No more Chevy Cobalt blues
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
The Germans have their VW GTI, the Brits have their Mini Cooper S (which, coming from BMW, might also be construed as Teutonic, but, hey, the British royal family name used to be Saxe-Coburg) and the Japanese have their Mazdaspeed3. But now the Stars and Stripes is fluttering with fresh automotive pride — Chevrolet has revamped its Cobalt SS.
No ironic sense of humor required here. The 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS has a new turbocharger for its 260-horsepower 2.0-liter engine, an all-new suspension that was tuned on one of the world’s most demanding tracks (Germany’s Nürburgring), high-quality Brembo brakes up front and a highly reasonable sticker price of $22,995. Add a limited-slip differential, for only $495 extra, and the Cobalt SS becomes one of the best-handling compacts on sale today.
The standard price includes those smart 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels, GM’s StabiliTrak electronic stability control and side-impact air bags. An additional $195 scores the flashy rear wing. Sports seats liven up the interior, along with an A-pillar–mounted turbo boost gauge.
The car’s impressive 5.7-second zero-to-60-mph time is helped by a ‘no-lift-shift’ function, a kind of launch control that lets the driver keep his or her foot on the throttle from standstill and change up to second without using the clutch. The transmission is programmed to dip the clutch momentarily to allow the shift. This is an unusual feature, especially on a car in this price bracket. Cobalt SS, we salute you.
— Colin Ryan