I like the Recaro seats, though a little more padding wouldn’t hurt. Most buyers in this segment are looking for bang-for-buck, and Chevy decided to put that bang under the hood, not around the driver. The interior of the Cobalt is where the car has drawn most of its criticism, but I don’t think the quality of the plastics is terribly important in the pocket-rocket class. The limited-slip does a great job of getting the power to the ground and minimizing wheelspin, but you can still get smoke off the inside tire in first gear. I was pleasantly surprised by how composed the car was through turns at speed, but the limitations of front-wheel drive are still noticeable. Suspension is firm enough to tear up the corners, but not too harsh for daily driving duties. The torque makes up for the lack of a sixth gear, and because there are only five gears you don’t need to deal with the mediocre shifter as frequently. Some have bemoaned the choice of a five-speed by Chevy, but it works well in this car. I never had a problem finding gears, and there were no missed shifts, but if you compare it to a Honda Civic Si, the Cobalt leaves you wanting for more feel. This time I kept my foot in it and lived with the roughness. Last time ’round I would shift early to keep the engine in the smoothest rev range but missed out on the big power. The supercharger does give a healthy boost of power, though it does nothing to refine the wheezy four-banger. I put a lot more time behind the wheel with this tester than the last, both driving it hard in a variety of conditions and keeping my foot out of it for a while in town. Chevy came through, and I got my weekend in the SS. The hate mail poured in after my last romp with a supercharged Cobalt SS, so I begged Chevy to send another example our way in hopes of testing it over a weekend.
0 kommentar(er)
