2005 Chevy Cobalt SS ...

[LateNightCable]

2005 Chevy Cobalt SS Supercharged ...


I thought I would mention this new offering from Chevrolet. It's called the Cobalt SS Supercharged. The Cobalt, available in 145 horsepower coupe or sedan form, and starting at under $14,000 is Chevy's new small car, replacing the Cavalier and Sunfire, designed to attract "high end" buyers to the small car market - a recent recall of over 1,000 Cobalt's doesn't help that prospect. The top of the line model being the SS Supercharged coupe, a product of the GM Performance Division.



The SS Supercharged sports a 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine making 205 hp. @ 5,600 and 200 lb.ft. @ 4,400 - which personally I find rather paltry for a 2 liter unit, with a supercharger. Strangely, this engine is smaller than the 2.2 liter found in the base car. These numbers are a far cry from the SS concept which made 270.

This model is clearly targeting the SRT-4 from Dodge, but I think they miss the mark a little. The Cobalt SS seems "softer" than the Dodge. This is okay, but the price doesn't reflect it. The Dodge offers most, of the applicable features that the Cobalt offers, and in the case of a limited slip differential, actually offers more, as the Chevy hasn't one. and in some cases And as far as power goes, the SRT-4 blows the Chevy into the weeds. Add to this the powertrain warranty that Dodge offers which is 10,000 miles and 2 years longer than that offered for the Cobalt, and the value for dollar is questionable.

Here is a run down of the basic stats for the Cobalt SS and the SRT-4 ...

................ 2005 Cobalt SS Supercharged ......... 2005 Dodge SRT-4

Type .............. FF, 5-passenger coupe .............. FF, 5-passenger sedan

MSRP ....................... $21,430 ................................... $20,560

Engine ................ 2.0 16V - 4 SC ......................... 2.4 16V - 4 Turbo

Power ............... 205 hp. - 200 lb.ft. ..................... 230 hp. 250 lb.ft.

Fuel Mileage .............. 23 / 25 ..................................... 22 / 30 ( ! )

Curb Weight ............ 2,991 lbs. .................................. 2,990 lbs.


GM Performance Division has to have something better than this up their sleeves. The Dodge is a screaming performance bargain, especially now that the Cobalt SS is here. We shall see.

[bleh]

<set tone=sarcasm>its amazing how it looks nothing like a cavalier with civic headlights<end sarcasm>

funny how its a wannabe srt4 but it gets worse mpg and less power and costs more. retarded. i really thought the numbers would be better since it is coming out after the srt4. maybe the power ratings are underrated like the srt4s are... o wait that wont help either. the only thing this car has going for it is that its probably easier to upgrade, just change pulleys and there will be a decent amount of power to gain. maybe thats their intent?

whatever. honda has no problem making a 2.0l with 220hp in a fwd car. poor dumbestic

[wEstSide]

Maybe they are underrated numbers, but the 0-60 time was like 6.2s. Maybe that is underrated, who knows.

[LateNightCable]

Even if the Cobalt is underrated, it's still quite obvious that it lags behind the SRT-4 in a major way. Even factory claims are not that off.

And as for changing pulleys and what not, you shouldn't have to. It's funny though, on the Cobalt website, there is an animated movie of the SS dusting a Neon, but I don't think it was an SRT-4.

The true 0-60 time of the Dodge is like 5.4, so Chevy better hope their numbers are underrated.

[thepolarfoxqx]

everything i've heard about the cobalt SS is that it is pretty well refined, something that SRT4 is not at all. I see the cars as equals. First off, the SS has no turbo lag, a flatter torque curve, and drives more naturally around town. The SRT4 is faster, that's a given. Which handles better, hard to say. Just the same, one you trade refinement for more performance, the other you trade some performance for better refinement. The SS is, I'm sure, a much more pleasant car to commute and cruise around in. If it loses at the stoplight to the SRT4, that's why. I'd call them solid equals. Then again, last time I talked about SRT4, someone told me the SRT4 was a better car than a boxster, so go figure.

I'd call the SRT4 and Cobalt SS equals. It's like the corvette vs. M3 thing. One has more performance at the limits, the other is more refined. Both are great cars, just different.

[LateNightCable]

This is the impression that I've also had. The SS is a "softer" car as I mentioned above, and the SRT-4 is more hardcore.

But I really think it's a sign of uncertainty on the part of GM Performance Division. They're not sure which way to go - should they compete for top dog in performance, or vie for a safer, more marketable route?

The SS has no turbo lag, but don't think the SC isn't lagging on that 2 liter. That is probably accountable for the less than leading gas mileage at least partly.

[bleh]

so does anyone know what this thing is supposed to do in the quarter?

[skyline_r34v]

It's (Cobalt SS) suppose to do mid-high 14's in the 1/4.

BTW the SRT-4's power is extremely underrated. Guys dynoing the cars were pushing over 230whp to the wheels and not crank. Sport Compact Car dyno'd a stock '04 SRT-4 234whp and 246wlb/ft of torque. Which is around 270hp and 285lb/ft of torque to the crank.

I don't know why Dodge grossly underrated the hp #'s like that.

[skyline_r34v]

What's sad is the Cobalt SS concept would be perfect for the car because it actually looks pretty good.

[bleh]

Originally Posted by skyline_r34v What's sad is the Cobalt SS concept would be perfect for the car because it actually looks pretty good.

its got a nice highknee. ill give it that, but i really dont think it looks that great.

high 14s, thats just a little faster than my territory. so given that they probably wont be the best drivers in the world i cant wait to meet one