LOL, a FWD Cobalt at the ring…

hey i wouldnt screw around with one of these puppies in a GTI, but id still rather have a GTI.

the seats do look nicer than those out of the supercharged though.

I’m thinking 2 words. Torque and steer.

Quite an improvement 205 -> 260bhp. 30mpg, to boot.

And…under 8:30 for the Cobalt at the ‘Ring and .9g of grip? Sheesh. That’s excellent.

But I can’t get over the fact that this car needs a refresh…ASAP. 2008 is the Cobalt’s 4th season, after all. GM needs to give us some meaningful styling and interior updates for 2009. Oh, and they should shelve the 2.2L I4 and give us the Astra’s 1.8L as standard, instead. They produce about the same power, after all. Simplify! They can’t starve this car of development, like they did the Cavalier.

The Cobalt was midpack when introduced. It’s now toward the back of its class. They need to improve it meaningfully.

@inline6 – yeah dude! I was gonna comment something along the lines of “nice, but time for a refresh.” This car brought Chevy closer to Toyota (interior plastics are awful but the design was nice, the exterior is palatable, and it was marketed pretty well when it came out), now they need an overhaul to get the quality up.

The ultimate rental car.

This is just wrong

I actually had one of these as a rental about 2 months ago ($13/day plus tax). It was a freakin hoot even if it was an automatic. These things kick butt and are fun, and I did nothing but stomp on it like a dog all day for a week and still got almost 28mpg.

Although the performance specs are quite attractive for a car like this, I always come to this one problem with the Cobalt; and that problem is the fact that it’s a Cobalt. No matter how fast you make it, or how cool it looks on the outside, it’s a Cobalt. Whenever I see one I just picture the driver being a starving artist that spends consecutive hours at a Starbucks, or a musician; either way it just screams cheap and/or broke.

eh, redesign please…still cant get rid of the cavalier smell..impressive though

How the hell is this thing only managing 5.7s with 260hp? It’s turboed so I’m guessing it’s got somewhere around 235-260 lb-ft of torque…

Unless it’s a brick or has massive traction problems…

I’m sure this car is fun to drive, but I can’t overlook its pedestrian Cobalt appearance. The Cobalt is not ugly, but it is bland and dated (it looks like a Cavalier redesign instead of a brand new car). I hope Chevy gives the next generation a sportier look and name. This will attract more attention to the vehicle and give it a more credible base on which to build sportier SS versions (I can see a Monza SS or even a Corvair SS; Cobalt SS just seems so sterile).

It has an even 260ft lbs of torque. And at 2900lbs it’s definitely not a brick. Even without an LSD the SS S/C had no torque steer at all and I highly doubt this will. Compared to the Mazdaspeed 3 that has I think 263 or 265 hp it’s just as quick and I’ve heard the torque steer on that is not good. Should also be a good competitor to the SRT 4 Caliber although that’s got 285hp.

It’s definitely a fun car at a bargain price and that’s the point of this. It can be a daily driver and can also be taken to the track for a track day or autocross event on the weekend.

Maintenance on this is somewhat alright. It takes synthetic and the filter on the SS S/C was in the worst spot due to the supercharger being put on top, and it gets its best performance off of premium although it’s not required.

I also agree with everyone that it does need a re-design. I think for 2009 it’s getting a re-fresh but not a complete re-design which I think isn’t supposed to happen still for another 3 years.

The technology put in the LNF 2.0L that is also in the Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Redline is pretty impressive. But the point of this is to have fun at an affordable price.

Thats a really good car for 22k.

HAHAHAHAHAHAAA what wanky Skyline ripoff brake light

actually Mr. Azza the Cobalt’s rear lights were inspired by the Chevrolet Corvette that has been using the two circular lights since 1953, Before Nissan or the Skyline even existed.

HAHAHAHAHAHA STFU!

i like it i like it i like it! this and the new genesis coupe are great! ^_^

okay guys…both the skyline and the vette have been around for 50 years.

lol OK Nissan may have existed then but the first Skyline GT-R didn’t come into production until 1969.

