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Comments
Also, maybe the sedan would look nicer in darker colors...there's something about the rear door frame that doesn't look quite right and maybe a darker color will help hide this.
I like the two tone interior of the Cobalt...dark upper dash with a lighter color lower dash. Chevy should have done something similar with the Malibu...that monotonous all-gray interior has absolutely no pizzazz.
Would like to see a better shot of the brushed aluminum trim because it looks like it is also applied to the stereo/climate control area a la Mitsubishi Galant or Mazda 6. Maybe the plood is standard in the LT version of the sedan. I don't like it as much.
Current Civic is good, but not great IMO. I think the Corolla, Mazda 3 and Focus are better cars. I think part of the Civic's sales are based on it's reputation and history.
I guess nothing is original any more, everything has been tried before. On a whole the coupe was done nicely, IMO. The sedan only so-so.
-juice
Most likely, the Pursuit will debut at the Toronto Auto Show in mid-February 2004.
:-(
Hopefully they change the interior a bit for the Pontiac.
For example, in 2000, 2001, and 2002, I really liked the Protege, but could never get pricing on one that made sense for me. Even VW was much more comptetive.
I know Chevy wants their compact cars to "make money" and not just be a "loss leader," but its critical that the pricing beat the Japanese competition. For example, the pricing on the Malibu is a little stiff, imho, when you take into account that in major metropolitan areas you can get Camry LE's, on advertised specials, in the $17k range, and Honda Accord LX's in the $18k range. I'd sure like to get a Malibu, but not if I can watch the ads, wait for a color I like, be the first in line and walk away with a Cam/cord at those kind of prices.
~alpha
Comparing the Cobalt with the Equinox, I see some similarity to the shape so perhaps there is a bit of a theme forming with some new Chevys.
Cobalt might actually do both well. I do notice some details they didn't quite get right when I look at the enlargements, but it's mostly nit-picky stuff.
-juice
The ION is not a bad car, it's a HORRIBLE car. It is one of the lowest rated vehicles on the market and even the korean names outrate it (referring to Consumer reports for data). At least this cobalt thing won't have those monstrously large panel gaps that are wide enough to slide a ham sandwhich through.
The interior pictures are the same corporate GM low quality materials with cheap plastics. The lighting is purposely dim so you can't tell how bad it really is. I hope that faux wood trim isn't in the coupe because that'd be crazy. Cheap faux would trim does not an upscale compact make!
Had they been smart, they would have brought over the Opel Astra... a much more sophisticated car that deserves to be called a premium compact.
Anyway, looks aside, it has to do the following:
Handle like a Focus
Be as reliable as a Civic/Corolla
Be priced from "first car buyer" to "want the bells and whistles."
Reliability is the only mark that no American compact has tickled since the very first Saturn... it's been downhill from there.
Compete with Corolla and Civic? Good luck.
and I would add...
Have more horsepower than the Focus. Which is "just possible" if Focus shoots itself in the foot by retrograding from the excellent, strong 2.3 liter they are just rolling out in 2004, to the 2.0 they are proposing for 2005 (with mid year, early introduction).
While you may not like the car, I don't think you will find almost anyone who will agree that it's "atrocious" and the materials look as good if not better inside as anything in this class of cars.
I think it's important at the same time to recognize that this auto (and even the Ion) aren't *bad* cars. My family has owned bad cars. The Pinto was bad. The Yugo was bad. The Vega was bad.
The Ion and their GM ilk are fine. They go, stop, and turn well enough and keep their occupants relatively comfortable at a decent price. The problem is mostly that they aren't necessarily better than their competitors. In general, GM's (and most US makers) American models just aren't as refined as other makers and don't feel as special or as well realized. That's why they have to slap compensatory rebates on.
I'm sure the Cobalt will be a good car. The problem is that "better" is the mortal enemy of "good," especially when people are spending a vast amount of their salary to buy the product.
Bret
the 04 focus has of course the svt model but the PZEV upgrade for the other models (the 2.3) is smoother and more torquey but does not rev out to 7200 rpm either.
the 04 SVT should have had a high hp version of the PZEV.
now ford won't do focus svt anymore. and they stood still on styling.
cobalt comes in with a seemingly attractive package although i do think the plastics look a bit cheap in the photos but the design is pleasant enough so you can't rip it much. its not bad.
i would like to think that they can try to maintain their pricing but when the bu starts to get massively discounted this will erode the price structure of the cobalt.
plus, aside from being underpowered, the Aveo is a pretty nice looking small car.
chevy will get much more positive press from the cobalt than they got from malibu. just like with the equinox, they didn't give it rancid styling that would turn off the masses. they stayed in the middle and it should sell ok, even with the cheeseball plastic materials.
WHY WOULD ANYONE BUY THIS OVER A MAZDA 3.
I'D EVEN TAKE AN UNRELIABLE EURO THAT AT LEAST HAS SOME STYLING.
Weaponous ::: Mazda 3 design is certainly less down the middle than this Cobalt. I could totally see more people disliking the 3 than dislikeing the Cobalt. Mazda is taking more of chance because it wants to grab a niche. I think the Cobalt coupe is very sporty, more so than the Civic.
The 170hp model will carry a good price advantage over the 3, though I do prefer the 5 door vs. the coupe configuration of the Cobalt.
Honda is conservative. They'll wait it out 4-5 years as usual. The Civic Si sells very poorly, remember, so why make the coupe sportier?
-juice
-juice
When I got my Cav, they gave me a great price, a great trade in, great financing, and were down to earth throughout. If they hadn't been, there were about ten other Chevy dealers within an easy drive.
Honda has a great advantage in their wide dealer network, relatively decent service (still try to oversell "severe" service interval service schedules), and a great 20 year rep. But, having owned a 2003 LX Civic Coupe for 10,000 miles, I can assure they are resting on their laurels in terms of technology and features, and doling out modern "features" like 15 inch wheels instead of 14 inch wheels at a painfully slow rate. Plus, no matter what they reviewers say, there are a lot of disappointing "non-ergonomic" quirks in what is supposed to be a "refined, best in class" car.
So, the Cobalt may have a good future. It doesn't have to "look" the best so long as it's in the hunt. The horsepower sure blows away Civic, and the mileage isn't so bad either. Just so long as the "quality control" is there, that's all they really need.
http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/sixcms/media.php/23/cobalt4h_4- 50.jpg
micweb : I think the Cobalt should be great and it looks like it will be. To get people out of their Civics and Corollas, GM has to prove it has the goods. ION is a perfect example of a car that has not sold very well because it was average.
I guess we will find out in time. In my opinion this car needs to compete head on with the Civic (which it seems like it should beat) and the Mazda3.
I agree about their pricing strategy. They also raise prices several times per year, like 5-6 times actually. Those essentially offset rebate increases.
I bet $1000 back appears right away.
-juice
Most new (non Honda/Toyota) models have some incentives out of the gate. That's the auto world in the U.S. these days. Cobalt will likely have $500-1000 out of the gate. Up here, we don't get as much. GM still has no cash back on 2004 Malibu.