nycgps

iTrader: (1)

Its still Cobalt, Its still Chevy, and its still garbage.

LostAngel

Though I still think chevys have a ways to go, I think that they are slowly improving their quality. I don't really have any complaints with my chevy.

To other car manufacturers, 'we' were just a mazda.

BlueEyes

And, it's still faster than all of Mazdas sports cars, even the fastest of all of them, their hatchback economy car, the Mazdaspeed3.

superglue

That's sort of the point. If "fast" meant everything, no one would own an slow RX-8.

kersh4w

iTrader: (3)

its a cobalt... its a fail wheel drive economy car, i dont care if its fast.

the only chevys worth buying (imo) are the camaro or the corvette.

dillsrotary

Chevy did a very smart thing here, ever since the integra R left our shores no company had a quality replacement to pull back in that crowd. If anything i'd argue the last generation civic SI (hatchback one) was a chance MAYBE, but dodge's SRT-4 failed and turned into a drag car, and the mazdaspeed3 and supercharged cobalt struggled against people choosing to buy the newer and better wrx's and evo's that now landed on U.S. soil. So GM took its cobalt, added its greatest version of its ecotec engine, and poured everything its got into the chassis and suspension which in turn was what made the integra R such a great car.

Everyone can bash the interior all they want, but you are an idiot if you purchase it for the interior, as in the late 90's you wouldn't purchase an integra R for its interior. You purchase it to race, not drag race, but autocross, short and long road race, etc. The "fanboisissues" here are incredible, we should like the car for simply being a car, regardless of drivetrain, interior looks, or price.

I say bravo to GM, and in my eyes after close to 10 years there is finally a suitable replacement for the long loved DC2's

endowdly

iTrader: (2)

^+1

i am simply amazed gm finally pulled it's head out of it's rear. we cannot deny they made a good car here out of the box.

alfy28

can you imagine how many Evo owners would commit mass suicide over this. i would go out and buy popcorn just to watch

endowdly

iTrader: (2)

somone's gotta leak this to the evo guys. and then paste the reaction over here in the lounge or something. it would be hilarious.

but we have to consider one thing: they used an MR in this test. What would've happened if they had used a GSR with the new AWS?

DailyDriver2k5

Kudos to chevy, it took them 20 years to build a competitive compact, but they did it. As far as the Chevy garbage comments, i don't know people, there quality is getting better. Unfortunately Chevy picked a fine time to get its act together in a dismal economy.

dillsrotary

I highly doubt the evo guys are running scared. The ev0 8,9, and X are easily modded (cheaply) to surpass the cobalt on a track, 1/4 strip, etc. The cobalt may beat them stock for stock, but awd will always surpass once you begin to mod.

endowdly

iTrader: (2)

true. but if people realize what the stock cobalt is capable of, aftermarkets might start garnering products for the cobalt... with that in mind, what could the cobalt be capable of with a little modding? equal modding on both cars would probably return equal results up to a point.

superglue

That's nice, except that the Cobalt costs just over $21K as opposed to a $35K Evo.

Red Devil

There already is a good market for that disi engine. And GM Performance basically has a book on how to get it safely to very high power numbers.

This engine is every bit as capable as the one in the EVO or STi.

CyberPitz

I dislike the Cobalt as much as the next guy, but damn if those numbers aren't EXTREMELY impressive.

TopGear8

iTrader: (3)

In the article they said that they had a few drivers, that each had a few cars..Therefore the results are not completely accurate because the better driver may have driven the cobolt...

dillsrotary

The argument isn't which price wise is the better choice, the argument is if you already own an evo then you shouldn't be worried about the cobalt as a couple thousand in mods will truely surpass it. My argument was in the end awd will be the better race car on the track with modding involved.

endowdly

iTrader: (2)

i did not know there was a good market for the cobalt... i knew there was some stuff for the cavalier and i knew they were transferable but i didn't think anything quality existed.

and i never would discount gm performance shop. look at what they can do with a corvette. and the camaro? turbos and small coupes didn't seem like their thing but the seem to be transferring their know-how well.

with this info in mind, and the fact (someone mentioned earlier) the cobalt is hella cheap--this is a serious contender and no body can deny it. i just read a motortrend article that put cobalt's handling numbers higher than the new '09 rx8, even though the article did say the rx8 subjective handles much much better. this cobalt is serious.

i just wanted people to be aware. :-\

and also to gawk in disbelief with you all.

endowdly

iTrader: (2)

maybe. there was a motortrend article that did a handle comparo at laguna seca. the cobalt ran a 1:47:751 lap. the evo x mr ran a 1:47:713. DIFFERENCE: 38 HUNDRETHS OF A SECOND. in this test, all cars were driven by same race car driver, Randy Probst, who's done well in road racing lately.

so in VIR with different drivers, the SS ran 13 tenths faster. here it lost by a time that is faster than you can blink an eye by the same pro driver on an even more difficult course.

my conclusion: yeah it's legit. the cobalt is one bad little mother.

source:
http://www.motortrend.com/features/p...ing/index.html

DailyDriver2k5

This is very true,this past Rolex 24, they had a dragster on the infield for display purpose with a built up Disi motor with a turbo on it, the motor put out 1100 HP! Not bad for a 4 banger!

delhi

i can;t tell b/t a Cobalt SS and a regular Cobalt. They all look like fleet rentals to me. Also track numbers mean little to me. It will not sway me to get a Cayman, Boxster, M, S2000, Elise over this Chevy eventhough they are 'slower'. Heck I'd take a 135i or even a MINI over the GM special.

kersh4w

iTrader: (3)

i'd take a new honda civic over this car.

9291150

It's weird that you guys are all freaked out, it's not as if we don't see well sorted & driven civics outdo any number of RWD's on any given track day. What shocks me about the Cobalt is substituting the supercharged engine with the 260hp turbo and some minor chassis tweaks took nearly 10 seconds off the times from the lightening lap the SS last participated in. Whichever engineer tuned that car for Chevy just saw their stock double...

Now as much as Chevy deserves kudo's, I'd never consider one, although it "resists" understeer I just can't stand that characteristic. The last "best handling" Motor Trend test, where their subjective rating of the SS was 9th out of 9th says it all.

The STi was a disappointment in this test, I actually had my eye on one.

Musker

I almost bought a cobalt SS a couple of years back. Glad I didn't.

kersh4w

iTrader: (3)

we arent freaked out, i think everyone is pretty impressed. we just wouldnt want it.

you even said it yourself..