Comments: 1-15, 16
I've been driving a Cobalt for two weeks, since my car was stolen, and I can say that this is one of the worst offerings from the US domestic auto market. With no armrests and poor layout, it's uncomfortable at best. Visibility is limited by thick awkward columns, and over sized trim making this a dangerous car to drive as well. Road noise is deafening on the highway. No power windows or locks on the basic model render this model annoyingly inconvenient. The auto headlights are also annoying making a simple procedure like flashing your lights to signal semis to change lanes a chore. Drive this car, and you'll be convinced to buy a Honda Civic.
You are driving a rental and a base model at that, quit whining about the armrests and power windows, you should have a death grip on the steering wheel if it is so dangerous to drive.
Oversized trim? Thick colums? The outward view is no worse than my 06 Nissan Sentra (totaled last year) that the Cobalt replaced. The road noise is no higher than any other compact and is less than many including my Sentra and the Civic that I drove before I bought the Cobalt. My wife and I have a easier conversation now on trips.
Again, I don't have any trouble with the visibility of my Cobalt and I have a coupe - you're just not used to the car and you blame the car for that. Leave the truckers alone, they can change lanes without your help.
Why spend the extra $4,000 to $5,000 for a Corolla or Civic? I researched them on here and some other websites. The new models don't appear to be any more reliable than my Cobalt and aren't made in Japan anymore. The glory days of Japanese reliability from the 80s and 90s are over, IMHO.
The original review isn't appropriate, he doesn't own the car and has a padoga sized chip on his shoulder.
To the commenter above: You have the right to your opinion, just like the original reviewer has the right to his. No need to put him down while hiding behind your computer.
Having had experience (ALL BAD) with a Civic, I can assure you I'd much rather trust ANY GM car to get me where I want to go. I've driven 3 Cobalts (one 4-door model and 2 coupes) and found the visibility, convenience and comfort excellent and the power ample.
It is just as easy to flash the bright lights on my GM cars with the automatic lights as it is on my Ford (which doesn't have them). All you do is flip the control stalk, just as you do on most cars.
I found the Cobalt to be smooth, not any noisier than their competition, and much better looking. Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Mine is based on nothing but mostly bad experience with imports (German and Japanese) and nothing but good experience with every domestic I've ever owned. I suppose there are good imports and bad domestics. My experience has always been better with domestics from any of the "Big Three".
I have a 2007 Cobalt LS, and I must say it is the best car I have ever had. I bought it on September 1st with 2 miles on it, and already have 10,000 miles on it with not a stitch of trouble. Mine doesn't have an power windows/locks, doesn't have an armrest, and doesn't even have an automatic transmission. But it does have safety, quietness, and air conditioning and a CD player, which makes up for the lack of important things like an armrest. Oh, and the car's small size makes it nice and easy to reach over the passenger seat and unlock the other doors. I wanted basic, reliable, no frills transportation, and that's what I got. An armrest and all of the power amenities can be had, but they leave it out as to keep the cost down because that is what some prefer, LOW COST.
There is no need to slander a good car just because of your experience with a rental car. The rental agencies buy them with absolutely no options, but an automatic transmission, as it puts more money in their pockets and keeps their expenses down, as many prefer who drive the Cobalt over the Civic, Corolla, Sentra, and so on that are priced way above what they should be. And, with the Cobalt, you get a nice 100,000 mile complete powertrain warranty. THAT is value. Now take your miserable excuse for a car COBALT LX (which by the way, it's LS, LT, LTZ, or SS... there is no such thing as an LX) back to Thrifty Rent-a-Car and go spend about 6,000 more for a nice base Civic, and leave the Cobalt for someone else to enjoy.
I drove a 2008 Cobalt on a trip for two weeks. I agree with the original poster that the car is cheap, uncomfortable, and awkward to drive. I've owned a lot of cars- both imported and domestic- and the Cobalt I rented was the worst car I've driven. First of all, the steering wheel made it almost impossible to see the gauges even if you adjusted the wheel better. Secondly, the seats were tight. I'm a small person, so I can't imagine what it would be like for someone larger.
