G5 Observations...

[vonVeezelsnider]

In owning the car a week now, I've made some observations

1) 1st Tank of Gas - 26MPG (545Km)

2) Electric Steering not ideal but suited better to the Deltas than Epsilons

3) Battery in the Trunk - Strange

4) Engine- More Muffled than the Cavalier

5) Torque Delivery a more anemic

6) Brakes are weak in comparison to the Cavalier

7) Yes, A lot of hard plastic but at 27K Miles, it doesn't rattle

8 ) Gauge Cluster... Strange to have to look to the far left for the Speedo and have the Tach my line of sight

9) Interior Build Quality better than Malibu Maxx, almost on par with Impala

10) Closing the door from the inside sounds/feels more tinny than the Epsilons, W's, and J's.

11) Green Backlighting on Stereo, White on Controls, Red On Gauge Cluster, Green on DIC... I wish they adopted the radio/DIC text color from the Torrent.

Edited May 23, 2008 by vonVeezelsnider

[daves87rs]

Yep, the different colors of the lighting threw me off too....

[Turbojett]

The battery's in the trunk to help with wieght distribution. There should be a remote positive terminal/ground terminal under the hood for jumpstarts. It's just hard to jumpstart from the car to another dead car because the electrodes on the OEM battery are so damn small.

and I really never though my cobalt's torque delivery was anemic. I can still slightly chirp the tires in 3rd gear if I try hard enough, and the brakes have saved my sorry distractable behind more times than i care to recount.

[Intrepidation]

I never had a problem with the Cobalt's power delivery...it was quite peppy and never had an issue passing. I also found the doors to be nice and solid feeling, much better than the Cavalier a friend of mine has. Brakes were never an issue either. Only fuel economy, the nasty fabric, and the steering really bugged me. The interior is cheap but I can live with that.

Also, I like the idea of the battery in the trunk because it keeps it nice and dry.

Edited May 23, 2008 by Dodgefan

[daves87rs]

Adding another thought-

I think the pick up in the Balt is a bit slower, but not too bad...

I think the reason for that is the Deltas are little heavier, so that could explain it....

Though I'm a bit surprised- Wait- you had the 2.4 in your Cav......yep, it would have more go....

[z28luvr01]

von, you may need to adjust your rear drum brakes. My brakes lost a little stopping power gradually. At 25K I had them cleaned and adjusted (I didn't know this was the problem or else I'd have done it myself), and it feels better.

Not sure what you're talking about with the torque delivery. My car pulls pretty strongly. Try dumping a bottle of injector cleaner in your next tank of gas, and check the fuel filter. The previous owner may have run cheap gas through it.

[vonVeezelsnider]

Though I'm a bit surprised- Wait- you had the 2.4 in your Cav......yep, it would have more go....

No 2.2L, but it could just be an illusion because the engine is so much quieter.

von, you may need to adjust your rear drum brakes. My brakes lost a little stopping power gradually. At 25K I had them cleaned and adjusted (I didn't know this was the problem or else I'd have done it myself), and it feels better.

I'll have that looked into.

[CARBIZ]

No 2.2L, but it could just be an illusion because the engine is so much quieter.

I'll have that looked into.

If your Cavalier was pre-2003 than it was the hoary old 2.2 pushrod that was only good for about 119 hp. You're driving with about 20 more hp now, my friend. Could just be the differences in gearing, programming. Interestingly, I always found the old Malibu with the 2.2 got better gas mileage than the Cobalt. Go figure! Similarly, the Alero with the 3.4 was a pig (but fun to drive) and the last generation Impala with the 3.4 was a frugal tank. Gotta be in the PCM and tranny set up.

[The O.C.]

Adding another thought-

I think the pick up in the Balt is a bit slower, but not too bad...

I think the reason for that is the Deltas are little heavier, so that could explain it....

Though I'm a bit surprised- Wait- you had the 2.4 in your Cav......yep, it would have more go....

Yeah.....J-cars toward the end of their lifespans with the 2.4L DOHC engine were quite peppy.....most with manuals I think were figured in the mid- to-high 7's in the 0-60 run.....

I've always had a perverse affection for the J-Cars.....weird...considering how overwhelmingly mediocre they were....even from day one.....maybe it's because my first new car was a Buick Skyhawk.....

[The O.C.]

If your Cavalier was pre-2003 than it was the hoary old 2.2 pushrod that was only good for about 119 hp. You're driving with about 20 more hp now, my friend.

My '89 Skyhawk had that pushrod L4 (but I think it was an EFI 2.0L).....I think it was rated at 110hp......and it WAS hoary.....but with the 5-speed manual I had, it was relatively gutsy off the line. Plenty of low-end torque. Of course, it ran out of steam by about 50mph....LOL....

Car & Driver road tested the last-generation Cavalier coupe with a 5-speed and the pushrod engine.....and while they panned the NVH, it was relatively quick.....not that far off of what Cobalt has achieved....(I think they got 0-60 in like 8.8secs....) I'm sure the Cavalier was most likely lighter than the Cobalt as well......

[daves87rs]

Yeah.....J-cars toward the end of their lifespans with the 2.4L DOHC engine were quite peppy.....most with manuals I think were figured in the mid- to-high 7's in the 0-60 run.....

I've always had a perverse affection for the J-Cars.....weird...considering how overwhelmingly mediocre they were....even from day one.....maybe it's because my first new car was a Buick Skyhawk.....

You know, I've find quite a few people's first cars were Skyhawks.....

My first car was a Cavalier (1st gen -1987) with the 2.0 w/ 100 powerful horses, I was suprised how peppy it was around town.

Now the freeway was a different story......

[daves87rs]

My '89 Skyhawk had that pushrod L4 (but I think it was an EFI 2.0L).....I think it was rated at 110hp......and it WAS hoary.....but with the 5-speed manual I had, it was relatively gutsy off the line. Plenty of low-end torque. Of course, it ran out of steam by about 50mph....LOL....

Car & Driver road tested the last-generation Cavalier coupe with a 5-speed and the pushrod engine.....and while they panned the NVH, it was relatively quick.....not that far off of what Cobalt has achieved....(I think they got 0-60 in like 8.8secs....) I'm sure the Cavalier was most likely lighter than the Cobalt as well......

Yep, the Cav was lighter than the Balt- I wanna say by like 300-350 or so...

Maybe I should race my Balt the the wife's Cav (03) and see which one wins....