Chevy Cobalt

[kylemorg]

Anyone else see this? I'm curious to see how (bad) they look in person; on the internet it looks a bit like a cross between the Neon SRT4 and a newer Cougar. Of course it'll have Chevy's legendary build quality, comfort and reliability! :D

The supercharged version only has 205 HP, yet it costs $21,000!

http://www.chevrolet.com/cobalt/ss/

[hyunelan2]

My friend just stared selling Cadillacs and Chevys at a local dealer. He said they're due to get them sometime in the next month. So you'll be seeing them in person before too long.

[NorthernYankee]

Looks like a cavalier.

[SuperGLS]

It's the replacement for the Cav. I think it looks 2048273 times better than the Cav as well. They better not keep the crappy rubber headrests like my girlfriend had in her 2001 Cav, that was the definition of cheap. Those wheels on the SS are perfect.

[04GTboySC]

defintly looks better than the cavilier dang 18 inch wheels

[evil247]

also the 205hp is underrated just like the SRT4 was. I believe in tests they got somwhere close to 205 to the wheels. The gear ratios suck in the car though as they were only able to muster something like a 15.1-15.3 in the car. Anyone see the commercial with this and the new corvette? It's funny

[XWRed5W3]

So if someone were to buy a crappy American car, why the heck would you buy a $21,000 cavalier when you could buy an SRT-4 for the same price that's way faster?

[XTRAWLD]

Yeah, I saw that commercial, it was very funny. Chevy is on the advertising bandwagon big time.

[hyunelan2]

Anyone see the commercial with this and the new corvette? It's funny

I love that commercial. Would've been better if the 'vette kicked the cobalts' *** though.

[04GTboySC]

isn't that the truth

[SuperGLS]

So if someone were to buy a crappy American car, why the heck would you buy a $21,000 cavalier when you could buy an SRT-4 for the same price that's way faster?

That's a good question. Maybe people like 2-door's better. Maybe people are "I love GM and will never buy a Dodge." Maybe people can get better insurance rates on it (maybe, I don't know). Just some thoughts.

And yeah, that's a funny commercial.

[RonnieSan]

Looks like a tC.

[pancit]

id never drive that thing. the 18s and the fact that its american-made is enuff for me :nono:

[kylemorg]

I agree. If I were looking at all at an american car in that price range, it would be an SRT-4 for the same $ with a lot more power and probably much better ergonomics!

I just wish the Neon didn't look so goofy (and didn't have Dodge's reliability problems).

[th003g]

sema:
cobalt ss 230hp
cobalt ss 272 272 hp

someone shoot me.... i need more power....

[KeWLKaT]

Man... I fell in love with the Cobalt SS today, went to the dealer with my mom (she has a pontiac).

AMAZING. I am even considering selling the old XD, but maybe it's just the over-enthusiasm.

Oh, and, 205hp yes, but with a LOT of restriction.... A little fine tuning and you can easily bring that thang up to 250+. More tuning, well, more hp :)

[andyny]

I looked at a Cobalt when the local dealer got a few. Build Quality - same ****. None of the spaces around the doors was the same - one side totally different than the other. The doors actually stuck out away from the car on one side. And once you add all the necessary stuff it is over priced. It also has the famous ELECTRIC steering and its associated surprises. As an American car it will be developed in real time, recalls, TSBs etc. I was actually interested in it for my daughter based on the crash test results but, nope, they are not going to get me to buy it. GM is screwed. Although a replaced for the Cavielier, all it does it replace a car in its line up, it does not replace a car in a market segment as the COBALT costs way more. What were they thinking?

[kylemorg]

I was surprised to see that the Chevy Cobalt was about as fast as the SRT-4 according to the May edition of Motor Trend (although you've got to take anything Motor Trend says with a grain of salt -- remember, they LOVED the Focus).

I really wish Dodge and GM would improve their quality; I'd buy an American car if the quality was fixed. I'd like to keep most of the purchase price of the car in the US if I could, but I won't buy a substandard vehicle to do it.

