By Sarah Yu
Mata Press Service

Being a single girl in the city, ‘fun’ typically means get togethers with the girls, short weekend trips to the states, indulging in retail therapy, taking my French bulldogs, Niko and Bentley to the dog-park and getting my yoga on.
But doing all this also means knowing when to splurge and when to save.
With the new GM Chevrolet Sonic, it’s easy to live by my mantra: be frugal and have fun, (fun means saving money and spending as little of it as possible!)
The Sonic has a 1.4L engine. In other words, it is great on gas, and light on the wallet. The base models start at around $14,000 and if you want to upgrade to the LTZ, you’re looking at a minimum addition of $8,000 approx.
I’m thinking this is an ideal car for commuters who are usually cruising through traffic streams, from point A to B and then from B to C, D, maybe even E... Hey, a girl’s gotta hit up those sample sales around town, fit in yoga class, meet her potential Mr.Right for a drink and head to the spa, no?
If you drive with a light foot like I do, the cruise is smooth and efficient but during more spirited driving situations, the acceleration can be a bit choppy, so stay off the race car circuit please! The Sonic handles great around corners and even shows sound wheel control. Should you go over those speed bumps too quickly, you won’t feel your brain hit the back of your skull like some other rough rides out there.
The driver and passenger compartments are well laid out and simple, with ample cubbies and compartments for all your bits and pieces – my iPhone, red patent-leather clutch and make-up bag all fit into the front nook without having to cram them into one glove compartment. The sound system also
does the job for a basic ride and the sunroof is great for when you want some fresh air but don’t want to mess up your coiffed ‘do.
The gauges and instrument clusters are easy to find while driving and the air vent controls are actually, wait for it...dials!
Speaking of distractions – never again will you have to spar with your boyfriend over the fact that he refuses to ask for directions—every Sonic comes with the OnStar service! This brilliant little beast also comes with a Bluetooth hookup, mounted on the steering wheel with cruise and audio system controls so you can
look fab while driving and obeying that no-gabbing-on-a-cell-while-driving law.
For those of you who need to fit in a few extra friends (you know, the ones who always need a lift somewhere?) or un-procrastinate from that Sunday grocery run, the Sonic is incredibly practical for storing and loading up without having to play Tetris to make it all fit!
For more information go to www.gm.ca.