2009 Chevrolet Cobalt

Tough times call for honest practicality. With family budgets getting leaner, it's a lot harder to justify a laundry list of luxury perks or performance options when it comes to choosing a family car. The Chevrolet Cobalt is a car built with that kind of philosophy. It's not fancy and it doesn't pamper a driver, but it gets the errands run and it gets you to work for that 9 to 5 gig. Boring? Perhaps. Survivable? You betcha!

I drove a Chevrolet Cobalt LT for a 3-day long weekend trip to Houston. Not my car --- it's a rental from Enterprise. I'm kind of glad it is too, because while the Cobalt is perfectly adequate as a basic Point-A to Point-B conveyance, it's not an exciting car, nor a luxurious car, and it makes me glad to get home to my regular wheels at the end of a trip.

While I had the Cobalt, I sure appreciated the car's fuel sipping attitude and I liked its basic good looks. I'd like the car more if its creature features were better implemented, and if the seats were more comfortable and it handled better...but there's something to be said for a basic, utilitarian car that's not too expensive and that's not too thirsty...and that's where the Cobalt's sweet spot seems to lie. Let's take a closer look...


Walk Around the Chevy Cobalt and Check Out Its "Curb Appeal"...
I like the basic shape and smooth lines of the Chevrolet Cobalt. It's aerodynamic shape and elongated form give it an initial impression of sportiness --- as much so as any small economy sedan can. Compared to many entry level compacts, I think Chevy's basic design is among the more attractive looking vehicles. Even at the LS and LT trim levels.

From the front, it's got the same fundamental face-shape as any of a dozen other small cars, but with its distinctive Chevy split-grill look, the car won't ever be mistaken for anything other than a Chevrolet. There's something to be said for pride in your heritage.
The Cobalt looks good from the side too. I like the clean lines, integrated body-color door handles, large rear windows that help reduce blind spots, and the stylish brushed aluminum look of even the basic wheel covers.

From a practical perspective, even though that rear deck looks small, the trunk lid swings way up given you easy access to what turns out to be a very large, spacious trunk. Why, I bet I could fit at LEAST 5 or 6 cases of chilly beer in there! (Sorry kids, no room for toys or suitcases....maybe next time!)


Sit Inside the Chevy Cobalt...Comfy?
First impressions count, and my first impression of sliding behind the wheel of the '09 Cobalt is "Damn, Chevy! Who does your interior design?" It's not that it's necessarily ugly, it's just that it strikes me as behind the times...like a guy who still hasn't figured out that ugly Tommy Hilfiger shirts with wide bright stripes weren't even attractive way back in the days when department stores said they were.

Honestly, I haven't seen this much hard plastic and sparse design in weeks (not since I drove the last econobox rental from Enterprise). The seats are very basic with plain-Jane engineering and basic, low-end fabric seat covers. They probably wear alright, but they're neither comfortable nor attractive. There's not very firm lateral support on these seats either...they'll hold you tight on a flat stretch, but don't ask any more of them. The seats are also not easy to adjust, though I'll bet Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson works out often enough to lift that hefty steel seat adjuster bar up. Most of us will have to resort to choice swear words as a replacement for daily workout regimens.

My impression of sitting in the drivers seat is that things are looking okay....but that other car makers have done a whole lot more and have better looking dashboards with more features and better implemented designs. I like that the stereo includes an MP3 input as well, particularly since I'm inclined to cancel the XM radio once the 90-day intro period expires (try it for yourself, but I think you'll find the current post-Sirius-merge channel selection to be lame and not worth the money any more).

I'm a huge fan of usable design, and I give Chevy fairly decent marks on the dash layout and control placement for the 2009 Cobalt. I recall driving a Cobalt about a year and half ago (could have been an '08, probably an '07) that had a rough and tumble design with poor placement of steering column controls and an ugly center stack. Chevy has evidently cleaned up their act since then because this one has a better looking center stack and generally better overall look. Either that, or that previous car was a lower trim line than the LT that I'm driving today. The matte finish muted grey faceplate and crisper action on the climate and stereo controls bring the Cobalt closer to the more refined feel that many of the Japanese compact cars display (newer Korean models too). Gauges on the primary console are simple, but a bit busy with with a speedometer that's too small (Chevy could swap placement with the tach and reduce the tach size since tachs aren't even useful on a car with an automatic). I also don't care for the inadequate steering wheel controls on the '09 Cobalt --- don't like their spartan functionality on the LT --- they don't even adjust the stereo volume. So, while Chevy doesn't have a completely antiquated look and feel, my thought is that they're still playing catch-up.

This could be a matter of trim level though too. I would hope that at the SS level, Chevy gives you a better designed interior space...unfortunately though, other cars are giving you that better designed space at lower trim levels. Again, catch-up and "what do you get for your money"?


Drive the Chevy Cobalt...Quick & Agile Enough for You?
The car's 2.2L 4-cylinder engine cranks out 155 horsepower with 150 pound-feet of torque, which is more than adequate for this small, fairly light sedan. I thought the car had plenty of get up and go in normal city and suburban traffic, it got me up to highway speed well before any barreling Peterbilts could squash me like a bug, and it was competent cruising down the interstate at 70mph. It's plenty of power for a normal human being, though it's certainly no sports car. If you're looking for something that will outrun most small to mid-size cars, you can opt for the SS package, which boosts your horsepower to a whopping 260 horses with a turbocharged 2.0L 4-cylinder.

