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Why We Bought It
Chevrolet has never really had anything that could challenge the standouts of the economy-car class, the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. When Chevrolet finally replaced the aging Cavalier with the 2005 Cobalt, our hopes soared. Now Chevy's import fighter had a more powerful engine, sharper styling and a promise of improved build and materials quality. Naturally, we were curious enough to put one into our long-term fleet.
We spec'd out a loaded 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt LT sedan. With leather seats, a moonroof, upgraded audio with XM radio and a rear spoiler, it listed for $20,100. With the employee discount and rebates we got it for $17,822.
Would this be it — the vehicle that would finally make our staff proclaim, "Hey, everyone, GM finally has a real competitor in this class"? Maybe.... Maybe not.... A year in our long-term fleet would give us an answer.
How It Drove
Like many mainstream GM vehicles, the Cobalt's chief strength is its strong yet economical powertrain. The 145-horsepower engine is among the most beefy in its class. And although the automatic transmission is a four- and not five-speed unit, the well-spaced gears and quick response make the most of the engine's potential.
Time and again, the positive logbook quotes centered on the Cobalt's performance. On a trip from L.A. to Las Vegas, Senior Content Editor Erin Riches found the Cobalt to be a capable long-distance cruiser. She noted, "Good midrange torque from the 2.2-liter engine and quick downshifts from the four-speed automatic transmission give it excellent passing capability."
While on a family trip to Yosemite National Park, Senior Consumer Advice Editor Philip Reed found the little Chevy willing and able to serve his needs. Initially, Phil was concerned about the comfort and luggage capacity of the Cobalt. But during the 672-mile round-trip, the rear seat's comfort was judged acceptable — not luxurious, but not a literal pain in the butt, either. Trunk capacity was not an issue, as the 13.9-cubic-foot hold swallowed "our three suitcases, three backpacks and an assortment of hampers, grocery bags and a cooking stove." Phil did fault the Cobalt for having a tight trunk opening, which made loading more difficult, and no pull-down handle in the trunk lid.
Facing various ascents, the Cobalt made a good showing. Although downshifts were frequent, the 2.2-liter four was up to the task of maintaining a 70-mph pace while fully laden with passengers and cargo. Phil was also pleased with the fuel-efficiency, as the Cobalt averaged 31.4 mpg for the completed trip. That's impressively close to the 32 mpg highway estimate displayed on the window sticker.
Although the Cobalt's handling performance isn't going to cause Mazda 3 engineers any sleepless nights, it managed a curvy road better than we expected. Phil noted on his trip: "While the steering feel is a bit numb, once I got used to it the twisting mountain roads became a romp. Very little body roll was detected at moderate speeds and the Cobalt felt confident and composed on a variety of terrain."
But while in interstate slog mode, the Cobalt suffered from a split personality. Although the well-insulated cabin kept road and engine noise well muted, our car suffered from excessive wind noise. Leaky rear window seals made their presence known at speeds over 50 mph, when wind howl would kick in. Senior Photo Editor Scott Jacobs said there was so much wind noise coming from the rear windows he thought one was open. Late in its tour of duty with us, the Cobalt's sunroof also developed a leak when it wouldn't close properly. We had the latter problem fixed, but the vocal rear window seals were not deemed faulty by the dealership.
Inside the Cabin
The interior of the Cobalt seemed to garner the most complaints from our staff. One editor noted that the Cobalt's backseat is one of the most uncomfortable in the economy sedan class. Another editor said the climate-control knobs feel cheap and sloppy and was amazed that there were no grab handles available for passengers or driver. A front-seat center armrest and a Pioneer stereo are nice features, but the Cobalt suffers from an abundance of hard plastic interior materials, inconsistent build quality and limited storage. Add in cupholders that are incapable of keeping a cup of coffee secure and the Cobalt's interior isn't going to win any hearts over from its direct competitors, the Honda Civic and Mazda 3.
Of course, the interior isn't all bad. We found some surprisingly thoughtful features in our Cobalt, such as full illumination of all steering wheel buttons, window buttons, power lock button and power mirror adjustment. The consensus was that the Cobalt is a distinct improvement over its Cavalier predecessor.
Summing Up
We had hoped the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt LT would challenge the imports that dominate this small-car segment. It is a pretty nice little car, but after a year and 17,000 miles behind the Cobalt's wheel, we don't think Honda, Mazda or Toyota have anything to worry about.
Surprisingly, the faults seemed to stem from poor follow-through and lackluster design. The powertrain was often praised. And even the fuel economy was above average. But in the build quality and touch and feel departments — those areas right in front of your nose every day — it was a disappointment.
Do good ideas cost more? Foreign carmakers have proved that intelligent design and follow-through on every level are possible. We hope that, while this GM product is a modest step in the right direction, next time it can go all the way.
True Market Value at service end: $13,656
What it sold for: $12,100
Depreciation: $5,822 or 32 percent of original paid price
Final Odometer Reading: 17,100
Best Fuel Economy: 32.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 17.5 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 26.1 mpg
Total Body Repair Costs: None
Total Routine Maintenance Costs (over 14 months): $138.38
Additional Maintenance Costs: None
Warranty Repairs: Inoperable sunroof
Non-Warranty Repairs: None
Scheduled Dealer Visits: 2
Unscheduled Dealer Visits: None
Days Out of Service: None
Breakdowns Stranding Driver: None
