My fireind at work just picked up a red 2005 Civic EX with the body kit, embroidered leather interior, auto, 6 disk changer, and a “Special Edition” badge on the back bumper for a lil over $21,000!

What does it have? 125 hp!




Now, lets look at the SS: 205hp s/c, 18"wheels, etc.


I will never get those people that refuse to buy domestic.


(i not sure if the $21,000 was with tax or w/o)

 

A 2005 Civic EX vs. a Cobalt SS? No contest - I'd take the Cobalt.

But a 2006 Civic like this with 200hp? Then it's a much closer contest.

 

i herd the engine was gonna be around there too but the pic you showed bro is a concept and a half lol

 

Do you really think they will make that concept? I don’t follow the Honda news.

 

Damn man thats just crazy. Why anyone would pay that much for a Civic is beyond me. Like you said, it only has 127 HP - and whats even more pathetic is the torque rating - 114 ft/lbs @ 4800RPM!!

For that money I would at least have invested in the Si model- still not worth anywhere near 21K, but 160HP is still much better than 127 HP

Any idea why he didn't just get an RSX? They are pretty nice cars for the money. Of course I would still never take one over a Cobalt SS Supercharged though

 

True, it's a concept (no door handles, for one) but Honda claims that the "real" Civic Si will be 90% of what you see here. They'll probably drop the black hood, the blacked out headlights and soften up the overall styling a touch to give it greater appeal.

 

I dont like the back of that concept one.

 

Since nobody replied me, I went to test drive the cobalt yesterday. Well now I really know this isn't the Astra at all!! You guys are right! The engine is harsh, the gearbox is imprecise and sticky, the clutch is too high. You have to lift up your leg high for the car to respond, it's that bad. Maybe it's fine for people used to driving lorries or pickups, like that salesman. But for other people you're gonna crash or your leg will run out of blood. Refinement is bad. The engine lets out a grinding noise when I let off the gas (I can't believe this is a brand new car!!!). And the gears are set too low, the rpm rises and the speed not much. Without Astra's CDC, the torsion beam suspension is punishing. The shift Knob is a cheap black ball. When I go back to my 7 years old corolla, I feel like i'm in a Benz!! Before I thought my corolla was crap. I went in with high expectations like you guys but now i'm greatly disappointed. The damn salesman even photocopied my driver's license. Now we now GM isn't selling quality opels in North America. And now we also know why GM in north america need to buy Daewoos to sell, because their cars are probably worst than Korean ****. And Bob Lutz is trying to fight other C-segment cars with this POS? It's a car that can make a corolla feel like a benz. The corolla has a much better sounding and smoother engine, better clutch, and Much clearer precise and smoother gearbox. I was expecting this to be better than the 7 years old focus, and now I might just buy the old focus. It's a surviving classic.

All these flaws made it impossible to drive the car further and test out the handling and steering. The chair was uncomfortable too, and it was impossible to shift. It's like driving a banger. The worst thing is the noise that the engine lets out when you let off the gas. You can't believe it's a new car! It's like driving a 400 dollar car or something. I expected the 2.2 ecotec to be refined and quiet, but it's exactly the opposite.

How many of you test drove cobalt and have the same feelings I have. Keep in mind that my own car is nothing special just a 7 years old corolla. Maybe people who test drove this and think it's fine and drivable are used to driving cars under a 1000 dollars.

Even people used to driving noisy and harsh civic might find that his civic is refined after driving this. I wouldn't have this car even if it's free. Now i'm going to ford and get a focus, it's a surviving classic.

 

How many threads are you going to post the same thing in? This thread is not about the base model Cobalt.

Feel free to start a base cobalt review/bashing thread.

Have a nice life

 

I'm sorry I find that very hard to read, I have no idea what you are talking about. Something about a stick car and you like your car better.

 

Let me translate for you.

