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4545 W. RAMSEY STREET BANNING, CA 92220
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2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LT
| Media Reviews |
The design theme inside the Cobalt is simple and straightforward. Materials are decent and the fit and finish is good. Overall, it's comparable for the class. There's just enough chrome trim here and there on knobs and instruments to brighten things up without a lot of glare from the shiny parts. Instruments are large, well placed, and easy to read, with nice graphic treatment throughout. Cobalt uses different seats in the different trim levels, each with detail changes in foam, padding and trim. We found plenty of fore/aft and rake adjustment for a 6-foot, 4-inch driver, plus seat height adjustment with a ratcheting handle. The LT seats were very comfortable and grabbed us in the fast corners exactly where we needed to be grabbed and held. Even better were the optional leather-trimmed seats, which come with electric heat. The available Pioneer seven-speaker sound system with the Delphi AM/FM/CD delivers good sound and includes a huge subwoofer mounted on the left side trunk wall. For 2008, all Cobalts now come with XM Satellite Radio. The heating, ventilation and defroster system worked quickly and intuitively. The LS comes with manually operated windows. We don't mind this, but it takes a lot of cranking (about four and half times around) to wind the windows up. The urethane steering wheel that comes on LS and LT models feels cheap. The leather-wrapped wheel that's standard on Sport and optional on LT is much nicer. Rear-seat passengers pay a price for the coupe's sporty looks. Headroom, legroom, and hip room are reduced by 2 inches, 1.5 inches, and 3.5 inches, respectively; enough to make the difference between a comfortable place for adults and one best left to pre-adolescents. Up front, the coupe actually offers more head and legroom than the sedan, but only by fractions of an inch. The trunk in the sedan is wide and deep with a low lift-over height, and almost 14 cubic feet of capacity, more than competitive in the class, though the opening to the trunk seems relatively small. Cobalt does not use space-eating gooseneck hinges on its decklid, opting instead for simple outside corner hinges and two hydraulic assist struts. The coupe has an even smaller trunk opening, making it difficult to stow a thick suitcase. A 60/40-split, fold-down rear seat with a trunk pass-through feature adds utility to both sedan and coupe.
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.
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.
Highly competent compact coupes and sedans.
The Chevy Cobalt is built on GM's Delta platform, which it shares with the domestic Saturn Astra and European-market Opel Astra. But with its single-bar grille and bowtie emblem, Cobalt looks like a proper Chevrolet small car right down to its shoes and socks. Body panel fits are extremely tight. So tight, in fact, that there are no rubber trim gaskets around Cobalt's compound complex headlamps. The fastback coupe bears a resemblance to the Cavalier it replaced in 2005, right down to its high, rounded tail and triangular rear quarter windows; though in fact Cobalt shares little with its predecessor but its looks. The Cobalt sedan looks less like its curvier Cavalier ancestor, and more like a contemporary small sedan, with a tall roofline and short, chunky tail. The coupe weighs about 50 pounds less than the sedan, although it's doubtful anyone but a professional race driver would feel the difference on the road. Same for the sedan's slightly better front-to-rear balance: 59/41 vs. 60/40 for the coupe. Cobalt is longer, wider and lower than most of its direct competitors and its interior dimensions and trunk capacity are comparable for the class.
(Show more reviews)
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| Options and Accessories |
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 3 Point Rear Seatbelts
AM/FM Radio
Adjustable Head Rests
Air Conditioning
Airbag Deactivation
Anti Theft/Security System
Anti-Theft Device(s)
Anti-Theft Stereo
Auto Express Down Window
Auxiliary Audio Input
Beverage Holder (s)
Bucket Seats
CD Player in Dash
Center Console
Child Safety Locks
Daytime Running Lights
Door Pocket(s)
Dual Air Bags
Floor Mats
Folding Rear Seats
Front Wheel Drive
Intermittent Wipers
Low Tire Pressure Warning System
MP3 Player
Power Outlet(s)
SCV - Speed Compensated Volume
Satellite Radio
Small Size Spare Tire
Tire Pressure Monitor
Trip Computer
Vanity Mirrors
Wheel Covers
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This vehicle is located at:
4545 W. RAMSEY STREET BANNING, CA 92220
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Pricing and Information Disclaimer: All vehicle prices are subject to change without notice. This may be due to, but not limited to, accessories or options added by our accessory specialists.
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