Hey Oppo, I bought a thing

"BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion" (pbs)
08/17/2020 at 21:24 • Filed to: None

Traded in my old Chevy Onix for a brand spanking new Chevy Onix. Thanks to Coronavirus stopping the globe dead on its tracks and everything basically going to shit afterwards, factory grounds are full of unsold cars with big, slashed and discounted price tags.

This car, for example, was set to become a test drive car for a local dealership and came complete with all the bells and whistles up to and including on board Wi Fi and OnStar, but, with test drives basically gone and forgotten, it wound up in the used car lot with a 16 thousand reais discount and a little over 50 miles on the clock. That’s Brazilian reais, mind you, and the original price was a little north of 80 grand. Yup, cars are mad expensive in Brazil.

Anyways, speaking of Brazil, this new Onix, along with the VW Virtus is supposed to be the current state of the art in (not so) Subcompact cars down here. While it’s really nothing to write home about in most places, a car like this would be unthinkable in Brazil a decade or so ago. Back then, tiny, stripped out hatchbacks were the automaker’s bread and butter, and Chevrolet’s entry level sedan was the Prisma, which sold a fraction of what its Celta counterpart did. It Featured a 1.0 or 1.4 liter 4 cylinder, manual 5 speed, 13 inch stamped steel wheels and not much else.

I remember driving a few of these econoboxes of sadness and the contrast to what’s being made here now is actually pretty impressive. Sedans are the norm now, along with 6 and 7 speed autos and turbocharged engines. W hat used to pass for a large car ten years ago is about the same size as the current crop of compacts, which in turn feel a lot more solid without all the sheetmetal clanging and banging about at speeds even vaguely similar to “fast”.

I figure I have about 5 or 6 years till my next trade in, here’s hoping it’ll be an interesting drive

DISCUSSION (28)

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/17/2020 at 22:19

Wait, that is a GM compact that is good looking. And an absolutely lovely color too! As the owner of a brightly colored first gen Cruze, this intrigues me. Is it a reskinned older platform? How globalized is it?

What is the power train? I’m guessing a small displacement turbo and 6 speed auto.

I hope a full review is forthcoming.

Brickman > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/17/2020 at 22:30

Pretty color.

CB > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/17/2020 at 22:32

Holy smokes dude, I haven’t seen you around in a while! Nice new car buy!

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/17/2020 at 22:35

I expect to log in a couple hundred more Km/miles be fore I can write a full review, but yup, one is definitely coming. I know what you mean about the looks as well, I like this one better than the current gen Cruze, and the pictures just don’t do that blue justice.

Powertrain is a turbocharged 1.0 liter 3 cylinder, which I believe is basically GM’s Global Small engine with one cylinder axed, but it’s still good for 120-130 hp. Now, there’s something worth of observation, because the dealership may or may not have mention ed they’re capable of adjusting power output by messi ng around the car’s firmware, which they did. For comparison’s sake, the old Onix was a smaller, heavier car packing a 1.4 liter 4 cylinder and didn’t have nearly th e same kind of get up and go as this one.

As for the chassis, it’s a brand new platform jointly developed by SAIC and GM’s brazilian branch for developing markets, and it's supposedly built right here in Porto Alegre, as well as China and Mexico

Bandit > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/17/2020 at 22:44

Hey welcome back! Nice car, love the color!

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > CB
08/17/2020 at 22:57

Yup, it’s been about a decade or so since I was on as a regular ahahaha... a lot’s happened since then, I was accepted into medic school, graduated medic school, was drafted into the army, lived in three different cities in the span of two years , did a tour in Rio de Janeiro, got shot at, didn’t get actually hit, reenlisted, took two mission assignments with the special forces, got married, left the army, took over an Emergency room in a local hospital in the middle of the pandemic, caught Coronavirus , recovered from coronavirus and then bought a new car.

I've been around :p

CB > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/17/2020 at 22:58

Shit dude, I remember there being a few concerns probably back in... 2012 or 2013? You’ve been up to a hell of a lot. Glad to see you here!

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Bandit
08/17/2020 at 22:58

Thanks! Things are finally settling down for me, so hopefully I'll be back around on a regular basis

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > CB
08/17/2020 at 23:02

Yup, I little before that I'd say, 2012 was the year I was accepted to med school, so I giess 2010 or 2011 would be about right. It's been one hell of a ride, but it sure beats sitting on my ass all day like I used to do way back then :p

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/17/2020 at 23:09

I’m impressed. It isn’t even a reskinned hand me down platform that you’re getting! We don’t get any small GM cars here except the soon to be dead Sonic. I’m surprised they still sell it. Dealers don’t stock them though they are better than a Mirage and not much more expensive.

That blue is just amazing. Kind of a light teal with deep metallic flake it seems. My Cruze is a stunning shade of earthy reddish orange with bright bronze metallic flake. Those bright fun colors work so well on them.

Is this smaller than the current global Cruze? It certainly seems like it’s a lot better looking than the frumpy Cruze sedan (hatch is gorgeous though) .

My car has a 1.8 liter NA making 136 wimpy horses at not many RPMs and not many torques and gets 28-35 or so mpgs. Not as good as modern small displacement turbos but basically invincible. I bet it’d be a lot more efficent with a better transmission (dang I wish it were a stick).

