Regular Car Reviews: 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt XFE 

Makin Bacon aaaaand you completely miss the point.... yet again.

Makin Bacon You argued with me over the new mustangs a couple of months ago, I see time has not given you any wisdom.

Makin Bacon DoomsdayMelody91 Get a room. XD

IronXC Eh, I cant help it.Bitches are just all over me xD

+beyondthelol maybe if they marketed the car as an ultimate daily car someone would have bought it.

Yeah, lol.

I really like the color

Ha cause cobalt blue

@@marcsmoo Its imperial blue. Id know because the cheap mist of clear coat is coming off and the paint flakes right of the primer

The element cobalt was used to make beautiful blue plates and bottles in ancient Egypt.

i don't see a LOT of them. But when i do see em' around town, i get MOIST. Very very MOIST.

VERY MOIST

Its just Chevys version of the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, aka econobox!

My 2006 cobalt SS 2.4 gets 27mpg tops

That's the SS, specifically designed to go faster. That's why you can go 0-60 in less than 9 seconds.

Moist

LandonGendur 3k not bad for a cobalt

wtf ???? 41mpg is 5.8L/100km ? My 97 VW Passat can do 4.7L/100km.....

Only difference: People actually want to drive Cobalts. I have a 2010 Cobalt. Love that car

LandonGendur has

GrooveChampion What the fuck??? Was this the trailer for Blair Witch 3?

It's good boat music tho

I would let Mr. Regular do just about anything to me TBH.............................

PUT ME IN COOOACH I'M READY TO PLAAAAY

There's something wrong with the man...but he's funny

Xtra lol

I know I have an ls its nice aintit

Very nice. Very reliable. Easy to drive 5 speed manual. Excellent daily driver.

i have the automatice ls version i cannot complain at all, i have some mods i wanna do including interior lighting and also adding a spoiler, i think it will brighten up th car a bit, i love this car

PA winters will do the rust part, and chances are the lights weren't put in tight when they were replaced. Hence the moisture.

I was working at a GM dealership when these cars were new. Almost every vehicle we were selling would get those watery head and tail lights. GM's official method for fixit it was to drill a small hole in the light so the water could drain.

Pretty sure that comes with every gm vehicle

do you still have the cobalt? if so, how is it so far? what maintenance it required

I am really bad at sarcasm and English. Is this a good car or a bad car.

Billy Russo REALLY FUCKING BAD! minus the supercharged and turbocharged variants aka cobalt SS

Billy Russo bro im american and idk what hes talkin about

Punk Nation your comment is extremely undervalued, and you're exactly right. This is a car one buys to get from point A to point B, a car to help you buy a car. This is an amazing first vehicle, or a vehicle for someone trying to get on their feet. Cheap, reliable, fuel efficient. The golden 3 for a first car

Ryan King any negatives?

I agree, they should've kept Cavalier. It's a better strategy that most other makers understand.

Ben Kuyt Cruze is definitely better but it's still a bit in the new car price range, the cobalt is a better bang for your buck but the cruze is way more fun and handles better than the cobaly

Ben Kuyt and I agree with you, the Honda Civic wasn't all that great when it first came out but now it's one of the top selling cars just cause of the model name

The main thing is that GM knows this but at the same time doesn't. They have the longest name of any American car maker with the Corvette, with a history over 60 years. But they don't seem to understand that that's the reason people love Corvettes. History is a huge factor in everyone's buying choice.

Ben Kuyt they should have stuck with cobalt name. I understand they wanted New after cavalier because it was so stale for so long but the cobalt was actually a damn good car. After 07 te base 2.2 was 155 hp and 150 tq in the cobalt. Some other models had over 163 hp in a 2.2 that was impressive in 2007-2010. Even the 2.0 Mazda skyactiv motors are rated the same 155 150 today. The LT with the 2.2 and stick shift was a peppy little car. They also had the Sport 2.4 with 175 hp which is still used today but is rated at 180. They also had the 2.0 SC ecotec in the highest models up until the switch to turbochargers in the same 2.0. That motor is still used today in the camaro and the ATS as well as other models throughout GM. That goes to show you how well the model was perceived in the GM corporate. The Cruze is important too....maybe for partially different reasons but they need to make a performance version and a sport version. They are clearly lacking even Hyundai now.

