2012 Chevy Sonic LTZ: One Bag Hatch

19 cubic feet? I wonder if these hatchback capacities are calculated differently thatn those of trunkback cars? I mean, the Chrysler 300's trunk has 17 cubic feet and the gargantuan Ford Crown Victoria has 20. The Sonic can hold more than the Chrysler and almost as much as the Crown Vic? I don't know about that, judging from the photos here. The 19 cubic feet must be with the back seats folded? Sheesh, a 300 can hold waaaay more than one checked bag!

(ooops, sorry for the double post)

I agree with bgw, Hatchs always seem to have more space even though their truck in only about 2 feet deep. I always imagine the manufacturer calculating it by filling the trunk with water and measuring how much water is in it, because it includes all the little corners, not just the useful parts.

Which raises an interesting question: Which is better for a few bags, the Sonic or the Fiat?

Remove or pivot the cargo cover (it flips down against the seatbacks) and stand up your bags. Problem solved.

@bradyholt: Absolutely, especially considering the bags were not going to be parked in the airport for 4 days.

Sometimes our editors are a bit obtuse-- or just funning with us.

I have a friend who (still!) drives an A1 Golf/Rabbit, I think it was a 1978, last year of German production for the US market. It's about the same size as today's minicars like Mazda 2, Fiesta, and Sonic. Its hatch has a lot more space than the Sonic appears to have, and it carries a full-size spare tire. Of course, that spare is something like 165/70-13 or thereabouts.

i too wonder how that tiny hatch measures out comparatively to a large sedan's trunk.
i've seen this puny hatchback in the showroom. it's puny.

That does NOT look like 19 ft3...

@Stromson,

The Fiat 500's "trunk" is tiny. Picture this: The cover for the cargo area is only about 5 inches wide!

http://images.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/04/11_Fiat_500_Review-58-466x350.jpg

If that is 19 cu ft then the length of my... never mind. Maybe if you did not pack like a girl you could use a smaller bag.

And this is exactly why these chopped little hatchbacks seem so stupid to me compared to the useful wagonlet that could be mounted on this platform instead. Why must it be a foot shorter than the sedan in order to put a hatch on the back? A Sonic wagon kept the same length of the sedan most likely WOULD be able to carry 4 people & luggage to the airport, and look far better doing it.

You can fit a lot more than that bag. I'm stationed in England and we got a little Citroen C2 for my wife and the hatch area looks almost identical to this Sonic. It's great for small loads and if you have a lot of stuff, just fold the seats down.

@emajor: Chopped little hatchbacks aren't stupid, they definitely have their use. They're fun to drive, easy to park, cheap to run and get fantastic mileage. They may not be as necessary in the states because roads are wide, parking spots are larger and gas is cheap.

mcesarey,
Would adding 8 - 12 inches to the cargo bay affect any of those attributes other than fitting in the shortest parking spaces? I don't see it affecting the handling, "cheap to run", or gas mileage. I'm not suggesting they make it taller & wider. Just add a bit of length aft of the rear seats.

@emajor

I sympathise with anyone who thinks there should be more small wagons available, but I for one wouldn't consider it if it were any longer than it is now. I live in San Francisco and park on the street in unmarked parallel spaces, frequently between driveways where every inch counts (my current first gen Audi A4 is too big for many of those spaces). I need a short car, and I suspect that the Sonic is being marketed to single urban professionals like myself who don't really need it to have any more cargo space than it already has (the same presumably is true of college students, who value styling over max cargo carrying capacity). A small wagon wouldn't be any shorter than the small sedan I currently have.

@seppoboy: "have a friend who (still!) drives an A1 Golf/Rabbit, I think it was a 1978, last year of German production for the US market. It's about the same size as today's minicars like Mazda 2, Fiesta, and Sonic. "

How would that A1 do under modern crash standards? "Crush like beer can" comes to mind.

My wife had an A1 Cabriolet for a number of years. Those cars were flimsy little toys compared to the cars you reference. You can't have it all, though the Sonic and Mazda appear to exceed the MPG that her 98hp (or whatever) Cab returned.

Once you disconnect the little strings holding the cargo cover in place, you can just slide the whole cover down along little tracks that neatly store it right up against the rear seats. You could then easily stand up 3 of those same type of carry on bags, geez. "Oh no, I can only fit one bag in the Sonic because I don't know how to use the storage feature of the cargo cover! Boo hoo hoo!"

RTFM strikes again.

And no, I don't see any way that is 19 cubic feet. According to the specs, my 2011 GTI has only 15.2 cubic feet, and it will hold 2 of EACH of the bags in that photo.

I'm thinking they measure from a theoretical point involving the rear seatback on back, which is BS because some of that area, at least in one of those real upright rear window cars like the Sonic is going to be above the cargo cover, which makes it pretty much useless.

The 19 cubic feet includes the space above the cargo cover, all the way to the roof. All wagons and hatchbacks are measured this way.

"The 19 cubic feet includes the space above the cargo cover, all the way to the roof. All wagons and hatchbacks are measured this way."

Boy, those clowns at the EPA really are a cluster.

According to the european specs the covered cargo volume is 290 liters.

That is 10.24 cubic feet

On fueleconomy.gov, the Sonic Sedan has a 'luggage capacity' of 12cu.ft., where the hatch is listed at 7cu.ft. The 19 must be with the rear seats down. Not the case in this photo.

McGrath, next time you take this car out, do everyone a favor a read the owners manual. All you had to do was drop the cargo floor shelf (2 seconds) and slide back the cargo cover and you could have put three of those bags in there.

It's obvious you don't like the car from your reviews but posting negative comments like this is flat out bad journalism.

So how bout you take 5 minutes and learn how to use the hatch area and give an update.

Okay, I went to the Chevy site for the Owner's Section for Owner's manuals. For the Sonic, Chevy just has the "Getting to Know" instead of an owner's manual, but the rear cargoo floor can be dropped for a few extra inches and the shade can be slid back.
http://www.chevrolet.com/assets/pdf/owners/manuals/2012/GTK_2012_Sonic_22816420_A.pdf

@watchdoc2003 says it.

Yet another reason to get a sedan over a hatchback. The Fiesta Hatch/Sedan is the same deal. Sedan has way more usable cargo area, regardless of what the internet will have you believe.