GM's Performance Division turns out a duesy of a Cobalt. 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt / Cobalt SS - Review www.caranddrive... Cobalt SS v WRX, and 5 More Sport Compacts - Comparison Test www.caranddrive...
When new, this car was the fastest production FWD car in the world. And still is the fast FWD car in North America, and yet they complain about the interior?... Ha! No real enthusiast is going to care about what the dashboard is made of... And if we're brutally honest, every car in that segment uses cheap materials, that's why they're so affordable(aka cheap)!
***** The interior fits right in with the rest of it's car category. Like I said, they all use the same cheap materials. In fact, I prefer my SS interior to the likes of the WRX & Civic Si... The GTI does stand out(but slow), but the SPEED3 is really nice also(and fast), it would be my second choice.
Actually car and driver tested a 2005 srt4 and it hit 60 in 5.1 seconds and did the quarter mile in 13.9@102 so no the slobalt is not the fastest fwd car in the world
MotorTrend ran a 13.9 at 102.5 1/4th mile with the Cobalt SS T/C... Also, what was the SRT-4's laptime at Nordschleife, or Laguna Seca? Just so we can compare.
Dodge never did those tracks with the SRT-4 Flabernat. 102.5 huh via Motortrend.. lol And it is rated with 30 more hp and 10 ft lbs more torque with newer technology (referring to the Cobalt Turbo)
I drove a friends Cobalt SS the other day. This car is amazing. It was an extremely wise of Chevy to bring out a 260 hp 2.0 liter that appeals to those kids who would normally only buy a Japanese car.
I don't understand why they rant about the interior so much, I've ridden in two different Cobalts (One coupe and one sedan) and they both had nice interiors. Nothing felt cheap to me. If this was in a Toyota or Honda, it would get top ranks.
wow this car beats an SRT challenger in 0-60 and quarter mile. impressive. And would a limited slip differential slow down the car? speed up? make it shift better? make the handling a little more sluggish?
This is a impressive car, if you take into account that when the sti and evolution came out boasting 300 horse awd and stil ran 5.2 sec . Cobalt has fwd and 40 less horses and runs 5.5 sec. plus torque is equal and balanced with hp.
This is so true. As an owner of an 08 SS turbo, I've had so many douche import owners come up on me and just get absolutely owned. I love my SS. It's truly a sleeper.
i have an 08 wrx and i can attest to the cheap, plastic interior. it rattles and clicks like crazy. this cobalt seems like a decent enough car, for the market that it's intended for. i think it'll do quite fine.
The SS is a great car now that it's TC'ed. With only the FWD layout, it does a lot. I've test driven a Cobalt SS Sedan and coupe, EVO' 10 and a WRX when I was thinking about trading my truck in. And quite honestly, the SS was what appealed to me the most, because it wasnt like the EVO to have cheap and sparse interior but loads of performance, or the WRX and great interior and crappy performance. The SS is a great combo' of both worlds.
The idea of a relatively inexpensive performance car is very appealing. I like the look. I am driving a GM now, but certainly had concerns about quality control with a 2005 GM I drove. Hope they have quality under better control now.
GM, build a Cruze SS! The Focus ST is a Ford so naturally it will be overpriced, unreliable and will naturally have the horrible MyFord Touch. The current Cruze is a complete snooze.
Most people think the hatchback version looks better. For $960 more than the Cobalt, you can get the hatch version of the WRX, which is more practical and most people also think it looks better.
ok your exaggerating big time on that. the cheapest camry is a 4 cylinder, not the V6 and its 22,000. plus it weighs like 600lbs more, so either way the Cobalt SS is quicker. Plus, no body is gonna by the sedan SS, they buy the Coupe. you cant beat the amount of performance for the money. forged internals, no lift shift, launch control, stabili Trak, and a limited slip diff for 26,000? that's a heck of a deal that nobody can beat, literally. the dont call it the mini corvette for no reason lol
Just checked and I actually underestimated the difference in price. The Cobalt SS has an MSRP of $24,535; the WRX has an MSRP of $24,995. The difference is only $460, so IDK why anyone would (or should) go for a Cobalt.