 

hahaha

 

the honda civic ex Special Edition is listed at 17,460

 

I drove a Cobalt Coupe around Kohls Department store parking lot I thought it was sooo nice, it was a really smooth I loved it!
It made me want to buy one really bad but im a poor little college girl lol
But I loved it!I dont know what your talking about it being harsh, loud, grinding,or anything else! I loved it!!
Haha! Enjoy your 7 year old Corolla... I mean "Benz"
And by the way im not used to driving a shitty 1000 dollar car... mines better then a 7 year old carolla

 

I finally got to test drive the coupe today, just for kicks of course. I love it, very smooth, has great pickup. Any civic, including my own, doesnt compare. I believe this review is way too critical, more of a bashing towards the cobalt than a logical review of any sort. You would of been better off saying "i don't like the car". Truth is, its just a car, and getting so heated over things like this on internet forums is downright idiotic.
Have fun with that corolla

 

That still doesn't explain why the engine lets out the peculiar noise when I let off the gas? I couldn't believe the poor college girl did not realise this, this is something that the salesman at the back heard too and did not explain. My dad, who drove all kinds of cars for many years, ford, fiat, alfa romeo, benz, bmw, toyota, honda, said the car is very bad. He had never drove a new car with so much problems, and strange engine noise, and such a saggy gearbox. Also, did anyone feel the clutch engagement point is too high, my dad find this a bit dangerous and weary. I'm also surprised why the people here seem to disagree with what I said about the car, maybe you need to test drive the car yourself too if you don't believe me. One thing to note is that the 2.2 ecotec does have enough power, but the getrag gearbox is probably too crappy for the engine to produce the power.

What I want to know is did anybody went far and fast enough to get a feel of the handling and steering, I know the bloke who drove around in the car park and thought the car was smooth didn't. The handling should be almost as good as the focus, can anyone confirm? Too bad I didn't went far enough to test out the handling, because the coupe I tested has lower height and stiffer chassis.

this is an excerpt from sunday times review of the european astra:
Plainly I had to take this thing for a drive, so I did, and the news just kept on getting better and better. Yes, the gearbox was a bit saggy and I was alarmed at how much pressure the brake pedal needed to do an emergency stop, but other than this, all was well. The handling was particularly good — not as good as a Ford Focus, obviously, but better than you get from the new Golf — and the ride comfort was spot-on too. Other things? Well, the stereo was crisp and the air-conditioning provided a jet of cold air that would have stunned Captain Oates.

Can anyone also explain why GM has to sell Daewoos? Why would any decent person would want to sell cars that is the price of a used car and worst quality than used cars. Daewoos are probably the worst new car on the market today. Daewoo is not selling their cars for so cheap out of the goodness of its heart. It is cheap for the same reason that a cow’s eyeballs costs less than its fillet. And GM has to sell their cars to make a living, imagine how horrible their own cars in North America are.

Unless GM and its accountants screw the cobalt well together, so there's no noise when you let go of the gas, the clutch engagement point is lower and launches from a standstill is smoother. Also use a smoother and crisper gearbox. Also improve some interior materials, the dash has a nice design but the shift knob does not have to feel and look like a toy you buy from a dollar store. I won't reconsider cobalt, and might as well buy a focus from ford, at least I'm getting the best handling and steering, and a crisp gearbox. I'm also worried about cobalt's future reliablity because the brand new car already has the strange engine noise. The engine can also be a lot quieter, during 2000 to 3000, it's really quite loud and not that smooth. I know GM has put a lot sound deadening materials around the car, and road noise is very little which is a great thing. But the main thing is to make the engine quieter, not just adding tons of insulation. Maybe it's a problem with the car I drove? I don't know. Then they really have a bad car for people to test drive.

Sorry for the long post, i'm just hoping Cobalt is a better car, and that I don't have to buy the 7 year old focus. And the new Golf is still not here yet...

