Photos of the 2019 Chevrolet Sonic Hatchback

Assembled just 41 miles as the crow flies from Car and Driver headquarters, the Chevrolet Sonic is the only gasoline-drinking subcompact car built in the United States. When the Ford Fiesta is discontinued after the 2019 model year, the Sonic and and its diminutive stablemates-the imported Spark and the Bolt EV-will be the only American-brand small hatchbacks on the market for 2020. Because the Sonic is being outsold by the Trax crossover variant built on the same platform (in Korea and Mexico), there is speculation that it will soon follow the fate of the Cruze, Impala, and Volt. We still have it for now, though, and the Sonic combines a gamut of features with subdued driving dynamics for a reasonable small-car choice, U.S. made or not.

A six-speed manual comes standard and, as we found in previous interactions with the Sonic, enlivens the driving experience. The automatic on this test vehicle proved quick to upshift and reluctant to downshift, which is good for fuel economy but bad for spirits.

The chassis matches the engine; it's calm and competent in everyday use, but push it hard into a corner and it rolls more than rivals such as the Toyota Yaris sedan.

The hatchback body style adds precious versatility to the Sonic's 19 cubic feet of cargo space.

Chevrolet's snazzy Sonic offers fuel efficiency, agility, and practicality in a compact package. Under the hood is a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder that makes 138 horsepower; a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic are your transmission choices. With the manual, the Sonic gets 38 mpg on the highway. Its tidy dimensions and nimble handling make the Sonic a perfect urban transporter. The infotainment system has a 7.0-inch touchscreen with 4G LTE internet connectivity and onboard Wi-Fi as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. The Sonic has useful cargo room, too, with 47.7 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded.

Our test car rang in at $22,685; the closest competitor we've tested is a Ford Fiesta at $20,620, and the last Yaris we reviewed (and loved) stickered at only $16,815. Even if you passed on the sunroof, the Kinetic Blue Metallic paint, and the Driver Confidence and Convenience packages that came optional on our automatic hatchback, you'd still be looking at a $20,295 sticker price.

The Sonic impressed us when we first got behind the wheel in 2011-especially compared with Chevy's previous efforts in the segment (see Aveo, Sprint, and Metro). But fast-forward seven years, and the package is less compelling against fresher competition.

Two gloveboxes are the only covered bins, and one is so small that it's only good for paperwork and a few napkins. The interior is otherwise handsome and straightforward.

The only significant interior change since the Sonic's 2012 inception was a more conventional gauge cluster that arrived in 2017, a more mature-looking departure from the sport-bike-style setup in earlier models.

Our RS-trim test car (the lower of two trims for the Sonic hatch, and the middle trim for the Sonic sedan) highlights the generously equipped Sonic. It came with nearly every available feature, including Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, heated front seats, remote start, proximity key, power driver's seat, lane-departure warning, forward-collision alert, and a sunroof.

Small buttons on one side of the shifter provide manual gear selection when necessary, but it's not a feature you'll use just for kicks.

There are some interior design fumbles, however. The lack of a center console can be overlooked until the front-seat passenger's arm gets tired-only the driver gets a flip-down armrest. This omission also contributes to a shortage of interior storage.

The rear seat is economy-car tight; there's enough room for short trips, but larger passengers will want to avoid extended voyages. Honda's subcompact competitor, the Fit, provides more passenger volume in both rows.

A quick folding of the rear seats expands cargo volume to 48 cubic feet, and we fit 15 airline-carry-on-sized boxes back there.

Peak torque is available at 1850 rpm, and turbo lag is virtually nonexistent. This smooth power delivery is ideal for casual around-town driving, but it leaves the enthusiast wanting more at higher engine speeds.

The Sonic sedan dips to $16,295 with a manual transmission, but that's still more than the Yaris, Kia Rio, and Hyundai Accent, of which the latter two offer 10-year/100,000-mile warranties. None of these alternatives is much, if any, quicker than a Sonic, and none is quieter, but they're all fresher designs, and most are lighter and more entertaining to drive.

The RS upgrades over an LT include sharp 16-inch aluminum wheels, LED daytime running lights, and an RS badge in the grille. Premier models feature 17-inch wheels.

The 2019 Sonic comes standard with the previously optional turbocharged 1.4-liter inline-four; the former base, a naturally aspirated 1.8-liter, is no longer available (and it won't be missed). Paired with the optional six-speed automatic transmission, this little turbo mill motivates the Sonic around town without drama.

In a class where $1000 can represent more than 5 percent of a car's total price, it's difficult to recommend paying more for the Sonic, especially when it doesn't excel in any one subcompact criterion. To the right buyer, this hometown hero's biggest selling point may be the bow-tie emblem displayed proudly out front, but that won't provide long-term immunity to market forces for Chevrolet.