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Chevrolet Cobalt Real World MPG

Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
Share with other owners your Cobalt's actual MPG.
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Comments

  • micwebmicweb Member Posts: 1,617
    I totalled up all my gas receipts/mileage records and my stickshift coupe has gotten an average of 34.0 mpg over the past 2,500 or so miles. Mostly freeway. High of 36 or so on a long (400 mile) highway (Yosemite) trip.
  • okko1okko1 Member Posts: 327
    are you just using the dic for your mpg or are doing the math? the car should be getting near 30mpg. and is the car an automatic?
  • bobnh2bobnh2 Member Posts: 2
    My 2006 Cobalt SS (2.4 manual) gets 31 on a 27 mile one-way commute (half highway / half not). I don't drive like a grandma, either. Pumped up tires to 38 PSI. Ride is a little rougher, but mpg is great!
  • times2times2 Member Posts: 45
    I just went through my first tank of gas on my 2006 Cobalt LS Sedan (2.2 with 5-speed). The computer and the gas fill up both matched up at 34.5 miles per gallon. Mostly a highway commute to work, but some mixed driving. Not bad for not being broken in yet!
  • barnhapjbarnhapj Member Posts: 2
    At the moment (2600mi) my '06 cobalt LS 2.2L 5-spd manual has gotten no less than 34.1mpg on any fill-ups. (Im not terribly light on the peddle either) Most trips are 50miles to work and 50 miles back w/ highway and city travel mixed. I did get 43.5mpg on one of the trips I went on a few weekends ago!(Checked it w/ the fill-up and the computer, its right!)
  • jaxs1jaxs1 Member Posts: 2,697
    What a shocker! Not one automatic driver posting?

    What kind of highway mileage can you expect with the 4-speed automatic?
  • ristoristo Member Posts: 1
    I have an SS sedan auto with 1500 miles and it says around 20 mpg avg for mixed driving. And that's barely moving LA traffic driving. At this point I'm hoping my car has some sort of correctable mechanical problem because this is just bad. What's going on?
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    At merely 1,500 miles, your new engine's not even half run-in yet. Keep in mind that in L.A. urban crawl, when you're stopped, you're getting ZERO mpg. Even when it's moving (well, at least "moving" in terms of urban L.A.) it still won't compare with traffic conditions in east Possum Trot on a Sunday morning at 9:30 A.M. with it's one stop sign and everyone except the town drunk in church.
  • mi1mi1 Member Posts: 1
    rented cobalt LS auto for 8 days mi to myrtle beach 14 hours 895 mi, total avg 33mpg ,engine had 4500 mi on engine
    quite comfortable handled well and quick
  • alpine1alpine1 Member Posts: 51
    I rented a 2006 Cobalt LS 4 Dr sedan which had 23K miles and auto transmission on a recent trip to Seattle, WA. I averaged 30 MPG (according to the car's computer) over 800 miles with about 75/25 freeway/city driving. The handling was excellent and the ABS (with "brake assist") was outstanding. The car had Pirelli tires which probably helped with the handling. I am very pleased with both the MPG and the handling!
  • cobaltkencobaltken Member Posts: 21
    I have a 2007 SS Supercharged 5 speed and I am getting 31 MPG on the highway and around 27 in town.
  • cobaltkencobaltken Member Posts: 21
    Sorry I forgot my car only has 1500 miles on it,so it should get better when it is broke in.
  • cobaltkencobaltken Member Posts: 21
    I heard that GM is going to stop making the cobalt,is this true?
  • jaxs1jaxs1 Member Posts: 2,697
    Yes GM will stop making the Cobalt one day.
    Please be more specific and list a source.
  • cobaltkencobaltken Member Posts: 21
    I live in Ohio not far from the Lordstown plant where the cobalt is built,and it was on my local news.
  • jaxs1jaxs1 Member Posts: 2,697
    You probably misheard something about this:

    http://www.tribune-chronicle.com/Business/articles.asp?articleID=11505

    It will probably be several more years before they stop building the Cobalt.
    If they are building the Cobalt or Cobalt parts in more than one factory, they might close one and keep building them in others.
  • cobaltkencobaltken Member Posts: 21
    I was not the only one that heard this my brother also heard it.They are not going to stop building them today, they said in a few years,GM wants to try and build something in its plase.I will try to go to the news channels web site and see if I can find something there.
  • ron_mron_m Member Posts: 186
    I was not the only one that heard this my brother also heard it.They are not going to stop building them today, they said in a few years,GM wants to try and build something in its plase.I will try to go to the news channels web site and see if I can find something there.

