Test drive: 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS

Lame review, as is anything labeled with an SS badge these days.

I think Chevy should consider doing a freshening on the front end to update the design language to their latest format as seen on the Malibu and others. The dash could use some pizzaz too although simple is good too. Otherwise speed on the cheap is an idea that I heartily endorse.

I think Chevy should consider dropping this type of package from their portfolio. The capital expended on this package could have been used to really developed a world class car in this segment. Instead, development dollars get dilluted and, at the end of the day, overall material quality and looks are compromised.

For some reason, a Cobalt is not what I consider to be a speedster type of car – SS badge or not…

You mean to tell me that Chevy expects people to shell out about $1000 more for this car than a Civic Si? The Si is better looking, equally if not more fun to drive, awesome interior, better gas mileage, top notch fit & finish, reliable beyond GM’s wildest dreams and a resale value that allows you to trade in every three years without being upside down. GM has to put this car out AT LEAST $2000 cheaper, if it’s really serious about selling this car to somebody other than a GM employee.

Don, you are wrong about gas mileage. The Cobalt SS has slightly higher EPA numbers and also probably gets better gas mileage than the Civic in the real world. Edmunds.com pulled 27MPG and that was with rigorous testing.

Imagine what kind of mileage that they would have gotten if they weren’t doing 0-60 in 5.8 seconds and reaching a quarter mile in 14 seconds flat with a 103.6 MPH trap speed!

To put this into perspective, Edmunds only achieved 25.5MPG in a Civic SI vs the SS’s 27.1 MPG. So the Cobalt only gets 6% better gas mileage than the Civic SI. That might not sound very impressive but when you consider that according to the Edmunds.com test, the Cobalt SS also gets to 60 MPH 1.4 seconds more quickly and get through the quarter mile 1.1 seconds more quickly with a 10 MPH advantage in trap speed, that 6% fuel improvement seems a lot more impressive.

Also, the skid pad rating is .89 vs. .84. The slolom rating is 69.2 vs. 67.8. And going by the reviews, the SS probably has a more compliant ride as well.

As far as braking is concerned, the 60-0 time was 115 ft. vs 122.7.

Basically, in virtually every objective measure (braking, handling, fuel economy, etc.) the Civic SI is the inferior car. It might cost $1,000 less but since most people refuse to buy American, the Cobalt will probably have a $2,000 discount or some sweet financing deal very soon.

NV, turbo’ed cars are sometimes more fuel efficient, but I’ll wager long term reliability with that turbo is not going to be great. I’ll take the negligable hit in mpg for lesser cost, more reliability, and better resale, as well as superior looks and body fit. Besides, how fast is fast necessary when commuting on a crowded expressway?

Tim, you are right. The Cobalt SS is overkill unless you drive on a track or something like that. 10 years ago, it would have given you sports car performance. If the Honda Civic SI was about $2,000 cheaper than it is, it would be the car that I want. But you can’t really blame Chevy for charging $1,000 more MSRP when A) if anything, in the real world the Cobalt SS will be cheaper with rebates/financing, and B) it does virtually everything better, from ride to handling, to performance to fuel efficiency. The Honda Civic SI objectively is not even in the same league as the Cobalt SS. It might have enough power and enough handling to satisfy any sane driver in the real world, but realistically, with the Cobalt SS, you are getting close to Evo or STI performance (at the least it is a lot closer to those cars than it is to a Civic SI) for Civic SI price, fuel economy, ride, practicality, etc.

So in one way, I agree with you. The Civic SI is good enough. In another way though, I absolutely cannot see how anyone could possibly think that Chevrolet is overcharging for this car when comparing it to the Civic SI. The Civic SI might be a great car but the Cobalt SS certainly makes it look way overpriced for what you get.

Another point about this review is that it was just gauging the performance of the car at the test track. The reviewers that have driven the car in the real world generally remark on how the car rides like a VW GTI and if the reviewer had it for a week, he would realize that he was getting 1/4 mile traps of 103-104 MPH while getting over 25 MPG, and getting razor sharp handling with a GTI quality ride. My basic point is if he had the car for a week he might have been better able to appreciate its civility rather than just its brute force. But this review is about a track event, and testing brute force. In that way, we can confirm how the car shines at the track, but I can’t wait for cars.about.com to review it after they take it home for a week. Maybe they will notice more flaws or maybe they will learn to appreciate the pleasant street qualities of this vehicle that other reviewers rave about.

Another point is that I think if the reviewer had longer to test this car at the track, he might have realized that the performance was better than he thought. He said that the Mazda 3 would eat this cars dust but I think if you look at what other people are saying, they generally think this car has the edge in performance (better torque curve, higher traps, sharper handling, etc.).

If both cars costed the same and were as easy to order, I *would* have been leaning towards the 3 for its hatchback design, but I still think I would choose the Cobalt sedan for the 4-5 MPG better fuel economy. Plus thanks to the weak market for American cars, I know I will be able to get a bargain on this baby next year. Yeah, it’s overkill, but when Chevy will have to give this overkill away, and when you can have that overkill while still having a compliant day-to-day ride with good fuel economy, that gets me excited. Because it’s overkill and frugality in one package. An economy car and a sports car in one package.

Anyway, I really can’t wait for a full review from this website. Even the mini review was a really great read. Apparently this car is a real monster at the track! Now let’s see if cars.about.com agrees with other reviewers about its great ride and its great fuel economy, or if they have different experiences.

You guys are idiots! This class of car is not meant to be a comfortable drive to work car. The chevy is faster, gets better mgp, handles better, and, to me, looks better.(in person)

ahah. the cobalt holds the record lap for the fastest front wheel drive car at nurburgring, if that doesnt speak volumes about it handling and power characteristics than what does. not to mention its 0.9g skid pad, smooth power delivery, and very comfortable suspension. The aftermarket is already showing promise, hahn racecraft has released its tuner for this car and coupled with their cat back exhaust(not turbo back) it put down 290whp. So for $1000 on top of what you pay for the car you can be running easily in the mid 13s and get better gas mileage than the civic si. The civic is going for $30,000+ new, a fully loaded ss was $27k at the dealer, before any incentives or reductions.