Car & Driver '08 Chevrolet Cobalt SS - First Drive Review

[1487]

Originally Posted by usa1

Here's some tips about C&D reviews.

"First Drives" tend to be soft ball reviews that are more like a company press release than a review because its usually based upon very limited seat time and just initial impressions. Don't expect anything near a hard hitting review.

The "Road Test" is much more meaningful and much pickier with "second opinions" and such.

The "Comparison Test" is really the most important. It's when they rank the cars in the same class and price range.

Since this was a "First Drive", I won't get my hopes up.

Mark

use common sense. C&D had numerous positive reviews of the old SS car and they were generally big fans. It finished 3rd or 4th in a comparo several years back but overall they still liked the car.

What I didnt like about the review is that they basically said the base cobalt is crap which is interesting since they gave the cobalt one of the best reviews it ever had in their 2005 road test. They praied the quietness, refinement, interior, engine, etc. Now they are saying the SS is so good that its barely the same car as the subpar cobalt. I also laughed at the fact that they had so much praise for the VW Rabbit. Give me a break. C&D is nothing if not inconsistent.

[Saturn69]

Originally Posted by paul3230

Although it would have been nice to throw some money at rocker panels..or new rims. Or hell, a revised front facia??

Uh, they did put new rocker panels, rims and front fascia on it. Am I missing something?

[Saturn69]

Originally Posted by JeffInDFW

The $275 in dash nav is a slot with a fold up map in it.

That'd work for me. I can't justify the $1500 or more expense of something that doesn't get used that often, especially when there is a $4.95 option at Barnes and Noble. If the kids and I are going somewhere on vacation, I can get a free MapQuest printout, too. Why spend the money? Who are we trying to impress? If people get lost that easily, perhaps they shouldn't be driving.

[Rick_VT]

Bump it up to 2.2 and they could put it in the Aura and Malibu for a sports model for them both would be one hell of a motor plus give good economy, even in 2Ltr form thats some good numbers, shame the car is boring as hell to look at, when does the next gen model come out??

[Beau]

Hrm. This does look promising ,at least for a lease.
Some people are doing nice work on the Solstices, GT35R swap on it etc. But, programming is gonna be tough...

In any event. I've always seen SC SS dynos around 210 WHP or so....
The Solstice and Skys with the SIDI motor run around 222WHP. So it seems as though the supercharged version was incredibly underrated, and the 2.0 SIDI seems to be spot on. If thats the case, there really isn't much improvment in power, but the no lift shift, and the awesome suspension make it valuable.

[ctaylorzl1]

Originally Posted by Beau;Car and Driver

Hrm. engineers performed 600 launch-control blastoffs in a row to validate the whole shebang.

If that dosent prove GM makes the most reliable drivetrains ever, I do not know what does! 600 in a row would be grueling stress to a engine, but not to the LNF I guess! Whoever got that job I bet was having alot of fun at first, and then 600 later he probably dosent want to set foot in a Cobalt ever again

[ctaylorzl1]

I just watched a vid of the Cobalt SS on Youtube and the SS from the vid had all black seats, instead of the two-tone black/white. The all black looks much better IMO!

[USA1Fan]

Originally Posted by Saturn69

That'd work for me. I can't justify the $1500 or more expense of something that doesn't get used that often, especially when there is a $4.95 option at Barnes and Noble. If the kids and I are going somewhere on vacation, I can get a free MapQuest printout, too.

Yeah, but that paper map printout might not be a whole lot of use when you find out that one of the left turns it directed you onto wasn't the one you thought it was (a few miles back), when you're a few turns past it..

Originally Posted by Saturn69

Why spend the money? Who are we trying to impress? If people get lost that easily, perhaps they shouldn't be driving.

ROFL. It only takes once. And that can be caused by something as simple as the sometimes incorrect directions (or hopelessly convoluted series of turns in a 1/2 mile stretch) that come from the online sites fairly frequently..

Don't get me wrong. I think charging $1500 is ridiculous. But I'd go for (and will, sometime this year) one of the ~$200 - $300 portables.

[solman98]

Originally Posted by USA1Fan

Yeah, but that paper map printout might not be a whole lot of use when you find out that one of the left turns it directed you onto wasn't the one you thought it was (a few miles back), when you're a few turns past it..


ROFL. It only takes once. And that can be caused by something as simple as the sometimes incorrect directions (or hopelessly convoluted series of turns in a 1/2 mile stretch) that come from the online sites fairly frequently..

Don't get me wrong. I think charging $1500 is ridiculous. But I'd go for (and will, sometime this year) one of the ~$200 - $300 portables.

I've printed several maps from google or yahoo to find out a certain turn was not there.....

Getting ready to move to Atlanta this summer, picked up a Gamin 260. Wife used it this past weekend for a trip to her parents to see how accurate it was. Pretty much on except for it wanted her to turn right off the last exit and we know it's shorter to turn left. But it automatically "recalculated" and got a new route laid out.