Since it came up that the Cobalt SS's domination of the V6 Mustang in the $22,000 poll could be used by GM as ammunition against a new Camaro, it seems like a good time to set the record straight. Given your choice between the Cobalt SS and a new V6 Camaro, which are about equal in terms of straight line performance and handling, which do you choose for the money?

 

Man, given those two choices I would have to choose the Cobalt SS. I could never get myself to buy a V6 Camaro, knowing what the V8 has to offer.

To answer your question though, NO a Cobalt SS is not enough. It doesn't have the sound or the looks or the nastalgia of a muscle car.

Dan

 

This is the important point...right here. A base Camaro which performs roughly on par with Cobalt SS. That, my friend is the sweet spot. Of course I'd go for Camaro then.

Camaro won't do that however, if it mimics Mustang too closely...with a coarse motor, truck suspension, and cheap interior.

 

Well ok, let's say you can buy that pavement-pounding Z28, and you do....but you and the wife also want a sporty, decently quick coupe in the low $20,000 range. Now which choice is it?

EDIT: From an enthusiast's point of view, it seems like there's a basic stigma with owning a V6 pony car. In this example, the buyer would rather shy away from that stigma all together and buy something else than that "V6 muscle car". That's a shame....but I also think it's Ford and Chevy's job to try and break the mold a little bit and produce a V6 Mustang/Camaro that people can actually be proud to own.

 

I KNOW which one my wife would choose. The Cobalt SS. She loves my Z28, but for her, the Cobalt would be the choice.

I think the problem here is that you just CAN'T compare the Cobalt to the Camaro. They are so different on so many levels that it's not really fair to try and compare the two. The Camaro is a muscle car. The Camaro would have been stopped DEAD if it only were offered in a V6. The Camaro is not a Camaro without the V8.

I don't think the Cobalt is any threat to the Camaro. In my opinion, so much of this boils down to "which car you would like to see in your garage 25 years from now". The V8 Camaro has that, I'm not sure the Cobalt does.

Dan

 

I think that's a bit of a stretch - keeping in mind that this Forum is very much dominated by GM folks.

 

I can't help it. I would never own a "V6 muscle car" because I don't think there is such a thing. I'm just old-fashioned like that. Sure, a V6 can be nice...I mean, I drive an I6 Jeep, but when I want a muscle car, I don't want to be missing two extra cylinders. If I had to pick, I'd get the Cobalt SS.

 

Let me make something perfectly clear.

The Cobalt SS is NOT a substitute for a Camaro. Chevy doesn't think so, I don't think so, Mr. Lutz doesn't think so....Brent Dewar doesn't think so......

so please..please...don't jump to conclusions.

There is still a market for a RWD coupe with a V6 AND a muscular as all get out V8........you know it, we know it........

 

let me further elaborate.

WE all know the Camaro has to have a pavement pounding V8. That's in the very DNA of a Camaro.

that said, not everyone wants a V8.

I clearly remember watching focus groups and many mustang owners (mostly female, but some male) said one of the rejectors for Camaro was "it has too much power/has more power than I want/need" -- this came up time and time again in city after city

The evidence is in the number of V6 Mustangs sold each year. (or, for that matter, the number of V6 Camaros and Firebirds sold in the 4th gen cars...esp. early on in the cycle of '93/96.

It is not ALWAYS a function of purchase price. (as evidenced by the fact that we had to put rebates on an 18K coupe yet we couldn't build enough 33K SSs) It more often than not is an insurance issue.

Going back into the 3rd gen, most told us that they'd like the option of a V6 with the IROC/Z28 style. So.......we did it....and it was hugely successful ...fast forward to the 4th gen.....didn't go over as well.....so these are issues that we have to address with a 5th gen.

I've digressed..but rest assured, no one at GM thinks the Cobalt SS is in any way a replacement for a Camaro.

 

A v6 camaro with a Series III 3800 S/C would be very nice. I voted for the v6 even though its a bit short of what I listed for HP, but close

 

As of late I'd say this is a very, very false statement.

 

22k? hmm Ill go buy a srt-4 not a glorified cavalier

 

The Cobalt is NOT a cavalier in any way shape or form. If you don't know that you should just STFU!

 

We all have our opinions, but there's probably less than half a dozen folks here that lean Ford (or DCX). Which should, of course, be expected.

 

Thats was canned for the 5.3L V8. You'd get the new v6 instead without boost.

Personally I love the Interior of the Cobalt but the exterior (and extra doors) of the Ion Redline. Also even with the extra doors, the Ion weighs less (could it be those silly huge wheels?).

In terms of a Cobalt SS or a v6 Camaro, it'd be a hard choice. For a daily, I'd take the Cobalt. It should get better fuel economy, have more then enough power, and be just something easier to drive. RWD isnt hard to drive in winter or bad weather, but I'd rather not have to care.

But if I were to take the Cobalt SS, I'd probably stomache the dashboard for the half doors on the Ion. They'd make the rear seat sooooo much more usable.

There is no direct comparison, but it shows GM does have good coverage and good product either way.