The new Cobalt may not have what it takes to overthrow the best-in-class economy sedans and coupes, but it is much closer than any Chevrolet small car has ever been. Price, as tested: 24,585 (included 565 destination charge) Powertrain: Supercharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder, dual-overhead cam. Everything worked well and seemed like a decent car for me. Ride and handling is right up there with the class standards, and overall build quality is impressive. 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt 2dr Coupe (2.2L 4cyl 5M) I bought my cobalt 2 1/2 years ago used from a dealer. The car is well equipped, competitively priced and, most importantly, very well engineered. Even the doors close with a solid "thunk." Chevy is taking a bit of a risk in aiming the Cobalt at higher-end small cars, but after driving the Cobalt, we think it will succeed. The vehicle's stiff structure does wonders for noise and vibration control, and makes for a solid-feeling ride regardless of terrain. Other Cobalts come with a solid-performing 145-hp, 2.2-liter four-cylinder carried over from the Cavalier. Coupe and sedan body styles are available, with a sporty SS coupe filling the top spot with a 205-horsepower supercharged engine. All but the base models feature keyless entry, antilock brakes and power windows. Reflective of the more upscale positioning, the Cobalt comes loaded with equipment. Inside, materials quality, styling and comfort are all light-years ahead of the Cavalier. Though we're still not sold on the coupe's quad round taillamps, the overall look should offend no one. Based on the Delta architecture used for the Saturn Ion, the Cobalt features a conservative and uncluttered appearance inside and out. Rather than stick to one small car to fill a wide array of shoes, Chevy decided to split the market between the Aveo, which serves buyers with a more limited budget, and the new Cobalt, which is positioned as a more upmarket choice.
Chevy is pinning its hopes on the new Cobalt to win back small-car buyers who demand first-rate accommodations. The answer was a completely new car - so new that a name change was in order. Recent years have been progressively more difficult for Chevy's small car, as larger and larger rebates have been required to maintain sales volume. Styling tweaks through the years did little to keep the car fresh, but buyers kept coming back as Chevrolet offered generous rebates and incentives. Undaunted, Chevy stuck with the Cavy for another decade. The 1995 model, though attractively styled, was still saddled with an ancient platform, and suffered from poor chassis dynamics, crash test scores and an overall lack of refinement.
By the time the car saw some major revisions, the competition had already outclassed it on nearly every level. Its first major redesign didn't occur until 1995, a whopping 12 years into its life cycle. Unfortunately, Chevrolet pushed the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" idea a bit too far with the Cavalier. The philosophy behind the car was simple: Give customers with limited budgets a well-appointed, reliable car that offers a variety of configurations to suit their needs. In 1981, the GM division unveiled its answer to the growing number of imports hitting the scene, the Cavalier. Chevrolet is no stranger to the small-car game.
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