Chevrolet Cobalt

libertycat

About time, Chevy, LOL! I hope the quality is better in this and it moves up from subcompact to compact. Otherwise, it will still be a little bare-bones car like the Cavalier/Sunfire.

dindak

http://autonet.ca/AutonetStories/Stories.cfm?StoryID=8752

I see the car going up market for sure. The new Korean Chevys will be taking care of the KIA / Hyundia low end starting next year. I thought the Pontiac version was a gonner for sure but I guess GM now wants to keep an entry level Pontiac.

vcjumper

Hopefully a GM car that attempts to meet the japanese competition civic/corolla head on in most attributes rather than more basic transportation but cheaper. This is what I was hoping for in the midsizers too. Will be nice to see how it turns out.

dindak

http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat- _code=specials&loc_code=index&content_code=00219255

libertycat

corvette

Since I am seeing ads for brand new Cavaliers in the $8-9k range, I think the only place it can go is upmarket.

libertycat

between Malibu and Aveo. Comparable to an Aerio, Elantra, etc.

dindak

You can get a Cavalier or Sunfire sedan up here with air and auto for C$12998 (about U$9200).

Great basic transport if you are short on dough.

Cobalt will definitely go up market, it has to if the Korean imports come in.

wsag26

I personally think that Chevrolet could really make a hit with the Chevrolet Cobalt, which debuts at the 2004 North American International Auto show along with the Corvette. I think Chevrolet should use the Pursuit name and dump Cobalt and Sunfire at the same time. Then go ahead and keep the Sunfire name for Pontiac. It's kept good for years!

Anyway, I looked at the sneak drawing Edmunds got from Chevrolet and saw what could've been the Aveo! The Aveo isn't hot at all and it's unexpected due date & just the whole vehicle itself blew us off. When I looked at the Aveo, my jaw dropped and drool started pouring out of my mouth because it was ugly.

jchan2

I see ads for Cavaliers with an Automatic and Air Conditionin in Ohio for as low as $8595. The only place the Cavalier can go is Saturn Ion levels. (Civic prices) Remember, Saturn is GM, So Pontiac may be trying to help out Saturn here by reducing one model against the ION Quad Coupe

dindak

Current Cavalier is a bargoon if you don't mind a dated car (though it has a great motor). Cobalt is LONG over due and I truly hope GM does a good job. The ION looks better for 04 and sales are growing which is good. I tested an ION and it's much more refined than the Cavalier which boads well for Cobalt.

jchan2

probably won't come to the states. We have the Saturn ION, remember?

diablo4

I read that the cobalt will get a ss model with 220HP.

diablo4

How do you put picture in your messages and if anybody knows please try to explain as easy as you can.Thank you.

bthecarp

I read that GM is going to keep the Sunfire around after the Cobalt is introduced. Then the Sunfire is going to be replaced by a car different from the Cobalt. But it will most likely come from one of the Euro. Companies GM holds (hopefully not a Fiat). IMO GM should look to Holden for another car for Pontiac to replace the Sunfire.

jchan2

should give GM most of it's cars. They're great cars at low prices. Who doesn't want that? GM Execs who want to sell you on that Cavalier LS.

dindak

Pursuit is a Canada only car. They sell ION here also. Main reason is small cars sell better here on a per capita basis due to higher gas prices.

jchan2

In the states, we're being really hit with high gasoline. Especially for all those Hummer H2 and GMC Yukon XL owners.

jchan2

I'd be nice to have more compact cars, especially from the General, who provides a lot of SUVs on the road today.

odman

Don't forget that the different retail channels here are the other reason we get Pontiac versions of volume Chevy cars (remember the Acadian, the Tempest, and the fact we sold rwd Caprice-based Parisiennes in the 80s when they weren't available in the US?).

