Picture Gallery: 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt LT
Day 1:
 Click Image to Enlarge |
The 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt was released late 2004 as the replacement for the rather long-standing Cavalier, a car that was really showing its age. General Motors wanted a total change, so after 23 years of service, they renamed this compact sedan to ensure customers didn’t confuse this new car with something you rent at the local Enterprise dealership.
 Click Image to Enlarge |
The LT comes standard with power door locks and windows (auto down for the driver), remote keyless entry, cruise control, air conditioning, AM/FM/CD stereo with auxiliary audio jack and MP3 capability powering seven speakers, two front airbags and traction control.
For the base price of $17, 385 and and an extra $1,195 for freight/PDI and A/C tax, you can walk out the door with a really well-equipped vehicle. The Cobalt’s main competitors are the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3, Dodge Caliber and Ford Focus; by the end of the week I should have had enough seat time to let you know if it is a worthy competitor.
2007 Chevrolet Cobalt LT
MSRP as tested: $21,670
For more information on Chevrolet and the Cobalt visit GM Canada
Day 2:
 Click Image to Enlarge |
I’m actually impressed so far by the Cobalt. The interior bits of the car feel very solid and the dash and console pieces, although plasticky, are not much different than what’s found in imports at this level. The plastics feel solid and do not flex under pressure, which gives a sense of quality to the interior.
 Click Image to Enlarge |
As someone mentioned in the forum, the door sills are very wide; I actually fell into the seat once when I misjudged the step into the vehicle. During the winter months, this could lead to dirty pant legs and wet ankles.
I’ve also noticed the headlights are little on the weak side, although this could be my perspective talking: I did drive a vehicle with HIDs last week, and my own two vehicles have HIDs as well. I have, however, driven many vehicles with projector beam halogen bulbs with a much brighter light pattern than that given off by the Cobalt’s headlights.
Seating is a little on the high side for a sedan, with firm cushions front and rear. Leg and head room feel average and very similar to its competitors as well. There is nothing extremely fancy about the interior of the Cobalt, as you have seen from the pictures, but everything is within easy reach and the controls are very intuitive. I have no complaints about the interior besides those tiny cupholders.
Day 3:
 Click Image to Enlarge |
The turning radius of the Cobalt is exceptional. In the Costco parking lot, I had to avoid an oblivious driver and was still easily able to make it into my intended parking space. The Cobalt is really easy to maneuver in parking lots and reversing is extremely easily with good sight lines all around.
 Click Image to Enlarge |
The Cobalt feels very sure-footed on the road and seems to handle extremely well. In the first corner I tried to take a little quick the car actually turned in much sooner than I expected. The vehicle feels light on its feet and very similar to the Mazda3 against which it competes.
The 2.2L engine is a little grumbly during slow acceleration, and especially when it is cold in the morning. Once the engine warms up, though, it seems to be a little quieter and on the highway or at any speeds above 60km/h, engine noise is imperceptible. If you drive a lot in 40km/h zones, though, the noise might become a little annoying.
Day 4:
 Click Image to Enlarge |
The only real complaints I have with the Cobalt are the seats, which are not the most comfortable on longer trips; the small cup holders; and the grumbly engine noise on acceleration, particularly at lower speeds.
I averaged 9.7L/100km during my week with the Cobalt in driving that was closer to 90% city if not more so; remarkably good gas mileage for a 2.2L engine.
So, what is my opinion? Well, the Cobalt is not a class leader or a standout as far as driving dynamics, fuel economy or fit and finish. But it is a very strong class contender. The LT model, such as my tester, is excellent value at a starting price of only $17,385. Leave off the silly options that my tester had and you can drive away with a well-equipped car for a bargain price.
*Rating out of 5:
| 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt LT | |
| Acceleration | 
|
| Handling | 
|
| Comfort | |
| Interior |
|
| Audio System | |
| Gas Mileage | |
*Rating based on vehicle’s classification
2007 Chevrolet Cobalt LT
MSRP as tested: $21,670
For more information on Chevrolet and the Cobalt visit GM Canada
to our site.