    Although I don't own a Cobalt myself, I do like the coupe and sedan versions of the car. Unfortunately for GM, Consumer Reports has the sedan's reliability rated below the industry average; which can be the kiss of death for an automobile in America. Regardless of what you may think about CR's methodologies for evaluating motor vehicles, a staggering number of CR readers/subscribers put a lot of stock into what the magazine says. That's just one problem for the Cobalt. Stiff competition from the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Versa, Ford Focus and Mazda 3 make for a tough row to hoe in regards to GM's ability to compete in the small economy sedan segment. But even with these things working against GM, the Cobalt has still actually sold fairly well. In order for GM to become the industry leader in the small economy sedan segment, they will have to come out with a Cobalt replacement that is as good or better than the Civic, Corolla, and Mazda 3.

    Ron M.
  • jaxs1jaxs1 Member Posts: 2,697
    Well, stopping building them years down the road is a not surprising at all.
  • cobaltkencobaltken Member Posts: 21
    I agree with you,it seems kind of silly to me that they would stop building the cobalt after they put all that money in the Lordstown plant so they could build it after the caviler was built there.
  • gerald41gerald41 Member Posts: 37
    Consumer reports ratings mean little to the average consumer. Remember the Cavalier always had some of the worse write up's and still was a top seller for GM for years. What sells these cars is Price. People look for cheap cars and that's what keeps them selling.I work with many people who travel long distances to and from the job and always look for the cheapest new car they can get. There great commuter cars or first new cars for the kid going to college or a second car to bang around town in.
  • ron_mron_m Member Posts: 186
    Consumer reports ratings mean little to the average consumer. Remember the Cavalier always had some of the worse write up's and still was a top seller for GM for years. What sells these cars is Price. People look for cheap cars and that's what keeps them selling.I work with many people who travel long distances to and from the job and always look for the cheapest new car they can get. There great commuter cars or first new cars for the kid going to college or a second car to bang around town in.

    While I do agree with the majority of your post's content, especially the last sentence, I have to respectfully disagree with the actual subject line itself. By working with a room full of mechanical and electrical engineers and engineering managers, I can assure you that these guys all take CR's opinions into consideration whenever they are cross shopping vehicles. But not solely. They do more research than simply read CR's rating of a vehicle that they are interested in. But again, they do actually take CR's reviews seriously and use it as a part of their overall evaluation of a prospective vehicle. And I really don't think it's just engineering types that do this. CR isn't the automotive bible, but it's still a respectable resource for many people in the U.S. With that said, you are indeed correct in that many other people are simply looking for cheap transportation--regardless of a vehicle's reputation on paper so to speak. When the total cost of ownership gets low enough, pretty much anything will sell fairly well for a few years.

    Ron M.
  • micwebmicweb Member Posts: 1,617
    You said, in part:

    Unfortunately for GM, Consumer Reports has the sedan's reliability rated below the industry average;

    This is an "Emperor has no clothes" issue these days. CR used to report on test cars that had 10 defects per vehicle whereas today car quality has improved so much, across the board, that you are talking more like 10 defects per 100 vehicles. This year in order to create more of an appearance of differences in quality than actually exists, they use a scale of poor to excellent where a poor vehicle, like the Cobalt, has 40% more defects than an average vehicle, and an excellent vehicle has 40% fewer defects than "average." If 10 defects per 100 vehicles is average (sorry, I don't have the exact number that is average), that means that Cobalts have, say, 14 defects per 100 vehicles and a Corolla has 6. Sounds like a big range, right? But if you average it out per vehicle, it is a range of 1.4 defects per vehicle vs. .6 defects per vehicle. SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH IN MY OPINION TO BASE A PURCHASE DECISION ON. Note that these are "non-serious" defects - the Cobalt is "excellent" in engine and other major areas.

