2009 Cobalt SS 6 month review

[W.A.F.U.]

My SS turned 6 months old a few days ago.

To this point, the car has not returned to the dealer for any reason. Current milage is a shade under 5k miles.

Fuel economy continues to impress. Keep the turbo out of boost and you will exceed the EPA estimates easily.

Seat comfort continues to be huge plus. After driving a customer's Audi A4 a few days ago, the SS seats are so much better. The A4 felt like you were sitting on a park bench with a 1/4" layer of foam on top.

No secret at this point that the rear pads are of subpar quality. I noticed a small groove in each rear rotor so we took the pads off to have a look. The pads had huge chunks of metal mixed in that don't wear as fast as the rest of the pad hence the grooving. Judging from the 30+ page thread on this topic on CobaltSS.net, I'm not alone.

Had an annoying rattle for awhile from the rear. I took the rear deck out and secured some wires etc but no luck. I stuck the GF in the trunk and took a spin around the block, noise was in the spare compartment. Turned out to be the battery has a strap with a hook that connects to the body of the car. Don't remember seeing this on the other two we had but maybe I didn't notice because they didn't make noise. I ended up wrapping the body connection with some duct tape and foam then hooked up the strap, noise gone.

Sunroof rubber seal needs to be lubed every couple weeks or it will drive you crazy.

Steering column or shaft is starting to make light rattling noise. I'll be taking it in for that and the brakes soon.

All in all, still the best bang for the buck in the sport compact catagory. Both the Si and the MS3 were 5k more (Cdn) and nothing could justify the extra $$$. If the MS3 and the SS were close to the same price, then I'd would have had something to think about.

[Quixote88]

Thanks for the review and update on your SS. I'm glad to hear that you are happy with your purchase. The SS Turbo is a fun car, no doubt. I hope Chevrolet plans on bringing a similar Cruze model to market... Though nothing has been confirmed as of now... Well, I haven't seen anything yet!
Best wishes on fixing the brakes and that noise in the steering column.

[goochman]

Dude - put a ring on your GF's hand - she rode in the trunk for you to locate a rattle!

Hope the Cobalt continues to give you good miles ahead.

[prowlerjc]

This your gf?

[JBsZ06]

Thanks for the review..The girlfriend is a keeper for riding in the trunk.. Thats true love..

As far as the cobalt SS...That is one awesome ride..Faster than either of the other two cars you mentioned and less expensive to boot..

Smart move for sure..

Enjoy and keep us updated!!!That 2 liter turbo 4 is a smokin hot motor! Hows the computer controlled speed shifting(holding engine rpm during flat out shifts) ? Are you using it ?


Can you give us any details of its value?

[yyz_ltz]

Originally Posted by JBsZ06

Thanks for the review..The girlfriend is a keeper for riding in the trunk.. Thats true love..

Your a lucky man. If I asked my wife to get in the trunk to go for a spin and listen for a noise, I think I would get the hairy eyeball and a hearty FU.

[JT87]

Virtually mimics my experience with my car after 9 months, except I have twice the mileage and am about to go in for an oil change. There have been issues with the steering column on many of these cars, which usually results in a new column to be put in under warranty (other issues include the cradle and control arm bushings). I do have a bit of a squeak'n'rattle coming from the front but I can't track it down. My window dew wipes squeak, but I haven't had trouble with the sunroof. I think I'm just going to replace the pads with Hawk pads all around and new rotors when the time comes.

I agree on the price as well! If the others were 5k less, I'd be looking around. But if the cobalt was 5k more, I wouldn't have bought a new car at the time.

Sounds like it is treating you well, which is good to hear. I'm taking it to Cayuga/Toronto Motorsports Park this Friday (first time on the track with this car!). Hopefully the rain stays away.

[schmallz]

We bought my little brother one when he got his license back in august.

Congragulations, it's a very fun car. It's a total sleeper, no one has any idea what just happened.

"whas that a cobalt"

WTF?

The no lift shift feels wierd(not the mechanics, just the operation)

Sipping gas too.

[KingElvis]

Cobalt was always underrated. The two door is especially fetching - should have been the Nova SS of the 21st Century. I think the Cruze looks a lot worse and with the tiny engines the 'sport compact' thing will be lost.

I might have bought one, had they offered the turbo with an automatic.

Schmallz: that's a black beauty if ever there was one.

[schmallz]

Originally Posted by KingElvis

Cobalt was always underrated. The two door is especially fetching - should have been the Nova SS of the 21st Century. I think the Cruze looks a lot worse and with the tiny engines the 'sport compact' thing will be lost.

I might have bought one, had they offered the turbo with an automatic.

Schmallz: that's a black beauty if ever there was one.

You mean the stang, right?

[Jamo]

You didn't say too much about the car. Do you have any more thoughts about performance, driving experience, handling, room, radio, interior, styling, etc?

[W.A.F.U.]

Originally Posted by Jamo

You didn't say too much about the car. Do you have any more thoughts about performance, driving experience, handling, room, radio, interior, styling, etc?

Performance - 260hp and 260lbs-ft of torque with no torque steer. Because it's turbo, it takes a couple seconds to build boost for max hp unless you brake boost which I can't be bothered doing. Power is there in every gear.

Driving experience - this car makes driving fun. I've driven this car for 4.5 hours at a time and get out with no soreness. I've never been able to do that in any other car I've owned.

Handling - the ride is a bit rough on uneven surfaces. The car corners like it's on rails and the steering feel is right on the mark. Brakes stop you on a dime and don't fade like a lot of cars once hot.

Radio - 6 speaker 260 watt Pioneer with amp and sub stock. Plenty loud if you like that but I like it because it produces crisp, clear sound. Mine has a usb jack and ipod jack.

Interior - Just like any other Cobalt, the interior is the low point. However, the seats in the SS are different than the base models and offer much better support all around. All the switchgear feels of very good quality. A lot of interior plastics have been defined as "cheap" but in reality, those cheap pieces are no different than the ones found in our 09 Civic. In fact, next time anybody is in a Cobalt, feel the plastic inside the rear cupholders in the centre console. It's the same "cheap" plastic as the rest of the console but it has a "milled" finish to it and as a result, feels softer.

Styling - I like the look of the car in general. The front looks great in SS trim but I'm not crazy about the back end.