JonyyB
04-09-2005, 12:32 PM
<img src="http://cobaltss.net/articles/monica_cobalt_small.gif" align="left" border="0" hspace="5" vspace="5">DARNESTOWN, Md. -- So it's, like, we're driving the blue Cobalt down to the center of town and when we pass two teenage boys they turn as one and watch the car go by. Hmmmm, didn't expect that.
We came out of the UPS store and two teenage girls are ogling the Cobalt.
A zillion questions come out as one word, and finally one tells me her dad is buying her one. She's, like, "real excited and ya know this is like waaay ahead of my Taurus."
Skip to New York and the auto show. Three African-American teens pass by and one points and says, "Yo, the Cobalt."
We're not ready to say the Cobalt is picking up the kind of street acceptance enjoyed by the Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Magnum. However, for those in their mid-to-late teen years, this new offering from Chevrolet clearly has some attraction. (See slide show.)
If this really does take off among the younger set, Chevy might ask itself why it took so long come up with a replacement for the Cavalier.
The Cobalt is roughly two inches shorter but an inch or two taller than the Cavalier, depending on the model. Chevy offers a base model, a more likeable LS and a better LT. The base engine is a 2.2-liter, 145 horsepower DOHC I4. Driving fans on a budget might be more drawn to the SS model, which carries a supercharger and bangs out 205 horsepower.
Our test car was an LS coupe with an $850 optional four-speed automatic transmission with overdrive. Look for zero to sixty in the mid-eights, with an EPA rating of 24 to 32 miles per gallon.
Handling was predictable, and the ride fell on the side of Detroit-smooth. The speed-sensitive electric power steering occasionally made some weird sounds but did the job just fine. The LS came with antilock brakes, driver and front passenger dual-stage airbags and- for an extra $695, GM's excellent OnStar system.
Add in a satellite radio as well as a Pioneer seven speaker sound system and the bottom line came to $18,900 -- not bad at all, price wise.
There's no question that the Cobalt is a much better car than its predecessor. Interior fit is much better, for one thing.
But there were acres of hard black plastic on the dash and door. The ventilation controls felt cheap, and the seats were too firm. In the coupe version, the back seats are best left to limber children.
Still, Chevy knows there's an audience out there for such a car -- the zillions of drivers who want to buy a U.S. brand made in this country and could care less whether it performs like a Corvette.
By Ron Amadon
MarketWatch
Comments? ramadon@marketwatch.com
We came out of the UPS store and two teenage girls are ogling the Cobalt.
A zillion questions come out as one word, and finally one tells me her dad is buying her one. She's, like, "real excited and ya know this is like waaay ahead of my Taurus."
Skip to New York and the auto show. Three African-American teens pass by and one points and says, "Yo, the Cobalt."
We're not ready to say the Cobalt is picking up the kind of street acceptance enjoyed by the Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Magnum. However, for those in their mid-to-late teen years, this new offering from Chevrolet clearly has some attraction. (See slide show.)
If this really does take off among the younger set, Chevy might ask itself why it took so long come up with a replacement for the Cavalier.
The Cobalt is roughly two inches shorter but an inch or two taller than the Cavalier, depending on the model. Chevy offers a base model, a more likeable LS and a better LT. The base engine is a 2.2-liter, 145 horsepower DOHC I4. Driving fans on a budget might be more drawn to the SS model, which carries a supercharger and bangs out 205 horsepower.
Our test car was an LS coupe with an $850 optional four-speed automatic transmission with overdrive. Look for zero to sixty in the mid-eights, with an EPA rating of 24 to 32 miles per gallon.
Handling was predictable, and the ride fell on the side of Detroit-smooth. The speed-sensitive electric power steering occasionally made some weird sounds but did the job just fine. The LS came with antilock brakes, driver and front passenger dual-stage airbags and- for an extra $695, GM's excellent OnStar system.
Add in a satellite radio as well as a Pioneer seven speaker sound system and the bottom line came to $18,900 -- not bad at all, price wise.
There's no question that the Cobalt is a much better car than its predecessor. Interior fit is much better, for one thing.
But there were acres of hard black plastic on the dash and door. The ventilation controls felt cheap, and the seats were too firm. In the coupe version, the back seats are best left to limber children.
Still, Chevy knows there's an audience out there for such a car -- the zillions of drivers who want to buy a U.S. brand made in this country and could care less whether it performs like a Corvette.
By Ron Amadon
MarketWatch
Comments? ramadon@marketwatch.com