The overall build quality was severely lacking: the plastic trim on the doors, in the interior, the rubber dash, and the trunk were all embarrassingly cheap. What's more was that the plastic on the exterior was already weathering badly. If it was starting to look bad at less than 1 month old, I can't imagine how bad it will look in a few years if the car makes it that long.
Secondly, the ride and acceleration were just weird. It felt like the transmission was sort of 'wandering'. It was pretty jerky at acceleration too.You'd floor it and nothing would happen for a few seconds. Then it'd finally kick in, which was nerve-wracking in heavy traffic.
My honest opinion: this is nowhere close to matching the new Civic that it was intended to compete with. My Wife's 17 year old Civic is better built and more comfortable than the new Cobalt. GM screwed this one up and it is really no better than the crappy Cavalier it replaced.
I too rented one for about ten days. Not a bad car. It was very basic, but just about what could be expected. It drove fine, but once again very basic and a little unpowered. But, as a people mover more than acceptable. I would still prefer to pay extra for something more interesting though.
I bought a 2007 cobalt in October and have no complaints at all, I have the base model which does come standard with the features that are nice to have like a CD player and air conditioning. This car has never let me down or disappointed me one bit even with manual windows and locks, it is cheap reliable transportation and I would definitely recommend this car to every person or family that is on a budget. So please don't bash the cobalt.
And of course here comes the civic fan.
Hard to flash your headlights because they are auto? Maybe if you're high; it's like any other car, pull on it. Poor visibility and dangerous to drive? I'm 6'2 and my head is almost at the roof and I feel very comfortable knowing where every car around me is.
I'm getting so tired of Honda fans putting down American-built cars and trying to make them sound worse by pointing out useless and invalid points, like poor visibility in the car or the auto headlights being a pain.
I rented a Cobalt LT with a big option package that included 16 inch alloys for 10 days. Not a bad car, if you compare it to vehicles manufactured 5 years ago. I agree that the interior trimmings were scant at best, with a plethora of hard pointy surfaces - and cramped - and I'm only 5'9". Why can't GM make an attractive dashboard? The gas mileage combined was about 20-22 at best. For a large 4 cylinder, it had no balls and was gruff sounding. Sorry GM, but for as long as you keep putting out inferior products (let's not count the Saturns, which are Opels, and the Pontiacs/Chevys that share some Holden design), you'll never earn my money, no matter how long you extend your warranties for. All you can bank on are trucks/SUVs/maybe the Vette and hopefully, for your sake, the new Malibu. Thanks for hypeing up these gashogs - America thanks you for it every time we fill up.
I disagree with the last comment. My sister has a Pontiac G5 coupe, which is the same thing as a Cobalt. I'm 6'2" and I have plenty of room, but as for the back seat, you could make a case.
Also the engine is a bit loud, but it's an economy car, so it probably doesn't have a lot of insulation.
The car is fast enough; it's not a sports car and you probably got such low gas mileage cause you couldn't keep your foot out of the floor. My sister averages about 28mpg.
And honestly, to me all the newer model cars have that plastic look with the exception of the new Malibu, and Buicks. Acura's also have nice interiors.
I drove a 2008 Cobalt LS two door. Blind spots are a BIG problem cause you can't see anything from that tiny poorly designed window and that column.
Also the rear seats are sooo totally useless, there is like 1 inch of leg room, and I am not exaggerating. The rear seats were put just to make it a 4 seat car, but in actuality it can only seat 2. Four if you want your legs squashed.
I highly recommend people not to buy this car unless it was really cheap, like half the price of a Corolla or a Civic. Heck, even the 2008 Elantra is a much much better buy than a Cobalt.
As usual, the prejudice of the import owner shows very clearly in comments about the Cobalt/G5.
Sport Compact Car magazine recently referred to the Cobalt SS as "The best front drive car ever", and praised its interior, handling and braking.
In 2006 Motor Trend called the Cobalt SS "The fastest front drive car we've ever tested".
I've had experience with those "superior" Civics. It was the worst, most poorly built car I ever dealt with.
I'm currently driving a GM compact that is now 8 years old. It has had ONE battery and two sets of tires (the last were a performance upgrade and not due to tire wear). At 70,000 miles I replaced the front brake pads at a cost of $18. The rear pads are still the original. Other than that the car has never had ANYTHING else except oil changes and air filters. The car looks, runs and drives exactly the same as it did when it rolled off the dealer's lot.