In Canada, all GM dealers are dualled (tripled?)as either Pontiac-Buick-GMC; Chevy-Olds-Chev Truck; or Saturn-Saab-Isuzu. Cadillac gets attached to either P-B-G dealers or C-O-C dealers, but many markets don't have any Cadillac representation at all. In small towns GM will install either the P-B-G store or the C-O-C, so Pontiac dealers are always clamouring for a version of whatever Chevy is selling.

dindak

True enough. Chevy dealers are in need of product more though as they are loosing Oldsmobile after 04. The new Koren Chevy's should be arriving soon to help there.

jchan2

More compact cars, the merrier!

iwannamaxx

Okay, the Cavalier could use a major cosmetic makeover and a new name, but the powerplant is just fine. The Ecotec is solid, and at 2.2L and 140hp, it's pretty much the most powerful subcompact car around. It is reliable. My parents have a '92 Cavalier, and have had little problems with it. My wife having had a Toyota Corolla couldn't say the same, and that is why that car is long gone. If the Cobalt is reliable, decent looking, and affordable it will sell, and I will look into it.

dindak

I had a 92 Cav and we leased a 99. Both were fine though the 99 had a couple of rattles at the end of 3 years. Ecotec is solid as a rock, we now have an Alero with one. With the discounts, current Cavaliers are a screaming bargoon assuming you don't mind a dated car / interior. Power train won't likely let you down.

poncho167

Hi, I didn't mean to make it sound that it is acceptable for a first year car to have problems, its not. Ford, Crysler, and even some imports always seem to have some problems with the release of a new model. The Ford Focus model since its release has been recalled over 20 times, mostly for little things, but that is no excuse.

jchan2

The best deal on an Ecotec car is the Alero. I see them advertised in my region for $9995. After all rebates and no negotiating.

dindak

Check the fine print, your odds of qualifying for all those discounts is close to zero.

jchan2

i checked it. The rebates were as followed:
Oldsmobile cash back
Owner Loyalty
Rebate in leiu of GM protection plan
Military Discount
GM Employee Discount (How can you work for the Army and GM???)
Dealer Discount
Actually, it is possible to work for GM and the army. The GM GMT360 truck plant in Moraine OH is pretty close to where I live. Wright-Patterson Air Force base too. So, the man of the house might work for GM and the woman might have a desk job at the Army.

rctennis3811

I also think that Holden (GM's Australian division) should give GM North America some of its cars. Also Vauxhall/Opel (GM's European division) should also give us their cars. Those cars seem to look a little better and have nicer GEN III engines. They could even bring back the Caprice!! Why? Because there is a Holden Caprice (also called Stateman, though Caprice has more features) in Australia.

wanna see more??
www.holden.com.au

Hey, we're already imported the Holden Monaro CV8 as a Pontiac GTO 5.7! Why not more??

The best cars to import are probably the Vauxhall/Opel/Holden Vectra, Holden Adventra, Holden Caprice (Statesman), and Holden Commodore SS

so, what do u think??

fdanna

In my opinion, the cobalt will be be based on the new opel astra http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/2003_fms_astra/

It even resembles the sketch in the front. The interior steering wheel practically says chevrolet.

vcjumper

Its long been known the Astra will share its chasis with the Cobalt as it does the Ion (just like the Opel Vectra and 04 Chevy Malibu share the epsilon chasis). However don't expect the Cobalt interior to appear as upmarket as the Astra's.

regfootball

Chevy will find some way to hose down the look with its own trademark looks.

jchan2

are you saying that Chevy will take the Vectra-malibu route and dumb-down the interior for us Americans??!!

theo2709

The Astra is much more expensive than the Cobalt will be. No way can the Cobalt have such a nice interior, but it will be much nicer than the Cavalier (how can it not be).

regfootball

you know it!

exterior too. gotta have job security in NA.

logic1

promise to pay the mid-size like sticker the Europeans pay for the Astra. Reg, you will be first in line to pay 22k for a mid market compact, right?

theo2709

Yeah 22k BASE. No thanks.

regfootball

not sure where you get 22k from LOGIC. The Focus in Europe is priced higher than US but here its price is in line with all other compacts while maintaining an overall superior rating to ANY GM compact.

let me put it to you this way. I'd gladly spend 19 grand on a loaded Mazda3 or Focus SVT than a Malibu. Plus that 22k will more than get me a new Saab 9-3 right now with year end discounts.

And hey last I checked there are plenty of Sunfires and Cavalier with MSRP's right below 20 grand....WHAT A JOKE.

logic1

It has a much higher level interior than the US Focus.

We are talking future cars here. We shall see how the next Astra and the Cobalt stand up to the Focus.

And you argue my point when you say you would look for a 9-3 at 22k. The Euro priced Astra is close to what we pay for the 9-3 here. It has to be a fancier car inside and out than a US sedan.

