Drove a cobalt today

[sunfire]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
The steering was abominable. Absolutely ZERO feedback. Inconsistent weighting, and not smooth at all. Seriously, it was like it wasn't even connected physically to the tires.


Probably due to electric power steering. Which has a recall on the earlier models.

The interior plastics make it look like a toy car. I guess that's why it was discontinued.

 

[Blinker]

Im was not of driving age when the cavalier was still produced so I can't speak for the cavy. Before I got my G5 in spring 2008 I debated getting a cobalt because of the deep discounts available. I remember Dallas/ft worth dealers selling cobalts for $10,999 and it made me think twice before purchasing. Of course they were stripped down models with current incentives and whatever discounts that were available at the time.

 

[NHGUY]

If you think a Cobalt is bad,the 82-94 Cavalier was a joke...especially the coupe.Tiny windshield,low roof,high seat,angled steering column....center point steering (like Chrysler LH cars)...

Bob Lutz said upon introduction of the Cobalt,that now Chevrolet has a solid entry in the compact segment..where they have been lacking in recent years....So he thought Cobalt was an upgrade from Cavalier.
Best bet,steer clear of GM altogether.

 

[CourierDriver]

I guess there won't be a vintage Cobalt car show in our future to reminisce on,,,gosh,,we will have to attend a old corvette show instead, i hate that.lol

 

[exranger06]

My buddy has an '07 Cobalt LT. I agree about the interior. He has about 40k miles on his and he's starting to have electrical problems. The airbag light keeps turning on for some reason, and the front speakers on the stereo stopped working.

 

[jigen]

My buddy had an '83 Cavalier convertible. Can't imagine a Cobalt being worse than that thing.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Originally Posted By: stower17
Every auto magazine writer and probably almost all people who have had the privilege of owning a cavalier and cobalt would agree that the cobalt was much improved upon the cavalier. Everything I've read and heard about the cruze is mostly positive and there is no doubt it is much improved upon the cobalt. That doesn't make the cobalt a bad car though... For a car that could be had for $10,999 new with rebates and incentives, the cobalt was an attractive car, considering its shortcomings.


Never saw a Cobalt for 11k. I think you mean the Cavalier..

No, at the end you could get one for that price. I was tempted to get an Eco version, but the Neon gets good enough mileage and the base Cobalts don't look that fun to autocross.
The last Cobalt SS though seemed to be an incredible performance value though, and with a few tweaks a giant killer on the track.

 

[NateDN10]

As a Cobalt owner, I feel compelled to chime in.

- Interior: Agree. It's a cheap car.
- Drivetrain: The DBW throttle is slow, though I don't think it's any slower than what's in our Subaru. I can't comment on the AT, since mine is a manual. The manual transmission really isn't all that bad.
- Ride: You may be overstating it a bit, but overall, I'm not a huge fan of the suspension. It's rather soft but still doesn't handle bumps that well. However, this is in comparison to bigger cars, as I haven't driven another compact for long enough to make a comparison.
- Steering: Definitely very numb. You get used to it, but it always feels weird at first after driving the Subaru.

You also mentioned fuel economy, and the MT is miles ahead of the AT on this one. My lifetime average is about 32 mpg. Not bad at all.

As to how GM sold so many, an earlier poster nailed it: I got mine for around $11K brand new. With 65,000 trouble-free miles so far, I'm not complaining.

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: Nick R

It's also worth mentioning that he (who is a 75 year old man who is in no hurry to get anywhere, and including a 2,000 mile round trip highway trip) has only averaged 23.4mpg since he bought it.


Is that number based on the DIC? How many miles are on the car?

I'm certain the MPG on the DIC is only factored over the past couple-three hundred miles, not over the lifetime of the car (or since the last reset). I haven't reset mine in years but I can watch it fluctuate by several MPG if I'm in the middle of a long highway trip or several days of city driving. I wouldn't expect to see much fluctuation (or any for that matter) if it was based on my driving over the past several years.

Mine is a 2006 and I'll agree the drive-by-wire is noticeable but I don't find it objectionable. Its sort of like there's a little dead spot in the pedal, but come to think of it, it might have something to do with the transmission programming instead. I just ignore it. Otherwise the powertrain is fine. I wonder if the one you drove had some sort of issue.

I got the recall notice for the power steering assist motor, although I've not taken it in since I'd just previously replaced the motor myself when it started exhibiting the symptoms (IE, sporadic failure of the assist motor). I have a form I need to send in to get reimbursed since I'd already bought the new motor. Replacement is a 10-minute job.