    CR isn't dishonest - but they make all their money on the car buying issues and guides. These were meaningful "bibles" in the '60's and 70's in terms of opening people's eyes to the problems in Detroit and the fact that Japanese cars weren't junk. BUT that era is long gone, although CR's influence isn't.

    I've bought mostly American cars since 2000, and as odds would have it, the imports I bought during the same period had more defects than the domestics (with the exception of 2001 Focus).

    I think it's better to look at overall price, features, and costs and availability of dealer service. In these areas, I like the Cobalt a lot - it has good crash test results (excellent body integrity), great gas mileage (35 mpg consistently on my 70 mile daily freeway commute), and I LOVE that powerful 2.2 liter engine.

    It feels pretty good to support American industry post-911 too. We have a LOT of deficit to pay off over the years, and it would be good to recycle our $$$ over here. I get a kick out of buyers who want to break our dependence on "foreign oil" by buying small import cars that only get a few mpg better than domestics - the money they are shoving out the door to Japan o their car purchase far outweighs the dollars they are saving the US on foreign oil imports.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    ...I think we've lost track that this discussion is for Cobalt owners to post their actual MPG. Remember? :surprise:
  • micwebmicweb Member Posts: 1,617
    I was probably the last guilty party to post "off topic."

    However, I think that Edmund's decision to break the threads into WAY too many subsections is too inflexible. Now I have to scan dozens of threads for stuff that was in just one thread. And there are only a few posts, most getting stale, in many threads. In the oldStuff often veers off topic, but is still interesting.

    Have you considering consolidating the threads but requiring people to choose one or more "tags" before making their post - you could have gas mileage tags, repair tags, purchasing tags, review tags, etc.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    Hmmmm..interesting idea. However, the best place to post your suggestion would be in the Forums Software discussion.

    Thanks!
  • gman55gman55 Member Posts: 5
    After 12,000 miles with 80% on the hwy, I'm stuck at 31 MPG with the automatic in my LS coupe but I'm also averaging 75mph. (I have to. Thats the average hwy speed during my commute...really!)
  • jaxs1jaxs1 Member Posts: 2,697
    It's nice that you drive in an area with so little traffic congestion that the flow goes that fast during commute hours.
    You still don't have to drive 75 in a 65 zone. Just don't drive in the fast lane if most people are going faster than you and let them pass, waste their own gas and take their own risk of getting speeding tickets.
    Of course if you really wanted to go 75 anyway and are just using "everyone else is doing it" as an excuse, then don't worry about fuel economy.
  • gman55gman55 Member Posts: 5
    That's 75 mph in the "slow" lane. I 've seen 65er's that use the left lane and that really causes all sorts of problems when the 80+ idiot's come barreling in on them. I usually give a wide berth to them when I see their headlights bearing down on me.

    BTW I "hit" the downtown area about 5:30 in the am, so I miss most of the really bad congestion.
  • grosloupgrosloup Member Posts: 239
    Sometimes driving slower than the traffic's flow is extremely dangerest. Don't change your driving habits in that commute driving, but keep alert and share the road with those idiots. It might be more expensive on gas I agree but it would be a lot worse if you were involve in a crash, you could get injured and your car insurance would go sky high. Pay a bit more for gas and lot less for insurance.
  • jaxs1jaxs1 Member Posts: 2,697
    Oh please. It is not dangerous or "extremely dangerous" to drive the speed limit. It's not like driving 30 mph or being stopped in the road. Traffic does not flow all at one synchronized speed like the Blue Angels in flight or something and everyone deals with it.
    Do you really believe that people are going to rear-end you while you are going 65 MPH in the slow lane or one of the middle lanes? Technically, even in the fast lane if that's the speed limit, but as a concession it's better to just stay out of that lane and let others pass on your left.

    People just want an excuse/rationalization/justification to speed and to put the blame others for it. "It's not my fault. I felt pressured to drive 80 because that's how fast everyone else drives."

