COBALT SS turbo

[regfootball]

motor trend and autoweek both have good reviews of the revised, turbo cobalt SS.

RECORD TIME FOR A SPORT COMPACT ON THE NURBURGRING

by THIRTEEN SECONDS

160mph top speed.

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY

blu......blu.........it's calling your name.........

lays complete waste to the civic. silly civic. take your bat and ball and go home.

bye bye gti

Edited March 8, 2008 by regfootball

[Chevy Nick]

Do you have links to the reviews?

[ocnblu]

I saw the first review at Gaywheels.com, now they're everywhere, I read them all, and they are all positive, although one review carped a bit about torque steer, saying a RWD chassis would have been more fun. There's a nice big gallery of the car in different colors, out on a road course, I believe it was at the Motor Trend site. I was drooling over the dark blue one with the normal spoiler. Yes, chevrolet.com has the car in their "upcoming vehicles" list now, too. It's a winner, imo. Mine would have to be Imperial Blue/Ebony with LSD and bodyside moldings, that's it, no sunroof, no silly wing. I've even gone so far as thinking of removing the spoiler altogether, as I prefer the long, low look of a spoilerless deck... the ground effects pull the car down so tight to the road, it would look sleek as hell with no spoiler. You can believe I will be "building my own" asap, and looking into it closer. I am glad to see GM seriously continuing development of this car, they've done a great job, as far as I can tell. And with 23/30 mpg ratings combined with the possibility of 5.7 seconds 0-60 and a 14.7 sec 1/4 mile, WOW!

[K.C.]

I am really rooting for this car. The performance is amazing for a sport compact. I am hoping this car will shut the ricer boys up after it blows the doors of their suckin Civic Si's and MazdaSpeed 3's.

[daves87rs]

Very cool!

[sandwich]

I am really rooting for this car. The performance is amazing for a sport compact. I am hoping this car will shut the ricer boys up after it blows the doors of their suckin Civic Si's and MazdaSpeed 3's.

Civic Si, yes

MS3, not so much

[Cory Wolfe]

I am hoping this car will shut the ricer boys up after it blows the doors of their suckin Civic Si's and MazdaSpeed 3's.

You must be on something.

[PurdueGuy]

You must be on something.

yeah... real ricerboys don't ever shut up, even if they get straight up owned. lol

[regfootball]

I saw the first review at Gaywheels.com, now they're everywhere, I read them all, and they are all positive, although one review carped a bit about torque steer, saying a RWD chassis would have been more fun. There's a nice big gallery of the car in different colors, out on a road course, I believe it was at the Motor Trend site. I was drooling over the dark blue one with the normal spoiler. Yes, chevrolet.com has the car in their "upcoming vehicles" list now, too. It's a winner, imo. Mine would have to be Imperial Blue/Ebony with LSD and bodyside moldings, that's it, no sunroof, no silly wing. I've even gone so far as thinking of removing the spoiler altogether, as I prefer the long, low look of a spoilerless deck... the ground effects pull the car down so tight to the road, it would look sleek as hell with no spoiler. You can believe I will be "building my own" asap, and looking into it closer. I am glad to see GM seriously continuing development of this car, they've done a great job, as far as I can tell. And with 23/30 mpg ratings combined with the possibility of 5.7 seconds 0-60 and a 14.7 sec 1/4 mile, WOW!

is it love?

i sat in the HHR SS today. those seats are nice and they are the same seats in the cobalt SS. I'm a bit wide for them, but they hold you nicely. I think you'd like them.

Edited March 9, 2008 by regfootball

[regfootball]

You must be on something.

considering as how this car oblitterated the fastest times of any sport compact on the nurburgring, it would be fair to say its a good drive.

[ocnblu]

Yup, I drove an HHR SS and liked it... a lot. I am sure the lighter Cobalt will be a screamer.

[daves87rs]

Yup, I drove an HHR SS and liked it... a lot. I am sure the lighter Cobalt will be a screamer.