Great performance for the dollar, in a boring package. 30 MPG and 5.7 sec to 60 is good, but GM always tall gears theie cars. Lower gears would get 0-60 down to 5.1 but mileage would go down to 25 MPG.

This is actually really nice. I would choose this over a Civic Type R, Dodge Caliber or most of the other mid-performance tuners.

And I agree, it’s in need of a major refresh or redesign. It’s only been out for three years and it’s age is beginning to show. Nice car, just needs something fresh.

SS4life- Mazdaspeed 3 does have a lot of torque steer. It’s a special something when you see an inexperienced driver behind the wheel at autocross. It’s a really nice car though, if you know how to manage it.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention, the Cobalt has a planned update next year, but production will move to Mexico.

Yeah, jjayco08. I actually have nothing against the Mazdaspeed 3. It’s quick and I think it’s got a great engine and some crazy torque. (the torque steer though not). My only problem is that they only offered it with the hatch and not the sedan. I really liked the Mazdaspeed Protege and I think if they at least offered the Mazdaspeed 3 in the sedan, I probably would have gotten it over leasing a SS/SC. Overall the interior is a lot nicer then the Cobalt. I like Mazda’s a lot. I also hear you on the autocross comment. I have yet to see the Mazdaspeed 3 compete in a autocross event. At least in my SCCA region that is.

Yeah I also said on one of my previous posts (check 14th post) that it’s getting a mild re-fresh for 2009 although not a complete overhaul isn’t due for at least three years from what I know.

30mpg highway as estimated by GM is roughly 23 by the New EPA standard. Also, how do you take care of torque steer and massive wheel spin without limited slip differential on a FWD car? I bet this car without the LSD is accident waiting to happen. Lawsuit to follow! I hope airbags are standard as you’ll need it.

It’s too bad this will forever be haunted by its name. You just know 4 years down the road even the most pristine example will be worth less than a base Corolla or Civic of the same vintage. And therein lies the problem: if the most basic version in a model’s range garners no respect, then who other than the most devout Chevy purist is going to take this seriously?

actually sharpie, that 30 mpg highway IS with the new 2008 EPA standards.

johnnycanuck is on the money with his comment. However, I love what Chevy did with interior. This is as good or better as an any Nazi mobiles, and gives run for it’s money to all Japanese, including Lexus.
The engine bay is another story: reminds me of ’80’s Discovery with **** just thrown in and tied with loose wires – looks like a disaster is waiting to happen. Does Chevy plan to sell this car to girls who don’t get manicure dirty by lifting hood? What it would cost to tidy it up with plastic cover, like VIbe’s?

I would still pick up a Civic Si, or even a GTI over this. I’d wait 2-3 yrs until you find a bargain in the used section for these. Pricing is atleast 2-3k more than what I would consider reasonable. The selling point is the Ecotec, tuning options galore.

The idea of a Cobalt at The Ring is comedic, but this is a pretty sweet little car for the buck, and yes it does still reek of Cavalier. And that God awful yellow! I cannot stand yellow cars. It’s like the pea**** of the automotive world…LOOK AT ME ROLLIN’ ON 17’s! The only cars that should be allowed in yellow are Ferrari’s, and the Ruf Yellowbird Porsche 911, and I might make an exception for the occasional Corvette, but uck!

When did Chevy discover And with only a 5 speed? No LED tailamps, no HID headlamps, no auto a/c?

But, the Mazdaspeed3 did it in 8min 30 seconds, shame the ss looks like utter crap.

I mean, when did chevy discover that place for tuning called Nürburgring? At least someone there is trying to shed their lame image, one step at a time.

Oh yeah LLN left out the important detail that the reason GM is posting the Gring time for the Cobalt SS Turbocharged is because it set a new class record.

