When I bought my sonic (hatchback) I loved the look of it. It has a tiny 1.4L engine with a turbo that makes plenty of power, and the manual transmission adds to the fun. The interior is relatively spacious and comfortable, and I manage to get around 30mpg city driving. The car also has pretty good handling and braking, and is all around fun to drive. Now the downside….the car has an inherent design flaw. When shifting from 1 to 2 under hard acceleration, the transmission grinds and does not want to go into gear. This is a MAJOR problem when more speed is needed, such as when pulling onto the highway. I’ve used special transmission oil, and talked to other Sonic owners from around the country. This is apparently a common problem, and does not resolve even when the transmission is replaced. It is apparently an inherent design flaw with these vehicle’s manual transmissions. It is for this reason that I cannot recommend this car, and would not buy it again. I’m essentially stuck with a lemon of a transmission in an otherwise fun car. Also, the traction control system is extremely overbearing and robs the car of all power as soon as it senses any wheel spin. This is especially annoying when making a turn into traffic where your wheel slips slightly and you need to accelerate.