April 25, 2007, 03:40:24 pm I'm pretty much the exact same situation. The car I wanted was a the Civic Coupe. But in the end due to the price and the price only I ended up getting a G5 Coupe instead. The price difference may have only been $3,000 or so but I had a price limit and that was it.
Combined with the fact that my previous 2 Pontiac's, both used were gems. I had no problem buying this car over the a civic.
I just wanted to note that while its easy to compare and contrast vehicles with competitors in their car class, many other factors are often overlooked. A few of these things include interest rates, and insurance prices. I compared the G5 with a Honda Civic coupe when I was car shopping, and while the interior quality was much better in the honda, for me it came down to price (the typical scenario in this car class). Honda was offering 7.5% interest, while GM was offering 0%. Insurance wise, the Honda was double the price (and yes I shopped around).
April 25, 2007, 03:46:21 pm RunsinLight, did you test drive the Civic Coupe on the highway? Comparison in power/overall to your G5 GT?
April 25, 2007, 03:56:40 pm I drove the 4 Door DX-G in automatic because all their coupes were manual and I couldn't drive one at the time.
That was at the point where the the interior was still kind of odd looking to me. So I really didn't notice anything beyond "Do I Like This"
I imagine comparing a Civic DX-G to a G5 GT would be like comparing a G5 GT to a Civic SI. Not even close.
April 26, 2007, 07:46:42 am Just a side note : the Cobalt SS / G5 GT came up in Car and Driver's top-10 quickest cars under 20,000 us$. They said the 2.4 / automatic pair is a marriage headed straight to divorce court
The quickest "cheap" car btw : Mustang coupe V-6 manual, 0-60 in 6.5 s
April 26, 2007, 11:35:55 am the sandstone metallic paint makes it hard to find the car in crowded parking lots
That's not the fault of the car: that's a sign that you're driving too many cars.
April 26, 2007, 07:13:52 pm I had a Cobalt as a rental for two weeks here in Vancouver. It was an LT with auto, air, keyless entry and one touch power windows, which is how about 90% of them will go out the door. First of all, I hated the silver colour. The light grey interior was a dirt magnet, especially since I have little kids. I found the stereo very weak. On the good side was an excellent drivetrain, plenty of power and no rattles and squeaks. It handled very well. The driving position, with the standard height adjustable seat, was very good and all the controls well laid out.
The interior was a little crappy and cheap but you can drive away in one of these for for $18,800 right now and with GM willing to deal I am sure you can even beat that down to $17,000 on the road (plus tax, of course) if you try hard enough. That is at least $6,000 less than a comparably equipped Corrolla or Civic. This includes a 10 year 160,000 km powertrain warranty with courtesy transportantion and roadside assistance, none of which Toyota or Honda offer past three years. Believe me, this is a big factor.
Six grand is a big chunk of money for a working stiff like me.
April 26, 2007, 07:25:19 pm I might add that a drunk totalled my 2006 Pontiac Wave 5 head on and I walked away from the wreck, frazzled, stiff but othewise fine. I was stopped at an intersection, turning left and the drunk, in an old Dodge Stratus, hit me at an estimated 60 km/h after crossing the centre line.
The five star crash rating is for real folks. It took two weeks to sort the insurance out and now I have a 2007 Wave 5. The Wave is a better car in every way than the Cobalt in my humble opinion.
April 26, 2007, 08:23:31 pm I find the Cobalt sedan in SS trim to be quite attractive. Yes the interior needs to be improved and with the strides GM is making I'm sure it will be. Hell will have frozen over before I pay the extra for a Civic.
April 26, 2007, 08:58:51 pm I've test driven a Cobalt base coupe, and I personally think they're little better than what the Cavalier is in some ways. They drive decently, acceptable refinement, but the lucks are definitely not modern or good-looking. It looks like it was designed in the 90s for the future. Very rental-car looking.
Only dodge really has a good domestic sub-compact, and thats because they took risks. Some of the materials are cheap, but its a good design, that needs a little refining.
