Chevrolet Cavalier reviews

2004 Chevrolet Cavalier Driving Impressions

The Chevy Cavalier isn't the sportiest of compacts nor the most luxurious nor the most up to date, but it offers competent performance and is selling at compelling prices.

The Ecotec 2.2-liter engine offers responsive performance, particularly when paired with the five-speed manual transmission. This newly developed four-cylinder engine generates 140 horsepower at 5600 rpm, enough power for confident passing and merging into busy highway traffic. It's a modern, double overhead-cam engine with four valves per cylinder, the favored arrangement nowadays for good throttle response and power. Much of this response is a result of the Cavalier's torque, that force that propels the car away from intersections and up hills. The Ecotec delivers 150 foot-pounds of torque at 4000 rpm. It also gets an EPA-estimated 25/33 mpg City/Highway and produces low emissions. It offers smooth, quiet operation, though it doesn't feel as smooth as a Toyota engine.

The five-speed manual transmission built by Getrag offers pleasant shifting and we enjoyed it. The optional four-speed automatic transmission works well around town, keeping the engine in its best operating range at lower speeds.

The Cavalier handles well. It's relatively flat in the corners, with little body lean. The power steering is light and responsive and the Cavalier quickly turns in for corners. Ride and handling were improved for 2003 by stiffening the structure of the car, and re-tuning the suspension for a sportier, more controlled ride.

We found the chassis felt rigid and secure when driving quickly down a rough back roads. The revised suspension dampened road vibration reasonably well. Hitting a series of bumps didn't generate the aftershocks associated with older domestic compact cars. You feel the bumps, but it seems more controlled than it did in the pre-2003 models. The tires, even the performance tires on the LS Sport Sedan, seemed to lack grip when the car was driven hard. Handling was predictable, however. Accelerating hard from a standstill while making a turn generated some torque steer, that tugging sensation of the steering wheel that's often part of powerful, front-wheel-drive cars, but it was easy to control.

The brake pedal feels nice and firm and the brakes are responsive. Cavalier uses disc brakes in front, drum brakes in the rear, instead of the preferred and more expensive rear disc brakes. Anti-lock brakes (ABS) come standard on LS models. Slam on the brakes and the ABS steps in, bringing the Cavalier to an undramatic stop. ABS can be a real ally in an emergency maneuver because it allows the driver to steer the car in a panic braking situation. Just remember to keep hard pedal pressure on the brakes and don't forget to steer.