    Just take responsibility that you want to drive fast and pay the gas and tickets and higher insurance and not complain about it if you get caught and ticketed or hydroplane on slick roads in the rain because your driving priority is to always drive as fast as the flow of traffic regardless of speed limits or road conditions.
  • grosloupgrosloup Member Posts: 239
    Let me tell you (jaxs1) what happened on the 28 of august 1999. I was driving in the right lane with my little family at about 67 mph. leaving the left lane free for "The Blue Angels" because YES the traffic was on a synchronized speed assuming at a speed of 80 mph. (maybe more) but REALLY SYNCHRONIZED I got rear-ended by a car following me to close and changing lanes because I was a slow driver at 67 mph? First thing you knew my vehicule was going sideways (same as a P.I.T. maneuver), I rolled over, slid on the roof and went in the ditch. The result.... my 3 year old son died instantly that day in my arms, today my wife is paralyzed and I got my left leg amputated. Now...you ask me if I really believe that people could get rear-ended while going 65 mph. in the slow lane? I really don't know what to tell you. I'm letting you figure it out.
    From that day on I'm always asking myself. That day, If I would had follow the flow at a Blue Angel Synchronized Speed would I still have my son, would my wife still be walking and dancing and could I still play baseball or kick a football?
    That's why I still say that it's EXTREMELY DANGEROUS to drive the speed limit if you're in a fast moving traffic.
    On that day my entire life capsized because I was following the speed limit. Go figure!
  • jaxs1jaxs1 Member Posts: 2,697
    So in that scenario, you would place the fault with the person driving 67 straight in one lane rather than with the reckless driver who can't change lanes properly?
    Even if you are driving "with the flow," there is still always someone who wants to go faster and will cut around other people to pass. Then what? Always drive faster than the fastest person behind you?
  • grosloupgrosloup Member Posts: 239
    Your right, I was hit by a reckless driver who couldn't change lane properly, but since that day I'm still blaming myself for what happened. It's hard to accept. I was thinking of suicide after the accident, doctors said I was on a Post Traumatic Stress but then I realized that my wife needed me more than anything else in this world. It was hard to overcome this and still today almost 8 years I still think about that day because my son is gone for ever and I'll never be able to have any children). If people drive faster than the fastest person behind you. Were and how will it end. Driving is supposed to be a pleasant thing not stressfull. People are driving faster and faster every day. Why?
    Thank's jaxs1 it made me feel good just talking about it with you cause you understand. Take care.
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    Arguing that excesive speed is necessary, "because everyone else is doing it so I'm justified doing so to avoid causing an accident is as bogus as Hitler's justification for annexing Austria. You're not at all part of any solution; you're a willing part of the problem.
  • walterquintwalterquint Member Posts: 89
    grosloup, your story is tragic and you have my deepest deepest sympathies.....I do agree with you, going with the flow of traffic is probably best......going 80mph doesn't help fuel economy, however. My 2.2L Cobalt gets 37mpg at 65mph, but considerably less at 80mph. Best fuel economy is obtained at 60mph, which is, as you've suggested, often dangerous to maintain.
  • corys3587corys3587 Member Posts: 1
    does anyone know of any websites or online stores where i can find some LED tail lamps for me 2006 cobalt LS 4 door.....
  • brenner45brenner45 Member Posts: 5
    Bought my 2005 LS Coup 5-speed for $15K in June 2005. It now has 18.5K miles on it - it's my commuter car. I drive 52+ miles per day; some open highway, some stop & go city. Have NEVER gotten more than 28MPG! I've tried shifting with the in-dash shift light, which makes me feel like I'm driving with my grandma, and have abused it as well, it makes little difference. I know living 90 miles north of Philly, our fuel is full of additives, but it can't cause me to get 5 MPG less than everyone else is espousing on this forum. (We check the tire pressure and adjust once month.) For a light, peppy 5-speed, I'm not impressed. :confuse:
  • cobaltkencobaltken Member Posts: 21
    What kind of airfilter do you have in your car?I have a SS Supercharger 2007 and I put a cold air intake kit on my cobalt with a K&N air filter,I gianed about 5 miles to a gallon more.If you dont want to spend the money for the whole kit you can just get the filter this will help.Also what octane gas do you us? If I put regular gas in my car I will also go to the part store and buy some octane boost this will also help. Let me know if you try any of these and if it helped your car.As for the shift light my car does NOT have one.
  • smogdungsmogdung Member Posts: 349
    I've put almost 70,000 miles on my 2.2L ecotec 5 speed 2003 Alero, it has smuck 60 series 15s, keep em at 32-35 psi. Have ave just a tick over 30 mpg. Not bad probably weighs a little more than a Cobalt. Wife's 2006 2.4L ecotec automatic HHR (50 series 17s) ave about 26 mpg over period of 14K miles so far. It weighs about 3,150 lbs. The 2.4L recommends premium, but runs just fine on 87 octane.
  • jhknightjhknight Member Posts: 46
    Hey! Last I checked the automobile has been around with basically the same internal combustion engine for somewhere around 100 years!? And last I looked at the calendar it is the 21st century? I must therefore conclude that the only reason we are still stuck at a "good" 30 mpg after 100 years of same old technology that perhaps someone high up wants it that way?? Is that why a 2007 car gets WORSE mileage than it's predecesors?? I want a PRIUS !! At least it's a start in the right direction!!
  • exzur2071exzur2071 Member Posts: 43
    The computer registered 27.7 mpg breaking-in my new Cobalt SS supercharged the first 611 miles.
  • steve333steve333 Member Posts: 201
    I have a 2006 Automatic LT Sedan. When I first bought the car certified used I was getting 26.5MPG mixed driving. Now it just dropped below 25MPG :(
    I have never gotten anywhere near 30MPG even on the Freeway.
  • exzur2071exzur2071 Member Posts: 43
    Last Friday I drove my Cobalt SS Supercharged from Grand Island, NY to Brooklyn, NY. The odometer shows 431 miles. Computer displays 32.1 mpg. Coming back yeaterday, the distance is also 431 but mpg drops to 30.8