[K.C.]

yeah... real ricerboys don't ever shut up, even if they get straight up owned. lol

That is for sure. I hope that my daughter never falls for one.

[regfootball]

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_li...review/(page)/1

car and driver likes it too

this car may be the surprise of the year!

The Cobalt SS treats mid-corner bumps with indifference and features ride characteristics that remind us of—gulp—the Volkswagen GTI. Lumpy, bumpy roads unfurl beneath the new SS with no drama; this car is very well damped.

The steering is good, too. In fact, it’s perhaps the best we’ve felt in a GM front-driver, with road sensations and the grip situation communicated mostly intact via the fat, three-spoke wheel identical to the one found in the Corvette. The steering is well-weighted and dead-accurate, too, although it lacks the delicate tactility of the GTI’s rack.

Nice Price for a Nice Piece of Machinery

Pricing is competitive at $22,995, and Chevy’s not interested in bloating the bottom line with huge option packs or frivolous toys. Indeed, the short option list—for now there’s only a limited-slip differential for just $495, a sunroof for $750, and the huge wing for $195—shows how focused Chevrolet and GM Performance intend this car to be. Further driving this point home is the lack of an available automatic transmission; shift your own or go home, bub.

When the 2009 model year commences in late June, a Cobalt SS sedan will be added, and we expect the price to be the same. A few other pieces of equipment may be added as well: an in-dash navigation system could be as low as $275, Bluetooth connectivity will be available, and there’s talk of offering a programmable data logger that would replace the A-pillar-mounted boost gauge.

The biggest problem we see with the Cobalt SS is its workaday roots. Convincing people to lay down $23 large for a car based on the ho-hum, uninspiring Cobalt they rented in Albuquerque is a tougher proposition than asking someone to step up from, say, the very good VW Rabbit to the even better GTI—especially when the new SS looks so very much like the old one and has such bummer interior plastics. In the words of lead development engineer Brandon Vivian, though, GM “spent the money on making it faster,” not fancy new bodywork or soft-touch frou-frou.

We’re glad they did, because the new Cobalt SS is very fast and very good.

Edited March 9, 2008 by regfootball

[2chevs]

Well for those of you who want this bad boy with four doors here you go

link

[CARBIZ]

The same can be said of anyone who has rented a Cobalt before. I just sold a Cobalt LT with the sport package (spoiler, 16" wheels, ABS sunroof, leather steering wheel, etc) who said they had rented a Cobalt 3 years ago and didn't like it. They were convinced a G5 would be better. I convinced them to drive the '08 Cobalt, as opposed to the base vehicle they had rented 3 years ago. The improvements are obvious, and that is with the regular 2.2.

[regfootball]

thanks 2 chevs.!

[Cory Wolfe]

considering as how this car oblitterated the fastest times of any sport compact on the nurburgring, it would be fair to say its a good drive.

A good drive, yes. It doesn't "blow the doors off" of MS3's, though. There's a difference between being slightly faster and blowing one's doors off.

Edited March 9, 2008 by blackviper8891

[NOS2006]

A good drive, yes. It doesn't "blow the doors off" of MS3's, though. There's a difference between being slightly faster and blowing one's doors off.

Everybody's saying the turbo Cobalt SS is 13 seconds faster around Nurburgring than any other sport compact car. That's blowing the doors off them.

[K.C.]

Everybody's saying the turbo Cobalt SS is 13 seconds faster around Nurburgring than any other sport compact car. That's blowing the doors off them.

Thats what I was thinking when I posted the comparisons ot the Civic Si and MS3. Then someone made the reference I was "on something." 13 seconds is quite substantial in my opinion. I really hope this car is the surprise performance buy of the year.

[Chevy Nick]

I wonder how it responds to more boost?

[regfootball]

Everybody's saying the turbo Cobalt SS is 13 seconds faster around Nurburgring than any other sport compact car. That's blowing the doors off them.

absofockinlutely. there is no other way to interpret that, unless you are JJJJJaded or in an induced haze.

