http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums...opic=12223&hl=

 

That's awesome, hopefully word of this spreads. I'm glad to see the Cobalt doing so well.

 

just finished reading this article. Very impressed by the Cobalt SS and very underimpressed with the mustangs, although the GT500 had some problems. On a similair note, I saw my first GT500 on the road a few days ago and it didn't have the stripes. Looked pretty much just like the regular mustangs without the stripes.

Z06 and base vette did really well also. CandD doesn't seem to have the videos and stuff on the website.

 

Thanks for posting Charlie , I will have to check this article out . All those great track results = One entertaining daily driver

 

The Cobalt SS is a very underrated car.

 

I'd still take the Mustang over the rest of them.

 

Unfortunately that damn Cobalt is merely a tick better than the Cavalier in build quality. I say this because my coworker brought me 2 used Cobalts the dealer let her take home on different days for me to give them a quick lookover since she knows I used to work as a turnback guy for AVIS rent-a-car, so I'm no expert but I can spot blemishes on cars that most of my friends miss.

Now first off, the '00 Cavalier Z24 she was trading in had 70K and the entire defogger vent portion of it's dash had completely crumbled from the Florida heat, it has an intermittent SES light as well. I scanned it once for her a day after the light had went away figuring a code would be stored, but my scanner said "No Faults Detected". Now onto the 2 Cobalts:

1) '05, 17K miles, 4 door, LT, semi-loaded with power everything= frt. pass. side, silver-painted door grab handle/arm rest and surrounding trim worn significantly; cubby storage door on driver's side dash misaligned/warped; driver's side rear pass. window would not go down ( messed with the child lockout switch and still no worky ); silver painted dash trim around stereo also showing noticeable wear.

2) '06, 6K miles, 4 door, stripper, no power windows/locks= far better shape than the '05 but the cloth trim surrounding the frt. pass. door grab handle/armrest was peeling away from the grab handle it was supposed to be tucked under. 6K miles and something as simple as that is already wearing? What more at 35,999 mi. when the warranty runs out?

Then again, my dad just bought an '07 GMC Sierra Classic and it's beautifully put together; just looking at the materials they used I don't see that truck wearing out anywhere as badly as the 2 Cobalts I checked out. I don't know guys, seems like GM still tends to skimp out on it's lower class cars when they should be instilling the same level of quality across their entire line. That Cobalt SS may be qucker around a track, but I'm willing to bet that Civic Si is put together several notches above it.

 

The Cobalt SS' suspension was developed with the help of Germany's Nurburgring race track. One of the very few (actually, I can't think of any others in it's class) that was developed there.

I know there's going to be alot of disbelievers, but there's a better than good chance that the Cobalt SS will significantly outhandle 2002 Camaro Z28s, and likely SS' as well.

Cobalt SS is most certainly underrated right now. But I'd expect that to change as time goes on.

 

I am extremely happy with my Cobalt SS S/C. It's quick, handles awesome, has a great sounding stereo, is comfortable, and does everything I need it to do. My Recaros hold me in place around the tricky corners like nobody's business, and with my GM Performance Parts Stage 2 Kit installed (claimed 241hp, supposedly higher) it is a little beast that doesn't feel like a four cylinder at all.

If the new Camaro has the handling and feel of the Cobalt SS S/C along with the torque of an LSx series engine, count me in!

 

Could not have said it better myself

 

The Cobalt SS really is an underrated car. If I had the money, I would have bought one awhile ago, they're REALLY fun cars to drive.

I really hope that GM slaps the Sky RL/Solstice GXP turbo motor in the Cobalt/Ion here in the next two years. The car is a blast to drive but it would be EVEN better with an extra 55 hp

 

More than a tick I'd say but its not where it should be. However I am still very impressed overall with the car, its still a slight miss on the engineering front. The switch panel trim on the door (locks/windows) is wearing quickly on mine as well. Also the switch panel isnt held down very well by the 2 screws fastening it on either (you can lift on the edges).

I can see the material covering that section on the doors not standing up as it's not quite strong and pulled a bit tight leaving space behind it not following the contour of the door shape too well. This could make the material prone to puncture and who wants a gash in the door cloth on their near brand new car. Look at a Cobalt door at the cloth covering on the armrest/door midsection and you'll get what I'm saying.

The center console material also leaves more to be desired as it scratches/marks VERY easily.

The paint chips easy/lacks durability. I have a couple paint chips/indentations on the front clip and a chip on the A-pillar.

My last complaint is something that can only be improved upon and not made to my liking. I HATE electronic throttle control. The lag between pedal input and engine response is mere milliseconds but annoying nonetheless. Cable driven throttle bodies will eventually be phased out completely if they aren't already. Mechanical cable driven throttlebodies performed just fine but would be considered arcane and "low-tech" as its not computer controlled and the latest not-so-greatest IMO technology. Besides AFM cant work with out ETC. There are a lot of benefits to ETC for the average driver over a mechanical setup even though I personally dont care for it. Oh well. I just dont like the thought of a computer controlling what I dont need or want it to (an auxiliary reason why I only drive manuals). Plus what if the PCM went haywire and you cant control your speed? Maybe I've seen the Terminator and the Matrix one too many times.

Either way the Cobalt is a solid double and my experience driving the SS, a triple or in park homer. Small engineering material errors definitely hold this car back. I take care of my lease to the best of my ability but I'm getting only so much help back. We'll see how it goes when I turn it in 2 years from now. 3 yrs/36k miles....wont come close. I'm projecting 25k where it should still look brand newish but that wont happen. Normally used items wear too damn fast. My F-body holds up better in those vital areas!

Oh and PS GM, a dome light would be cool too.:blah:

 

Cobalt isnt the highest quality car out there. The Sunroof trim thing pisses me off.

But coming from a guy who has owned a cavalier I can say it is much better than the cavie.

 

If that was an early '06, there's a TSB on this - they changed the door handle trim to a wider trim to hold the fabric in place better. No, it shouldn't happen in the first place, but at least they recognize the issue.

 

Its true. Bring it in and the dealer will fix it. They arent installing a new one. They have this black thing that inbetween the two.