmetic makeover and upgrades to the chassis but no power gains from the 138HP Ecotec 1.4-liter turbo engine that remains unchanged.
The force-fed four-banger is matched to either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic. The latter features unique gear ratios and a different final drive ratio, which Chevrolet says give the automatic Sonic RS a sportier feel than the regular model.
The RS rides on a lowered and stiffened suspension with performance-tuned dampers while it’s also the only Sonic offered with four-wheel disc brakes that are partnered with a four-channel anti-lock braking system.
Offered exclusively with the five-door hatchback body style, the RS gets a new front fascia inspired by the concept that features a deeper air dam design and vertical intakes housing the fog lamps on the corners.
The aero kit also include side skirts, bespoke mirror caps, a roof spoiler and a new rear apron with chrome tailpipes for the retuned sports exhaust system. A set of 17-inch alloy wheels completes the look.
Interior highlights include the flat-bottom sports steering wheel, the sports seats, bespoke trim and upholstery, aluminum pedals, a different shift know for the manual gearbox model, and unique instrument panel graphics.
Sonic RS exterior features
- New front fascia with new fog lamp design
- New RS-specific grille
- New rear fascia
- New rear spoiler
- New rocker moldings
- Unique mirror cap finish
- Retuned sport exhaust with chrome outlet
- Unique 17-inch five-spoke wheel design
- Lowered and stiffened suspension with performance-tuned dampers
- RS badging.
Sonic RS interior features
- New front sport seats
- New sport steering wheel with thicker rim and racing-inspired flat-bottom design
- New shifter knob (manual transmission)
- New aluminum sport pedals
- Specific instrument panel cluster graphics
- RS-specific interior trim color for the instrument panel and door trim inserts.
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