Sorry, I take the Mazdaspeed3 over this every day of the week. It will cut into SRT-4 sales though, because the Caliber is butt ugly and who the hell wants to buy tires for 19″ wheels any ways.

The Cobalt SS is the biggest junk on the road. Yeah its decently quick, but it doesn’t last long before something breaks on it. These things got the weakest drive shafts, weak ball joints and control arms, and an engine that overheats when stuck in traffic on a hot summer day. Maybe GM should get Honda to supply engines for the Cobalt SS if it wants any respect in the hot hatch segment. Honda is already supplying engines for the Saturn Vue, and every owner of a Vue praises the engine.

That is cheap money to get the hottest car in this segment. 260hp, best manual gearbox on the market, great looks, stellar GM quality and hundreds of thousands of flawless miles for 22k? people should be lined up around the block to get into one.

“Although the performance specs are quite attractive for a car like this, I always come to this one problem with the Cobalt; and that problem is the fact that it’s a Cobalt. No matter how fast you make it, or how cool it looks on the outside, it’s a Cobalt. ”

The civic SI is just a civic. What is your point? The name of the car doesnt take away from the competence of the car. Its “just a cobalt” but its a cobalt that will smoke any Civic Si or Sentra SE-R out there.

car will be replaced in 2010 with all new model.

“I mean, when did chevy discover that place for tuning called Nürburgring? At least someone there is trying to shed their lame image, one step at a time.”

ever heard of the vette? Trailblazer SS? Both were tuned over there. GM has been doing it since the first gen CTS was developed. Wake up, its not new. Now Nissan is copying by saying the Maxima was honed at the Ring.

Only $22,095??? And it comes standard with such great features as you never getting any poon or old ladies calling you a little bitch.

Aside from the Corvette, all Caddies were 4 speed front wheel drive barges. And all other GM products with the vastly outdated 3800 series supercharged engine.

And now, Bob Lutz is aiming for BMW M5s with the CTS-V. This is not the GM from 8 years ago.

But hey, soon GM will not make anything themselves but trucks. Their cars come from Opel and Holden now, since they suck so bad they cannot make anything good themselves.

But for the GM troll, the loser cobalt, aveo, and VWs are toward the bottom of the list again for reliability, with the Honda, Toyota and Mazda at the top.

Haha sprockkets, wtf do you think Holden and and Opel are? GM subsidiaries! They are GM! They share technologies and resources with GM’s North American Brands. They tailor their vehicles for their respective makets. Unfortunately it seems that everyone in the U.S is getting screwed by the products that the same company offers elsewhere in the world.

And for the “loser cobalt” It’s quicker and less expensive then anything Toyota offers in their entire lineup. Same goes for Honda.

the mazda 3 is still an little better

The car looks cool, the wing looks like ****.

Makes a nice car look like a ****ing shopping cart.

Loose it.

planet_drive- What, did a domestic run you or a family member over at some point in your life? Did a domestic leave you on the side of the road years ago because you didn’t properly maintained it, or because it was just pure crap?

The only reason why GM used (not uses, as it no longer uses a Honda manufactured engine) the L66 3.5 liter was to reciprocate costs of GM’s L Circle 1.7 liter diesel engine, which Honda succesfully uses in the Euro Civic. And you know what? So far, GM has manufactured over a million of these great little engines world wide, they’ve had top notch reliability and are used in the second best selling car in Europe.

Get over your damn self. Go drive one and then come back, and honestly tell us that. I drove the earlier Cobalt SS (s/c) and it was a great vehicle, the owner since has not had one major problem.

Kudos GM sick ride…jjayc08 kudos as well lol…Hondas suck

Thank you jjayco08, well said. When my lease on my SS S/C is up I’m definitely going to lease the 08 SS T/C. And I don’t care what anyone says about that high rise wing. It’s not a real
“SS” unless you’re sporting the high rise wing!

Need more oil: your car has arrived.

I don’t like the use of SS for this car

1337: I would (reluctantly) pick up a Civic Si over mass transit