2005 Chevrolet Cobalt Base 2.2L

Summary:

This is an excellent little car and a great value for the money

Faults:

Door striker plates began to rattle at 4,000 miles.

General Comments:

2.2L engine is extremely smooth and quiet with good power delivery in all RPM ranges.

Ride and handling is exceptionally tight, solid and quiet. Had the car over 100mph and still quiet and smooth.

Manual transmission shifts tight and positive.

Very well equipped for a base model. AC, driver information center, AM/FM/CD (sounds excellent for a base model), speed sensitive wiper delay, automatic headlights, speed sensitive electronically controlled power steering.

Controls easily accessible and laid out nicely.

Trunk space larger than you would expect.

Excellent fuel economy. Can squeeze 32mpg just driving round town.

Large easy to read gauges.

If your in the market for a good compact car, don't overlook the new Chevy Cobalt! This is a well designed little car!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th November, 2005

17th Sep 2006, 17:44

I recently test drove several small cars, and the Cobalt really impressed me. It is fast, smooth, feels very solid and has the very reliable EcoTech 4 engine, which gets great mileage. Nothing offered by any of the competition came close. I've driven GM cars for years and none of them has ever seen the inside of a service department except for oil changes. Their build quality is as good as anyones.

2005 Chevrolet Cobalt Base 2.2 Ecotec

Summary:

The worst car I ever had

Faults:

What's going wrong with the car... almost everything...

- No heat and ventilation at delivery. Took 3 weeks and 2 dealers to solve the problem.

- Lights flashing in the dash (1500 km).

- Radio stopped to play sometimes (1500 km and again at 7000 km).

- Trunk shocks did not work when temperature is under -15 degrees (1600 km).

- Wipers not working (1800 km).

- Back up lights working at the place of rear lights (1800 km).

- Water infiltration near the driver door resulting in humid seat belt (3000 km).

- Front glasses very hard to use (4000 km).

- Temperature gage gives wrong indications (4000, 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 km, checked 5 times and never repaired properly).

- Rust under a rubber on the driver's door (7500 km).

- Handbrake handle replaced 2 times.

- Oil burning (around 1 liter for 800 km) at 8000 km.

- Brakes are noisy (8000 km)

And many others that I don't have in mind.

General Comments:

Hard on gas.

Very poor assembly.

Handle is good, gearbox too.

Customer service of GM Canada and dealer very poor.

Trunk is big, but not easy to access.

Automatic lights very useful. They shoud add a system to open the lights in the dash independently.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 5th September, 2005

5th Sep 2005, 19:30

There is no such thing as a 2004 Cobalt. At this time, the Cavalier was still Chevrolet's small car.

6th Sep 2005, 19:38

I completely agree with this review. Cobalts are total junk.

2005 Chevrolet Cobalt

Summary:

Much improved, but still won't buy one

Faults:

This is a rental car.

It's silver in color, if you look closely the bumper is different color compared to the rest of the car.

You can hear the gas moving inside gas tank right after you shut off the engine. Don't trust the gas gauge because the reading is inconsistent.

The car has 8000KM, but the brakes are already making a noise when applied. Also body noise when going over rough surfaces.

Severe torque steer if I floor the gas pedal.

Gas mileage higher than 2005 Corolla I drove last week.

Electronic push button gauges take your eyes off the road. A regular dial gauge is much safer in my opinion.

General Comments:

Much improved over the previous Chevrolet Cavalier, but the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic are still a better buy for a little bit more. Plus you get better gas mileage and resale value.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 20th August, 2005

20th Aug 2005, 22:01

The car has 8000KM, but brake already making noise when applying. Also body noise when going over rough surfaces.

It's a rental car so people drive it like there's no tomorrow.

21st Aug 2005, 12:39

I admit this car is a huge improvements from Cavalier, but it's still a long way from Toyota Corolla. If you don't believe it, check out a silver Corolla, at least the bumper is same color.

I drove a rental Corolla with more mileage, people abuse it, but still the car hold up really well, how can you explain that?