In our last episode alert readers noticed my iPod cord coming out of the glove box of our 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ and defiling the cabin with its noodly whiteness.
It was, in fact, exiting the uppermost of the Sonic's two glove boxes. And while I agree the glove box is not my favorite USB socket location, and the empty center bin below the A/C knobs looks invitingly empty and available, at least Chevy burned the calories required to make this location work as good as possible.
Exhibit A is that small notch that allows the cord to pass freely under the door while it is fully closed.
Exhibit B is the matching trough within that allows the cord to line up with the notch automatically -- there's no need to hold it in place with your free hand while you close the lid.
Exhibit C is the little shelf (with non-skid and a hefty lip) that gives one a handy place to store the iPod or iPhone and its cord inside away from prying eyes.
Exhibit D is the fact that all of this is in a second upper glove box that a phone could have all to itself if desired, not the lower main one.
Exhibit E is the fact that this is no German glove box iPod dock wih a stubby 6-inch cord or physical dock that makes it impossible to fully sync your iPod and still keep the device within easy reach in case you need to, say, use it to stand in for the navigation system the Sonic lacks.
You've got to admit GM has done a very good job at this location. But I agree that the cord is an eyesore and the USB dock might work better somewhere else. I'm just not sure the bin below the HVAC knobs is big enough to keep a coiled-up cord out of sight and out of the way. It certainly lacks security.
Too bad Apple doesn't make black iPod cords.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 2,401 miles
robert4380 says:
03:14 PM, 02/ 1/12
The glove box is a perfectly fine location for the USB port. You're supposed to plug your flash drive, iPod, or other media player in and just leave it in the glove box, and then control it with the stereo or steering wheel controls. If you want to use your iPod for navigation, then you shouldn't leave it sitting in the lower center console anyway. It should be stuck on top of the dash within your line of sight without having to look down to fiddle with it while driving.
robert4380 says:
03:24 PM, 02/ 1/12
Oh, and there are plenty of black iPod sync cords out there. They're just not made by Apple. But if you like suckling at Apple's teat for everything and paying outrageous prices, then by all means keep waiting.
I'll take the 4 dollar aftermarket black sync cable any day.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10831&cs_id=1083101&p_id=7862&seq=1&format=2
ctpaul says:
03:29 PM, 02/ 1/12
Hopefully you do not get impaled by your ipod if the airbag deploys; I suppose the airbag goes more up toward the windshield and less out through the upper glovebox? Overall a pretty mifty setup, especially the upward opening glovebox door.
hubblehornz66 says:
05:17 PM, 02/ 1/12
That looks like more thought then they put in the Cavileir and Aveo together.
emajor says:
09:40 PM, 02/ 1/12
"I suppose the airbag goes more up toward the windshield and less out through the upper glovebox?"
That's probably a safe assumption. Why on earth would the airbag deploy through the glovebox door?
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Chevy gets serious bonus points from me for putting this much thought into routing an iPod cable. Little things like this really add up to make a car pleasant for commuting. Now, the rock-hard door armrests subtract a good chunk of those bonus points...
upshift11 says:
10:57 PM, 02/ 1/12
"... at least Chevy burned the calories required to make this location work as good as possible." I wonder, is English your first language? With usage this poor, it is sometimes difficult to focus on what the writer is trying to convey.
Unless you were planning to only write this on the proverbial bathroom wall, grammar counts, spelling counts, etc. Sorry, readers do notice this sort of thing. Otherwise, good observations about the Sonic's interior. However, comments are spot on!
lostboyz says:
03:45 AM, 02/ 2/12
thumbdrive, leave it there.
legacygt says:
06:00 AM, 02/ 2/12
Amazing how they managed to fit 2 decent sized glove boxes in the Sonic when many larger cars barely have one.
fordson1 says:
07:28 AM, 02/ 2/12
+1robert4380. The iPod cord, looped around the shift lever and sitting in a cupholder in the console - and that's being used for nav? I'm sorry - that's not acceptable from a safety or convenience standpoint.
