They could have been worse.

The Western Chili Loaded Burger and Spicy Southwest Loaded Burger, two new limited-time offerings from Sonic aimed at keeping up with the competition's big beefs, could have been packed with sponges, or Post-It pads, or dice -- anything to put on the heft. But they weren't, and that's good. Having said that, the two new quarter-pound offerings made from 100 percent pure beef could have been better.

Both burgers suffer from the too-much-of-one-ingredient touch. The Western Chili Burger featured a oddly-sweet chili sauce that covered up the flavors of the meat, bacon, and a limp onion ring with zero crunch. The Spicy Southwest Loaded Burger was packed with semi-crispy and spicy jalapeño strips. Unfortunately, they ruled out any chance of tasting the pepper jack cheese, beef, and southwest chipotle sauce.

Sure, the big bite was there and these hefties come with a shiny paper feed bag to catch the drippin's, but "Sonic Good?" More like "Sonic Average." Fry Girl could do much better at America's Drive-In with a foot long quarter pound coney for 50 cents less than these loaded buns of average.

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