[Jlivan]

I actually like the look of the cobalt, it's a step up from the boring look of the rest of the cars like the cavalier.

[KeWLKaT]

OK, I'm out of my excitement today.

I WILL NOT sell the XD, don't worry ;) But the Cobalt SS might be my next car! Eaton supercharger...yummy... on warranty? even better! Black/Red leather interior is sexy too.

The ONLY thing wrong with the car as far as I know were the ugly bronze chvy emblems.

[Gun5]

I actually like the look of the cobalt, it's a step up from the boring look of the rest of the cars like the cavalier.

same, also that picture u linked is **** looks good in others like this http://www.chevrolet.com/cobalt/coupe/

[BobMs_wht2k2]

I'm sorry, but I don't understand all the GM hatred on this site. I've owned GMs my entire life (except when I was given an 84 ford tempo pos) and have always been very pleased. 2 Caprices with well over 200k miles with no problems, 7-8 trucks with the youngest at tradein having 130k miles and a cople of vans with 180k miles plus. Poor build quality?

Now, most used fwd gm cars were rentals at some point, a huge part of their sales for years. We all know what people do to rental cars. Buying it used and getting a 100k miles out of one and you can call yourself lucky.

As for the Cobalt, had it been on the market when I bought my Elantra, I woulda probably bought one. I think they are a huge improvement for a domestic fwd. Better than a civic in ride and quietness.

[slvrsleeper]

See the April 05 issue of Car and Driver "That brings up another long-term mission of the car: Convince buyers to maybe,eventually, someday pay an actual sticker price for a Chevrolet because, like a Toyota, its just that good" I think GM is on the right track with the Cobalt but they have too many years of letting a platform languish in last place to overcome. For example the Cavalier which lasted from 1981 to 2005. Its kind of funny that Hyundai has successfully reinvented their public image and GM has not.

[mrhoaf]

I really wish Dodge and GM would improve their quality; I'd buy an American car if the quality was fixed. I'd like to keep most of the purchase price of the car in the US if I could, but I won't buy a substandard vehicle to do it.

The funny part about this statement is that more and more "foreign" car makers are building thier cars in the US, and more domestic cars are being built in Canada and Mexico...... Thanks NAFTA!!!

I've ridden in many GM vehicles over the years, had friends who owned them, rented one (and before you say something, it had was barely broken-in) and I've found very few things to like about them. New, used, or worn out... they all either feel cheap, poorly designed, poorly built, or an combination of the 3. This has prevented me from seriously considering owning a GM product. Personally, I think the Cobalt looks like a warmed over Cav.... still plain-looking, and still a POS...

[SuperGLS]

I really like the Cobalt, it seems a lot better in all aspects over the last gen Cav (my girlfriend had one). I've also rode in some Grand Am's and they've just felt eww.

Other than that, not much experience with GM. My girlfriends parents just bought a new Avalanche, we'll see how that goes. They are GM for life.

[jrod13]

I am sorry but some of these statements made on here are just frickin retarded. The Cobalt is 11tybillion times better then the old cavalier, while being spartan was actually a reliable car. My mom had a 97 that had 100k+ miles and never had a problem. My father had an old GMC pickup with over 200k miles that had original motor and tranny. You guys are making fun of a company for cheap build quality. Need I remind you of Hyundai 5 years ago. We had a 91 Camaro that never made a hiccup. SRT-4 are hardly faster then the Cobalt SS. Although the SRT-4 has more potential IMO. I test drove an SRT-4 and almost traded my Elantra in that night. Compared to other cars in our class I don't see anything that is more special about our cars than any other comparable vehicle. GM in the last 3 years has made huge leaps and bounds in build quality. Nobody can even touch GM trucks for reliability, and overall efficiency in the V-8.

[trahma]

The fact of the matter is domestic car companies are starting to get it right for once. The SRT-4 was a tell tale sign of domestic manufacturers upping the ante. For the price, nothing comes close. Hell I used to mock Hyundai right along side Kia until I rode in an Elantra. The overall quality of cars in general is getting better and better, not just by the imports.