The top glovebox - since those photos were taken from just below doorsill height, I wonder how well you can see into it with your head at normal adult height - ? Also it looks as though to use a thumbdrive you would want to make sure it's a pretty stubby one, or else the glovebox door would not shut.
Finally, trying to wrap my head around this:
"Exhibit E is the fact that this is no German glove box iPod dock wih a stubby 6-inch cord or physical dock that makes it impossible to fully sync your iPod and still keep the device within easy reach in case you need to, say, use it to stand in for the navigation system the Sonic lacks."
The German glove box in question is in the Jetta, but the Jetta HAS a nav system...so why would you need to keep the iPod within easy reach while it's syncing? You are NEVER going to have to use the Jetta's glove box in combination with the Sonic's lack of a nav system - they're two different cars, guy.
rotaryboff says:
07:29 AM, 02/ 2/12
"Unless you were planning to only write this on the proverbial bathroom wall, grammar counts, spelling counts, etc. Sorry, readers do notice this sort of thing. Otherwise, good observations about the Sonic's interior. However, comments are spot on!"
It is true that the offending passage pointed out by upshift11 contains an inexcusable substitution of an adjective for an adverb. Why, then, would upshift11 choose in his own remarks to commit a series of crimes against grammar and style, most notable among them the omission of a verb in the penultimate sentence?
stovt001 says:
07:37 AM, 02/ 2/12
@rotaryboff: Teliogsgt was the same way. He would complain about writing style all day, but his writing was among the least comprehensible around here. I'm sure I just butchered the language with what I wrote, which is why I don't throw stones on the occasional misstep from the editorial squad.
duck87 says:
07:49 AM, 02/ 2/12
The problem is that you're using a coiled up cord. I'm sure by now you've seen that there are a ton of cords that retract: http://www.techdevils.com/images/retract-cable.jpg
montgom616 says:
07:59 AM, 02/ 2/12
The Sonic is a well done car. Good job GM!
gz7g6b says:
08:15 AM, 02/ 2/12
When I plug my ITouch in, the controls are available through the radio . So I just pack the entire device in the compartment, out of sight. This must be a Nano issue.
ralphhightower says:
12:55 PM, 02/ 2/12
Steve Jobs probably nixed the idea of Apple making black iPod cords because it would be invisible with his trademark black turtlenecks.
steevmitch says:
02:55 PM, 02/ 2/12
i'm sorry, but i'm gunna give a shout out to Hyundai on this subject. my 2010 Gen Coupe does the iPod/iPhone connection via the center thing (at elbow) and not only does it sync perfectly, but it, too, has a channel for the cord should you want to put the phone in the cup holder. i much prefer the phone at my finger tips, but the music control through the car's audio system. the whole thing is quite elegant, really, for a 2010 and a $25K car.
well done, Hyundai.
esoterica says:
11:08 AM, 02/ 3/12
"When I plug my ITouch in, the controls are available through the radio . So I just pack the entire device in the compartment, out of sight. This must be a Nano issue."
I don't think the problem is so much with nanos as with iPhones. No one wants to stuff their phone in the glovebox every time they get in the car and retrieve it every time they get out.
upshift11 says:
06:27 PM, 02/ 3/12
@Rotaryboff
What is left out in the last sentence of my remark is the subject. So, it appears your grammar skills are even more wanting than the author. You did manage to sound somewhat authoritative though despite your utterly baseless remark. When the comment was posted somehow the subject , enclosed within carat symbols (you do know what those are -right?), were omitted.
Next time you want to sound superior, do the work to prove it rather than just shoot your mouth off as it appears is your habit.
rotaryboff says:
06:44 PM, 02/ 3/12
Penultimate means second last. You may now face palm.
upshift11 says:
10:35 PM, 02/ 3/12
@ rotaryboff
Uh huhhh ... what verb did you have in mind? I'm kinda interested in your dialect.