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Revealed: 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Sedan

Blake Noble

By Blake Noble
in Chevrolet

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Blake Noble Newbie

Blake Noble

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Revealed: 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Sedan
Two-hundred and sixty raging horses on tap for Chevy's compact sedan.
cobalt_ss_side.jpg
Link to original Article @ Motive Magazine


In terms of quiet car reveals, the 2009 Chevy Cobalt SS takes the cake. At a Bakersfield, CA driving event for the new turbocharged coupe, Chevy had an example of the sedan on hand for viewing purposes only. Click the headline above to see the car from all angles. Like the coupe it'll be available exclusively with a manual transmission that shares space under the hood with a 260 hp turbocharged, direct-injection 2.0-liter four. The sedan goes on sale next fall as a 2009 model, but the coupe will hit dealers later this month as an '08. Pricing will start at $22,995, with a $495 limited-slip differential, a sunroof, metallic paint, and a rear wing being the only options. That price is equal to the larger HHR SS' base, but the Cobalt will come standard with Continental summer tires and larger Brembo brakes behind the wheels.


More photos:

cobalt_ss_sedan_front.jpg
cobalt_ss_rear.jpg
cobalt_ss_seats.jpg
cobalt_ss_rear_seat.jpg
Edited by YellowJacket894
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Satty Newbie

Satty

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I can't put my finger on it... but why does this look a bit more upscale than the regular Cobalt. Body shape hasn't changed... but something is different.

It doesn't have the 4x4 stance.

Plus, that color is fantastic.

Edited by Satty
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Sixty8panther Newbie

Sixty8panther

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Plain-Jane & uninspired styling has aged poorly... what a difference those quad-circular

tail lights & other subtle differences like the sleek roofline make in the coupe. This car

is very bland and the coupe is also starting to look dated but the TURBOCHARGED four

should make for an awsome sport-compact!!!

A styling refresh and some less generic wheels would make this car put the smackdown

on anything in Honda's "sport-compact" stable $-per-$.

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loki

loki

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I can't put my finger on it... but why does this look a bit more upscale than the regular Cobalt. Body shape hasn't changed... but something is different.

pictures weren't taken in a grey studio...?

it's a nice, "stealth" package with only the wheels and smallish SS's on the fenders/ (trunk?)...

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regfootball Community Regular

regfootball

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this car will be a serious stealthmobile. one of the most fun test drives i had when shopping 2+ years ago was an Ion redline. now imagine, more hp, better chassis, better interior......

i think if i could manage to be able to wedge my wide ass into the narrow sports seats i could probably really like this car. i wish i could get my sister out of her hyundai and into this thing.

Edited by regfootball
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Guest aatbloke

Guest aatbloke

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The Cobalt sedan has always had an attractive profile. It has a very good chassis. The SS also has a rapid engine. But simply adding carrots to a bed of lettuce isn't going to produce a verity of celeriac.

I can think of a few simple pointers for Chevrolet. 1) Shod it with some rather large integral f@#k-off driving lamps and front fogs. 2) Give it four-wheel drive. 3) Give it a snout which doesn't look like a schoolgirl's Cavalier or your grandmother's shopping trolley. 4) Equip it with Recaros and get rid of the silly "SS" moniker on the seats. 5) Enter the thing in a touring car championship or SCCA rally championship in Washington state. 6) Think about what their cousins at GM Europe were doing with the Chevrolet emblem when they developed the Ultra concept a few years ago.

GM - use your loaf. You're trying to win friends driving WRXs and Ralliarts. Think about the stuff car enthusiasts are actually enthusiastic about in this genre of vehicle.

Edited by aatbloke
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Blake Noble Newbie

Blake Noble

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pictures weren't taken in a grey studio...?

Actually, the official SS sedan photos weren't taken in a grey studio. Also, the official photography still doesn't capture the depth of the paint quite like the unofficial ones I posted do.

Here is an official shot, which I neglected to post because, well, GM never does any car they build any justice through their photography department.

90804040021L.jpg

On that note, sorry to kill some of the excitement in here.

Edited by YellowJacket894
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Blake Noble Newbie

Blake Noble

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Hmm... at first I thought the SS bumper was taller, but maybe it's just that its ass isn't up in the air as compared to the non-SS.

Also, you have to remember that the rear 3/4 shot I posted wasn't taken by a crew of baboons with five-hundred dollar Nikon cameras. :P

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Guest aatbloke

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Can't say I dissent with that sentiment. Which is why I am particularly interested in where GM is going next with the Delta II Cobalt, stylistically. :AH-HA_wink:

I'll be curious whether it'll be the same car as the J300 Chevrolet Lacetti replacement, or whether it'll be a different model unique to North America as with the current Cobalt.