But look at the specs for the Cobalt's engine. Let's see how well Ford meets the challenge:

http://www.saturnfans.com/Cars/Future/2.4lecotecfuture.shtml

regfootball

its about time GM built a decent four cylinder engine. That would be the 2004 or 2005 model year where this has now occured. The Focus SVT already has a 170hp four cylinder (out of 2.0 litres). I think the Focus had vvt long before any GM four cylinder. And hey, hasn't Honda had it for like 10 years now, so its certainly not anything new. in fact, its about time they (GM) had it. Doesn't Cadillac just NOW get it? Using GM fans mentality of slapping a blower on the motor I can get a Jackson racing supercharger to boost that to the level of the Focus RS Turbo. That's like 230hp.

You are certainly quick to point out the glorious tech features of this Ecotec 4 cylinder engine (which are quite good, I like it) but just as quick to deny their worth on v6 engines in other discussions. Which do you favor? Seriously.....which side of the wall are you on? You obviously endorse the benefits of all this 'high feature' 'technology' at least in this forum. But in another forum, you do not express the same view. You do not find value for this techonolgy in a car like Malibu in a v6 engine. Just want to know what your position here is, not the position as spokesman for the GM marketing department. Shed your company jacket for a minute and tell us what YOU prefer.

And in the end it don't mean anything because the SRT-4 still has it all over both cars.

And if the Cobalt is actually anything close to this new Astra then i will be as pleased as anybody. Tell Chevy to give me a reason to eat crow. I'll be the first to admit it. But I haven't had to in about 20-25 years.

jchan2

That engine will give it an even bigger jump over the competition, moving down the road with 120 horsepower engines. (well, the ION has the 2.2 140 horsepower Ecotec)

logic1

the 2.4, which apparently will be the Cobalt BASE engine, does not. A blower on the Redline 2.2 will get 220 hp. A blower on the 2.4 should be in the 240 range. What I like best about the 2.4 is its wonderfully wide torque range.

The difference between you and I is you see the world in terms of either or. On the other hand, I believe there are many kinds of people in the world, with many kinds of needs, tastes and preferences.

The 3.5 in the Malibu is a great engine for a value car. The 3.6 in the CTS is a great engine for a high end car. The 3 litre straight 6 in the 3 series is a great engine for a german sports coupe. The little 1.8 in my Miata is great engine for a roadster. The 5.6 in the Vette/GTO/CTS-V is great engine for a fire breathing muscle car.

See the pattern here? I like cars. I like cars that serve their purpose. You like sound bites.

vcjumper

Hasn't GM's Saab division had high powered 4-bangers for a while now?

regfootball

don't see why bu shouldn't be entitled to a high feature engine as an option for those who like the car but want a class leading powertrain. It's already built, engineered, and ready to go. That's giving people "with many kinds of needs, tastes and preferences" the chance to get what they want. A Malibu with something top notch under the hood. Some won't want the G6.

The redline is only a 2.0 BTW.

Same thing with Cobalt....I expect something decent underhood. Looks like we might get it.

dindak

The Cobalt will have the 140hp Ecotec as the base engine and the GT version will have a 170 2.4L Ecotec (with vvt). This car will rock in terms of power. Let's hope the styling and interior are good also. The 2.0L Ecotec turbo is for Saturn ION only so far as I know.

regfootball

the ion is supercharged

logic1

if you think I am and you are not.

Kirstie_H

STOP.

logic1

The Saab engines are a blast, but they are turbocharged. The 2.4 will have only 5 horses less than the base turbo engine in the 9-3 Aero.

ateixeira

Don't dismiss the 'bu until you try it. The V6 is fine, all its 220 ft-lbs of torque. Dismissing it de facto just shows you have a bias.

I drove one back-to-back with a Camry V6, it was the 3.0l, but still, but 'bu is quicker. It chirped the tires in 1st and 2nd gear, this an automatic.

C&D just tested one and their instrumented tests agree, it's not only quicker but also it's more fuel efficient, and by a wide margin. Not bad for an iron block pushrod, eh?

Toyota will put a 3.3l in there to counter, but try both before you assume you'd like the more expensive high-content engine better.

The base engine is an Ecotec, and I liked it less. Go figure.

-juice

dindak

Supercharged, turbocharged, tomato, tamaato.