Cobalt SS

Reading the article about the SRT4 made me think about the new Cobalt SS. How come I never hear anything about this car? It sounds like a good performing package for a decent price. I'm actually considering getting one as my DD in a couple months, but just wanted to ask if there was something I'm missing here.

The new Cobalt SS is awesome... I don't know why there isn't more hype about it. So far it looks like there are going to be a handful of cheap mods that really boost the performance on those too which is good news. If the turbo SS was out a few years ago when I bought my SRT4 it would have been a tough choice deciding which to buy. I never really cared for the supercharged SS, but I'm in love with the new ones.

One of the car magazines said it was the best handling FWD car ever, Saw one win a race at Lime Rock during the Grand AM weekend.

I think it set a record at Nurburring too.

You never hear anything about the Cobalt SS because of the cavalier. The cav was so terrible that it's replacement, even though it's a billion times better, is regarded as junk as well. GM faces this with almost every car they sell. They've got 20 years of terrible quality to get out of peoples minds.

Being years behind the sport compact revolution doesn't help either...

I would like to test drive an HHR panel SS, I think they do make it.

I love my 05 SS. Could use a little bit higher roof line at 6'1 if its time for a hair cut i know it it sticks to the headlinner but overall it a great car. Dislike my local dealer but......thats another story. 31.5 mpg at ave speed of 57mph so says the dash.

OH pay the $$ and get the LSD!! wish i had but i don't like the seat with the LSD. I've got a bad disk seat fit is crittical for me the SS seat are nice.

44

skruffy wrote: Being years behind the sport compact revolution doesn't help either...

The Berreta GTZ was a pretty sweet little car way back in 1990..

for my money, almost identical performance and 4dr hatch utility steered me to the mazdaspeed3. of course, i wasn't interested in a coupe or regular sedan at all

I'm guessing that the Cobalt SS is cheaper than the MS3, though. I also see MS3's all over the place; but have yet to see a new Cobalt SS.

they're priced similarly, iirc. if not by msrp, then by reality. people are paying 23k or less for ms3 GT's right now. also the ms3 has a nicer interior imo.

Damn them! I have sworn off Front drive Turbo cars (ex VW owner)

But the RWD version (Sostus / sky) is $10K more!!! GRRRR...

{Captain Kirk voice} must .....resist ....urge .....to test drive.. {/Captain Kirk Voice}

i think chevy claims to have put down an 8:22 on the nurburg ring with one of them. To give you an idea of how fast that is the new CTS-V did it in 7:59.

The Cobalt SS is a niche model of a (boring) bread and butter sedan. There's little hype for the Cobalt and even less for the SS. Does Pontiac make an equivalent G5?
this is supposed to be the "excitement brand" at GM. I also imagine that the SRT4 got more press because the folks at DCX made sure it got more press.

I have an issue of C&D that features a multi-car test of "fuel-sippers" that was published about a year and a half to two years ago. They didn't test the "old" Focus, nor the nearly new Cobalt. C&D CLAIMED they didn't test the Cobalt because Chevy/GM couldn't find an example in their test/press fleet with the requisite manual tranny. Same excuse for the Focus.

The Cobalt SS has really gotten a lot of praise in the motoring press. I was pretty amazed at what the old Supercharged one could do when I raced it last year, and the turbo-charged one is 10 times better. (a lot of suspension changes and tuning added as well as more HP) I hated the el-cheapo GM interior, but it was light years ahead of the old Cavalier. I looked at the HHR SS at the auto show, and again, was put off by the low-rent interior. I need more practicality than a coupe can provide, so the HHR was a nice option, but the MS3 is just so much better for a similar price.

I know there was a thread about this on the old board, but where the cavs really that bad? on the other hand, I can find 10 year old cavs at $1000-1500 all day long.

The Cobalt SS supercharged didn't get nearly enough press, and the Saturn Ion Red Line (it's predecessor) got none at all. That's one of the reasons I own a Red Line... nobody knows what they are.

When the original Red Line and Cobalt SS came out, ALL the magazines bashed them, berated their "cheap" interiors, and yet amazingly, they would consistently turn the fastest lap times of all the test cars in their class... Now with the Cobalt turbo, they make tweaks and minor improvements, upped the power to what an SS/SC with stage 2 already makes, and suddenly it's the "best handling FWD evar!!" I mean, yeah, it is. But the previous SS and Red Line weren't shabby to begin with. Give credit where credit is due, magazines!

I'll keep my Saturn, put stage 2 parts on it, tune it, and stomp the new turbo Cobalts all day long for half the money.

My only gripe on the Ions is the dash location. I just can't deal with it off to the side.

neon4891 wrote: I know there was a thread about this on the old board, but where the cavs really that bad? on the other hand, I can find 10 year old cavs at $1000-1500 all day long.

Yeah, they're terrible. We bought my wife's 04 cav coupe for $5k in 05. With 22k miles on it. We only bought it because it was ridiculously cheap and her dad paid for half. We both hate it with a passion. It's 4 years old now and the suspension clunks and squeaks, interior panels fall off at the silghtest touch, the dash is falling apart, etc...

What's it like? Imagine what would happen if GM engineered a car in 1 weekend, drunk, and then had to make it cheaper.

44Dwarf wrote: I love my 05 SS. Could use a little bit higher roof line at 6'1 if its time for a hair cut i know it it sticks to the headlinner but overall it a great car. Dislike my local dealer but......thats another story. 31.5 mpg at ave speed of 57mph so says the dash. OH pay the $$ and get the LSD!! wish i had but i don't like the seat with the LSD. I've got a bad disk seat fit is crittical for me the SS seat are nice. 44

Let me get this straight - In order to get a limited slip differential, you have to have bad seats?

And the empoyees who put it together make $65,000 a year. I'm a college-educated accounting guy. I make a tweek more than half that.

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Let me get this straight - In order to get a limited slip differential, you have to have bad seats?

Well to my back there bad but most like RECARO's

neon4891 wrote: I know there was a thread about this on the old board, but where the cavs really that bad?

No. We bought a 99 Z24 in 01 for half what my buddies were paying for their jap cars. It has been completely trouble free, and more reliable. With 240k on it, I just gave it to my son. It only just started creaking, and groaning, but aside from regular maintenance, I have yet to replace as much as a lightbulb. It was so good, I bought a 2000 Z as a commuter/project car. It, too has been just as good.

I think that the Z was the exseption to the rule. But who am I to whine, I'm on my second DOCH Neon.

I went on GMbuypower.com this afternoon to see if there were any SS Cobalts for sale in my area (Memphis, Tn.). I found about 5 or 6, but all seem to be equipped with auto trannys. Strangely, I found one '08 SS that was listed on the "window sticker" as having the 2.4 liter engine that was supposedly discontinued in '08. Prices ranged from a low of $19,000+ to nearly $23,000.