Although the Cobalt has adequate power for day-to-drive transportation appliance purposes, it's not really a zippy car nor does it inspire a driver to WANT to let 'er loose. Certainly not in its LS or LT trim line configurations. The car is not an agile handling machine and the steering feels soft and timid in the corners. It also tends to wallow as you ask it to turn just a bit tighter or faster. Oh sure, the Cobalt will turn a tight U-bie or 3-point turn in the city, and it will slide its small footprint into tight city parking spots...but it's not going to give you the confidence to take a mountainous hairpin turn without plenty of braking (and a few prayers to a merciful God). If you do decide to drive the Cobalt LS or LT like it was a performance car, I highly recommend a plastic dashboard Jesus as aftermarket equipment.

The Cobalt I'm driving has an automatic transmission. It's a bit clunky in its action but its a fairly smooth shifter as I push it with a quick acceleration....certainly no huge clunks or major hesitations between gears. Competent if unexciting. The car is quieter than some of the small econoboxes I've driven in the past few months (it's certainly not as buzzy as the Aveo nor does it have the road noise of low-end Hyundais).

I wish I could tell you what it was like to drive the SS, with its performance package and turbo engine...but alas, my friends at Enterprise have gone and rented me one of the tamer Cobalts at the mild-mannered LT trim line level.


Safety Considerations for the Chevy Cobalt...
I'm not particularly jazzed about the Cobalt's safety record nor with its standard safety features. In my opinion, if safety is a major consideration, you should shop the competition carefully before choosing a Cobalt: there are competing cars that do better on government crash tests, that have better stability numbers, and that have a fuller pallette of safety features, both standard and optional. The Cobalt does have some good safety perks....but they do get beat.

In NHTSA crash tests, the Cobalt gets 4-star ratings overall. I'm particularly troubled by Cobalt's mixed performance in side-impact tests, where IIHS rates it as "Acceptable" if the side airbag is in place and "Poor" without it. Front driver and passenger airbags are standard on the Cobalt, but the full-length side curtain airbags are standard ONLY on Cobalts sold through retail dealers --- if you pick up a used Cobalt, check it out well (get a CARFAX report) and consider rejecting those owned by rental car companies or fleet operators. The fleet sale versions of the '06-'09 Chevy Cobalts and Chevy Impalas had fewer features on them than equivalent retail versions and the side-curtain airbags were cut out as a cost-saving measure. Caveat Emptor! [Source: US News and World Reports, August 18, 2009, "Enterprise Sold Cars Without Disclosing Lack of Airbags"...Google it for details.]

Another "gotcha" to be aware of is that some of the car enthusiast web sites have incorrect information about the safety features on the Cobalt. Motor Trend says 4-wheel ABS is standard --- but it's not (its an available option at the LS and LT levels and standard only on the SS model). Further the "auto crash notify" feature listed on Motor Trend is OnStar, which most owners tend to cancel after the initial free period (because OnStar is basically overpriced for the limited value it offers, and most people figure that out eventually). So, once again, CAVEAT EMPTOR (and choose your info sources very wisely, using more than one and including the manufacturer web sites for a more authoritative list of actual features on specific models).
As always, places to find impartial car safety information:
* www.safercars.gov
* www.iihs.org


Economics of Owning a Chevy Cobalt...
The reasons to consider buying a Chevy Cobalt boil down to new-car economics:

* the car has a low base MSRP sticker price ($14,990)

* incentives are often available

* GM backs the car with a better warranty than competitors

* fuel economy numbers are better than most competitors

Bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage is provided for 3 years or 36,000 miles with 5 years, 100,000 miles on the drivetrain. This is about the best coverage you'll find today.

Gas prices keep inching skyward, and if fuel economy is an important consideration to you when shopping for a new car, the 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt will be a strong contender. You'll be smiling at that EPA estimate on the car's window sticker: 37 MPG highway, 25 in the city. Sure does beat that old gas-sucking SUV, doesn't it? Best of all, the smiles come back every time you fill the tank...

The Cobalt generally shapes up fairly well as economical car when its young, though depreciation charge-offs are higher with Cobalt than with competing models from Toyota or Honda. I have some hesitations about recommending the Cobalt as a used car purchase because Consumer Reports shows some trouble spots in their analysis of past model years. In the short-term, trouble spots would not be problematic because of the excellent warranty coverage, but I would expect above-average repair frequency and costs as the car approached its five-year point. Naturally though, you can mitigate that with careful maintenance and gentle treatment. As always, your mileage may vary.


How's the Chevy Cobalt Compare to Other Basic Sedans?
There are some outstanding small cars on the market today....some better than others. When looking at the Chevy Cobalt, I'd also consider:

* Toyota Corolla -- outstanding reliability, low depreciation, and high fuel economy make this a perennial winner: better features and comfort than Cobalt

* Honda Civic -- outstanding reliability, low deprection, and almost as good MPG as the Corolla make Civic another solid no-brainer alternative

* Nissan Cube -- lower sticker price, unique new design, great alternative to "boring sedan" body styles

* Kia Soul -- another small, alternative footprint vanesque vehicle

* Nissan Versa -- much better interior design and features than Cobalt

* Mini Cooper -- higher price, but much better quality than Cobalt


Bottom Line: How's Chevy Cobalt Stack Up Overall??
Overall, I give the car a very solid, "Eh?"

I think it's decidedly average and uninspiring, and considering the spartan look and feel of the car in its basic LS and LT configurations, I can't help but think that Japanese brands are giving a whole lot better bang for the buck than Cobalt offers. On top of that, Cobalt's uninspiring safety performance and it's mixed prognosis for long-term reliability are worrisome: I just can't bring myself to prefer this car over the much better value propositions of cars from Toyota, Honda, or Nissan...and that's where I'd look if I were considering a basic transportation appliance in these tight economic times.

Until next time, see you on the road!