Subtle but attractive body work
18" wheels and 4 Piston Brembo Brakes
Gobs of low end torque and Zero Turbo Lag
Excellent throttle response
Very easy clutch
Short shifter
Good top end power
Less body roll than expected
Excellent steering response at high speed
Predictable
No lift shift, Competitive mode and the ability to fully de-activate all traction systems.
Oil life monitor
A Pillar boost gauge
Performance per dollar

Leather wrapped steering wheel but a plastic wrapped shifter
Doors are tricky in tight spaces
Back seat is virtually unusable for anyone above 5 foot 10 for more than five minutes
Stock gauge faces could use a makeover
Exhaust is far too quiet

Let's start off with my past vehicle history. I have owned a Pontiac 6000 LE, An AE92 Corolla GTS, a Dodge Neon, A Dodge Neon SRT-4 and now the Cobalt. The Cobalt makes me think of my old Corolla GTS. It wasn't the flashy sports car, it had somewhat awkward doors, the interior was decent but not amazing and the shifter had it's downsides. However, it walked all over Civic Si's, Neon's and Z24 Cavaliers, it had surprisingly comfortable seats, it drove quite well on the roads while being able to handle the twisties pretty well. But what set it out from the others the most was the fact that like the Cobalt, it's a car that you can really become one with. It does what you tell it to, it responds predictably to your every input, it can double as an effective daily driver and it had all the right features to allow for monitoring of the most important systems. The Cobalt SS has so much character I can't even begin to explain it, it's a car that you have to drive to really appreciate it. The suspension handles rough roads better than many would expect and offers a very comfortable ride through any road condition. Sometimes it feels like your average Econo Coupe. It doesn't have the noisy engine, the mad tire and wind noise or the sickeningly painful suspension characteristics that many performance cars of this calibre possess. Step on the gas however and the instant pull of the turbo and the satisfying detonation from the muffler when you no lift shift at the right time and you suddenly realize that this car is the ultimate sleeper coupe. At least in the $30,000 range (Canadian Money here). It's also nice when you no lift shift into second and the tires let out a monster howl and leave two big black patches on the road behind you. It's the kind of car that can make many a luxury coupe and sedan owner blush. And in terms of the interior, yes everybody knocks it but for the difference in price between it's closest competitors you could also have your dash refinished and swap many of the plastic parts for leather or any other material you see fit. Personally, I like the interior. It's simple, everything is easy to find and access and unlike the other cars in it's class I actually have head room. The seats are very comfortable but I prefer a seat like the Neon SRT-4. I just don't find the bolsters on the SS seats strong enough. Just my opinion, other than that the seats rock. One thing i'm surprised nobody has mentioned in a review is the available option for the RPD (Re-configurable Performance Display) unit. It gives you all the same info as the GTR's unit. Revs, Engine HP and Torque output, coolant temperature, boost you name it. It replaces the a-pillar boost gauge. The Pioneer sound system is very well put together too. The 10" sub offers lots of low end responsiveness and the rest of the speakers dish out more than sufficient mid and high tones. Onstar is amazing too. Check engine light? Screw the dealer, press the on star button and they can diagnose it for you and guide you to the nearest dealer for service. All without picking up a cell phone or dishing out money for a diagnostic check. Than there's the Brembo brakes, the 18" wheels, the subtle lip kit that sets it apart from the base Cobalt without drawing too much attention. And to hell with the gripes about the slightly uneven body work (so they say) who the hell is going to notice that on the street? Trust me, if you want high performance and handling, outstanding gas mileage (350-400km per tank city and over 600 highway) and a subtle design that will net you looks without drawing too much heat or attention than this is the car for you. If you want lots of leather and other "higher end" gadgetry and accents that 90% of the people you come across won't see than go with one of it's competitors. I'll be waiting for you at the finish line.
Excellent sound system
Lots of trunk space

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Dodge Caliber SRT-4

Power baby!!! good mpgs. Very comfy.

makes you want to speed.....thats it.

This car is amazing. The performance is rediculous not to mention 30mpg on highway going 75-80mph. Made very well, can tear up the twisties and looks just right, not too much of that boy racer look. I highly recommend.

easy to handle, gas efficient, good looking car

back end is light and will slip on wet roads

Easy to drive, avg. 35 mpg, great car for the price!

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Cavolier

Comfort, ride, visibility, gas mileage. I also like the mechanic friendly design of replace when worn out parts.

None yet.

So far no problems. Actually love this little car. Never had to buy a car out of necessity before, but this was a good buy. No frills. Only option was the wing on the back. Averaging 38 mpg with a best instant mpg of 46 on the highway at just over 55 mph. The XFE model of the Cobalt gets better mpg than the standard LS model though.