I vastly prefer the interior of the Cobalt to that of the Cavalier. It seems odd to me at this late date that anyone would prefer the interior of a Cavalier over the Cobalt; back in 2004-2005 when they were new, the magazines were praising the Cobalt's interior for being much improved over its predecessor. To me its not even a close race. The Cavalier is low and cramped inside and has just as much plastic; maybe some generations of Cavaliers had more or less plastic than others, I don't know.

I do however hate some of the hardware on the car. Some components such as tie-rod ends and swaybar endlinks are installed using thread-deformed fasteners, which means if you have to replace anything you may as well fire up the angle grinder and cut off the fastener and buy a new one. I replaced a wheel bearing a while back - I couldn't get the old one out of the steering knuckle so I eventually removed the knuckle from the car so I could have it pressed out at a shop. Unfortunately I had to cut the threaded stud off the tie-rod end because I couldn't get the nut off, and then I had to buy a new tie-rod end (and get the car aligned) afterward. Obviously a better method would have been to use castle nuts and cotter pins, but that must have been something eliminated at the factory.

By the way, I bet the rattles you're hearing are from the swaybar endlinks. I think everyone has the same rattles. If you don't mind tackling those awful thread-deformed fasteners, get rid of the stock endlinks and get some of the nice Moog endlinks, which are greasable as well. No more rattles.

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: NateDN10
With 65,000 trouble-free miles so far, I'm not complaining.


I'm at 125,000 miles, and besides the aforementioned wheel bearing, power steering motor and the stupid swapbar endlinks, no troubles. No electrical issues. I put KYB struts and shocks on it last year so it rides like new.

Oh, one more thing. If you have a sunroof, the plastic bezel around the power switch WILL break. They all do.

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: rjacket
Focus is European bred. It was conceived, designed and built in a market where quality is more important. In Europe, multiple brands build to that quality including Vauxhall / Opel (GM).

Cobalt and other cars before it reflect an American functional instead of quality approach and a less sophisticated buying public.


Realistically the last gen Focus is a plastic rattle-trap too. I have not had the displeasure of being in a Cobalt and I have no doubts about anything mentioned here based on my initial impressions of the car and looking at them. But the Focus is a piece of junk too, it just happens to be an economical, reliable one offering marginally better dynamics.

Then again, it's frightening to consider there could be worse cars out there than Cavaliers. Cavaliers, like all the small GM cars felt like they were built to a price point which was then subsequently dropped 3 times. They do seem to be one of the longer lasting vehicles on the road though, which is only more impressive considering the average owner this far down the road.

 

[Nick R]

I don't know. It just was not a pleasant experience. As far as the electric power steering goes, my cruze also has EPS, and it's a million times better. I guess that is what happens when you move the assist motor from the steering column to the rack. It's much smoother, the assist is consistent, at low speeds is nice and light, and has more feedback.

the MPG is hand calculated, he's the kind of guy to keep track of that kind of thing. He had left the little paper folded and taped to the wheel. The car only had 7,600 miles on it when I drove it.

I owned a 1997 Cavalier, and I think I'd prefer to own one of those than this. It just was not a nice place to be, overall.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: cchase
Originally Posted By: rjacket
Focus is European bred. It was conceived, designed and built in a market where quality is more important. In Europe, multiple brands build to that quality including Vauxhall / Opel (GM).

Cobalt and other cars before it reflect an American functional instead of quality approach and a less sophisticated buying public.


Realistically the last gen Focus is a plastic rattle-trap too. I have not had the displeasure of being in a Cobalt and I have no doubts about anything mentioned here based on my initial impressions of the car and looking at them. But the Focus is a piece of junk too, it just happens to be an economical, reliable one offering marginally better dynamics.

Then again, it's frightening to consider there could be worse cars out there than Cavaliers. Cavaliers, like all the small GM cars felt like they were built to a price point which was then subsequently dropped 3 times. They do seem to be one of the longer lasting vehicles on the road though, which is only more impressive considering the average owner this far down the road.


See, I owned a last gen focus too, for 10 months/19,000 miles, and it was a great car. Rode well, handled nicely, got great mpg, the interior was comfortable and well put together (I had the lighter colored interior so maybe mismatched textures were less noticable) and I didn't have any rattles at all, in fact no real problems of any kind (other than having to replace the tires at 14k but that is another story.

It's had to believe that this was the competitor to that car, and the Mazda3, last gen civic. I mean I suppose I might be slightly nitpicky about cars than 99.9% of the people that own themn, but still.