[SuperGLS]

The overall quality of cars in general is getting better and better, not just by the imports.

Agreed. There were few cars at the auto show that I felt I couldn't drive. (They happened to be Suzukis).

[BobMs_wht2k2]

Agreed. There were few cars at the auto show that I felt I couldn't drive. (They happened to be Suzukis).

Easy there on the Suzuki's! My wife has a Grand Vitara mini SUV. Those little monsters are durable, strong and dependable. Ask most serious trail guys and most would take a properly prepared Samarai over a CJ/TJ/YJ anytime! Remember that the last Samarai here in the US was in 94.


In general, look at how far cars have come in the last 20 years. 20 Years ago there were no Tahoes, or Expeditions. A Suburban was used by farmers and some families as a hauler. they were not very well equipped and don't even think about leather in a truck. Cars didn't have very good power, were weak even, didn't have crap for brakes and power windows were something that came on caddies and lincolns.

[mrhoaf]

In regard to Suzukis....My dad is on his second Tracker... loves them to death, and they're easy to work on. I've heard many good things about them.....


Now...... Suzuki cars..... well... they're pretty much all re-badged Daewoos now.....

[cbehage]

I drive chevys for my work cars

I used to drive a 2003 Cav 4 door black. It was ok

Now I have a 2005 Cobalt 4 door Burnt orange. It is ok

Both auto. No matter what it still feels like I am driving a rental car. it is like a off road vehicle it is so high. tons of wheel/ fender gap. It has cheesy fake plastic chrome on the interior. It has nice fetures like traction control, 2 trip meters, MPG meter, fuel range left meter, oil life left meter, digital coolant temp meter.

I could never see my self owning one

It has decent power and I can peel it out if I put it in low and it takes traction off.

[2001GLS]

I'd MUCH rather have a Cobalt than a Neon. Asides from their Jeep line, about everything Diamler-Chrsyler makes is crap. Not to mention in addition to quality issues they have ugly styling as well. (I suppose that could be subjective but I sure as hell would never own one)

[cbehage]

I agree, the Viper is crap.........

I would much rather have a foreign car than domestic. Except for Vettes, Vipers, Mustangs ( I don't really like tham that much).

Just think, NSX, Is300, Supra, RX-7/8, BMW-6, Evo, STI, G35....drool

There aren't that many american cars I drool over. except muscle car I guess.

[BobMs_wht2k2]

Oh, I drool over plenty of american cars. . . GTO, Silverado SS, Trailblazer SS, SSR, vette and now the Cobalt SS.

I think the NSX was great in 92 when it came out, but the car hasn't changed since and now fetches $90k for a new one. The new vette out handlles it, out accelerates it and cost half as much. Supra, awesome car, can't get it anymore. BMW, you couldn't pay me enough to own one. I personally miss the old turbo RX-7, can't stand the RX-8. Evo, you can keep it. Too crude for this body. G35, we'll see how it holds up which leaves me with the iS300. Always loved that car. Can't afford the upkeep, but loved the style!

[Charles Bisel]

I own both a 2003 Elantra GT and a 2002 Cavalier LS Sport Coupe. I like both cars and get compliments on them all the time.

Here are my thoughts:

Performance
------------
Hands down the Cavalier wins. It's got a much lighter, all-aluminum 2.2L ECOTEC engine. It has more horsepower and torque than the Elantra's 2.0. Also, there is a lot of aftermarket support for that engine. You can get performance internals straight from GM, and there are the superchargers and turbo kits out there as well. The Cobalt SS and Saturn ION Redline both use this engine. There have been ECOTECs that have been built up to 1000 HP. I have yet to see a 1000 HP Hyundai.

Quality
---------
The Elantra definitely edges out the Cavalier in terms of quality, but not by much. The Cavalier has visible screws, which make the car look cheap. Plus, there is an extensive use of very cheap plastic. Also, you can see the unsightly, rusted out bolts that hold the seats to the floor. And the carpet is definitely cheaper than the one in the Elantra.

However, the Elantra is by no means a great quality car either. Cheap leather and lots of rattles don't help it much. But it is definitely better than the Cav.

