A few years back GM decided to get serious once again about creating sport versions of its various models, going so far as to set up a new Peformance Division led by Mark Reuss (son of one time GM president Lloyd) to develop them. The Chevrolets developed by this group will wear the hallowed SS badge. And the 2006 model year is getting a bunch of them, including a Cobalt sedan, redesigned Impala and Monte Carlo, and TrailBlazer. I reviewed the new V8-powered Impala a few weeks ago, and was not impressed. This review covers a car closer to my personal preferences, the Cobalt sedan.
I tend to prefer smaller cars because of how they handle. I drove the Cobalt when it first appeared because the basic package seemed right. But the performance wasn't there. Then I drove the Cobalt coupe in SS Supercharged form. The performance was certainly there, especially in a straight line, but with three kids I need more than two doors and the huge wing on the back--not happening in my garage. (My review of these cars can be found
here.)
Then I learned that Chevrolet would be offering an SS sedan (and similar coupe) for 2006. It would have a 171-horsepower normally-aspirated 2.4-liter four instead of the 205-horsepower supercharged 2.0, but the wing also wouldn't make the transition. Call it a draw. At any rate, I was more interested in how the SS sedan handled, as the SS Supercharged coupe handled far better than the basic sedan.
To find out, I took the first one that showed up in my area for a test drive. Sadly it had an automatic, so an evaluation of the manual will require yet another test drive.
Styling
Many reviewers have referred to the Cobalt's styling as boring. Clearly they haven't been comparing it to the competition. While the Cobalt doesn't exactly catch my eye, it is more stylish than most compact sedans, the major obvious exception being the Mazda3.
To the standard moderately chiseled sheetmetal the SS adds small side skirts and polished 17-inch alloy wheels. Though the wheels could be less clunky, and the side skirts add to the visual height of a car that already bordered on pudgy, these changes do make the car look a bit sportier. At least there are no Formula 1 accessories atop the decklid.
The car I drove had the cloth interior, which differs little from that in the regular sedan. A nice enough interior as compacts go, I suppose, with a clean, conservative design and precise fits. Sportier than, say, a Corolla's interior, but certainly not nearly as sporty as the Mazda3's. The optional perforated leather upholstery should help a bit here.
Accommodations
The driving position and seats are identical to those in the regular sedan. So the former is pretty good, while the latter are insufficiently bolstered for duty in a sport sedan. The driver's seat still doesn't adjust separately for height and tilt; only in its lowest position do I not feel like I'm being pitched forward out of the seat. A shame the Recaros optional in the SS Supercharged coupe are not available in the 2.4-liter SS.
The rear seat remains a major weakness. There's a good amount of headroom back there, but knee room is very scarce and the cushion is mounted very low to the floor--so no thigh support. With 180 inches of length to work with (five more than Ford), GM should have done much better.
Trunk volume is just average. The rear seat folds in two sections--a feature I have used often in the past.
On the Road
I first sampled the new 2.4, an enlarged version of the 2.2 that powers the regular Cobalt, in the new PT Cruiser-like HHR based on the same platform. In the HHR this engine felt very smooth, especially compared to the rough unit in the Chrysler. But then the HHR does not aspire to be a sport sedan.
In sport sedan duty the 2.4 doesn't come across nearly as well. It's buzzy and doesn't readily rev. An eagar to upshift automatic transmission doesn't help matters. Put the two together, and the SS felt only a bit more powerful than the regular Cobalt, and no sportier.
Perhaps the 2.4 works better with the manual. But I wouldn't count on it, as the manual I sampled in a regular sedan last year was nothing special. The shifter in the SS Supercharged coupe has shorter throws and generally feels better, but unfortunately it's not used in the regular SS.
The Cobalt's steering is assisted by an electric motor rather than the conventional hydraulic pump. Though this system boosts fuel economy by about 0.7 MPG, I have strongly disliked it in other GM vehicles (ION, Malibu, Equinox, VUE), but as tuned in the SS Supercharged, with higher effort and significantly quicker responses, I didn't much mind it. Sadly, once again the SS is much closer to the regular Cobalt than the SS Supercharged. I had hoped that Chevrolet would simply use the SS Supercharged steering and suspension in the SS, but apparently they felt that tuning somewhere between the two, but closer to the regular car, was more appropriate.
As a result, even in SS form the Cobalt sedan lacks the feeling of nimbleness and agility I expect in a compact. To GM's credit, the Cobalt's handling is solid and secure, and the SS suffers even less than the regular car from body lean and understeer in turns. It's just not at all sporty. If you want a "Performance Handling" suspension in the Cobalt, your only option is the SS Supercharged Coupe.
Ride quality is a bright area. The SS feels just a bit firmer than the regular sedan, though the lower profile tires contribute a small amount of busyness over some surfaces. Like the regular sedan, the SS feels very solid and noise levels are very low for a compact.
Cheverolet Cobalt SS Price Comparisons and Pricing
The SS costs $1,400 more than the LT with Sport Package. My price comparison site, TrueDelta, deducts $1,000 for the SS' additional features (including $600 for mirror-polished wheels), leaving $400 to be accounted for by the larger engine and wheels and firmer suspension. Seems reasonable.
The Cobalt SS runs about $900 more than a Ford Focus ZX4, but has about $1,140 worth of extra features (again including the polished wheels). If you like your alloy polished the Cobalt has a slight price advantage after adjusting for features. Otherwise, the Ford does.
The Cobalt SS costs about $500 more than a similarly equipped Mazda3 s, but again has about $1,000 more stuff, once again largely courtesy of the bling-bling wheels. Ignore the wheels, and the two are very close in price. I know which one I'd buy.
Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate these and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, www.truedelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.)
TrueDelta's page for the Chevrolet Cobalt:
http://www.truedelta.com/models/Cobalt.php
Last Words
Well, even in SS form the Cobalt is not the compact sport sedan I had personally hoped for. In short, I had hoped for a package much closer to the SS Supercharged coupe. Instead, we have a regular Cobalt with acceleration and handling kicked up (at most) half a notch. As with the Impala, I don't feel the SS label is warranted. The car certainly did little to raise my pulse. Its strengths are those of the regular Cobalt, solid construction and a quiet ride. While I appreciate these, they aren't at the top of a serious driver's list of priorities.
A Note on Acura RDX Reliability
I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.
Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy an RDX rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Acura RDX reliability comparisons.
Before I can report results, I need data on all cars--not just the RDX--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive
free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants will have to pay an access fee.
For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.
A link to this website and alphabetized links to
my other vehicle reviews can be found on my
profile page.
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Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
Chevrolet Cobalt Supercharged SS review (also 2005 LS)
Chevrolet Impala SS review
Ford Focus ST review
Hyundai Elantra GT review
Mazda3 review
Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart review
Nissan Sentra SE-R review
Saturn ION review
Toyota Corolla XRS review
VW Jetta 2.5 review
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