 

[addyguy]

I had a Cobalt for a rental for 2-3 days once while my Cavalier was in the shop after an accident.

I'll agree that the car had a very different feel to it, and not a great one. I too hated the interior on them, very cheap looking, and the dashboard seemed to 'fall away' from you - the interior had a very stiff, cold feel to it.

I too much preferred the interior on my Cavalier - it was much lower, snuger, and more sporty that a Cobalt ever could be. Heck, my buddy owns a 260-HP Turbo SS, and I still hate the feel of the interior.

That said, I DO like the Ecotec 4-cylinder engine more than the OHV engine. If I could have gotten a Cavalier with that engine, I would have. Much peppier, more refined, and much easier to service. The OHV engine was a solid, reliabel piece, but a pain to service.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
I had a Cobalt for a rental for 2-3 days once while my Cavalier was in the shop after an accident.

I'll agree that the car had a very different feel to it, and not a great one. I too hated the interior on them, very cheap looking, and the dashboard seemed to 'fall away' from you - the interior had a very stiff, cold feel to it.

I too much preferred the interior on my Cavalier - it was much lower, snuger, and more sporty that a Cobalt ever could be. Heck, my buddy owns a 260-HP Turbo SS, and I still hate the feel of the interior.

That said, I DO like the Ecotec 4-cylinder engine more than the OHV engine. If I could have gotten a Cavalier with that engine, I would have. Much peppier, more refined, and much easier to service. The OHV engine was a solid, reliabel piece, but a pain to service.


Oh yeah, the same ecotec 2.2 and transmission in the 03 Cavalier has a great feel to it. But the DBW and apparently something else, in the cobalt makes it feel awful.

 

[charbaby]

I want to first say that, GM has come a long way in the past couple of years. I really like their offerings. Now, they're more competitive than they've been in a long time...No, I don't like everything from GM but, I don't like everything from any car company(even my favorite, HONDA) just some vehicles.

Funny thing about Colbalts and Pontiac Sunfires/G5's is that most owners that I have talked to...Love'em!..."Great MPG" they say!

I ask about other things about the car and they are unaware of anything else. Now, I'm not knocking the Colbalt although I have driven many Sunf's, Cav's & Balt's rentals and all I can say is that I wouldn't own one. "The Truth About Cars"(TTAC)said it best(about the G5)...This car should be taken out in the field and shot in the back of the head!

I'll give'em this...They don't ride or handle too badly overall(for everyday type driving). The ones that I have rented did OK!

What I disliked the most about the cars were the lack of comfort and usable space from the interior. For a car of their exterior size, they were poorly designed on the interior. Great Radio/Stereo even in the basic GM sound system. And 2 weeks in a rental car that you don't like can be torture! I have turned in Colbalts to get another car(Lancer, Corolla) but had to pay a bit more! They were better IMHO!

The press killed them as did CR MAG. Their frequency of repairs was High although the folks that I know, don't have any issues with'em and run'em to 200K miles. IDK!

I did have one Colbalt Rental Car that was better in some ways compared to the other 'Balt's that I had. The Drivetrain and susspension were GREAT! This thing screwed and handled unbelievable around corners and took the bumps very, very well!

But the seats were terrable for me(5'10"/185 lbs) and my 101 lb. wife. OMG! Could a car be more uncomfortable? How could a car company get so many things wrong while doing a couple of things right? Very right in fact! At least on this particular Colbalt.
I had an '84 Plymouth Turismo 2.2 that had maybe the best seats in any small car that I ever owned. And that Turismo 2.2(Shelby Charger look-a-like) was a POS overall

I have driven/owned many small cars in my life and GM seats were the worst. I loved the Saturn Astra until I sat in it!
_________________________________________________________________________________________

I like the new replacement for them...The Chevy Cruze. But the seats suck(way too norrow) and the dash is in your face; and I ain't that big of a guy(as I said above).

I like the seats in many other cars in it's class such as Civic, Mazda3, Mitsu Lancer, even the Dodge Neon etc. I've been in smaller cars with better seats. But as with many GM vehicles, they don't get the seats right in too many of their vehicles.

The rest of the Cruze is OK and about as quiet as any car in it's class if not quieter! And the press likes/loves it!
Fix the seats and I'll think about it!

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
I want to first say that, GM has come a long way in the past couple of years. I really like their offerings. Now, they're more competitive than they've been in a long time...No, I don't like everything from GM but, I don't like everything from any car company(even my favorite, HONDA) just some vehicles.

