09 Cobalt SS turbo real world mpg

[W.A.F.U.]

It's saturday and I'm bored. I'm downstairs doing laundry looking at my golf clubs with love in my eyes. So what the heck, I'm going for a drive out to my most frequented golf course so see how much snow is left.

I did that same drive 20+ times with my 06 G5 GT last summer. It's a 20 minute drive with sections of 60kmh, 70kmh and 80kmh. No stops. Using cruise control in my G5, I could match the EPA highway rating on a round trip.

So I get the SS up to 65 and set the cruise. The DIC starts out at about 33mpg and starts climbing upward. By the time I reach the golf course, it's 38 mpg. I turn around and head back and by the time I hit the city limits again, it's reading 40.1 mpg.

WTF? The car has 400 miles and isn't broken in yet. Could the DIC be that far off? I start thinking about it a bit and trying to reason how it could be right. The 2.0 and 2.2 both have variable valve timing. The 2.0 has direct injection as well.

Is it possible that the 2.0 could be almost as efficient as the 2.2 provided you keep your foot out of the boost?

[OzoneGTX]

I've never manually calculated it myself, but the same LNF engine in my Solstice gets well above EPA numbers on long highway trips. Not as much as yours since it seems like the Cobalt cuts through the air much easier, but I can get 34mpg average if, like you said, I use the cruise control and keep my foot off the boost.

[Quickening]

My 9-3 is rated for 29mpg highway, I consistently get 33+

The new EPA ratings are quite easy to beat.

[JBsZ06]

Driver information control in GM products is reight on the money..

That cobalt SS is awesome.

Enjoy

JB

[MrCritical]

I think your GT had a 2.4.

[W.A.F.U.]

I think your GT had a 2.4.

Yes, it had the 2.4 engine. But I was comparing the 2.0 turbo with the newest version of the 2.2 which now has VVT since the 2.4 no longer comes in the Cobalt/G5.

[AMERICA 123]

Driver information control in GM products is right on the money..

That cobalt SS is awesome.

Enjoy

JB

YEP.

Call it what it is, anecdotal, but I run into a greater percentage of GM product owners with better than expected or happy mpg stories than with any other OEM.

Back in the day, steady or semi steady state running of turbo this and that always had a good kind of creep to the mpg numbers.

I always have suspected that was partially related to getting everything good and hot.

Somewhat more noticeable with a draw thru carburetor into the turbo.

[Smaart Aas Saabr]

What is the gearing like?

You drove the whole way at 65 km/h? Ayoye

[JBsZ06]

fwiw..I get 27 mpg in my 2008 C6 Corvette on the highway ...

Its cool as hell..tops out at 190mph and cruising on the highway at 65 or 70...without even trying the cars getting 27mpg..

GM products rock! and that cobalt SS is one bad Mother fuc er!

Enjoy the new ride!

hows that no lift shift feature..? thats pretty cool and as the miles rack up I'd like to hear your personal impressions of the rev matching capability..

Smokem if you gottem!

[W.A.F.U.]

What is the gearing like?

You drove the whole way at 65 km/h? Ayoye

In 5th at 100kmh, rpms are about 2500.

My speed was always 5kmh above the posted limit.

[W.A.F.U.]

hows that no lift shift feature..? thats pretty cool and as the miles rack up I'd like to hear your personal impressions of the rev matching capability..

Smokem if you gottem!

I'll let you know in a couple thousand miles. I haven't really pushed the car yet and haven't tried no lift shift at all.

[Smaart Aas Saabr]

fwiw..I get 27 mpg in my 2008 C6 Corvette on the highway ...

Its cool as hell..tops out at 190mph and cruising on the highway at 65 or 70...without even trying the cars getting 27mpg..

GM products rock! and that cobalt SS is one bad Mother fuc er!

Enjoy the new ride!

hows that no lift shift feature..? thats pretty cool and as the miles rack up I'd like to hear your personal impressions of the rev matching capability..

Smokem if you gottem!

Yeah but try going 190, the MPG will be more like 2,7

[PA Dweller]

Damn all that power and fuel economy, wouldn't it be awesome if GM could put a 5 or 6 speed auto into this car.

[N8s07ss]

Driver information control in GM products is reight on the money..

That cobalt SS is awesome.

Enjoy

JB

Really? I check mine every tank and it's consistently 2-3 MPG high.

Also, to the OP, if you look at your window sticker it gives an MPG range in small print. My SS is rated at 22 city/30 highway, and in fine print gives a range of 18-26 city and 25-36 highway. The highest I've gotten in my car was 35 MPG on a full tank of highway driving, just under 70 MPH. I would imagine that the LNF is slightly better w/ the DI. Don't let any Civic owners know what kind of mileage you get though, they will certainly try to one-up you.

[JBsZ06]

Damn all that power and fuel economy, wouldn't it be awesome if GM could put a 5 or 6 speed auto into this car.

What would be cool is if GM put in a dual clutch sequential tranny in its lineup but till then the Cobalt SS has one cool manual..

I'd probably pass on the automatic torque convertor transmission in GM's hot sports coupes or sedans.. except maybe the six speed CTS V which lapped the "ring" in under 8 minutes...