After installing the high-traction performance tires the car handles BETTER than our 2007 Mustang, and even with it's non-turbo 4 will blow the doors off anything in Toyota's line up up to the 2007 V-6 Camry (which is fast until it falls apart in a month or two).
GM is building some of the best vehicles in the world, and has been for a decade now. The Malibu is American Car of the year, the Cadillac CTS is Motor Trend's Car of the Year, nearly HALF of Car and Driver's "10 Best" come from GM, and the Ford Fusion is the highest rated car ever rated by Consumer Reports. "Import quality" is rapidly becoming an oxymoron.
They're SUPPOSED to be cheap, people, so don't die of shock if the options in a base Cobalt don't match up to that of a Buick Park Avenue.
One advantage a car with manual windows and locks has over one with power ones is that, whether the car is on or off, whether it's electrics are working right or not, the occupants can ALWAYS use the door locks and windows.
Hi all.
I bought a 2008 Cobalt LT almost a month ago, it had 30 km when I got it, I have 1500 km on it now, and so far, I have to admit I am impressed with this car.
I'm 49 years of age, and having a car that looks sporty is different for me. I agree with some of the points made here and other user reviews on this site. People shouldn't write reviews based on experiences with rental cars in my opinion since most rented cars are driven to an extreme, something most people wouldn't do with their own cars, they'll do with a rental, so if the car is falling apart when it's only a few months old, chances are the car's renters have kicked the crap out of it.
As for the rear view, I have the spoiler and am now just getting used to backing up with my car, the high rear end makes visibility needing to get used to. As for the supposed noise in the cabin, I disagree, I got the 4 way package when I bought my car, it included Undercoating, rust proofing, cloth protection for the interior and paint protection. The undercoating quieted the car's interior even more than it was before. While driving downtown with the driver's side window rolled down, I have to look at the tach since the traffic noise drowns out the sound of my Cobalt's engine.
I have no trouble seeing the gauges through the steering wheel. I actually like the looks of the inside of that car, I like it's comfort and the smoothness of the ride, the car can be peppy when needed and handles and corners well.
My fuel mileage is slowly getting better as it's getting broken in. I don't like the notchiness feel of the shifter (5 speed manual), it's sometimes requires a bit of effort to get it into 1st gear at a stop, I was told by a tech at the dealership I bought it from that this will get looser as I use it more, he figures it should be fine and easy to shift when I get about 4000 to 5000 km on the car.
I like the large trunk space and the ability to fold down the rear seat and have the pass through for the trunk. I also like the myriad of options on the LT model, every option I wanted and then some. So far I'm quite happy with my Cobalt. I also like the key less entry feature. Agreed on the auto lights thing, it's something I'd rather not have but am getting used to flipping the dial to turn them off when I just drive up to park and want to sit there for a few minutes with the engine running. I love the information display at the bottom of the tach, quite handy.
I have the 16 inch alloy wheels with Hankook tires and these also help to make the car look sporty but they also handle quite well while driving. The stereo is adequate bout would probably sound a lot better with after market speakers, maybe some Pioneer triaxial speakers might be in my future.
All in all, I'm impressed with this car, if you expect to have a Cadillac in a Cobalt, then you need a reality check, it's a econo box and a pretty decent one at that! :)
Take care.
I bought a 2008 Cobalt two months ago. The visibility is TERRIBLE. When you look over your left shoulder, you see your seat and the interior of the car. Same is true when backing up, looking over your right shoulder. It's not an "import" bias as some of these posts have said, it's just the truth- I've never owned anything but US cars.
Yes, you get what you pay for and this car was totally affordable... but I expected basic safety... those little things like BEING ABLE TO SEE OUT OF THE CAR.
Also, the lack of arm rests sound like a silly complaint, but when you drive an hour to and from work each day like I do, you realize it's not so silly. Your arm hurts and there's no where to put it and after 60 minutes in traffic, you feel it.
All in all I am not happy with this car. I'm taking it back to the dealer for a trade in before I have an accident.