Jeff p Your car sucks dude, fucking own it. One day when you can maybe afford something halfway decent you'll look back and laugh, but stop justifying a shitty purchase

Streetmastaalex well, a car must take you, from a to b with no problems and all, and knowing you wouldn't be left in the middle of nowhere, wich these kind of cars fits perfectly, for a teenager, or a student, maybe it will take 30 thousands years to do the quarter mile, and so? you cant expect everyone driving veyrons all the way around

Jeff p "no repairs done other then maintenance such as breaks and spark plugs" No oil? WTF? Also, "breaks" I think that counts as a repair.

Streetmastaalex It's just a shitty a to b car, and it's one of the best pure A to B cars in recent years. Now stfu and actually get a car before you hate.

Car Of Doom Brakes and oil are both routine maintanence. brake pads, rotors, shoes, and drums are all components that wear due to normal use.

Drew Mitchel *key falls out of the ignition at 70mph* "Ha ha, I'm in danger."

not really all that mind blowing when the only people driving corvettes are old people

IntelGoesHard Praise those old people. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be able to keep and insure my Corvette. For example. DSMs are mostly driven by young people. Young hot shot wannabe street racer punks. Meaning, they always end up in fatal car crashes. Meaning, if I where to get one, I'll be paying 400 a month just to keep it insured. With the Vette, I'm only paying 192, age 23. Yeah. I welcome the old people! At least old people don't try to race you every chance they get.

IntelGoesHard Which makes it even more bullshit, because if you've ever been to Florida you know the olds drive like fucking maniacs.

I seriously doubt that. Show me the data! I pay about $800/year for my G5 (Pontiac's rebadge of the Cobalt) that I've owned since new in 2007.

I'd like to see where these people are getting corvette insurance cheaper than the Cobalt. Maybe if you own an old Corvette... maybe.. Like that pos one that came with under 200hp. Looking around, the average cost for a 26 year old male living alone with a perfect driving record is about 180 a month for a 2009 base Cobalt coup. That's full coverage 500 deductible. The cheapest is on average around 70-75 dollars for just liability 1k deductible. A 2009 base corvette on the other hand. Same selections made as the cobalt. male, living alone... etc. Full coverage averages 250-260 a month. Odly enough for the cheapest the average is fairly close to the Cobalt. In some cases even cheaper O.o. Like with progressive liability on the cobalt is 65, where it's 62 on the vette... Keep in mind these quotes were gathered with the info that the driver has no wrecks, or speeding tickets. Almost owns the car, and only uses it for personal use. Auto insurance prices greatly depend on your age on any given car. An older person can get his cheaper than someone in their early 20's. Unless you're getting a Cobalt SS, you shouldn't have more expensive auto insurance than a corvette. When I owned my 07 base Cobalt, I payed about 100 a month. At that time I was looking at insurance and did a few "what if" tests quotes. A vette would have costed me around 225 a month. Both plans were JUST liability and a 1k dollar deductible. I don't have a perfect driving history.

Cody Ford Well i'm certainly a gearhead, and i'd imagine most of the people on this gearhead channel are gearheads, and from my experience gearheads like to go pedal to the metal do burnouts and donuts and put trays under the rear tires... But i could be wrong.

WeActOnImpulse Official Not gonna argue with one thing you said haha. But not in a cobalt. Used to do it all the time in my mercury topaz though!

@@ShunShinimaru i do in my 07 cobalt and get around 25-27 pedal to the floor 24/7

You still have it all these years later?

