2012 Chevy Sonic Earns IIHS Top Safety Pick

The 2012 Chevy Sonic, featuring two more air bags than its subcompact competition, has earned an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick. The model joins the Chevrolet Volt and the Chevrolet Cruze, two other small cars that recently received the honor.

The Sonic achieved "good" scores in all four types of tests performed, including frontal offset and side impact. It also has standard StabiliTrak electronic stability control, which the institute requires of all vehicles receiving a Top Safety Pick designation.

The IIHS tests vehicles to determine how well they protect occupants in front and side crash tests, in rollovers via a roof strength test, and in simulated rear impacts to evaluate seat and head restraints for protection against neck injuries.

In addition to ten air bags, the Sonic offers a body structure incorporating a single welded side ring unit. More than sixty percent of the vehicle safety cage consists of high-strength steel.

Other Sonic safety features include LATCH system (Lower Anchors and Top tethers for Children);six months of complimentary OnStar Directions and Connections service, including stolen vehicle assistance and automatic crash response, and power-assisted front disc and rear drum brakes with panic brake assist technology.

Sensors that control the deployment of airbags are mounted into the car’s structure. The sensing and diagnostic module receives data from the car's sensors and establishes the severity of the impact and whether to deploy the airbags. The additional driver and passenger knee airbags can help reduce injury to lower extremities.

Another standard feature is hill-hold technology, a luxury-level feature that helps drivers maintain braking control on hills, making navigating hilly terrain with a manual as effortless as automatic.

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