For those who misunderstood me: Toyota is never a fun to drive car, it's boring and reliable. It's never as good as benz, except the 4cylinder engines. But my corolla just feels like a benz after I rode in the cobalt. I'm not having fun, that's why I want to get a car that is fun to drive like focus. It is that bad, but after driving that cobalt coupe, I seriously feel i'm in a benz(a much refined car), something I've never felt before after having that car for the first day (makes me very comfortable). But I think Civic is worst than corolla, because it's not fun to drive, but the engine is weaker, noisier and less comfortable than corolla.

 

What the hell are you talking about? I have never heard anyone else say this except for you, and it doesn't even make sense. If you are driving manual, and you take the RPM's up in gear and then let off, its going to be under engine braking. You may get a "whoosh" sound and a couple pops from the exhaust, but thats about it.

Yea I'm sure hes a real expert Sounds like more Bullshit, he probably didn't even know what a Cobalt was until you mentioned it.

Nobody else on here has complained about any serious problems or a "saggy" gearbox, the 5-speed manual is nice and tight and the clutch engages just fine.
People disagree with you because your pulling half the stuff you say out of your ass, and you keep making it a point to post up your BS in every thread in an effort to persuade people that the Cobalt is a "very bad" car.

We heard you the first time, and saying it repeatedly won't help prove your useless and ridiculous point that you are trying to make. The Cobalt not even comparable so a 7-year old Corolla, so just stop right there. Its so stupid its not even worth argueing about

Obviously you have already made up your mind that you won't even consider getting a Cobalt, so why are you still trolling around here? Go buy your Focus and kindly leave if you have nothing to contribute besides negative BS comments.

 

All new cars i've rode in doesn't have any noise when let off of gas. And naturally manual is supposed to be much quieter than automatic. My friend's 12 years old Nissan Silvia, he even installed loud exhaust, the engine has no noise when let of of gas. Even my dad's '95 corolla is about much quieter and sounds better, when let of of gas, it's silence. You said about the whoosing and pop when let off gas, i've heard before in a 1974 golf and 1985 civic, meaning that you are very active and use those old crappy cars. But I NEVER EVER heard noise when let off gas in a NEW CAR!! Probably you are used to driving 20 year old banger cars, and you won't mind. But I won't buy a new car with this much racket. Probably you're used to saggy gears too... Just like the salesman is used to the high and unresponsive clutch, he used to drive trucks.

I'm just surprised how a newly designed car can be so bad in refinement compare to a 7 year old corolla, let alone the 7 year old focus.

I'm very disappointed in your behaviour and manners, you suppose I made this all up? You think I'd waste my time typing **** and nonsense? Then you should go try the car yourself. I'm here to share my experience with this car, and no one appreciate me and all of you who didn't even drove the car is trying to prove me wrong? I can't believe how bad manners people here have. Does't your mum teach you to be polite?

 

hmm......ur driving a 7 years old corolla and u find that civic is noisy and harsh...??!!......no wonder u felt about the cobalt this way............and yea.....good luck with ur focus too.......what is it......feels like a Maybach after driving that corolla.....??

 

Do you have any idea just how ridiculous you sound? Since when is manual quieter than automatic? If anything, its the opposite. Its so obvious that you are making up all this stuff, and its even more obvious that you don't know **** about cars.

And what the hell are "saggy gears" and an "unresponsive clutch"? The stuff you are saying makes no sense, every review has said that the shifter was smooth and precise and the clutch was fine, the exact opposite of what you have said

All you are focusing on the "the noise it makes when you let off the gas", WTF?? Nobody else has complained about it, so obviously the issue is with you, and not with the car. And if your 7 year old Corolla was more refined than a brand new 2005 Cobalt, then either you have one hell of a Corolla or you are just plain retarted. I say the latter.

Why are you so dissappointed in people's manners on here? How do you expect people to react when they know for a fact that the complaints you are making are not even valid in the least? Maybe you should think about that before you post.

