Test drive: 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt

Snoozy? No - - snazzy!

The Cobalt is Chevrolet's replacement for the compact Cavalier, and while the styling isn't much to get excited about, the changes under the skin are. The Cobalt is an excellent value and it's brimming with character. $14,190 base, $16,485 as tested, 3 yr/36,000 mi warranty with 5 year/60,000 mile powertrain coverage.

First Glance

Ho-hum, I thought as the bright-red Cobalt was delivered. Another four-door four-cylinder automatic econobox. Someone wake me at the end of test week. While the hot-rod Cobalt SS coupe is getting the most media attention, I asked Chevy for a mid-level four-door sedan, the model most people will be buying. I certainly wasn't expecting to enjoy it... but once again I have been proven wrong. It didn't take ten minutes of seat time to realize that the Cobalt, even in it's most humdrum form, is not a humdrum car at all. It has -- surprise, surprise -- personality! The Cobalt's predecessor, the Cavalier, was as bland as over-boiled cabbage. With the Cobalt sedan poised to take the Cavalier's place as the darling of the car-rental biz, it would be perfectly acceptable for it to have the same dry-as-toast character. Sort of like those chain hotel rooms that look the same whether you're in Prescott, Arizona or Presque Isle, Maine. Sanitary, vaguely familiar, and not the slightest bit memorable. But no -- the Cobalt does something that the Cavalier never did. It actually stands out, albeit ever so slightly, from the crowd.

In the Driver's Seat

Considering that the Cobalt is intended to appeal to conservative audiences, the interior is surprisingly progressive. Used to be that General Motors' (Chevy's parent) idea of progressive styling was rounded cartoon-like buttons and switches; thankfully the Cobalt has adopted the industry trend towards more streamlined forms differentiated by color and texture. The effect is nice enough that one can forgive the thin, shiny, and obviously very inexpensive plastics that make up the pieces. Harder to forgive are the seats. They feel thinly padded and poorly cushioned, and no one who rode in or drove my test car found them the least bit comfortable. Nor was much attention was given to tactile feel of the buttons and switches. If you twist the A/C dials in a Toyota, you'll find they have a smooth, fluid motion, offering just enough resistance and settling firmly into their detents. Not so the Cobalt: Each dial feels ratty and cheap in its own unique way. That said, the driving position and the ergonomics are quite good, and the Cobalt is easy to see out of, easy to drive and easy to park. While the cost-cutting is evident, at least you know the money wasn't wasted; the Cobalt offers a hefty load of standard equipment.

On the Road

General Motors' Delta platform provides the basic architecture (suspension and engine mounting points and other technical details) for the Cobalt as well as other GM products world-wide. Buyers in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific look for very different attributes in their cars, and the global platform system allows the automaker to cut costs while designing cars for specific markets. Americans and Canadians prefer conservative styling, a soft ride, and a large engine well suited to an automatic transmission. Europeans would probably dismiss the Cobalt's 145 hp 2.2 liter engine as pure frivolity, and the joys of the smooth-shifting automatic (a GM specialty) would be lost on them. No matter; most New World buyers would find the European-market Opel Astra, also built on the Delta platform, to be odd-looking and cramped, with a bone-jarring ride and a sewing-machine motor under the hood. Some attributes are common to the platform, and the Cobalt inherets the sharp handling and precise steering that are necessary for the Delta platform to work in Europe. Smart suspension tuning gives the Cobalt the smooth and remarkably quiet ride that we prefer.

Journey's End

The Cobalt's week-long stay coincided with my test of a Suzuki Reno hatchback. My fiancee' Robin gravitated towards the Reno, which had more comfortable seats and a manual transmission. That suited me fine, because I preferred to drive the Cobalt, even though it wasn't as comfortable to sit in. Unfortunately for both of us, only the Cobalt's surprisingly large trunk could swallow Robin's portable massage table without the need to fold the seats, so on days when Robin had both work and kid-duty, she was stuck with the Cobalt and I had to make do with the Reno. We were only too eager to switch back. I'm really impressed by the Cobalt. Though the exterior shape is dull, the interior is tasteful and attractive, and the driving experience is far better than any GM subcompact we've seen in years--good enough, in fact, that not even an automatic transmission can dampen the experience. And it's a great value. The Cobalt's one glaring fault is the seat comfort (or, more specifically, the lack thereof), a problem which is going to cost Chevy a lot of Cobalt sales. Shame, because the Cobalt is the best small car to come out of Detroit in years.