Cobalt SS a sports car for tree-huggers

By Adrian Monroe
Winfield High School

With rising gas prices and the popularity of sports cars, it is a challenge to find a car that gets good gas mileage but still has the power to have some fun at the light. I believe that Chevy has a car that is an answered prayer for sports car enthusiasts and tree huggers alike — the Cobalt SS.

Though the Cobalt’s wheel base is about an inch shorter than the Cavalier, Chevy made up for that with a 2.4 liter 205-horsepower engine. It runs from zero to 60 in less than six seconds.

So it’s got a nice engine and seems pretty quick, but what about the ride? The Cobalt SS sits on big 18-inch performance tires. The ride on a bumpy road is better than expected given how low the car sits to the ground.

At interstate speeds, the Cobalt is pretty quiet — until it’s time to overtake someone. The exhaust note lets you know that you aren’t driving your average four-cylinder car!

When you get tired of hearing the roar of the engine, the Cobalt is equipped with a very nice Pioneer sound system that boasts seven speakers with a 10-inch subwoofer in the trunk. And the speakers aren’t the average speakers that car makers put in to cut costs; I actually have the same ones in the rear deck of my car — they aren’t cheap at all.

Chevy didn’t leave much to be desired as far as cabin is concerned. Sitting in the Cobalt, you’ll definitely notice the lines. It seems like everything is perfectly placed. The instrument panel is race-inspired with white face gauges.

There aren’t too many aspect of the Cavalier that the Cobalt shares, but like with the Caviler, tall people shouldn’t sit in the back of the Cobalt. As far as trunk space is concerned, the Cobalt is enormous. It has a 13.9 cubic foot trunk, which is enough room to put a TV and some bags.

What about fuel economy? Well, the Cobalt boasts 25 city and 30 highway miles per gallon. With a 13.2 gallon tank, that means you should be able to go about 363 miles without having to fill up. Though running your vehicle all the way to empty is not suggested, the Cobalt gives you great value if you have to do things like drive 10 miles to school and back each day.

Overall, the Chevy Cobalt is the car to have if you are a student or single person. With its loud sound system and speed, my only complaint is that the Cobalt doesn’t come with a radar detector!

If you are looking for a new car and aren’t too sure what to look at, you should give the Cobalt some serious consideration.

Thanks to Turnpike Chevrolet and Roy Sexton for use of a Cobalt SS to test drive.