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turbo200 Newbie

turbo200

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this car is a serious super duper sleeper bargain. I'll take the aggressive lip spoiler and aggressive lower grille/intake from the concept above, add some blackouts to the stock rear tails, carbon fiber gray hood and gray colored versions of the stock wheels [or some better designs, not crazy about these wheels] with the stock red color. also grille from the concept pictured above and more distinct headlamps, or switch in the Astra headlamps if they fit [think they should]. something more like the astra headlamps would be cool. with all the changes you have a $25k sports sedan [with some expert negotiating], that'll blow the doors off most sport compacts, except STI and Evo. This car is awesome. Thank God for aftermarket.

REG if you want some serious fun, you should consider what I said above, and freaking get this car. read the reviews on Edmunds for the SS coupe and you don't have to hesitate in thinking the updates are phenomonal, I especially like the suspension changes. Don't care if you have to get your wide ass to the gym to fit, this car sounds like serious fun. I'm almost considering getting one, of course with the changes I said above. [that being said, I might be in the market at the end of the year/early next year, at which point lots of interesting alternatives will be available, including Camaro.]

Edited by turbo200
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regfootball Community Regular

regfootball

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The Cobalt sedan has always had an attractive profile. It has a very good chassis. The SS also has a rapid engine. But simply adding carrots to a bed of lettuce isn't going to produce a verity of celeriac.

I can think of a few simple pointers for Chevrolet. 1) Shod it with some rather large integral f@#k-off driving lamps and front fogs. 2) Give it four-wheel drive. 3) Give it a snout which doesn't look like a schoolgirl's Cavalier or your grandmother's shopping trolley. 4) Equip it with Recaros and get rid of the silly "SS" moniker on the seats. 5) Enter the thing in a touring car championship or SCCA rally championship in Washington state. 6) Think about what their cousins at GM Europe were doing with the Chevrolet emblem when they developed the Ultra concept a few years ago.

GM - use your loaf. You're trying to win friends driving WRXs and Ralliarts. Think about the stuff car enthusiasts are actually enthusiastic about in this genre of vehicle.

pointless. no one wants a chevy rally car. 4wd is not needed for a chevy compact. the car becomes too complex, too heavy, and too expensive. the seats in the ss are good enough, the old recaros were not that much better.

13 seconds faster on the nurburgring than ANY other sport compact.

Edited by regfootball
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Guest aatbloke

Guest aatbloke

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pointless. no one wants a chevy rally car. 4wd is not needed for a chevy compact. the car becomes too complex, too heavy, and too expensive. the seats in the ss are good enough, the old recaros were not that much better.

13 seconds faster on the nurburgring than ANY other sport compact.

Since Chevrolet actively compete in touring car championships around the world with the Nubira and Chevrolet themselves developed the WTCC Ultra rally concept car, then clearly there is opportunity. After all, many posters here are claiming that GM is now utilising global resources, correct? You never know, if GM played their cards right, the Cobalt could conceivably become iconic around the world, just as the Corolla is.

But yes, there are ultimately cost considerations, and the potentially good car must be dumbed down for the sake of a few quid. It's a great way to make an inexpensive car become a cheap car. As for the market for high-performance, sophisticated, 4WD C-segment cars derived from motorsport - perhaps you're right, best to let the Japanese and Europeans capitalise on it, once again. The Cobalt SS will sell for sure - but never outside of North America. And that's a wasted opportunity.

Edited by aatbloke
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Delta II will be built in quite a few places and underpin a wide variety of cars (including the Volt). I expect that the Cobalt replacement (whatever its name) will make us forget about how good this one is.

Not a bad thing, that.

All very true, but the majority of Joe Public don't know (or care) about platforms whether they're the same or different. Chevrolet have a fine car with the current Cobalt (despite the cheap touches to keep costs down such as those awful matt plastic mirror housings) and particularly with the SS. It's a crying shame that this car was marketed globally, especially since it's dynamically superior to the Lacetti/Nubira and better-looking in sedan form at least. An SS with 4WD and shod with Recaros and all the other technical goodies would be an interesting alternative to a WRX or (2WD) Focus RS. It's the kind of wasted opportunity the Japanese usually have few hesitations in capitalising upon given the right market conditions - which has been my argument in other threads. That's why they're so successful.

Edited by aatbloke
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