...because we all know the heart throbbing step the Camaro took from Z28 to SS convertion... lol

:flame suit:

You SS guys can get your panties in a wad all you want but its never been a spectacular moniker. Old or new. Just a lil performance-appearance jumper, usually more towards appearance.

 

My first reaction was that this was a dumb idea for chevy. But then i stopped to think, and in the glory days of the muscle car era, not all SS's were aluminum headed big blocks raining fire on teh streets. A whole lot were basic 350 cars that a non-SC cobalt could still keep up with.

 

Not the most powerful - the Beretta GTZ was available with the 180 HP Quad 4. That was, um, 15 years ago. Sport compact history would have been much different had that been a better vehicle.

I think having two different SS models is really stupid. That's a good way to ruin the exclusivity of the supercharged model. Surely GM could have come up with another two-letter combination for this N/A version.

 

RS.

 

Yes I know, because in the 60's, the SS badge was only put on 454 Chevelles and 427 Camaro's . C'mon. It's a badge that's always been put on some cars that weren't the fastest. It's a good idea. It sells more cars. Selling cars is GM's business.
I think it's perfect. The 170hp Cobalt SS matches up well against the base RSX's and Civic Si's of the world, leaving the S/C SS to chase the bad boys in the compact arena. It will sell well.

 

My reasoning as well. I do think the 174hp 2.4L Cobalts have a place in the lineup, but as something else. z24, RS, anything but SS which should be reserved for the blown coupes.

 

Understood. I don't like the idea of two SS's in the same model. It adds confusion, and brings down the reputation of the charged version. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on this one. Myself, I don't like the idea, at all.

By the way, I did see a true SS Cobalt here the other day and liked it.

Dan

 

i think the important thing here is this...
not many people are gonna care besides us hardcore enthusiasts
and if they lose just a couple of sales to enthusiasts (who happen to be disgusted with the name) but gain substantial other sales, what would they care?
once again, they're in a business
this makes good business sense

 

Yes sir. I'd bet the N/A Cobalt SS can outperform maybe 50%....or more....of ALL the SS's ever made.

 

what about the Chevelle SS station wagon?? or the 6 banger SS you could buy? Heck this Cobalt has more grunt than the Monte SS from the 80's I would imagine..

 

DITTO and also please don't bring back the RS nameplate. And if Z24 gets brought back I demand it have a 60degree GM v6 in true 2nd Gen Z24 fashion. It wouldnt hurt to have AWD and crazy suspension upgrade and price it at 24,995 hehe Then again I like the sound of my v6 in my Z24.

Then only thing we would need would be the Z/28 to come back and we would have one heck of a Z car lineup

This all just my opinion though.

 

I don't see why people bring this up so much as a point of relevance. Of course it probably can, it has 40 years of technology on its side. I think the real benchmark is to test it against today's automotive competition, and see how it does for itself. I realize not all SSs were performance monsters, but they always had something different going for them, whether it was looks, handling, whatever. It seems to me that the SS sedan doesn't really look that much different, I don't know how it will handle, but 170 hp, even in the econobox segment, seems so ordinary and blah nowadays.

I say call it an RS or z24.

 

Z24 would be a bad idea, because I'm sure GM wants people to not think of the Cobalt as the new Cavalier, but instead as a completely unique car. That's why they are marketing the cars overall build quality over it's outright performance.

Just as an aside, this 170ish HP SS has 30 more horsepower than the last 2.2L Z24 Cavalier and 20 more HP than the previous Z24 to that. That's a great step in the right direction. Compare that to the 160 HP base model RSX, the 127 HP SI Civic, it's still a big bump in horsepower over the base model Cobalt and to be honest, I bet a majority of Cobalt buyers want the SS based on it's looks over it's additional performance.

Plus the 2.4 liter Ecotec motor has great mod potential. The extra displacement over the 2.0L motor will definetly help in the long run if horsepower numbers are your bag. I'm sure with the money you saved between the 2.4L NA SS and the 2.0L SC'd SS, you could be at least half way to slapping a turbo on there and pushing close to 300HP at the end of the day.

I think RS would've made a better name plate, but who cares which two letters are on the outside of the car. Most people are going to shave the badges anyways

 

Honestly? Yeah...somewhat. In a daily driver, I sacrifice speed for a little more comfort. Granted, I have yet to drive a supercharged model...but I doubt those 18s do much for ride quality! MA has some awful roads...I'd probably bend a wheel in no time. And before you judge that thought too quick, keep in mind I've had 2 customers come to me in the past 3 weeks with bent wheels on Grand Am GTs with 16s!!!!

Meanwhile, that spoiler is a little nuts for me (does anyone know if an LS spoiler will bolt into the same holes???), and the MPG will likely be less than my 3800 Grand Prix despite weighing hundreds less and being significantly smaller. I drive 400 miles a week...MPG (and not having to use premium, which I believe the supercharged SS will) is important.

So using my own logic, its a little too radical. I can spend $4k more and get a very nice MC SS with the size and the ride I am used to, and the same acceleration as a Cobalt supercharged SS. I lose the handling, but I like the bigger car. Or, a G6 GTP splits the middle for a few thousand less.

Or, I can spend under $20k and get a well-equipped N/A SS Cobalt coupe. I still give up the ride and space of the more expensive cars, but save a fair amount and now get BETTER MPG than the 3800 GP, while still being fairly tossable and quick enough.

Hence why I said on an enthusiast's website a Cobalt SS is too hardcore for a daily driver for me I'm only 25, so it isn't like I'm getting old here I just value comfort in my drivers...my toys are something entirely different. Remember, I'm saving for a third gen...there goes the ride quality thing out the window And if I go 1LE, then it won't be comfortable at all!

Which reminds me...that '06 MC SS better be out soon! A GTP 6 speed is on its way to the dealer, so after I drive that its crunch time between that, my MC, or a third gen for the next purchase!! An apple, an orange and a chili pepper (if I find the right TTA!!). Decisions, decisions...

 

Civic Si comes equipped with 160 HP. Just another reminder of how 170 just doesn't really stand out in this segment.

I do agree with the z24 thing, perhaps using that nomenclature would be fruitless in GM's eyes. I think RS would do just fine though.