@@NathanCE ive had my cobalt since 2014. I can say there are now electrical problems. Not a lot though

+Antwon Jenkins Really? They're rare? Then like 100 people in my area are driving rare ass cars. lol.

+Antwon Jenkins I own one of those, surprisingly I've been seeing them more and more. Light as shit though, don't drive it in the snow or you gon' die.

Zack Salter Well the GM dealer near you must have literally been giving them away. Hell, regular G5's are pretty rare around me, and its not like I live in bumble fuck nowhere, there's well over 100,000 people within 20 miles of where I live. However, there are a shit ton of Cobalts. People near me must have just not liked Pontiac lol

+Antwon Jenkins lol my new car is rare? surprised how easily it hit 100 for a little 4 banger

+Antwon Jenkins Pontiac was dying a slow painful death at that time and their vehicles were becoming more boring every year so I doubt you'll find near as many of them as you would Cobalts.

it's just a cheap cavalier, I mean really

Edward Caffery No, its actually not. The original Metro's were their own cars. three cylinders and way smaller than any Cavalier, they always used a 2 or 2.4 liter. The Metro is probably equally as great a creation as this XFE. capable of 60 MPG, with skinny tires with the max air pressure in them. The later Geo's didn't have any relation to Cavalier I don't think either, it was still Suzuki at the time, the only time anything Chevy had in relation was when they bought Geo and made the Prism, and even then it was a Toyota Corolla. Now, I say all this based off my domestic market, which is the US. I guess it could differ in other countries, but with this car I kind of doubt it.

I'm sorry got a fact wrong when gm took over Geo in the 90's Chevy took over the metro for a while but still had geo metros then made the cavalier after to try to have the small car market because they were switching the CAMI Motors production line to their SUZ's like the trackers and all of that also Geo was joint gm and Suzuki for a cheap crossover brand capable to tackle the global market... but you know how that ends

Yea, I don't even know what they were trying to do with the Cavalier. What kind of cheap commuter car has a 2.4 liter that doesn't make horsepower or get good MPG's you know? I look at the American market of that time as being a scrambled bunch of crap that was not good and no one cared. Even the Vette wasn't very good back then. They didn't care because people still said Murica and bought the garbage

Funny enough I think the cavalier was made by comity... it happens to be the same comity that designed the Aztec, Malibu, Monte Carlo, and Uplander

+Edward Horsey Mr. Plinkett especially. Redlettermedia on youtube. If you havent seen it, you owe it to yourself to watch one of his reviews.

I know i say this on nearly all the comments, but MOIST.

Do you need a napkin?

RyanPerson why do you ask?

Edward Horsey lol I was replying to the girl who was replying moist on every comment

That makes 2 of us! :)

Except by the time you did all that, you would have 20 grand into it. Which defeats the real point of this car. It was cheap. That very model they reviewed is probably worth only $6k today.

It's a gem because this car is the exception to Prius'. Fuel efficiency without the stigma.

ChargedTTq If you just want cheap, and fuel efficient, just buy an old Civic HF from the '90s. It will cost less and get better MPG. It also wouldn't cost anywhere near $20k to install a taller final drive, LRR tires and strip the interior of your own car.

Many people do not want to buy a used car.

I wouldn't call the engine "underpowered". It had 155 hp at the time which was more than any of it's competitors. Besides that, my 05 averages 37.5 without the hard tires or tall final drive and going into and out of the mountains in Colorado daily. It also has no problem getting our of it's own way either. It is just cheap reliable transportation. Nothing more.

Oddman1980 these cars were always super underrated because of the crappy interior, but it’s always been one of my favorite GM cars.

I know this is 5 years old, but "over 800 cases" out of 104,000 (just for the 2009 Cobalt) isn't that many all things considering. Being generous and saying 8,000 out of 104,000 is miniscule. Not to say this vehicle didn't have its flaws, as every other vehicle does

@@RK-ci9nn It might be alot, as how many cars ever get air bags activated.

