Hey everybody, first post here. I own a Porsche 928 and a 2.2L 98 Cavalier, so I'm looking for something like the cavalier before my sis takes it to college, as I don't want to rely on the 928. I looked at the Corolla S, and it was nice, but quite slow. I was interested in the Corolla for its 32/41 mpg rating which I found out from the Corolla forums, is complete BS.

The 2.4 I drove was not as quick as I had expected, I think maybe for these reasons:
1. The dealer was in the car with me
2. The car was fueled with 87 octane gasoline
3. It was not fully broken in

I calculated these lb/HP figures for the cars and it would seem the SS is closer to the Porsche than the Corolla.

Porsche 928 = 15.29
Cobalt SS = 16.28
Corolla S = 19.61

Maybe the car is quick and it's all in my head. I also drove a Sentra SE-R which feels a bit faster. I think this is because of its stupidly short first gear. How does the 2.4 stack up against the SE-R?

 

It should take an SER but it would be close no doubt. The SER is redlined at a low 6200rpm though, ties in with that low first gear.

A low 15 1/4 mile is doable in a 5 speed 2.4 coupe.

You were right in thinking that some times "feel" has nothing to do with how quick a car is.
Sometimes they feel fast but aren't and vice-versa.

What did you think of the handling and the rest of the car?

 

i drove one the other day to compair to the sc.. i liked the 2.4 i thought it was about as quick as my friends 98 prelude and it was defently quicker than my truck and the handling was great over i still cant choose between the sc and the n/a but for insurance and price wise im leaning for the 2.4. and what is nice is i have a friend that works at the dealer so he just gives me the keys and says have fun no salesman with me at all which lets me test um pretty nicely

 

I loved the interior except for the placement of that flipup console, it's stupid how it gets in the way of the handbrake. Also, when driving around in the lot, I expected the steering to return to center like it does in my cavalier and every other car I've ever driven, but there's pretty much no return to center force on the steering. I can live with it, but if I was going much faster in the lot, I probably would have swapped paint with another cobalt. I thought the car felt pretty good, it was quieter than the corolla (which is quieter than the civic) and that surprised me. I didn't want to test the car at its limits with the dealer in the car and all, but I accidentally left a good amount of rubber on the road on my 1-2 shift. I'm still quite interested in the car.

 

I went to two dealers but only the second one had a 2.4 on the lot. The first dealer said the 2.4 calls for 91 octane fuel but that it runs on 87 with less acceleration. The second dealer said the car I drove was filled with 87 because "That's all it calls for".

What are ballpark HP figures on 87 and 91 octane fuel?
How quickly does the PCM adjust for the fuel?

The dealer also claimed the motor was broken in pretty well from the factory, is this true, or do the motors tend to open up and get more powerful after break-in? I'd search for this stuff, but I can't find the search function, sorry.

 

The 87 and 91 make a big difference. I'm not sure of any numbers... but I can tell you this: My 2.4 had 91 in it from the dealership. I filled it with 87 cause I didn't have any cash last week. Big mistake. I'll never put 87 in it again. There is a noticable drop in acceleration when you go from 91 to 87.

Where are you in PA?

 

well the Pontiac G6 has the 2.4L as well. Regualr gas is recomeded and it makes 167hp.

Premuim is recomemded (ignore what that rearted dealer said0 in the Cobalt 2.4L SS and it makes 171hp--4 more hp.

As for break in periods----Car and Driver does 40,000 miles tests on selected cars. They test at the begining and at the end. I'd say 90% of the cars are quicker with 40,000 miles on it.

Saleman doesn't know what he is talking about.

 

the motor opens up more after being driven and is quicker

 

I run 94 in my 2.4 all the time and I am getting like 25.5 mpgs

on a side note I love my car with just an intake you will be very happy..Such a great all around car..So much better the my 02 s-10

 

I live in Lancaster, but I go to school in Philly.

The more I think about buying the Cobalt, the more I'm hesitating. At first I wanted to buy an efficient car to save on fuel expenses, but now the reality of buying a $20,000 Chevy is sinking in. I think I might be better off buying a used BMW 318ti for $8K and saving the other $12K for fuel and other expenses.

 

in a recent issue of MT, they drove a 2.4 SS sedan, and they got a 15.6 1/4 out of it. Not too shabby. it was a manual tranny.