Funny thing about Colbalts and Pontiac Sunfires/G5's is that most owners that I have talked to...Love'em!..."Great MPG" they say!

I ask about other things about the car and they are unaware of anything else. Now, I'm not knocking the Colbalt although I have driven many Sunf's, Cav's & Balt's rentals and all I can say is that I wouldn't own one.

I'll give'em this...They don't ride or handle too badly overall(for everyday type driving). The ones that I have rented did OK!

What I disliked the most about the cars were the lack of comfort and usable space from the interior. For a car of their exterior size, they were poorly designed on the interior. Great Radio/Stereo even in the basic GM sound system. And 2 weeks in a rental car that you don't like can be torture! I have turned in Colbalts to get another car(Lancer, Corolla) but had to pay a bit more! They were better IMHO!

The press killed them as did CR MAG. Their frequency of repairs was High although the folks that I know, don't have any issues with'em and run'em to 200K miles. IDK!

I did have one Colbalt Rental Car that was better in some ways compared to the other 'Balt's that I had. The Drivetrain and susspension were GREAT! This thing screwed and handled unbelievable around corners and took the bumps very, very well!

But the seats were terrable for me(5'10"/185 lbs) and my 101 lb. wife. OMG! Could a car be more uncomfortable? How could a car company get so many things wrong while doing a couple of things right? Very right in fact! At least on this particular Colbalt.
I had an '84 Plymouth Turismo 2.2 that had maybe the best seats in any small car that I ever owned. And that Turismo 2.2(Shelby Charger look-a-like) was a POS overall

I have driven/owned many small cars in my life and GM seats were the worst. I loved the Saturn Astra until I sat in it!
_________________________________________________________________________________________

I like the new replacement for them...The Chevy Cruze. But the seats suck(way too norrow) and the dash is in your face; and I ain't that big of a guy(as I said above).

I like the seats in many other cars in it's class such as Civic, Mazda3, Mitsu Lancer, even the Dodge Neon etc. I've been in smaller cars with better seats. But as with many GM vehicles, they don't get the seats right in too many of their vehicles.

The rest of the Cruze is OK and about as quiet as any car in it's class if not quieter! And the press likes/loves it!
Fix the seats and I'll think about it!


Thing about the cruze is interesting, as I'm 5'11" and a bit over 210lb, (Been excercising ) and I don't find the seats too narrow. At first maybe a little, but as I drove it, I didn't even notice anymore.

 

[MysticGold04]

I had one of these for a rental a few times... They are okay. Not the best vehicle. For me they were sluggish accelerating.. It seemed you pressed on the gas and nothing happened!!!

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby

Funny thing about Colbalts and Pontiac Sunfires/G5's is that most owners that I have talked to...Love'em!..."Great MPG" they say!

I ask about other things about the car and they are unaware of anything else.


Your post smacks of sarcasm, as if you didn't believe what the owners had to say.

Was my post earlier detailed enough? I mentioned what irritated me the most - the rattles caused by the swaybar endlinks, which are nearly unserviceable without taking an angle grinder to them. You aren't going to get a post like that from someone who only drove one as a rental.

The only quibble I have regarding interior room is the trunk - specifically the trunklid opening. Its tiny. The trunk is decently big, but any large items have to be turned and shoehorned in through the opening. The rest of the interior - well, everyone knows that its mostly plastic. I still do however prefer it over the Cavalier which like I said earlier I found to be low and cramped.

If I had any electrical problems I'd list them, but then I'd be making up stuff. However, a lady here at the office has one, and she can't get her dash lights to work right, so obviously they're out there.

EDIT - Feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: Nick R

It's had to believe that this was the competitor to that car, and the Mazda3, last gen civic. I mean I suppose I might be slightly nitpicky about cars than 99.9% of the people that own themn, but still.

I think its just hard to compare cars from only driving one example, and years apart, in different conditions...

I helped a friend in 2000 to buy a new car, and we drove all the compact cars, base trim with AC and a manual trans. The Cavalier was last for us back then... I thought 2/3 the cost of the other cars would be priced about right for how it compared to a Civic/Focus/Protege, ect... That was our opinion though at the time, and maybe the high level trimmed Cavi's were better inside?
Anyways I'm sure 99% of folks would think my Neon is a POS, but when I drive many other cars I don't find they are that much "better". They are "better" of course but I still like how I have the handling set up, and for me, the Neon is a cheap tool for the jobs I have for it. Commuting and autocross. Gliding smoothly and silently for 100's of miles on interstate isn't what I need it for, and there's no doubt, its a krhap car for that.