Mattyew What are you talking about? Ford Fusion is just an "Americanized" version of the superior Mondeo. By Americanised I mean, dumbed down electronics but better looks.

Gerardo Serrano Nah I always see cops in NYC with Fusions

Gerardo Serrano Cops drive both now. I've only seen unmarked fusions though.

Gerardo Serrano In my city they drive fusions, taurus's and explorers

The cops in my area drive the new scary Chevy caprices.

It's still alive in kicking in the Eurasian developing markets, especially Russia. Used. In a form of JDM Toyota Platz. It was like Yaris, but it doesn't look like you borrowed it from your _mom._ Too bad they don't make them anymore. Corolla is the cheapest men's car in their lineup, both new and freshly used.

what are you doing here

Uh... No. There's no similarities between HTB and RCR. And the key difference is, RCR uses this one thing a lot, the one that How To Basic doesn't even know exists. Its name starts with an E and ends with a T. Yup. The white raven among the so-called youtube stars. Effort.

FokkerBoombass what are you doing here either

mwhite112393 enjoying RCR, I luv dis.

Just saying, RCR x HowToBasic would pretty much be the ultimate crossover.

RCR is like an hour outside Philly. But regardless, I don't think they're the same.

RCR's from the Kutztown Area.

TheMr6507 Yeah I believe that's about an hour from Philly, I'm not that familiar with Eastern PA though.

Tony Smith Aww c'mon, they sound incredibly similar and they even have the same style of singing and guitar playing. It's gotta be him.

EricTheCleric I agree their humor is fairly similar but they don't really sound that similar. Plus RCR doesn't seem like much of a video game person.

Yup. Thanks to Open Primaries McCain was chosen. He was the least liked candidate going into the primaries, yet won in the major cities... where there were open primaries and anyone could come in and vote on the Republican Party Candidate. Doesn't make any sense to do that. Democrats don't have open primaries... but Republicans for some reason have to? The GOP disgusts me. There are only like 4, maybe 5 decent Republicans in all of Congress.

thats what you think, And McCain will live out his days and take the truth of his contribution to the grave. Every time you turn on the lights, start your cars engine, or take a breath of fresh american air the late McCain will look down and smile on you. The least you can do is hold you're loved ones close, pray to McCain, buy a gun, and shove it up your ass, Cuase thats what you get for brining politics into RCR comment section

You young whipper-snappers don't remember what it was like. Back when McCain was still young and idealistic, a maverick in the Republican establishment with a whole host of progressive ideas and reforms in mind... Before the Dark Times, before the Empire. Back when he ran for president, no not in 2008... all the way back in 2000 when he was genuinely well-liked by most of the country and Sarah Palin didn't exist yet. Karl Rove destroyed that man in 2000, to make way for Bush the Younger.

I remember that. I didn't like him then either. But I didn't dislike him as much as I did in 2008. And now? I like him about slightly less than as much as I dislike Harry Reid.

It's ok though. We gunna get Ron Paul in 2016.

you should see the doors on the '70-81 camaro & firebird. Or many big 2 door cars of the 70's lol.

It still had somewhere around 150hp&145lb/ft torque. Which put it at or near the top of its segment back then. But it weighs close to 3,000 lbs.

Fuel efficiency makes me MOIST.

doctor zaius "with no automatic transmission option" Does anybody know anything about these cars? Research before you open your mouth.

gatewaysolo104 The only transmission available on the Cobalt XFE was a 5-speed manual.

Yeah the ad I saw said $89 bi weekly and 5.6 l/ 100 , but it was the zero percent interest is what grabbed me. The dealer said $4000 more for the next package to get air but I didn't care. Still driving it!!!