And the imports are leagues ahead. They have style, refinement, good equipement levels for relatively cheap, and they have designs that are more classic.
April 26, 2007, 09:10:36 pm I really liked the Pursuit GT (Cobalt SS) I tested, and would encourage anyone looking in this class to take the dive and move up to that car. IIRC, it's about $23 000 without sunroof, but adds a more powerful engine, alloys, an upgraded stereo (that I was rather impressed with), sportier suspension, as well as the usual power window, air, etc. With a little GM discounting and negotiating, I think it would make a very good value purchase. I also drove a Pursuit base model, and it was much less impressive. IMO the extra $3k is worth it for what you get out of the SS or GT trim.
April 27, 2007, 07:35:38 am Since everyone is bringing up the cost issue over Civic / Corolla, I recently spent a week with a loaner Mazda 3, a new 2007 GX with manumatic, air and power group. Msrp is around 19,800$, and the 3 is quite a driver's car for the money. My 3 daughters even fit in the back, and that includes 2 child seats !
Point is, imports are still the value champs when incentives aren't factored in. Cobalt / G5 are leagues ahead of Cavalier / Sunfire, but '90s looks and high retail prices mean they're still fleet queens.
The Caliber, with its edgy design, is showing a strong retail presence here in Quebec, as well as in fleets, proof that you can hit both targets with a domestic product.
April 27, 2007, 01:10:12 pm Blueprint Says:
Yesterday at 07:46:42 AM
Just a side note : the Cobalt SS / G5 GT came up in Car and Driver's top-10 quickest cars under 20,000 us$. They said the 2.4 / automatic pair is a marriage headed straight to divorce court
The quickest "cheap" car btw : Mustang coupe V-6 manual, 0-60 in 6.5 s
any links to this article?
April 27, 2007, 02:58:24 pm The Quickest Cars of 2007: Less Than $20,000
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/12843/the-quickest-cars-of-2007-less-than-20000.html
April 27, 2007, 03:05:40 pm Regarding Day 3 testing, I'd like to comment on the turning circle: That tight turning circle certainly doesn't apply to my GT trim model. I am the owner of a 2006 Pursuit GT and the turning circle is rather large (37.4ft). That's pretty much my most important dislike of this otherwise fine car! (compare to other cars: Mazda3 = 34.1ft, Corolla = 35.2ft, Sentra = 35.4ft, Yaris = 30.1ft, Camry=35.4m, etc!)
April 28, 2007, 09:06:53 pm I have had 2 Cobalts--an 06 2.4L SS 5 speed coupe and now an 07 2.4L SS 4 dr automatic.
With a combined 30,000kms I have only had 2 minor problems (radio and noisy heater fan). Never had a sqeak or raltle. This is one super stiff chassis.
The SS cars wit the 17" handle very well and have nice large 4 wheel disc brakes. Both are very confidence inspiring if you choose to have a little "fun" wink.
Passnegers have remearked that the seats are very hard. I just went on a 1500km road trip and had no discomfort what so ever.
Is the interior the absolute best? No---but I think its easily very good. I find the Civics interior nasueating and fugly--the whole car flet very confining to me.
My 5 speed coupe was quite quick---much more fun the the automatic. I got a best of 6.4L per 100km form Kelowna to Calgary. The auto is worse--but the engines still pretty tight.
Automatic 4cly are never the greatest partners but its not as bad as Car and Driver makes it out to be. A 6 speed auto wouold help though.
I did test drive the base car once---but I don't uuy base cars. They handle terribly.
And just an FYI--the Astra and Cobalt are built on different platforms. Gm came up with a great car to replace the Cav--its unfortunate most people canot accept this or give it a chance.
April 28, 2007, 09:43:24 pm Does anyone know if the dashboard plastic quality was upgraded from 2006? Is it possible to get a good closeup of the dashboard?
May 01, 2007, 11:02:16 am It is good to see more reviews of cars like the Cobalt and the Versa.