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/17/2020 at 23:21

Damn, the Sonic’s been out of the market for years down here... you don’t even see it around anymore, that’s how hard it failed. Meanwhile the last gen Onix was the best selling nameplate in Brazil for years, before this new Onix took over sales leadership.

I’d say it’s about the same size. Spec sheets put it at 2 inches/5 cm shorter than the cur rent C ruze, while the Onix’s wheelbase is longer, with more room at the rear seats and a slightly smaller trunk. You can still fit a stiff in it though hahahahah

fhrblig > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/17/2020 at 23:23

Welcome back! Have a Nova!

Kinja'd!!!

That’s an interesting color on your Onix. I like it.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > fhrblig
08/17/2020 at 23:26

Do want! :)

Also, I need to get some better pics of that blue, believe it or not it looks just so much better in person, that's one of the reasons I picked this specific car

atfsgeoff > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/17/2020 at 23:50

~$12,000 USD seems like a bargain to me for a brand new Onix, which is a way nicer and better car than the shitty Aveo that we got in the states awhile back.

I am curious how it compares to the Sonic sedan we get here currently. I’ve heard rumors that we may be getting the Onix as a replacement for the Sonic in a couple years, because global platform

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/18/2020 at 00:00

And that trunk measurement is relevant to you hmm. Have you tried?

Glad to hear that there is a modern “compact” that isn’t absurdly large. The Cruze was always kinda long but it was narrow. I wonder how it stacks up against the Cruze for refinement and crash safety considering it was designed for developing markets.

And yes I see very very few Sonic. Like 1 for every 5 Mirages and they don't sell well either.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > atfsgeoff
08/18/2020 at 00:01

I t’s been a while since I last drove a Sonic, but I’ll risk saying they're not even in the same league. One of my friends from college used to have a Sonic, I'll see if I can get them side by side next weekend

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/18/2020 at 00:06

Not really, but my wife once climbed into the trunk out of sheer curiosity ahahahahah

As for crash safety, the old Onix got into some controversy for its poor 1-star score in Latin NCAP testing, so GM loaded the nee one with airbags and crumple z ones and managed a 5 star score. Here's a link to the actual test

https://www.latinncap.com/po/resultado/129/chevrolet-new-onix-plus-+-6-airbags

duurtlang > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/18/2020 at 05:15

I remember something about a hot hatch 16V version of the late 80s/early 90s Fiat Tipo. Is that still around?

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/18/2020 at 06:44

Welcome back! Neat car! I’m not a GM fan, but you guys get a lot of different stuff down there that nowhere else gets, so that’s always interesting!

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > duurtlang
08/18/2020 at 08:19

Yup, that it is, but I haven’t driven it on a regular basis si nce at least 2016... You’d be amazed at how often it breaks down, I mean, it might as well be a completely different car than the one my dad bought 1995 lol.

I’m actually thinking about and actively trying to get around to letting it go, despite the emotionl attachment. I mean, it’s just too high maintenance for too little payoff, you can never really enjoy the drive without worrying about something breaking down and leaving you stranded. Also, I’ve been wanting to get an Opala for ages now, that’s an actual classic car I can afford to and know how to maintain

Kinja'd!!!

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/18/2020 at 08:22

Thanks! I know right, we used to get mostly rebadged cars two generations removed from their Euro counterparts, now we get locally designed and built cars that actually feel like new cars. That’s a nice change heheheh

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/18/2020 at 08:40

The only caveat to that is I’ve read safety standards in Brazil for new cars are a bit lax compared to everywhere else...is that true?

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/18/2020 at 08:56

Yup, at least until a 8-10 years ago. Back then , o ur cars weren’t much better than late 80's/ early 90's cars in terms of safety. No ABS, Traction or stability control, airbags... Nowadays, though, all that stuff is required by law, so, for example, this new Onix has 6 airbags, traction and stability control, ABS, adaptative cruise control with emergency braking , parking and proximity sensors and cameras, it can detect nearby pedestrians and brake automatically to avoid hitting them, plus some other stuff I’m probably forgetting about ... It’s also scored a maximum 5 stars on the Latin NCAP crash tests, goes to show how far we’ve come in just a few years!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/18/2020 at 09:21

I also have climbed into trunks as a metric of their size and usability. The original Cruze had a deceptively big one. For most people though, the rear seat legroom is more important.

That’s impressive. Glad to see manufacturers finally taking safety seriously in developing markets. Just because you can sell something that is horrendously unsafe doesn’t mean you should.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/18/2020 at 09:34

Well, the trunk is pretty big, but yeah, GM paid more attention to the rear seats. Both the original, Celta-derived Prisma, and the second generation, Onix derived Prisma had larger trunks the this one, as well as both generations of the Cruze, but this one has far more room in the backseats thanks to the longer wheelbase. I’m 6 foot tall, and I can adjust both front and rear seats comfortably, which is pretty amazing for a car this size!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/18/2020 at 09:35

Very cool! I do like some of the FIATs you guys get down there...

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/18/2020 at 09:38

I’m exactly 6" too and I can comfortably sit behind myself in my Cruze. But just barely given my, err, relaxed driving position. I’m impressed they did that in a sedan 2 inches shorter and didn’t make the trunk tiny.

Speed > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
08/18/2020 at 09:54

Kinja'd!!!