The 2009 cobalt SS is the best sport compact "DOMESTIC"(key word for those who support their honda civics and toyota camry) I will say chevy has done something right finally, bye bye cavalier... To those haters, a low 14 second on the quarter is not bad at all for a stock car.
who gives a fuck about plastic on the inside... 1. its a $24,000 car 2. the seats, steering wheel, and shifter are not plastic and that is all i will ever touch in a car anyways....buttons also but you cant have soft buttons.....lol
exactly how is the sport compact scene dead? Maybe you're just getting older dude. The reality is that sport compacts are just as alive today and possibly more so than yesterday. Most Honda/Acura fans feel that the scene is dead only b/c all that company offers is the Si which is clearly at the back of the pack when it comes to power these days. Other than the SS, there is the Speed3, GTi, Evo, WRX, Eclipse, SE-R spec V, and the Si. This is quite a larger list than that of a decade ago.
36k warranty is bumper to bumper. powertrain is 5yr 100k miles. just because everyone says they are the most reliable, doesnt mean they are, and if ur a car guy, u should know that. for example, the camry has recalls out the butt, but people still buy em cuz they have the "dependable" name behind em. i have driven the base model 06 impala and the camry, and in my opinion, the impala is a much better car for the money. it handles better, more power, more space, rides better, etc. past is past.
@4godaddygo. Srt4 came with 230hp 250tq.. from years 04-06. The first year "03" came with 215hp. I agree stock for stock the tc ss is quicker. But if your gonna post know your facts.
I own this car and I always get questions from ppl like why did you get a chevy get the sti instead, i could've went with the sti but i could only find 04's with like 60k miles on them for $16.5k and I got my 08 Cobalt with warranty for the same price and make the same 241 whp as an sti. Ppl under rate and underestimate this car until they drive it. And believe me,IT GOES Fast! Interior is not so bad either.
Seems like a fine car, for sub-20k. But for 24k, you could get a GTI, mini or a honda S. These all drive great and have great interiors. Chevy, please stop making cars. GM, cut back on the brands and focus on giving the US a great complete car at a great price. You've got to earn our business again.
Oldsmobile had the first ever turbo car offered to the public. Do you remember that car? The 62 jetfire. That same aluminum v8 went on to power the range rovers. SO gm had knowledge of turbos for 50 years. Plus turbos are not made by the car manufacturer. They are made by another company such as garrett airesearch.
There are reviews that call the cobalt ss the best handling fwd car on the planet. for 25k, that's saying something. Its also saying something for a company that has to spread it's resources over a very diverse line-up (vette's, tahoes, vans, fleet vehicles, sedans, full sized pick-ups, etc). We all know GM can out-do its competitors. Whether it chooses to is another thing. Priorities are different.
Seriously. The Corvette and Cobalt SS aren't in the same league. Doesn't seem to stop the Cobalt SS owners from trying out my C6. I just laugh at them and then show them and smoke them without even bothering to down shift. You're talking about a car that's nearly 2.0 seconds in 0-60 and almost 3.0 seconds slower in the quarter. That's an eternity.
my point was why now do gm make a respectable sport compact ... when back then they could have been attacked the civic/sport compact scence it would have been a great alternative and gave americans a reason to buy american.... when i mean by dead most people who had a civic/integra during the peak of the tuner movement have simply moved on to better cars... as far as the cars bro u are 100% right they are more balanced and making way more power then ever before
Ha ha, the comment at 1:47 "and the interior is constructed primarily of plastics cheap enough to be rejected by a chinese toys factory" is just spot on. :)
@ajlod934893 yes, i realize what i said. if the quater mile time for a cobalt is 14.2 seconds in manual and the auto clocks at 14.4 seconds, thats a half second slower. they both have the same top speed. it doesnt really matter. its the same performance
Are you frickin' serious!! $25,000 for a Cavalier on caffeine?? I'm thinking GM is trying REALLY hard to get some quick cash because there's NO WAY that car should start at more than twelve of fifteen grand. Then again, with the way GM spends money, it probably cost that much to build. What are they thinking???