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Chevrolet Cavalier Z24(no comparison really)

Solid, but smooth ride, adequate horsepower to make grades, excellent sound from factory stereo, interior is MUCH nicer than that of others in the category. RDS stereo, two tone interior, cloth seats are very durable and do not have some childish design to them. Last strength... This car actually has value at resale. No gooseneck hinges in trunk. That's right it uses hydraulic lifts! Trunk is very large carrying 4 garbage bags stuffed full. Rear seats fold down via a pull in the trunk. So no more finding out you need them down and have to do it from inside the car. Nice exhaust note to be heard when windows are down. Super quiet when windows are up. Even on a busy freeway the sound dampening really does the trick. Radio automatically adjusts volume when acclerating or decelerating, or when the interior fan is on. My favorite feature is the starter. You turn the key like normal but instead of waiting for the engine to turn over before you release the key you release the key immediatly and the engine is cranked till it turns on. I also really like the driver information center which displays 2 tripometers, average speed, MPG, coolant temp, and outside temperature. The outside temperature gauge was accurate to 95% which is better than the thermometers on the banks. MPG is a bit off and sometimes it did not come close.

Really crappy cup holder. Put in a 32 ounce cup and take a turn and yor drink takes a dive. Also I really dont like the wheel covers. They rattle a lot when driving over bumps. They will be replaced. Armrest is an option in LS but only costs about $100 to add one. Rear seat belt latch is difficult to access when buckling in a child that is in a car seat. Could be tighter in turns.

When considering my next car purchase I chose between several cars. The Cobalt LS fit the bill nicely in replacing my dated Oldsmobile. I purchased the stipped down model and am not sorry I did! The car is solid as can be heard when shutting the door firmly. This car makes the Cavalier look like a big pile of crap. EPA rates this vehicle at 32 MPG I believe but when I took several trips from Northern California to Phoenix I was able to get 37 - 40 MPG. This gets me over 400 miles per tank and costs under $40 to fill. Also I was able to make the 700 + mile trip in under 12 hours. This being mainly because the car was comfortable enough to continue driving without stopping. Method I used to calculate mileage was mileage on tripometer/gallons to fill up. My tripometer is accurate according to the highway tripometer signs. Also according to my GPS system I installed the speedometer is 98% accurate. Never had a car that close before. This is the first car I have EVER enjoyed enough to recommend at all. This is a great car even stipped down. Manual windows and locks just means you have one less thing to break and one less thing to stress your battery. Not that it is a lot of stress but I am saying I do not miss these features now that I have to do it myself.

Good gas mileage, smooth ride.

This car has given me soo much frustration, I feel like every time I turn around I'm taking the car into the dealer ship.

FRUSTRATION!!! I am leasing this car(brand new when I got it) and it has been nothing but frustration. First the key was stuck in the ignition which lead the the computer in the car being replaced. Then the air compressor went bad which stalled the car, leading to it having to be towed and stuff replaced. Now I have an electrical short and my driver side window will not go down and my remote entry wont work. Plus 1 recall on the car.

Power, handling. I easily went into pass mode at 80km/h and it 120 km/h it seconds to pass a car with ease. Handles like a larger car. Very quite and little wind noise.

Headrest feels a bit funny. Rear window wind noise when 1 window down. Trunk opening is very small. How am I to get my hockey bag in?

I am currently test driving a 2006 Sedan with 21,000 km. I quite like the drive adn handling of the vehicle. The rear window does howl when down all the way, but how often would you drive with just rear down? Good power. Odd angle of headreast though. Trunk entry is small

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It's too early to complain about them, but from previous owners, they told me this car is reliable and durable. It's beautiful inside and out, and it rides as smoothly as butter.

None at all.

It's actually a 2007, but 2006 was the highest I can pick from the dropbox. Anyway, I've been wanting this car for so long, and I'm finally happy to own one. It's a very beautiful compact car, and I just love the features. It tells me my oil quality, average speed, average miles left till I fill up my tank, exterior temperature, etc. It also comes with XM radio which I'm sure I'll subscribe to when the months are up. I've heard nothing but good things about this car. Ridiculous speed isn't a problem for me since I'm not a street kid who wants to race and customize my car. My car is silver without a spoiler, so I'm looking forward to adding one soon. I'm in love with my new baby.

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I've had a 2002 Taurus and that was also a great car. I just wanted to switch to a smaller one.

I love the modern styling inside, the Pioneer system, the exterior styling.

Gas mileage wasn't near what the sticker said....it currently gets around 27mpg instead of 32 like the sticker said.

I bought this car new in July of 2005. I had numerous problems with it including the heater getting stuck on high in the middle of summer, as well as the key getting stuck in the ignition. The rear window howls badly because it was not sealed correctly from the factory and the dealer tried to fix it but that didn't help. Currently has 16,000 miles on it and (cross my fingers) hasn't had any problems for the last 6,000 miles. Overall, good car if you're looking for something cheap and drivable.

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1997 Chevy Cavalier
1996 Pontiac Sunfire

Great Gas mileage in town and og the highway

Keys were miskeyed from General Motors

This car has been very good.

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