That's enough caffeine to scoot this 2900-pound Cobalt to 60 mph in 8.4 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 16.6 seconds at 84 mph. The 2.2-liter DOHC 16-valve inline four with twin balance shafts to dampen vibration puts out 145 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque. The Cobalt's engine does without power-pumping gadgets such as variable valve timing, but it's the largest in its peer group. Perhaps our light module was installed backward. Oddly, the rear passengers get overhead personal lights, but not the payment-maker at the wheel. Goofs include the shallow cup holders, which can't hold a water bottle in place against the g-force of a freeway on-ramp, and the lack of map lights. Sure, it's all done to a budget, just a better one than we're used to in a Chevy. Even the straightforward climate-control knobs have chrome trim beads. Sporty types take note: There's no manumatic function for the four-speed automatic transmission. The driver works a chrome door handle and a neatly integrated panel of short-movement window buttons set in a painted bezel that resides in an attractive cloth-trim accent. (Curtain airbags are available for $395.) The front passenger gets an overhead grab handle the rear ceiling has extra-deep hanger hooks. The Cobalt's roof is upholstered with a finely woven cloth. We've seen luxury sedans get by with schlocky mouse-fur headliners. There's no skimping with the trim, not even in places where eyes rarely go, such as the seatbelt pillars and far-back corners. It actually surprises you when it proves to be hard to the touch, not spongy as in a Lexus. Tight fits and low-gloss sheens make the two-tone dash plastic look harmonious and expensive. Peer through the side glass, and the Cobalt's dash could be mistaken for cheap-car standard issue, but not when you sit close. When was the last time you felt coddled by a Chevrolet interior? Even the Corvette has lapses into rinky-dink. Try the Cobalt on first to make sure it fits. No telescoping steering or power seats come in the Cobalt, not even in the leather-equipped LT deluxe model. Drivers get lumbar adjust with a hand wheel and height adjust with a ratcheting lever on the side. A few hours in the chair, and your back and thighs are fresh, supported in all the important directions by orthopedic good thinking wrapped in premium cloth. Assign the naughty children to that spot.Ĭertain to run up a big number on the Rockwell hardness scale, the Cobalt's front seats seem unduly firm and unyielding-at first, anyway-but then you realize why it's the one common attribute the Cobalt shares with a Porsche. The Cobalt channels its engine exhaust down a prominent center hump that vaporizes all foot space. That brings up another long-term mission of the car: Convince buyers to maybe, eventually, someday pay an actual sticker price for a Chevrolet because, like a Toyota, it's just that good.ĭespite the scalloped knee pockets in the front seatbacks, the back bench feels snug and vertical when used for adults, and you can forget about the center position. At the time of this writing, Los Angeles-area dealers were already ballyhooing a $1500 rebate on the Cobalt. Sure, the difference between what GM demands and what GM gets after feverish discounting pays a mortgage. The Cobalt plays in the same sandbox as Scions, the Ford Focus, and formidable brand-Bs from Korea such as the Hyundai Elantra, which finished a laudable second in our last roundup of bargain cars. These prices shadow those of the Corolla and Honda Civic. The field-stripped Cobalt sedan starts at $14,190, and $16,485 buys a mid-level LS with aluminum wheels, ABS, and power windows and locks (the LS featured here is $18,245 with an automatic trans, the Preferred Equipment Group, and a thumping Pioneer stereo). Over the Cavalier's lifetime, Toyota put its Corolla through five redesigns, while this small, strong-selling Chevrolet got mostly minor makeovers and powertrain tweaks.Ĭobalt pricing puts its nose right in the feedbag of league thoroughbreds such as the Corolla. The first ones clattered out of dealerships in 1981. The Cobalt's predecessor, the Chevy Cavalier, was born on the same day as dirt. All it does is quietly-very quietly and serenely-prove that when GM decides to build an accomplished small car, it can.įor starters, we've waited decades for its arrival. The Cobalt sparks no revolution, doesn't scare small children, and won't set hallowed historical figures spinning in their graves. The new Chevrolet Cobalt has ho-hum written all over it, but nothing on sale in a GM dealership today bodes better for the outlook of the world's largest automaker. Those who pray to a higher power for the revival of General Motors should note that in many religions the savior prefers to arrive in plain dress.
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