P-Theory
But don't get me wrong there are some features in Sonar that Ableton doesn't even get close to.  As a traditional "tape recorder / Studio / editor" Sonar is second to non in my opinion, but for fast creation on the fly Ableton beats it hands down

This is why I use SONAR in the studio, and Live for live performance (although I do use SONAR as a plug-in host for live guitar playing). But creation speed also depends on the musical genre you're creating - i.e., whether you're trying to create a soundtrack, song, or beat. There are a lot of ways to do fast creation on the fly with SONAR, albeit not using the same techniques as Live. If you're ever somewhere I'm doing my "Recording on the Fast Track" seminar, which is based on SONAR, check it out; for writing songs where I play multiple instruments, I've yet to find anything faster than SONAR. 

P-Theory
1. Sample triggering / drag and drop your own samples and create your own kit on the fly / instant expansion packs available
2. Warping
 
I know they can be achieved in Sonar through some jiggery pokery but if they could nail those two elements from Ableton on top of what they've already got it would be the greatest software ever made for me

I wouldn't trade it for all of the other things that Sonar is better at, but you are absolutely right. Ableton nailed warping and triggering via session view.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if Sonar could do the warping and triggering thing as well as the excellent things it does already

i can appreciate these threads where people would like to see features added that other programs have, not to worry there tho, theres alot going on in the bakery from the looks of it, so you might get your wish yet

P-Theory
 As for session drummer sorry but that's a joke compared to Ableton
 

Didn't know that I was making a joke because I've never used or even seen Ableton being used.

Sorry didn't mean to offend gustabo, but Session drummer is a million miles off the capabilities of Live in that department

I don't think Session Drummer is intended to accomplish the same task; its design goal is to be an overachieving metronome that improves on the original Session Drummer 1 and 2. As noted, there are plenty of 3rd party alternatives that do what you can do in Ableton, which offers the opportunity to choose an instrument that fits your need exactly. Let's give a big tip of the hat to Steinberg for creating a plug-in standard so DAWs aren't limited to the capabilities with which they ship 
 

P-Theory
Wouldn't it be wonderful if Sonar could do the warping and triggering thing as well as the excellent things it does already

 
Yes, but then reality enters the picture...I'm going to speculate that the Complex Warping algorithm is licensed (maybe from zplane?). Having that capability is essential to a beats-oriented program like Live. SONAR licenses some elements essential to its "mission statement" (e.g., Melodyne, AD2, iZotope Radius algorithm). If more elements were licensed for SONAR, the price would need to increase.
 
Ableton would be in a similar position re: pitch correction. If someone in the Ableton forum said "I love Live, but SONAR's pitch correction capabilities are a million miles ahead of Live," I'd point out that adding Melodyne would likely increase Live's cost, and there are third-party options for pitch correction. There are also third-party Drum Replacer options for Live.
 
Warping is Live's specialty, so it's worth paying the price needed to have that degree of warping refinement within the program. But, it's important not to overlook what SONAR can do. Acidization is very powerful, and SONAR is the only program other than Acid Pro that lets you create, edit, and optimize stretchable files with that degree of sophistication. Because of all the audio-for-video work I do, it's one of the main reasons I use SONAR. And despite AudioSnap's rough edges that requires more "manual labor," it does do the job for those who require customizable warping. I've climbed its learning curve, and get good results from it (particularly on individual tracks).
 
Finally, remember you can ReWire Live into SONAR, which I did for years before the Matrix View was introduced. Then you have a new program called SONive, or maybe LiNAR 

One of the most interesting thread for a while. 

I have both Sonar and more recently Ableton Live.
 
If you want to work in session view, and or play live then the DAW to have is Live..
 
Sonar does however already do a lot of what live does with tempo match/stretching of loops and clips, and in audiosnap, while it does have its own unique 'attributes" (lol) you can fk about with edit a badly played drum rhythm or guitar riff (ah-hem Ian) to pull the individual pieces in line, exactly as you do with warp.
Sonar also has the matrix view.. which is definitely the poor mans session view, and greatly hampered by the lack of support for grid controllers etc, but it DOES allow you to record in, and muck about with clips and scenes in the same way as session view.
 
as a linear arranging sequencer, recorder and mixing program however, Sonar is a laugh and a mile beyond Live.
 
They are really quite complementary choices, unlike Sonar v Cubase, or S1-3 etc

Mystic38
They are really quite complementary choices

Agree 100%. My thumbnail description is SONAR is a recording studio disguised as software, while Live is a musical instrument disguised as software.