    Traveling the same route with my 2005 Corvette, the odometer shows 420 miles. My third car, a 2001 Pontiac Aztek on the same highways and byways, the mileage on the odometer is 421.

    The mileage shown on the Cobalt SS Supercharged is 10 to 11 miles more than the other two cars.

    The three cars has the original wheel and tire sizes.
  • 02cavalier02cavalier Member Posts: 20
    I had a 2006 Cobalt LS. 2 door automatic that I recently traded for a 2004 Impala. The Cobalt averaged 30.5 mpg no matter how much I babied it, and the Impala so far averages 30.1 mpg. I can't understand why a compact car only gets 30 mpg, where my 2002 Cavalier got 40 mpg on a trip, (but it was a 5 speed). I just couldn't see riding around in a cramped up compact when you can stretch out in a fullsize w/o a gas mileage penalty. :confuse:
  • 02cavalier02cavalier Member Posts: 20
    BTW the Cobalt and the Impala are rated by the EPA for the same highway mileage (32) and having owned both cars seems to be accurate. If you keep your foot out of the Impala starting out and around town you will match the mileage of the Cobalt. :surprise: My 2004 Impala has the 3.4 engine.
  • walterquintwalterquint Member Posts: 89
    You hint at a good point: the GM 6cyl pushrods are remarkably efficient. For example, the optional 6cyl in the Malibu is almost as efficient as the base Ecotec 4 (which is in the Cobalt).

    The autobox in a 4cyl really sucks up power. 26mpg combined in a Cobalt autobox is a reasonable (if somewhat disappointing) expectation...
  • steve333steve333 Member Posts: 201
    My mothers 2006 Impala with the 3.5L V6 is averaging 15MPG. It took many calls to GM to finally get the dealer to admit something is wrong. I am going to take it in in a couple weeks.

    My 2006 Cobalt's MPG is down to 24MPG from 27. I am seriously considering putting in a K&N Air Filter to replace the OEM filter. I hear the K&N filters can increase MPG by up to 4MPG and increase power.
  • okko1okko1 Member Posts: 327
    car has about 3500 miles on it started at 25mpg has improved
    to 28.3 mpg hiway sounds like every body is doing better than i am wife has 02 z28 camaro with 5.7 LS1 has done
    22.5mpg since it was new
  • steve333steve333 Member Posts: 201
    My LT Sedan just dropped below 23MPG City driving. I've never gotten above 28MPG on the freeway.
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