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.

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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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