@donnis618 dont wanna take away anything from the SS but the Acura integra type R was and still is considered the best handling FWD by Evo Magazine. It pulls .92 g on skidpad and slides thru the slalom at 71.8 mph
My Saab '06 9-3 turbo averages 26mpg. Also, the numbers now a days are more conservative then they used to be and Chevy doesn't do the testing for fuel economy so 22-30 is accurate. The "mechanics" must be pretty good because the Cobalt SS set a lap record for factory front-drive sport-compact cars at the Nürburgring, posting a time of 8:22.85 minutes besting the previous record by more than 13 seconds.
I think that it's great how Honda kids still claim the Integra Type-R is still the best handling FWD car when the Cobalt SS/TC surpasses it. It's faster then a Type-R, handles better, gets better mileage, etc. Kids need to let go of the past and move on. I love my B13 Sentra SE-R to death, but the new cars smoke it.
That's about as useful as saying it's a Chevy SS. Impala SS? Camaro SS? 'Redline' is just a performance badge that several Saturn vehicles had. As for the Saturn Ion Redline, which I'm assuming you're referring to, that car shared the old Cobalt SS's supercharged 2.0 that only got 205 HP. The Ion was dropped and the Cobalt was given a turbocharger for 260hp. Oddly enough, it's the same engine in the Sky Redline, just mounted transversely for FWD.
Ford F-150 outsells the best selling car (Toyota Camry) 2 to 1. So, what were you saying about people in the US only caring about fuel economy again? Yes people in the US do care about their cars being powerful enough to be safe on our highways. This is why the US accord is different than the one that they sell overseas. The same can be said for the new Mazda 6. This is also why the Accord and Camry outsell the Civic and Corolla. They are larger and more powerful cars.
Cars within the cobalt ss class is the speed3, wrx, and the evo. No other car is ale to compete. The si and spec v are the only ones in the 200hp class. The import scence is dying, the only one's keeping it alive is the newbies. Beginner drivers who think throwing in a b16 into a hatch is a 13 second car. Grow up and buy a real 13 second car. American cars are urely the fastest for straightline, they were built for it. Hondas are nice the way they are, save money with great fun.
lastly i was replying to your comment when you said "If you're gonna cite the Nurburgring lap records...Look at the entire list. Look at the top 20. How many are held by American cars??? 3. The rest are European and Japanese." thats where my debate comes from, i only went back 1 page n2 the comments and that 1 caught my eye, thats all
Until they address the problem that the power only goes to the front, the Cobalt SS isn't really going to beat anything. Sure, some idiot will give it a shit load of power and it'll win in a drag race or track time, but that doesn't mean it be exactly rewarding to drive. Give me RWD or AWD.
3 American models, your forgetting that there are several different iterations of the corvette that make the list just as there are several different iterations of the 911. If you really want to blow your mind, check out the price tags on those top contenders, guess who comes out on top. The GT-R is a bargain as well but not as fast, once they release the spec-v (and double the price) then it might be able to tango with the cheaper American muscle.
i think the new mazdaspeed 3 is so much better than the cobalt ss. the interior is emaculate and the car is put together very well. it will also make more hp per mod (everyone knows how restricted it is). and the part about the crappy interior for the cobalt.... lol ive driven one its true. its just a fast car, thats all it is. time will tell how reliable and how good the resale value is on these.
The New Camaro V6's only do 0-60 in 6.1 seconds! A lot of power under the hood! But the big boat cant put it to use! The cobalts design actually comes from the Corvette. Hence the tail lights! Im not Biased at all! But Ive driven both since I own my own shop! I would much rather have the Cobalt SS Turbo due to its all around performance!
evos arent ss and are meant to have four doors since they are 2.0 rally cars.. thats the rule for rally cars... plus the design of an evo with two doors would look pretty funny... im not a big fan of two door cars.. and if i did i wouldnt pick a 2.0 id pick a viper or something... and for a spacious car that i like i love evos cuz their stock fast and are spacious, dont waste so much gas either...