Looks
-------
The Cavalier definitely wins on external appearance. My Cavalier is yellow with the ground effects and fogs. The shape of the car is nice and its complimented with 16" chrome wheels. However, the interior definitely goes to the Elantra. I love the sport gauges and the European styling of the interior.

Handling
--------------
Cavalier hands down. Despite the fact that the Elantra has a "sport-tuned" fully-independent suspension, the Cavalier can take bends at speeds the Elantra just can't do. The Cavalier is nice and tight around corners, whereas the Elantra feels unstable. I don't know if this is just do to the fact that the Cav is a coupe and the Elantra is a hatch, or if there are differences in the quality of the suspension.

Braking
------------
Damn, can't believe I forgot about the braking system. The Elantra by far and away beats the Cav in stopping power. My Elantra has 4-wheel disc brakes compared to the Cavalier's rear drums. This setup makes the Elantra a lot smoother when braking, whereas the Cav tends to dive a bit in the front. Also, the brakes on the Elantra are bigger than those on the Cav. And the ones on the Elantra are quiet, whereas the ones on the Cav can sometimes squeal. And the Elantra has a lot less brake dust compared to the Cav.

Features
-----------
The Elantra came standard with more features than my Cavalier did. The Elantra has leather interior, fuel computer, rear disc brakes, side air bags, heated mirrors, and a better sound system with component speakers. So overall, the Elantra GT is a better value than the Cavalier.

Overall
---------
Overall, there are pluses and minuses to any car. I'm not going to knock GM because they build lower quality cars, because even the Elantra isn't the greatest quality car either. You get what you pay for. Because a Cadillac CTS-V is made by GM, does that mean it has visible rusted floor bolts or cheap plastic? Of course not. With 400 HP and killer looks, I'd gladly take that over any luxury car that Japan has to offer, and probably over most cars that come out of Europe.

[EDIT] Added comparisons of braking and features.

[sed]

Need I remind you of Hyundai 5 years ago.


uhm hyundai 5 years ago was dropping the first xd dude. Hyundai 5 years ago introduced the 10/100 powertrain warranty.

Hyundai 5 years ago came out with the RD Tibby.

WTF are you talking about hyundai 5 years ago?

maybe 10-15 years ago sure, but don't say 5 years...


shawn :)

[Cypher]

a guy at the track this friday had an SS colbalt that ran 14s... too bad he blow a driveshaft with only 9k on the car!!

[1995stockcivic]

a guy at the track this friday had an SS colbalt that ran 14s... too bad he blow a driveshaft with only 9k on the car!!
lol, that was too funny, wonder if his warranty covered it....

[Estopatitiana]

my brother bought the only red cobalt ss in spfld il in july, and its damn nice i drove it alot and he has definetly kicked some *** in it, 1st of all, i wanted to buy an srt 4 but after riding and driving the ss it looks better #1, and it performs almost the same, its got nice 18 inch wheels with perelli pzero tires, it stops in the same distance as the vet 113ft 60-0... 4 wheels disc. #2 it looks nicer, he has the black leather interior with the red inserts, sunroof..and if you look at the exhaust its huge almost 3 inch diameter, and it holds the corners great, he used to drive a POS ranger and was use to the heavy clutch so this took some time getting use to. he raced like a 96 or somethin gtp and beat it by about 3/4 almost a whole car length, and that was with burning the tires.. it has a factory 10" sub and tweeters that sound pretty decent..xm radio. and it was listed for like 23 something and he got a loan from the air force and only paid like 18 or 19 with his trade in and discount. i think its a damn nice car and id get one if i wasnt a twin.. it does 0-60 in like 6.4 or somethin and man if you dont know what your doing with first gear you can skip the hell out of the tires...not bad for a supercharged four banger..bc it seems like people knock SC's all the time it think gm did something different..and a good job too

oh and just for ****s i raced him in my gls, it was pretty sad, my foot was almost through the floor. and he seriously thought i wasnt trying and still beat me without coming close to pushing it