thanks man, ill need it!

and Geo's went out of production in 1997. I know cause me and myf riends checked two days ago

 

LoL, just figured it'd be an interesting question, and I still think the Cobalt is a girl's sport compact

 

Well, heres a few more for you.

You said.......
Well, if they aren't in the same class, then stop comparing them. I mean, if your going to compare the car with cars that aren't "in the same class" why not compare it with an Accord Coupe, Solara, and 350Z while your at it. Fact is, they are all in the same class. The $25k-ish price range is the target market for a car like this. You have the SS, Redline, SRT-4, GTI, WRX, and RSX-S just to name a few that all fall within earshot of that price. This car, and its cousin the Redline, are great additions. I understand you don't like the car. I'm not going to ask you to change that opinion. But, really, you have to see that this car is a great piece for GM. Its not just a "Cavy with a SC" as you put it.

As we said, this car is a whole new platform for GM, with a new engine to boot. Sure, its their first real step into this market, but you have to start sometime. This car is a great first move. We all know the Ecotec can make good power, so that helps. It should handle fine, for a FWD car. I don't remember reading anywhere GM said this car was going to be taking out Minis at the local auto-x, but I'm sure it will be fine. Same goes for the road course. Might not be the best, but it will be fine.

Thats the point with this car. You make it sound like GM has come out and said "WE'VE MADE THE GREATEST COMPACT EVER", when they haven't. Its got tough competition in its price range, and GM knows that. Is it the best one??? Depends on what your looking for. I like it, personally. I don't need or want a car like that right now, but if I was in the market, I would consider it. And, I'm sure a lot of other people will too.
Yea, a nice seat is just a waste, right??? Tell that to all the Evo, VW, and Audi owners who also get them stock, just to name a few, and see what they say. If you think seats aren't a big issue with a car, especially a performance oriented car, you have some learning to do. And, if you took the forced induction off of these cars, you wouldn't have a car. The point isn't that its got SC and its cooler because of that. Its got the SC to keep up. Take the turbo off a WRX, SRT or Evo and you're left with a boring sedan. These cars aren't built with blown motors just to stand out.
Then why all the huff over the SS??? Maybe someone might just LIKE the car, regardless of performance. Thats where I stand with it. I know its not the fastest car out there. If I wanted speed, I would get the SRT and put a big *** turbo on it and have fun. But, if I want just a nice quick daily driver, this would be a good choice. And again, I'm sure I won't be the only one to think that.
Neither does the Spec-V you mentioned a few times, but that doesn't stop you. Sure, its not the most high-tech chassis we've ever seen, but again, its not marketed to be. This car, like the Saturn, will be sold mostly to people who just want a nice, fast daily car. If you want speed, you know the real options you should choose from. But, if all you want is a daily car, the non-independent rear will be just fine.

Don't take this the wrong way. I'm not trying to yell at you, I just think you're seeing this car in the wrong light. If GM was really looking to get big market share with this car, they would have given it more power, a limited slip, better suspension, and made it a tad lighter. Truth is, I don't think thats their goal. They know the big dogs in the market right now are hard to beat, they're not dumb. They just need a car to get a foot in the door. And, this car is a good first step.

Hilg

 

^^^true. i mean, whatever, it's personal preference, and i haven't driven the car and i don't know if it's even out yet.

but just to say this: the rsx-s may run a 14.8, but in order to do so you'll need one badass driver. put the same driver in the cobalt and he'll probably get 14.2-14.3. the cobalt outperforms the rsx-s in every category and costs 2k less. the only thing that the cobalt doesn't beat in the srt-4 is power, which isn't exactly surprising since the dodge i think is the fastest fwd car ever produced? all i'm saying is it's a pretty good deal.

 

I'm willing to bet the target market for the Cobalt doesn't even know what an independent rear suspension looks like or cares one way or the other. There isn't really anything wrong with that, not everyone is a car geek or performance nut. It's a supercharged little car for not much coin that doesn't handle bad and has up-to-date looks. I see nothing wrong with it, other than my previous statement that I think it is ugly, but that's just my opinion. Different strokes for different folks. I'm glad GM is getting back in the game.

 

i can search till im blue in the face..... when the car hits the STREETS then it will be a different story... and i already know they are not in the same class... YOU compared them not me.... so who put em there YOU.....

when the so-called "turbo ralliart" hit the streets let me know till then

reality>you..... all im saying is this.... bolt on, tap, screw, fabricate, test drive, tune all you want.... you're gonna have to to keep up!!!!

 

I think you're overestimating the size of that market. People generally buy compacts for one of two reasons:

1) They're inexpensive (Cavalier, Civic, Lancer, etc)
2) They're fast (Evo, WRX, RX8, etc)

Trying to combine the two is a worthy endeavor but it's not going to be a major marketplace. The RX7 was a great buy when it debuted, but by the end of its run was a very expensive sports car. Supra was the same. The MR2 also eventually outpriced its worth. They became cult cars because they were fairly expensive sports cars - the type of car that most people over the age of 25 don't view as viable daily drivers - and never sold well enough to create a good used market. They ended up as daydreams and posters on the wall.

While the SS and similar cars are a good option for the more affluent 20-somethings, they're not going to take over the world in sales any time soon.

IMO of course...

 

Agreed.

The corner is as foreign to Americans as a small meal, or a president than can spell.

 

I just wana say, besides its resenblince to the caviler...it has bairly been out for a year. Who knows in a year or so the engine may be putting out 220hp or something after more R&D, if chevy were smart anyways.

 

Ok... you all got me. I'm not a licensed market analyst I was just trying to be nice. I don't like that car at all. In person it looks like a rental car with a wing.

 

nobody answered my question?

 

just to be a little fickler for details,

i would never describe the supra, rx8, rx7, mr2 as anything but sports cars or roadsters (mr2). sport compact or compact car is just.. i dunno, the imo wrong category?

anyhow, yeah, the mid/late 90's death of the japanese sports cars were due to their over inflated prices and lack of sales... i still think the current crop of cars, excluding the evo,wrx,sti, and such pale in comparison to the purity of the older Zs, RXs, Supras, etc... but i dunno, maybe i'm just nostalgic.

i'm still waiting for a RWD sport compact car in the price range of the civic and power of an srt4. and weight of a miata.

 

i'd definitely buy an SS over a ralliart or a specV. and maaayyyybe over an rsx-s... depends on the test drive i guess.. and perhaps the car will grow on me more like the srt-4 did.

 

Regardless of looks or a varient of power adders, we are seeing an increase in performance pertaining to a market that was virually void of performance not too long ago. What intruiges me is this action is coming from a company who likes to drag their feet. I think it is quite facinating that GM is coming with a line of cars that have power and further power potential.

Along with the Cobalt SS, Chevy plans to bring out the Monte Carlo SS and Impala SS sporting 5.3L 303hp V-8's respectively. With the breadth of knowledge thats out their for the Gen III+ V-8s, I can see those powers rising to ~400hp Sure, you might say "its only an ugly Chevy running past us", but the same phenomenon happens when we (Evo's) run past porsches lol Its all in the eye of the beholder

One more interesting fact.....Chevy's 2.0L SS motor's power is really climbing even until fuel cut (as seen through various HP plots) GMPP (GM Performance Parts) is releasing performance cams for the 2.0L Supercharged motor that further strengthens the power band. Curious to see what happens from here

 

hey i just remembered, didn't the cobalt set a landspeed record?