lol im a master tech and i been workin on GM vehicles for over 10 years. you must have been workin on the GM vehicles that the customers messed up themselves by neglect and stupidity. I specialize in Vettes and i work on most SS vehicles that come in. i have never seen a C5 vette come in with major problems nor a C6. i admit the C4's are crap, and most models before 1998. But all of the newer model cars are excellent on dependability and my 06 impala ss has over 85,000 miles without one problem
those companys are owned by GM, the 2.0 ecotec LNF is only found in the cobalt ss and HHR ss and the Kappa platform RWD pontiac solstice GXP and saturn sky redline, i dotn see any saabs there. regardless its a GM engine and a damn good one, and with the GM high performance division headed by the legendary john heinricy this car is truely and excellent machine, no matter what badge GM slaps on the front. GM can do it themselves? this is THIER car and THIER parts.
The chevy cobalt is a very good looking car. I have one, but the handling and supsension sucks compared to the 98 mazda I used to drive. I really wish I stuck with Mazda. After I pay off my chevy I am going back to Mazda.
'09 Cadillac CTS has a DFI 3.6 with 302 hp. Sorry. The Chevy Malibu has the same 3.6 without DFI and it gets slightly less HP and the same Torque. Faster car and just as high tech. Another example: for the price of a fully loaded Accord you can get a Fully loaded G-8 Pontiac with 361 hp.
obvious.... i was just mentioning with the HP/TQ differences between the 2, and people talk bad about hondas torque. its not bad actually. they exaggerate everything. 200/142 keeping up with 260/260 or even 400/400. thats what i was saying.
well considering america is the only 1 of 3 countries making cars its still america vs europe, 2nd aston martin, ferrari, lambo, porshe, benz, bmw, audi, pagani, koenigsegg etc all make supercars, vs ford, gm and chyrsler, come one, 2nd the location of the ring does make a difference considering the majority of euro supercars are pretested there so why wouldnt they do better then most cars, look at the viper acr vid, u can see its not really geared for a track like that yet it still shines
Less HP more torque, faster car. then if you go to the DFI its no competition. p71 would get smoked in a drag and on a track by a cobalt ss tc. Not even close. But your right by saying its a good car for police and it does get good FE.
@AlexanderBlueAvenue and to add to it, they have a Saab 5 speed transmission - which hasn't changed in probably 25 years (if it ain't broke don't fix it!) Hell next to the bulletproof Ecotec 2.0 its probably the strongest component on the car!
theres actually PLENTY of honda motors with alot of torque. dont just go off the daily civics around that dont have it. seems like we dont need it that much either. i have a motor swap with only intake and header for mods in my 00 civic coupe. k20a2 6spd. its a 200hp 142tq motor. and that little bit compared to the 260hp 260tq T/C, can keep up almost even. im going off WOT videos showing the speedo of the 09 SS, which looks really even with my speedo, and after 100mph, the SS/TC goes slower.
Who cares about displacement, that is totally irrelevant. If you have an engine that is more reliable, better on gas, and puts out better power, then wheres the problem. Viper is record holder for n-ring for a production car. Sorry little Porsche and Ferrari owners everywhere. Blame it on the larger displacement, because it matters. And your comparing a 3.2 audi A-4 that starts at $43,000 with a Mustang that you can get that engine with for $20,430. Talk about not the same class.
it doesnt matter.... my point is that id rather buy me an evo than a over priced slow balt... plus i dont like fwd cars i like them rwd but i dont mind 4wd cars...
"A Viper with a V10 8.4L engine can't be compared to Porsche." it cant? isn't it in the same class? isn't it the same price if not cheaper then the only Porsche that comes close to its speed (the turbos). There's a reason why the fastest Porsche (Carrera GT) also had the most displacement.
@onquarter I'm not a huge fwd fan myself, but this car is an ANIMAL. Find someone who has a 08-10 S and let them drive you around for a couple minutes. You'll convert to the church of Cobalt.
Dude there are civics out there with good chassis set ups that can beat evos on a track, evo just has ayc and 4wd, even tho the new evos are crap, im talking about evo 7, 8s and 9s etc, fwd cars are much lighter than 4wd and rwd, a 200bhp fwd car with a good driver and good suspension tuning can beat virtualy anything on the right road! for example, check out the renualt r27 megane, its actualy faster then an evo on the nurburgring....
