In recent years, GM has had great success with their larger passenger vehicle offerings such as SUVs and pickups. But the subcompact class has been less than solid for the company, largely because the competition has had much better machinery that made the likes of the Chevy Aveo look a bit lacking. Feeble, in fact. Craptacular, some said. OK, that was me. But the esteemed folks at Consumer Reports in their review of the car listed only one high point: turning circle. Sad, really.

So when I heard that GM is replacing the Chevy Aveo with the all-new Sonic, I was curious but not really all that optimistic. I mean, these were the guys that gave us things like the Chevette, Monza, Sprint, etc. and they have been on less than a hot streak when it comes to things without a truck frame underneath. But Dayum, the new Chevy Sonic turned out to be a bit of all right, as they say. Somebody does say that, right? Maybe that’s just Austin Powers. Sad, really.

But the Sonic does not bring sadness, or at least the one I sampled didn’t. The 5-door turned out to be my entertaining Inferno Orange friend while I drove it semi-aggressively for a week, and I really liked the little hedgehog (I have now officially finished with the Sega reference, by the way. It has run its course. You’re welcome). There are a couple of reasons why I like GMs new very small car, and one has to do with its overall driving dynamics. It’s a nice, taut package that handles well and is a lot of fun hustling around tight backroads. In this regard it’s much like the Ford Focus, although I liked it more than I liked the 2012 Focus (or the 2011 Fiesta for that matter). It just made me happier, as if every drive was a fiesta, and it somehow seemed a bit more focused.
(Sorry. Couldn’t resist. I know, I should have).

The engine is a real corker in that it revs really cleanly to its 6,500 RPM redline, and as I tested the turbo model it’s important to note something about the boost the engine gets from this tiny turbine. Observe ye specifications of the two engines available for the Sonic: Normally aspirated 1.8-liter Inline Four, 138 horsepower and 125 lb.-ft. of torque. The 1.4-liter Turbo, 138 horsepower, 148 lb.-ft. of torque. Interesting, no? The main advantage the smaller-displacement turbo gives is increased torque, so is this maybe some strange, invisible homage to diesel engine lovers, who constantly claim torque is everything?

Well, no.

But it does make for some sporty response from the little mill, which is accented by a very nice 6-speed manual transmission. Good suspension compliance and that great wheel-at-every-corner architecture that makes so many subcompacts a blast to flick around are things that you can grow to love (especially if you’ve never experienced them before in such an entry-level car). And speaking of its eco status, the Sonic LTZ had a lot of very cool kit on it, including “leatherette” seating surfaces that are much like leather and they were heated, too, which is always a cool thing. Yes, warm is cool, sometimes. The wee auto is full of little amenities like that, and unfortunately some other things like GM’s goofy interface for the trip computer that requires you twist a ring on the turn signal stalk to go through the menu. It’s awkward, man. This little car deserves better.

The five-door hatchback configuration is still one of the most versatile ones around, and rear seat room is pretty decent and if you fold the 80/20 seatbacks forward you boost cargo capacity to 30.7 cubic feet. Some econobox woes remain, like a fair amount of wind and road noise and no back up camera (which would be very useful as rearward visibility is poorish). Also, even though the car is EPA rated 29 MPG city/40 highway I only managed 28 MPG in mixed driving. True, it was cold, and winter, and these things tend to knock the crap out of mileage no matter what you’re driving (even hybrids and electrics). But still, I did expect better.That said, this is a pretty nifty package overall and easily the most fun to drive of any GM subcompact in recent memory. I came away from the week we were together impressed, and if you’re digging around for a car in this class you should definitely take one for a spin. The MSRP of the nicely-equipped tester I hammered was a charming $18,890. B’bye, Aveo. Hello, Sonic. Things are looking up already in 2012.