It dosent matter what surveys say but a lot of first time car buyers are new immigrants and students who usually have 5k to max 20k to buy a new or a used car depending on their financial and job siutation. (My own budget was 5-7K). I've been 2 years in this country still i buying a 30K car incl taxes would be a strech for me considering mortgage payments and building up my RRSP. So these reviews will really help a lot of people
May 01, 2007, 03:36:00 pm
It dosent matter what surveys say but a lot of first time car buyers are new immigrants and students who usually have 5k to max 20k to buy a new or a used car depending on their financial and job siutation. (My own budget was 5-7K). I've been 2 years in this country still i buying a 30K car incl taxes would be a strech for me considering mortgage payments and building up my RRSP. So these reviews will really help a lot of people
I agree. Just looking at the latest Car&Driver reminds me why I rarely buy it now. Long term $80,000 U.S. Porsche Boxter, Mercedes-Benz CL600 road test, Ferrari 599GTB road test, Lexus LS600hL short take, Audi Q7 short take, BMW X5......
Nothing tested in the latest issue would be below $30,000 Canadian, and much is double or triple.
May 01, 2007, 06:31:09 pm I noticed that the observed fuel economy was 9.7 litre/100 km. Canadiandriver.ca tested the 2006 Honda Civic said on December 12, 2006 "The result is a very smooth and quiet engine that gives this car excellent performance, while still returning a respectable 7.3 L/100 km (39 mpg Imperial) in combined driving for me." 2.4/7.3 is 28% better fuel economy. This means that every ten years of driving the Cobalt will cost over $3000 in fuel charges alone over a Honda Civic. The Toyota Corolla gets even better fuel economy than the Civic, so you would save even more with the Corolla.
Consumer reports found in real world testing that the Cobalt got 23 mpg in the April, 2007 Annual Auto Issue, the highest in the segment.
This is not spare change.
John
May 01, 2007, 07:02:37 pm You said it yourself, John. You save $3000 in fuel over 10 years. Meaning you save $300 in fuel every year. Meaning you save $25 in fuel every month.
Not spare change to be sure. But you save that much by drinking one less cup of Starbucks each week.
-Rick
May 01, 2007, 08:10:37 pm Having read the test and all 46 posts I can see no reason why I would even look at one compared to a Fit. It has traction control, more horsepower and 16" wheels and costs about the same ( a bit less 'cos the tester has automatic) But....and btw I am NOT generally a fan of Japanese cars... the Fit is just such a good carefully thought out small car
May 01, 2007, 08:41:58 pm I might as well try and kill off this thread.
The current Cobalt would have been an acceptable offering by GM in 2001
when the 2001 gen Civic was introduced. But today
In comparison to a 1.8 Civic mated to the Honda 5 speed auto the Cobalt 2.2 mated to the GM 4 speed auto is just a bag of crap. Face it; there is no excuse not to at least meet Honda's level of performance and fuel economy, reliability aside of course.
The Cobalt is a "zero %" car. That is the only way they can lure buyers in. How wonderful for GM.
May 01, 2007, 08:56:26 pm
The current Cobalt would have been an acceptable offering by GM in 2001
when the 2001 gen Civic was introduced. But today
In comparison to a 1.8 Civic mated to the Honda 5 speed auto the Cobalt 2.2 mated to the GM 4 speed auto is just a bag of crap. Face it; there is no excuse not to at least meet Honda's level of performance and fuel economy, reliability aside of course.
The Cobalt is a "zero %" car. That is the only way they can lure buyers in. How wonderful for GM.
I don't think you will kill this thread. You probably have stirred up a hornet's nest though. Let the games begin.
May 02, 2007, 12:01:57 pm I'm ready.
May 04, 2007, 11:32:54 pm
Well I am not so sure about comparing the Fit to the Cobalt. I rented a Cobalt for a trip to the Stratford Festival last Fall. I was quite please with the car. The interiour looked great, it was quiet, it was comfortable. But, it did not leave a lasting impressions.
We test drove the Fit. Great visibility. It got pricy with larger wheels felt busy, noisey, et al -- exactly like our 1989 Civic hatchback.
Its an old idea - Civic sold a small wagon in the 80's.