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My mother-in-law loves to quote the expression ‘guests and cheese begin to stink after three days’ (especially on the fourth day of any visit we have with her). I’m inclined to agree. So, I was pleased that we came home today.
Just after sunrise, the Chevrolet team lined up a couple of Sonics on the square in front of the huge church facing the PUR hotel, for some photo ops. The cars looked great from the 12th floor. Moving them around back down on the ground was less elegant. Like so many of its women, Québec City is shamelessly beautiful, but its steep, narrow and winding ancient streets, punctuated block after block with painfully slow traffic lights, would not be most motorists’ first choice in drives. Today, then, was one of the few times in years that I was pleased to have an automatic over a stick.
I lost my driving partner today because, being Québécoise she wasn’t heading to the airport. I hitched up with a couple of GM reps, Stephanie and George. There was plenty of room for the three of us. George and I took turns behind the wheel, and each of us had loads of space to spread out and work (when not driving).
With 397 litres of cargo space, the Sonic trumps its direct competitor the Hyundai Accent by 8 litres. That may not sound like much, but I had about 3 litres of beer last night and can testify that it is. Especially with the aforementioned stop-and-go serpentine traffic.
We eventually crossed the Pierre Laporte bridge and got on the A20 for a 2.5-hour drive back to Montréal. It’s a pretty dull strip of highway, offering a few promising mountain views near the eastern townships, but the cruise control, a standard feature with the LT model, allowed for some movement in the legs. (As we spent a good deal of time in the car yesterday, I was stiff.)
Fortunately Montréal’s Champlain bridge was neither backed up for a mile, nor did it collapse into the fleuve while we crossed. We beat the odds! In fact, we made it to Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport in enough time for me to catch an earlier flight home. Super Sonic, I suppose.
2012 Chevrolet Sonic
Sonic LS class pricing starts at $14,495 sedan/$15,495 hatchback;
LT, $16,495/$17,495; LTZ, $20,495/$20,995
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Image courtesy of skinnylawyer.
