Review: 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS

The 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS might not be the most sought after fuel efficient compact car sold in today's market, but it should be looked at with a good eye and an open mind. The Cobalt SS is a tuners dream for a sport compact domestic that is no doubt meant to compete with the likes of the Dodge Neon SRT-4 one of a very small number of tuner cars that are turbocharged and equipped with front wheel drive power plants. Because the Cobalt SS is turbocharged it means that it will have a greater after market following that still utilizes the same 2.0 liter four cylinder engine that was supercharged in previous models. The Cobalt SS will be easy for tuners to modify by strapping on a larger turbo, bigger fuel injectors, and a new flash tuned engine control unit. Even though the Cobalt SS boasts 260 horsepower and 260ftlbs of torque it can still get an amazing 30 mpg on the highway as long as you stay out of boost of course. The Cobalt SS is still behind the other cars in its supposed class for sales figures such as the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, and Toyota Corolla; but with as much power as it has on tap it's really in a class of its own. The Cobalt SS only comes mated to a five speed manual gear box, but with 260 ponies of turbocharged bliss why wouldn't you want to slam some gears?

Ripping through the gears as fast as a professional driver can yielded a 5.9 second 0 to 60 mph jaunt and sped through the quarter mile in 14.6 seconds at 96mph, not bad for a 3,000 pound four cylinder compact car. The Cobalt SS has also had stability control added into its mix recently to work in conjunction with its premier Brembo brake system allowing it to achieve a 0.90g rating in the lateral skid pad test. The SS edition of the Cobalt is a far superior package for the money which is around $23,000. The SS has many features that the regular Cobalt does not such as: Sport tuned suspension with stability control, aerodynamics kit (for its 160mph top speed), Brembo brakes, 18 inch aluminum forged wheels, soft summer tires, sport seats, and a reconfigurable in cockpit display for 0 to 60 mph times and cornering G loads; along with the new cockpit display comes Bluetooth functionality and an iPod capable USB port on the radio. This cockpit performance display will no doubt be an excellent tool for tuners that wish to know the performance value of their aftermarket upgrades. All in all the Chevrolet Cobalt SS is the best bang for your affordable performance buck in terms of factory performance and potential after market performance upgrades.