2008 Cobalt SS Turbo First Drive and Review by CobaltSS.net

[JonyyB]

2008 Cobalt SS First Drive

Ever since the official Cobalt SS Turbo announcement late this falls, we have been both excited and extremely anxious to find out the details.

When does production start? When will GM post it on chevy.com? When can I place my order? Was the clutch improved? Will the axles handle the power? And so on.
Well, this week, we got some answers. GM’s Chevy division invited automotive media outlets for a fun filled, up close and personal day with the new 2008 Cobalt SS.
We had the opportunity to drive the Cobalt SS through California’s scenic and curvy mountains, practice “no-lift shifting” and race it at the Buttonwillow Raceway Park.

I have owned a nearly stock G85 equipped, 2006 Cobalt SS Supercharged for close to two years now and my objective was to compare the new 2008 Cobalt SS to the car I drive every day.

From the time I sat in the new race seats, I had a smile on my face. The seats are extremely comfortable; they hug you in and hold you tight in the car even in the sharpest turns. The seats are available in Ebony, Light Gray, and Victory Red. As of now, I was told that the Victory Red sets won’t be an option on black cars as was the case with the Supercharged SS.

The no lift shift takes a while to get use to, but once you get it, you will never want to shift a manual transmission the same way again. To shift gears, you don’t step off the gas, just press the clutch and slam the shifter into gears. It’s nice not to lose any boost while shifting.

I was pleasantly surprised with the awesome traction on these cars. The wheelhop was practically eliminated and you can definitely tell you are launching a different car. All the cars at the event were equipped with LSD; however, LSD will be an option when ordering. You will also be pleased to know that the car has improved engine mounts to reduce engine vibrations.

The Cobalt SS engineers closely monitored warranty work on the previous Supercharged Cobalt and as a result, the weaker spots got addressed such as the clutch and half shafts. The new axles are 34mm in diameter. This car was engineered with serious performance in mind. The car’s handling on the track is extraordinary. Brembo brakes will be standard on the Turbo Cobalt according to the engineering team.

This car has plenty of power; however it would be ideal for GM to develop stage kits to really put this car over the top. Unfortunately the engineers claim that there are no plans for stage kits at this time.

Many have asked if you can hear the bypass valve or the "blow of valve" (BOV) as most people incorrectly refer to it. While it’s not extremely loud, you can definitely hear it. It does the job and it tells the other drives you are boosted.

I really enjoyed every moment with this car and there isn’t anything that I dislike about the car. The car is built to be a serious competitive performance machine and that is all that I expected from the new SS. If I did have a chance to improve anything on the car, I would definitely enhance the exterior appearance with more than the wheels and grills. I asked if there were any plans for a new functional hood, but I was told the focus of the car was performance and there are no plans for a hood option.

The Lordstown Ohio plant has already started building sellable units; however April 7th will be the first day of retail production according to Mike Danowski, who is the Cobalt Product Manager at Chevrolet. Chevrolet’s Cobalt webpage should also be updated late this week with the 2008 Cobalt SS details.

The 2008 Cobalt SS coupe will start at $22,995. The Turbo Cobalt SS Sedan will be available as a 2009 year model.

Overall, this car is much improved in terms of power, performance, and comfort. It does lack in the appearance department but that’s not hard for the aftermarket to fix. I will most likely replace my Supercharged SS with the new Turbo SS

Side Note:
GM and the Cobalt SS engineering team frequent this site regularly for feedback and opinions. If you have feedback or questions, feel free to kindly post them here.

Video overview of the 2008 Cobalt SS


2008 Turbo Cobalt SS Gallery



Had to get a picture with the GM Team:






Me on the track

here I go:








John Heinricy (Time Attack Cobalt driver) doing crazy laps. I had to opportunity to ride with him






In the mountains:









2009 Turbo Cobalt SS Sedan




grills up close:

[tREBs]

nice to hear... i'll keep my s.c tho!

[DoubleLP]

Very nice! Now does it come with the Brembo's or not because on the USA website it has nothing listed on them.

P.S. I am keeping the S/C as well.

[trent_ky]

sounds like its gonna be a great car but i think they missed the biggest weakspot=the transmission

[TheDriver!]

Thats informitive and its good someone that knows the Cobalt share his feelings, all of which seem like mind changers to I'm sure alot of Cobalt owners.. Finally GM got it right, we hope, also seems like the boys and girls over there listened so cudo's to them...

Thanks for sharing

[JonyyB]

Originally Posted by DoubleLP

Very nice! Now does it come with the Brembo's or not because on the USA website it has nothing listed on them.

Brembo's will be standard on the Turbo Cobalt according to the engineering team.

[spencer]

i wanna test drive one!!

[DoubleLP]

Excellent!

[Raven SS]

the no lift shift thing is not new..and u can do it in ur car its called speed shifting

[Super_SS]

how does it compare to ur cobalt ss gm stage 2 cobalt. Power wise.

[thedub784]

i LIKE what i hear! the shifting sounds kinda cool....i will however trade my LS for one

[CTORANGESC]

Very nice write up, I think you answerd a lot of the key questions that have been asked. I am very pleased on the report on Balt. As for the price being the biggest factor in my decision making, If they are indeed $22,995 im all over one. Where can you beat a price like that for all your getting

[1stbluSS]

Originally Posted by Raven SS

the no lift shift thing is not new..and u can do it in ur car its called speed shifting

speed shifting damages your vehicle no lift shit does not.....

[Spectral]

Originally Posted by Raven SS

the no lift shift thing is not new..and u can do it in ur car its called speed shifting

but shifting like that is worse on the clutch than the no-lift shift

[DTR1001]

Originally Posted by thedub784

i LIKE what i hear! the shifting sounds kinda cool....i will however trade my LS for one

you and me both

[Raven SS]

Originally Posted by 1stbluSS

speed shifting damages your vehicle no lift shit does not.....

how u figure? and im just refering to the idea...everyone is all over it like its was just invented..

[DoubleLP]

Because the computer is controlling the RPM when the gas is down so that you are not damaging the clutch and transmission. Where with speed shifting you are pushing everything to the limit and more then likely are going to damage the drivetrain somehow.

[HickOverLOrd]

How does the clutch feel? Different?