Driving Impressions

The Chevrolet Cobalt is quite pleasant to drive, especially the Sport model. It's quiet for a car that retails for less than $20,000. Chevrolet put considerable effort into special door seals, sandwich steel panels, thick carpets and pads, noise blockers and noise absorbers throughout the front, middle and rear of the car. As a result, normal front-seat conversation is possible at speeds above 90 mph. The 2.2-liter engine, which is rated at 148 horsepower is smooth, but does not feel powerful until it's revving high. The four-speed automatic doesn't help, with kickdown that reminded us of a rental car. We miss the Supercharged SS. We liked the way it sounded when it revved as well as its responsive performance. For now, however, if you want driving excitement in a Cobalt, the Sport model will have to do. The 171 developed by its 2.4-liter engine is 16 percent more than the base engine produces. With 167 pound-feet of torque at 4500 rpm, the Sport delivers only about 10 percent more torque than the base LS/LT. But then the 2.4 has variable valve timing, which the 2.2 does not, so the bigger engine should provide more flexibility across the whole rpm spectrum. That should make it easier to drive around town. The downside of the Sport's 2.4-liter engine is that its slightly higher compression ratio (10.4:1, vs. 10.0) pushes it over the line to where it needs Premium fuel to perform at its best. It will run on Regular gas, just not as fast. Fuel economy for the big engine with a manual transmission suffers slightly. Fuel economy with the manual transmission is EPA rated at 24/33 mpg City/Highway for the 2.2-liter engine, and 22/32 mpg for the 2.4-liter. But with an automatic, the 2.4-liter scores the same 22/31 mpg as the 2.2-liter. We found the Sport's four-wheel-disc brakes with ABS to be powerful and progressive, with a good balance between pedal travel and braking action. The brakes seemed a little mushy on the LT and LS, which come with drums in the rear.

Final Word

The Chevrolet Cobalt will satisfy the needs of drivers looking for economy of price, economy of operation, and a nice, quiet ride. We think it's a handsome, well-equipped car. It carries four people comfortably, five only in a pinch, on a minimal outlay for fuel and monthly payments. The standard engine could offer more responsive low-end power. The Sport model is more fun to drive. NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Jim McCraw reported from Dearborn, Michigan, with Mitch McCullough reporting from Los Angeles and John F. Katz from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.