2006 Chevrolet Cobalt SS

Like Saturn's ION Red Line, which shares the same chassis and powertrain, the Cobalt SS Supercharged coupe is a hoot to drive, and we loved its smooth, clean-sculpted shape. The meaty P215/45R18 Z-rated tires on 18-inch painted aluminum wheels looked as good as they performed. Given the mighty motor's prodigious torque, smoothly launching the car for max acceleration runs proved difficult, with wheelspin limiting the results of our 0-60 tests to just under seven seconds. We also encountered some torque steer powering hard out of tight corners. Otherwise steering, braking and handling felt generally terrific, and the ride wasn't overly stiff.


In general, Chevy's new Cobalt proved amazingly quiet, solid and satisfying for its size and price. We found the 2-toned Recaro front buckets comfy and highly supportive; and the interior materials, fits, gaps and surface finishes are more than competitive for its small-car class. On the negative side, the coupe's rear seat is subcompact tight: not too suitable for adults. EPA economy is impressive, ranging from 25 mpg city/34 highway for the base 2.2-liter LS with manual transmission to 23/29 mpg for the hot 2.0-liter SS Supercharged coupe. With prices starting at a very reasonable $14,490 (including destination) and stretching to $21,990 for that hot SS Supercharged coupe, these new Chevy Cobalts are not only competitive with the best in their class, but they are actually better than most—all because those dedicated engineers got their 150 wishes. (www.chevrolet.com)