I presume that 13 seconds faster than ALL SUBCOMPACTS includes the mazdaspeed 3, the GTI and junk like the powerless civic. .

the MS3 is fast, but its not been lauded as supremely refined. nor are its 5-60 times that great. it's a torque steer monster. the c30 IIRC actually beat the MS3 in the big recent comparo in 5-60. I will have to check that.

this is set up to be interesting. they already made a comparative statement to the GTI. I can't wait to see what they say about it compared to the civic POS. they will prob give the nod to the civic because of some reason.

Edited March 10, 2008 by regfootball

[Cory Wolfe]

Everybody's saying the turbo Cobalt SS is 13 seconds faster around Nurburgring than any other sport compact car. That's blowing the doors off them.

Thats what I was thinking when I posted the comparisons ot the Civic Si and MS3. Then someone made the reference I was "on something." 13 seconds is quite substantial in my opinion. I really hope this car is the surprise performance buy of the year.

13 second difference on a track that's 14 miles long is not that substantial in all honesty. The MS3's actual time was 17 seconds off the Cobalt SS (but 4 seconds faster than the HHR SS) and still not that much. Being faster on the Nurburgring is one thing. How many of us are going to be making full blown runs on a famously difficult German track on your daily drive? None of us. In the real world, it's not all that much faster. Using MT's figures, the SS is .1 second faster to 60 and .2 seconds faster in the quarter mile. Top speed wise, it has a 5 mph advantage. It's also what... one or two hundred pounds lighter? Fuel economy figures not far off for the MS3 at 20 city, 28 highway.

If I were in the market for these two cars, I'd probably choose the SS because it is naturally more appealing, but I'm not going to sit here and try to say it "blows the doors off" of whatever's on my mind, especially a vehicle who competes more directly with the HHR (and beats it).

Are you (and others) on something? Absolutely. It's called GM Kool-Aid and I believe it's specially spiked with Vodka for C&Gers.

Edited March 10, 2008 by blackviper8891

[regfootball]

13 second difference on a track that's 14 miles long is not that substantial in all honesty. The MS3's actual time was 17 seconds off the SS and still not that much. Being faster on the Nurburgring is one thing. How many of us are going to be making full blown runs on a famously difficult German track on your daily drive? None of us. In the real world, it's not all that much faster. Using MT's figures, the SS is .1 second faster to 60 and .2 seconds faster in the quarter mile. Top speed wise, it has a 5 mph advantage. It's also what... one or two hundred pounds lighter? Fuel economy figures not far off for the MS3 at 20 city, 28 highway. If I were in the market for these two cars, I'd probably choose the SS, but I'm not going to sit here and try to say it "blows the doors off" of whatever's on my mind.

Are you (and others) on something? Absolutely. It's called GM Kool-Aid and I believe it's specially spiked with Vodka for C&Gers.

17 seconds is not a lot....LOL. in nascar or indy, 17 seconds is quite a bit.

if anything, 13 seconds shows you that the handling is where it needs to be and it has a big power advantage accelerating out of turns and on straights.

no one is saying the speed 3 is crap, its a fine excellent car. what is being said is that the chevy has the ability to go toe to toe with the class leaders. GTI, speed 3, etc. (notice the civic is not a class leader).

personally i think the price is a grand too high. maybe incentives will set in. you can always find an employee purchase incentive at your job that allows you to buy a chevy at invoice. invoice minus GM card brings the price of this to reasonable. the sticking points for this with me are, small cabin and no armrest.

i want to see if ford offers the larger 2.5 litre ecoboost 260hp 4 with a stick on the fusion before i would consider going small with the cobalt.

note: the cobalt SS has ELECTRIC power steering. and its not getting ripped on.

Edited March 10, 2008 by regfootball

[Cory Wolfe]

17 seconds on a 2 mile track? Yeah, quite a bit. 17 seconds on a 14 mile track? Hardly much.

And Again, the MS3 competes more directly with the HHR SS, not the lighter, lower slung Cobalt SS. Same basic drivetrain as the Cobalt, but a similar bodystyle as the MS3. What happens? The MS3 beats it, with a 4 second advantage. That amounts to them being pretty equal.

