Capitol Chevrolet Cadillac

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Driving Impressions

The Chevrolet Cobalt is quite pleasant to drive. It's quiet for a car that can be bought 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.

We found the 148-hp engine used on 2008 models lacking in low-rpm power. For 2009, the rated horsepower is up slightly, to 155 hp, but more important the new variable valve timing system should fatten the torque curve considerably, making this 2.2-liter engine feel more powerful through wider range of speeds.

EPA-estimated fuel economy with the 2.2-liter engine, manual transmission, and standard low-rolling-resistance tires is 25/37 mpg City/Highway. With any of the larger tire options that slips slightly to 25/35 mpg, which is still within 1 mpg of any of the ratings for the base-level, manually shifted Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, or Ford Focus. With automatic transmission, Cobalt is rated 24/33 mpg.

The brakes seemed a little mushy on the LT and LS, which come with drums in the rear.

The Cobalt SS coupe and sedan are powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged and intercooled Ecotec four-cylinder that uses direct fuel injection to balance performance with fuel efficiency. With direct injection, fuel is delivered directly to the combustion chamber to create a more complete burn of the air/fuel mixture. Compared to a conventional port-injection system, less fuel is required to produce the equivalent horsepower, especially at normal cruising speeds. The Cobalt SS is rated 260 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, so we anticipate exciting performance. Chevrolet claims a quick 0-60 time of approximately 5.7 seconds. EPA-estimated fuel economy is a decent 22 mpg city/30 mpg highway.

Chevy developed an all-new FE5 Sport suspension specifically for the SS, including upgraded stabilizer bars, spring rates and damper tuning, for a claimed cornering grip of 0.9 g. Front brakes are from Brembo and have a performance-oriented fixed-caliper design, which resists fade better than floating calipers. Rear discs are vented for better heat dissipation. This combination enabled the Cobalt SS to set a new class record of 8 minutes, 22.85 seconds at the famed Nurburgring racing circuit.

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