Jason Melo For the most part yes. My 2008 Cobalt XFE can get 40mpg in 5th gear cruising at about 40-50mph. On the highway you can get that amount, but you really would need to be strongly abiding the speed limit and not doing 80 like everyone else is lol

I just got one & it does 41mpg at 60mph. 48mpg at 50mph. It sinks down to 35mpg at 75mph though...

Lol, I suppose a person could get INFINITE mpg when the clutch is depressed & the engine shut off while in motion ;)

+Freak Nasty hell my jeep gets 99 going down a hill WITH the engine still running!

cobalt does to even if im givin it some gas lol it gets to 100 mph very quick down a hill let me tell ya what. lmfao

I meant cruze, sorry I'm not feeling it today.

I'm pretty sure the Cruze Diesel is Manual only.

^Nope, its automatic only. Why? Who knows!

Unbearable Pain Because automatic is better.

Unbearable Pain It isn't necessarily true that manual transmission = better fuel economy anymore. A lot of automatics can match or exceed their manual counterparts. Chevy won't sell a manual, diesel Cruze because they don't sell that many diesel Cruzes to begin with. Since there aren't any other cars with that drivetrain combo sold in the U.S., GM would have to do a whole new emissions/crash test certification specifically for the manual/diesel Cruze (which might sell 4,000 copies a year) and that process is probably expensive enough to make any profits from offering a manual negligible.

Ik this comment is 4 years old but I totally agree

Ford pinto and prius brakes. How bout that 2015 mustang getting recalled already? This car is no worse.

rather have all of those cars compared to our crappy Astra !and its made by GM ew !

Terry Thomas every manufacturer takes shortcuts. Love my little cobalt ss, sure its a cheap econobox but it's fun.lol

much rather have the Lada Niva I had in New Zealand !

and the standard model uses more gas than Corolla, Sentra, Civic, etc. Other than that, they aren't too bad

JMunn55 Try again. I have the standard model. I drive over mountain passes in Colorado every day for work. I manage 37.5 and have gotten as high as 39. Base model 05. With a shorter gear and somewhat stickier rubber than an XFE.

not bad. a friend of mine had a G5 and only got high 20s

but I don't think he took great care of it

The first one we had couldn't cracked 30 either. It was loaded with an automatic. Mine is a stripper with a manual. :) but a relative has an 08 with an auto get 35 so.... I think it comes down to taking care of it and how you drive. The first one we had was an old rental so... lol

yeah 40 mpg isnt witchcraft its quite common

Because diesels cost more to produce.

And cost a hell of a lot more when something goes wrong.

Hybrids do what diesels do, only better.

Ever seen a tuned MK7 Jetta TDI? it might redline at 5k but holy shit there's enough torque to throw you into the seat.

its not really that cheap, 24K will get you a brand new shiny BRZ/FRS/T86. or 12K can get you a nice little RX-8. hell i only paid 18k USD for my toyota camry only 6k more and i got powered windows, cruise control, gps, leather seats, a proper sound system and a shit ton more space. and i still get 38mpg for only a little more.

Kingck 24k will not get you a BRZ or FRS. Maybe if you manage to haggle like crazy at Scion but no Subaru dealership is going to sell you a 24k BRZ.

Moist

I suggest something with a hatchback for when you are in college because you never know what you going to need carry around when your in college

Just get something big but still with giid fuel economy

for 2900 get a 1999-2004 jeep grand cherokee. big SAFE suv. 4x4 so perfect for winter. and you can keep your man card unlike with a cobalt. also you could get a very reliable I-6 that can easily reach 250k + or a stupid fast 4.7 v8 in the grand cherokees

+childhood obesity eight years ago i bought a 2007 model for my son. It was his second car. He drove the crap out of it, it has way more than 100k on it. When it was time for him to get another car, I refused to trade it in and kept it for myself. I put in a clutch and had recalls done, and I got to tell you this little car is awesome. It doesn't have a great ride, but it is okay. On the highway it cruses at 75 mph like nothing. The 5 speed is fun to drive, and it is peppy. I love putting down those big SUVs and Trucks from a standing start. The air conditioning has been flawless. I have owned a lot of cars, put will tell you this little car has impressed me. Costs very little to drive, it is dependable. I think you go with the Cobalt, as it was hammer down tested by my son, and now I've had it two years and can't really knock it.

why? because GM.

welcome to the world of parts-bin sharing @ GM, circa late 2000's.

