Chevy Unleashes a Cobalt Bomb

Don’t take the title of this column to mean I think Chevy’s replacement for the Cavalier is a bomb in the sense of it being a failure. Instead, take it to mean this car is a blast, a lot of fun to bomb around in — that it offers megatons of driving entertainment behind the wheel.

The model of which I speak is the Cobalt SS, the 205 horsepower (200 ft. lb of torque, too!) supercharged version of the Cobalt. This car is a moving experience!

I must admit I feel as if I’m inviting a lightning strike by saying good things about this car. Its predecessor, the Cavalier, was popular, but I found it bland and ordinary and assumed people were buying it because of pricing strategies when they’d really rather have a Honda Civic, Volkswagen Jetta or Toyota Corolla.

But be darned if the new Cobalt SS isn’t a real, live car, well designed and built and a genuine indication that, if they can keep this kind of thing up, GM may be on track to return to its glory days.

Oh, sure, it ain’t perfect, and there are a couple of things about the Cobalt that would prevent me from buying it — though to be fair I wouldn’t buy a two door anyway at this stage of my life. But for those in the market for something fun like the Acura RSX, this Cobalt SS is well worth consideration.

I don’t think it’s as finely crafted as the RSX, but it’s no slouch and I enjoyed my week with the Cobalt far more than I thought I would. In fact, I thought I’d hate it, but the little critter had won me over within minutes of me sliding my bum into its classy Recaro-like seats.

My tester came in an outrageously unsubtle shade of bright "rally yellow" that was guaranteed to be a cop magnet — and indeed it was. Fortunately, the fine officer who the combination of flashy colour and (okay, I admit it) outrageous speed attracted was in a forgiving mood and let me off with a warning.

I have a feeling if I had had the car for much longer, however, I’d have lost my license….

Anyway, the Cobalt SS Supercharged Coupe is the top line Cobalt model. It’s a pretty straightforward front engine/front wheel drive two door that appears solidly built and well engineered, and includes lots of performance, safety and convenience equipment.

The fun starts with a supercharged two litre four cylinder Ecotec engine with dual overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. GM sys the car’s Eaton M62 supercharger adds 40 percent more power to the equation, using a helical roots compressor and integral pressure control to crank out up to 12 psi of boost. You can watch the show via a little boost gauge (a.k.a. a "there goes the gas mileage" gauge) that’s mounted on the driver’s side A pillar. The engine is rated at a total of 205 horses @ 5600 rpm and 200 lb-ft of torque @ 4400 rpm.

The result is a powerplant that plants plenty of power onto the road; it’s easy to chirp the front tires without even trying, a fact I discovered in a quiet residential neighbourhood, much to my chagrin.

The transmission disappointed me a tad, not only because it’s only a five speed in a market segment where six speeds are also available - but because it’s a tad rubbery and the upper gears seem to be laid out almost arbitrarily. Because of that you have to pay attention when shifting to and from fifth. The tranny isn’t as slick as the 6 speed in the Acura RSX Type S, but it works well and my criticism is fairly minor. And, to be fair, the Acura is nearly seven grand Canadian more expensive than the Cobalt SS Coupe, which is a pretty substantial difference.

The attractive and sporty Cobalt is quite sleek and aerodynamic right from its smooth nose to that horrid wing on its bum. I don’t mind spoilers per se, but this one is placed so that it blocked a substantial part of my view from the rear view mirror — so much so that it could render vehicles behind the car practically invisible. If it weren’t for the driver’s side outside mirror there were time when I wouldn’t have known there were vehicles behind me! This proved especially dangerous (well, embarrassing) when I was being stalked by that abovementioned police officer in a ghost car.

The car features a performance suspension that’s independent up front and "semi-independent" at the rear. It’s quite stiff, in the best sporty manner, and while you do feel everything on the road it’s never jarring or uncomfortable — more feline than bovine.

The steering is electrically power-assisted rack and pinion and it’s pretty good; I noticed quite a bit of understeer during my jaunt along my favourite twisty bits (I guess you could stay it over-understeers), but the Cobalt still managed to be highly entertaining.

Brakes are four wheel discs with ABS. The SS sports a set of reasonably handsome 18-inch aluminum wheels equipped with a good set of all season P215/45R18 performance radial tires.

Inside the Cobalt SS is an attractive and comfortable cabin that’s well appointed and efficient. There’s even decent room for two in the back seat, as long as you remember to plant your butt firmly in the depression in the seat cushion. This leaves you sitting quite straight-backed, but it’ll probably be fine for anything other than long road trips.

You won’t have that concern up front. Those racing-style buckets are supremely comfortable and hold you nice and snug for those times when you hit the S curves. The seats don’t have power adjustments, but they’re easy to move and when combined with the tilt steering wheel it’s easy to find a good driving position.

The "titanium faced" instrumentation is straightforward, the steering wheel is comfortable and contains audio and cruise control buttons, and cup holders and other storage bins are easily at hand.

The audio system really rocks, though I found it a tad bassy. Part of this may be due to the big Pioneer subwoofer in the trunk, a unit that seemed to overpower the system a little. The system features 228 watts emanating from 7 speakers and overall sound quality is very good, even considering the bassiness (which can be managed via the tone controls). The AM/FM/CD/MP3 head unit is easy to use and features speed sensitive volume, which is a nice touch. I wish the system came with a 6 disc CD changer in the dash, however.

Power stuff includes the windows, outside mirrors and door locks (including keyless entry). Safety equipment includes front driver and passenger dual-stage air bags, curtain side impact airbags, and the usual gamut of belts and stuff. OnStar is built in. My tester included a year’s "Safe and Sound Plan" OnStar service.

The Cobalt SS Supercharged coupe was a lot of fun. Other than my angst over the wing and the shift feel, most of my complaints are of the quibble variety.

For example, I thought the clutch a tad heavy and would have liked the gear shift an inch or so farther forward (taller people may find it perfect the way it is, though). I was also surprised at the complete lack of grab handles for any of the seating positions, and I thought the driver’s side outside mirror was a tad small (or perhaps it could be a little more convex).

Counterpoint those minor complaints with the gobs of power and torque at your right foot, a surprising lack of wind buffeting even with the windows cracked at highway speed, and the car’s overall pleasant design, execution and demeanour and you have a vehicle that’s a genuine smile generator.

Who’d have thunk? As I mentioned up top, I went into this review not expecting much. But hats off to GM for the Chevy Cobalt SS Coupe. This is a very nice car, at a reasonable price. My loaded tester lists for $27,650 Canadian or approximately $24,500 US.

Jim Bray publishes TechnoFile Magazine at TechnoFile.com. He is an affiliate with the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada and his careers have included journalist, technology retailer, video store pioneer, and syndicated columnist; he does a biweekly column on CBC Radio One's The Business Network. Jim can be reached at: Letters@canadafreepress.com

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Chevy Unleashes a Cobalt Bomb

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