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Chevrolet Cobalt: Reviews (Car & Driver, Edmunds, etc.)

43 messages,  Last post on May 31, 2008 at 10:13 PM

You are in the Chevrolet Cobalt Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Cobalt, Automotive News, Coupe, Sedan

Messages Page 2 of 5

#4 of 43 Re: Cobalt long term test [aveman] by poncho167

May 03, 2006 (6:05 am)

Replying to: aveman (May 02, 2006 9:07 am)
The Fit is a sub-compact car, the Cobalt is a premium compact. I believe it was Car & Driver if I am not mistaken, that had the Cobalt edging the Corolla 28.4 to 28.1 mpg in real world testing last year.

#5 of 43 Re: Cobalt long term test [poncho167] by m1miata

May 03, 2006 (7:56 pm)

Replying to: poncho167 (May 03, 2006 6:05 am)
Well the Fit is yet another weird little car, which I assume will sell at or above the retail price --- for no apparent rational reason. I take it the handling is good -- but it is just a little mini-van looking thing.
 
The Cobalt looks better than a Fit. I would not say it is a premium compact, but it is a good enough looking economy car.
 
When I had a Corolla, I got around 28 in city, and 35 to 40 MPG on the freeway. I was in the real World
 
The Cobalt head2head is with Civic class of car. If you want more torque in the base model, GM wins. Will leave it at that.
-Loren

#6 of 43 Cobalt sedan sales by ron_m

Sep 09, 2006 (7:54 am)

Apparently the Cobalt sedan has sold better than expected by many people. At least in certain areas of the U.S.A. it appears to have sold quite well. I'm seeing quite a few Cobalt sedans on the road in my area these days. Way more than I would have ever dreamed of seeing. Last week while we were on vacation at a beach resort town, I noticed several Cobalt sedans and coupes. However, I think a lot of folks rent cars to drive on vacations due to a combination of reasons. Sometimes they don't have a lot of confidence that their own vehicle will make an extremely long trip, and many folks simply don't want to leave their personal vehicle(s) sitting out in a hotel/condo complex's parking lot for up to a week at a time where it will be subjected to more vandalism and the elements.
 
Now, the above observation leads me to a question for all of you Cobalt owners. Are you truly happy with your vehicle thus far? We've heard from several people in this forum that are either somewhat dissatisfied or very dissatisfied, so if you're a lurker and you're very satisfied with your Cobalt, please speak up. I'd like to hear more feedback from Cobalt owners on here. The Consumer Reports BEST & WORST NEW CARS 2006 issue didn't have very many good things to say about the Cobalt sedan. Yeah, yeah, I know... "If it's not of Asian origin CR won't have anything positive to say about it."
Even though they supposedly don't accept any advertising from automobile manufacturers whatsoever.

#7 of 43 Re: Cobalt sedan sales [ron_m] by ray_h1

Sep 09, 2006 (12:54 pm)

Replying to: ron_m (Sep 09, 2006 7:54 am)
Don't have a Cobalt in the garage yet, but better half's Cavalier is five years old and showing its age. It's never failed to stand and deliver, but the law of averages will catch up. The only thing it's required in the time she's owned it have been oil and filter changes - which I've got down to a twenty minute chore doing it myself. (The Ecotec motor's even easier with its up-front, topside mess-free cartridge oil filter arrangement.) Obviously, a Cobalt is at the very top of her very short list of probable replacements in a month or so. To that end, she's taken two road trips from San Bernardino to Phoenix over as many months in rented Cobalts to check 'em out under duress - July and August. Neither of those trips altered her liklihood of moving into a new Cobalt. Now that GM's issuing a 5 yr./100,000 mile powertrain warranty on top of the 3 yr./36,000 mile basic warranty, they've put their (remaining) money where their mouth is.
 
(A few thoughts about Consumer Reports: have you ever seen any advertising in CR other than their blowing their own horn for subscriptions and their various services? They're completely subscription and point-of-sale supported. Unlike other publications which accept carefully maintained (tweaked?) samples from their manufacturers' consumer publication test fleets, everything CR tests and reports on is by way of buying their test samples through normal retail channels. Where I part company with CR is the anonymous way their samples are reported on. With the "usual suspects" enthusiast rags, there are listed testers to whom readers can agree with or flame in letters to the editor.)

#8 of 43 Re: Cobalt sedan sales [ron_m] by poncho167

Sep 11, 2006 (5:51 am)

Replying to: ron_m (Sep 09, 2006 7:54 am)
CR is not a legitimate company for automobile testing. They are very familar with oven ranges, lawnmowers, and coffee makers though.

#9 of 43 Re: Cobalt sedan sales [ray_h1] by poncho167

Sep 11, 2006 (5:55 am)

Replying to: ray_h1 (Sep 09, 2006 12:54 pm)
The Cobalt was given a 5 year warranty at its introduction for the 2005 model year.

#10 of 43 Re: Cobalt sedan sales [poncho167] by gsemike

Sep 13, 2006 (8:35 am)

Replying to: poncho167 (Sep 11, 2006 5:51 am)
"CR is not a legitimate company for automobile testing. They are very familar with oven ranges, lawnmowers, and coffee makers though."
 
What's your basis for this comment? I think that they tend to not put enough emphasis on performance, but they do apply a methodical approach and since they don't accept advertising should be pretty unbiased.

#11 of 43 Re: Cobalt sedan sales [gsemike] by ray_h1

Sep 13, 2006 (3:51 pm)

Replying to: gsemike (Sep 13, 2006 8:35 am)
Right on both counts! Add to those the fact that Consumer Reports buys their test vehicles outright through normal retail channels - no getting a specially "prepped" test car that John Q. would never have a shot at. It would be nice if CR used "real car guys" to ring out the cars tested, though, who could intellegently report on handling and performance issues.

#12 of 43 Re: Cobalt sedan sales [gsemike] by poncho167

Sep 14, 2006 (11:21 am)

Replying to: gsemike (Sep 13, 2006 8:35 am)
Well for starters have you ever read their reviews? Being an auto hobbiest their auto articles are ridiculous in that they don't compare apples to apples and their comments are a little on the amatuar side. I wouldn't be surprised if they go to dealers and kick the tires on vehicles first. I was in a store not long ago reading a test on a Chevrolet HHR in which they knocked it for locating the power window switch on the center council area. They had no mention of other vehicles that have this switch location including the Chrysler PT Cruiser. Based on this and other comments I have read in their magazine I would have to say they are no better, possibly worse, than a local newspaper auto review article.
 
As far as their survey results go those are suspect as well. They don't give a legitimate surveys being that the people who they survey are the people who subscribe to their magazine so there is no control over who the respondents are and the reason why they are responding, etc. They are not random surveys like JD Powers.

#13 of 43 Re: Cobalt sedan sales [poncho167] by gsemike

Sep 14, 2006 (11:51 am)

Replying to: poncho167 (Sep 14, 2006 11:21 am)
Is the issue with the window switches that they're on the center console or that they're on the center console in-front of the shifter??
 
Plenty of cars have the switches on the console, I can't name another car that has them in front of the shifter. It definately not in a place where they fall to the hand.
 
It's a bad design and CR rang them up for it. What's the issue?

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