If you don't like the Cobalt, then fine. But don't go making **** up and spreading false information just because you feel like it. If you dislike the car so much then just leave, don't hang around and be a troll.

 

I drove the car. You are full of crap!

Wesman02 here put it best. You are obviously here just to bash the Cobalt. We don’t care about the "classic" Focus or your POS Corolla(or Benz, if you will). Now please stop posing the same crap over and over. This is your warning.

 

Yeah guys....after i test drove the cobalt, i was so relieved to be driving my 14 year old ford explorer. It felt like an Escalade compared to the cobalt. I couldn't find the clutch it was so small, and the damn shifter didn't even have numbers...it just had letters like P, R, N, D and O... How the hell am i suppose to know which gear to put it in first? then the whole car was rattling and just had the worst suspension. the Gear to Steering ratio was wayyy off. the steering wheel was very stiff, when i tried pushing the steering wheel to the right...it wouldn't budge. i was so glad to be driving my escalade. man don't get a cobalt...they are terrible

 

HAHA, I thought my corolla was a POS and I hate it. But after testing cobalt I've a different feeling, but it's still slow. Corolla's engine itselft is actually not quiet, it's just the insulation that made it quiet. So I'm very surprised why is it much noisier than my '98 corolla, and it's supposed to benefit from even more insulation (quiet steel) than corolla. And trust me! I swear to god, my corolla is clearly much quieter than the cobalt, anybody would say that. All the problems I listed was actually very simple and minor problems that shouldn't occur in a big car manufacture. I'm comparing with older cars that doesn't have these problems further emphasise how simple it's to have these mechanicals work in harmony and refinement. Unfortunately, because of these minor but annoying and unpleasant crudiness, I was unable to drive the car further to see its real qualities. Did anyone went far enough to test out the handling and steering at hairpins? I just feel GM is silly letting all these minor problems dragging the car down, what a waste of good material.

Haha, people used to be riding 14 year old dinosaurs don't like it too?

Jonel, the administrator, you should know better and have more experience. Manual is supposed to be quieter than automatic because of the simpler mechanics and lack of torque converter, right? I don't know what bash means, but all I said was a very accurate description of my test drive. Jonel, don't you find the car noisy and the gearbox stiff and sticky like the corvette? I never drove the corvette but according to journalists, the C6's gearshift is as stiff and sticky and imprecise as before.

 

Maybe it's quieter because your Corolla doesn't run?

 

OK.... what do you truly know about cars? A manual trany will be louder than a auto. Lets look at it.... an auto has "slipping disk" that grab as you move through the gears. These disks balance the torque and hp and changes gears as the disk become engaged with each other. This design is inherently "quiet". Where as if you look at a manual trany you have a clutch and gears, so you hear the gears linking and transferring the power.

As for the gearbox being stiff and sticky like a C6, do you know what a true sport car is like. Now don't get me wrong, the Cobalt is not a sport car (excluding the SS) but I believe the standard manual is a Getrag trany (correct me if I'm wrong) and I had this in my 04 Cav, no bad, not great, it serves it purpose. I have driven a Lotus and a Ferrari, both of these cars have a similar feel to the C6. And to show you that I know what a C6 feels like, I drove a C6 ZO6 today, very nice. I have also driven my friend C5, so I have no clue what you are talking about when it comes to the gear box

I also wanted to get back to one of your topics. As for the clutch releasing high on the clutch pedal, "base cars" are not performance cars. Every "base car" releases the clutch high. The manufacters do this so there is a larger area of "slop" in the clutch for the inexperienced driver. Going back to the Lotus, Ferrari, C5, and C6, all of these releases the clutch at about 1" of release from the clutch being fully disengaged. The reason for this design is that these cars are performance cars and you want to get through the gears as quick as possible, and any additional time spent on engaging the clutch is too much time.

I'm not trying to beat you up, we all appreciate a review here, but if your going to bash a car for something that is desirable, then I don't think you truly know what you are talking about