You guys seem to be forgetting that this is the Nurburgring... a 14 mile long track. That's only about a second for each mile. Doesn't exactly equate to blowing the doors off of someone, regardless of what the two cars are.

[deftonesfan867]

It's even faster than the Charger R/T and almost as fast as the Charger SRT-8.

[regfootball]

bullsh1t on the speed 3 excuses again. the 3 hatch is a low rider car, just like the cobalt. the HHR is a trucklet. don't confuse the two.

[FAPTurbo]

In the words of lead development engineer Brandon Vivian, though, GM “spent the money on making it faster,” not fancy new bodywork or soft-touch frou-frou.

I liked reading that.

[Z-06]

17 seconds on a 2 mile track? Yeah, quite a bit. 17 seconds on a 14 mile track? Hardly much.

And Again, the MS3 competes more directly with the HHR SS, not the lighter, lower slung Cobalt SS. Same basic drivetrain as the Cobalt, but a similar bodystyle as the MS3. What happens? The MS3 beats it, with a 4 second advantage. That amounts to them being pretty equal.

You guys seem to be forgetting that this is the Nurburgring... a 14 mile long track. That's only about a second for each mile. Doesn't exactly equate to blowing the doors off of someone, regardless of what the two cars are.

BV just to give a perspective. An average F1 race lasts for 300 miles, with about 60 laps. If the end difference for each lap is about 1 second, then the difference between two drivers is 60 seconds at the end of the race.

Now if F1 GP was on the 'ring there would be about 20 laps, or about 260 seconds of difference. That is a lot. The average time between 1st and 2nd place in racing is 3-4 sec over the entire race. You are loosing 13 seconds in only one lap (may be three for a comparable F1 race i.e. 4 seconds per lap). That is a significant amount and the track length is irrelevant. A 260 seconds time means Schumacher can get out of his Ferrari, pee, get back and still manage to beat Fernando Alonso. Even the Le Mans is a long track (8.4 miles) and the Audi diesel had a 2 second advantage over other cars, which they called HUGE.

Whatever you call, GM coolaid, or other's bashing. 13 seconds on the ring is not a small time gap.

[A Horse With No Name]

motor trend and autoweek both have good reviews of the revised, turbo cobalt SS.

RECORD TIME FOR A SPORT COMPACT ON THE NURBURGRING

by THIRTEEN SECONDS

160mph top speed.

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY

blu......blu.........it's calling your name.........

lays complete waste to the civic. silly civic. take your bat and ball and go home.

bye bye gti

Actually I still like the GTI.

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

13 second difference on a track that's 14 miles long is not that substantial in all honesty. The MS3's actual time was 17 seconds off the Cobalt SS (but 4 seconds faster than the HHR SS) and still not that much. Being faster on the Nurburgring is one thing. How many of us are going to be making full blown runs on a famously difficult German track on your daily drive? None of us. In the real world, it's not all that much faster. Using MT's figures, the SS is .1 second faster to 60 and .2 seconds faster in the quarter mile. Top speed wise, it has a 5 mph advantage. It's also what... one or two hundred pounds lighter? Fuel economy figures not far off for the MS3 at 20 city, 28 highway.

If I were in the market for these two cars, I'd probably choose the SS because it is naturally more appealing, but I'm not going to sit here and try to say it "blows the doors off" of whatever's on my mind, especially a vehicle who competes more directly with the HHR (and beats it).

Are you (and others) on something? Absolutely. It's called GM Kool-Aid and I believe it's specially spiked with Vodka for C&Gers.

...if this is GM Kool-Aid then I want some....the Cobalt SS is a hot car.

News flash, GM is winning races in sports car. Go watch the Solstice, Cobalt, Corvette, CTS-V, et. all do their thing. at an SCCA race. Gm cars have some serious MOJO when it comes to the left-right-left thing in road racing.

And once Junior and company get their MOJO in Nascar we'll have even more to party about.

Chris