I rented a 2008 LS Coupe with an auto trans.
I was impressed with the throttle response as well as fuel economy.
I drove it aggressively; at times like I stole it. :D
And it still used maybe 3/4's the fuel I'd use in a minivan driving conservatively.
What I really liked was how it seemed to surge just before 4000 rpm.
Once I had it up past 6100 rpm and when it down shifted into 2nd,
I got a nice little jolt of torque-steer with some tire chirping. :D :D :D

Does the newer 155 hp 2.2L do that,
or has this surge in torque been removed when they moved the powerband up?

*I hear the torque peak went from 4200 rpm to 4900 rpm.

I understand that this newer version is more fuel efficient.
That's good...
But if it means the driving experience I found in the rental car is gone,
then I'm not very impressed with the 10% gain in fuel economy.

A fun to drive stock automatic 2.2?


My parents have one, it's nowhere near as fun as you are describing nor does it chirp the tires on a downshift.

*shrugs*

A fun to drive stock automatic 2.2?


My parents have one, it's nowhere near as fun as you are describing nor does it chirp the tires on a downshift.

*shrugs*

Your parent's 2.2 L auto can't hold 1st past 6000 rpm?
Maybe it was the chirping tires that let it go that high.
I think I saw it go up another 200-300 rpm as the tires chirped.

I was not driving straight. ;) :)
I was making a 90 degree right turn onto a street that had a gradual left curve
roughly a 150 yard radius if I had to guess
as well as a lateral grade maybe 10%,
so the right edge of the road (if it was 20 feet wide)
was a full 2 feet higher than the left side of the road.

Perhaps these tires chirped because of the lateral grade, plus the curve
and I had my foot to the floor. :D

As I made my right turn, I was already going about 10 km/h (6 mph)
and by the time the tires chirped,
I believe I'd moved 100 feet down the road
and was now moving at least 45 km/h (30 mph)
perhaps as high as 55 km/h (35 mph)
I have no idea how long it took to accelerating, (3 seconds?)
I was too busy hanging on, staying with the road's curve and watching the tach.


Because of the curve and/or torque-steer,
when it chirped the tires it jerked the steering wheel about 3/4" quickly and a little violently to the right
which if I had not had a good grip would have sent me into the rocks or off into the ditch.

The road was made with that funny surface because to make the road they had to blast through rock.

What year's 2.2L do they have?

2007.. get a shift kit and maybe it can do that in a straight line.


The stock tires are awful though.. get some tires that grip and it won't do that. :lol:

2007.. get a shift kit and maybe it can do that in a straight line.


The stock tires are awful though.. get some tires that grip and it won't do that. :lol:

If I got a Cobalt it would probably be with a manual transmission.

I was afraid of that. *kidding*

Okay, back to the top,
has anyone driven a new 2.2L motor and noticed a difference in the powerband between other 2.2L tunings? (between other model years)
I hear that the XFE's feel slow to some people...

*I'm trying to figure out if a 2009 would disappoint me or not...
so if it feels noticeably less responsive under 4000 rpm and/or doesn't feel like it picks up very much past 4000 rpm.

ive never driven a 2008, i got a 2009 cobalt LT, and i love it, had it for 2 months, and put over 12000km on, the olny thing i can say is just go take one for a test drive...

i just noticed a diffrence in the 09 that i dont think was mentiond, and its actually the headlights,
the turn signal doesnt have a orange cover, its just an orange bulb

Umm actually the 08s dont have the yellow cover on their turn signals either.

Umm actually the 08s dont have the yellow cover on their turn signals either.

ohh i never knew that, my friends got an 05 and i happend to see that

If I got a Cobalt it would probably be with a manual transmission.

I was afraid of that. *kidding*

Okay, back to the top,
has anyone driven a new 2.2L motor and noticed a difference in the powerband between other 2.2L tunings? (between other model years)
I hear that the XFE's feel slow to some people...

*I'm trying to figure out if a 2009 would disappoint me or not...
so if it feels noticeably less responsive under 4000 rpm and/or doesn't feel like it picks up very much past 4000 rpm.

depends what you're expectations are... i had a 2.2 for 2 years (obviously not an 09) and loved it, but i was also realistic about what it is. stock you have a mid 16 second car that you have to floor to pass a car on the highway, and there's a good chance that the soccer mom in the minivan taking the kids to practice will outrun you from a light. so for outright power, it's not the way to go.

i did love having the car though, and had no complaints when I had it. If you're realistic about it you'll feel the same way.

i love mine

i love mine

^^ X1000000001 <3 (oh yeah i went there)

i love mine too...except for the floor it to get past ppl on the highway

i love mine too...except for the floor it to get past ppl on the highway

i dont need to floor mine, just down shift to 4th :D

Yeah i am pretty happy with mine. Its a fairly peppy car, but its no sports car in any means.

depends what you're expectations are... i had a 2.2 for 2 years (obviously not an 09) and loved it, but i was also realistic about what it is. stock you have a mid 16 second car that you have to floor to pass a car on the highway, and there's a good chance that the soccer mom in the minivan taking the kids to practice will outrun you from a light. so for outright power, it's not the way to go.

i did love having the car though, and had no complaints when I had it. If you're realistic about it you'll feel the same way.

LOL :lol:

LOL :lol:

it's true though :lol:

it's true though :lol:

Very true. I think my moms pontiac montana could beat me 0-30 but i think i would have her past that. :lol:

Very true. I think my moms pontiac montana could beat me 0-30 but i think i would have her past that. :lol:

lol, that made my day

I dont think a 2009 would disappoint you if you drove a 2008 model, I can tell you that the shift in torque(even though its flatter) on the 09's is noticeable in an auto, they dont drive the same at full throttle as an 08 does, the 08 feels/sounds a little "peppier"

In stick form, the 08 has a little bit bigg hit down low, but the 09 makes up for it up top.....theres no real noticeable differences overall though, I dont know how the 09's respond to the 07 style LE5 intake manifold though, the 08s love it, it wakes them right up.....theres a VERY noticeable difference between an 08 with a 2.4 intake manifold and a stock 09.