More importantly why did the Corvette have the steering wheel from a budget model Cobalt?

Yeah it was the other way around. GM determined that the Cobalt Steering wheel looked good enough to be in a Corvette....

Because GM.

I had one when they came out. Good car. The best part is the rear seats turn into lounge chairs. haha. They fall apart though.

I COME FROM THE FUTURE. They finally have a review of the tC as of July 4, 2017, but it's done by an intern. But it's not that bad actually.

If my '06 xB wasn't so beat up I'd totally contact Mr Regular with the offer of reviewing it

I mean some people want power, some people want MPG and some people want luxury. There's always a reason. A Cobalt wouldn't have been my first choice for MPG but apparently this one does that pretty well

Blair Deffenbaugh that's exactly what this guy is saying..... it could've done well if advertised but the upcoming Volt was replacing it......hell I'm even surprised this thing exists, and I'm a Chevy guy

People own Cobalt's solely because it's a car. It has four wheels and an engine and it'll go places. It's a car for non-car people who just go into the nearest dealership and pick the cheapest car on the lot. And that was the Cobalt's real leg up, like they said here, the guy bought it new for twelve grand. Hell, if you saved up a while, you could practically just cut them a check and leave with a brand new car you own outright. There are plenty of people to whom cars are merely an appliance, just look at how well the Camry, Corolla, Fusion, etc. sell. For the bargain shoppers of these vehicular Maytags, the Cobalt's rebate and discount addled run made for some temptingly low price tags which is really all it had going for it.

inudude15 Until the ignition fails and you're SOL.

Kruezerman I don't know, this is one case in which I can't completely find fault with GM. The fact that they HID this problem for years, that I can find fault with, it's arguably criminal negligence on their part. But still, all these people died because suddenly the steering wheel got a bit heavier and they actually had to push the brake pedal to stop the car? GM showed its true colors in hiding a serious defect for years but let's be honest if those people knew how to drive they'd still be alive...

yep, but the bmw also costs a shit ton more to buy new

But can you buy that BMW brand new for 12000$ ? No.. now sit down.

You haven't seen the vehicles in America, have you? Lots of people still drive pickup trucks here in the sub-20 MPG range _without hauling anything._

You need 12k/y to mantain a plastic crap modern bmw. They are both throw away cars.

155hp is nothing to flaunt. Also the G5 is not any more special than a cobalt. Why? Because it's the exact same thing in every trim minus the SS models where the G5 didn't get an equivalent.

Alright, let's calm down. I'm not "flaunting" the power, I was just saying it because in '09 the power was increased. And if you watched the video, then you would see that the Cobalt didn't have power windows, so that's why I commented about that. I'm not saying my car is ground-breaking, but compared to the Cobalt XFE, it looks more refined inside. Yes, it's no tuner, but it still brings a smile to my face. (And I really wish they made a G5 GXP)

And Anthony, it's no surprise that you brought up the Cobalt SS. It's all you like to talk about on videos. lol So yes, my car is no SS, and it never will be. But that's fine by me.

Matthew Longtin didn't mean to come off as an ass, just reread my comment. The fact that you took the time to look at my comments.lol

Haha, sorry if I seem like a jerk too. I just wanted to see what car you drove. I have an idea. lol

Moist.

so moist

Lady Twerk I'm rock hard....you want my meat puppy now? ?

Tommy Bertrand D A N K

Performance

Ignition switches

Looks like shit

Safety!

Bicycles accelerate faster