With its expressive style and all-around
proficiency, the 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt competes effectively against the Honda
Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Ford Focus. The Cobalt is quiet and refined for a
small car. Built on a strong platform, it delivers crisp handling and a smooth
ride. If you're looking for inexpensive, high-value transportation, the Cobalt
is worth a look. The SS models offer a more dynamic driving experience. Quick,
responsive handling and brisk acceleration performance along with a
sporty-sounding exhaust note make the supercharged coupe entertaining to drive,
a sport compact that can more than hold its own in the class.
Cobalt Trim and Powertrain
The 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt is available in two body
styles: two-door coupe and four-door sedan. Three different engines are
available with suspensions tuned to match.
The LS, LT, and LTZ models are powered by a
148-horsepower 2.2-liter engine and use the FE1 suspension.
The LS sedan and coupe come standard with air
conditioning, cloth upholstery with height-adjustable front seats and a 60/40
split fold-down rear seat, automatic headlights, electric rear defogger, tilt
steering column, CD player with auxiliary jack, and a driver information center.
LS models come with wind-up windows and manually operated mirrors, front
disc/rear drum brakes, and 15-inch wheels and tires. LS models have a body-color
grille and door handles. They offer a choice of five-speed manual or optional
four-speed automatic.
The LT sedan and coupe get power windows and door
locks, anti-lock brakes, 16-inch alloy wheels. LT comes standard with a
five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic.
The LTZ sedan is a premium model that comes
standard with the automatic transmission, along with upgraded audio and premium
trim.
SS coupe and sedan get a 173-hp 2.4-liter engine,
the FE3 sports suspension, 17-inch wheels and high performance tires. SS also
gets upgraded cloth, special body-color trim and other upgrades. SS models are
available with the five-speed manual or four-speed automatic.
SS Supercharged coupe features a 205-hp 2.0-liter engine, the
high-performance FE5 suspension, and 18-inch wheels with high-performance tires.
Cobalt Handling
The Chevrolet Cobalt is quite pleasant to drive,
especially the SS models. Chevrolet put considerable effort into special door
seals, sandwich steel panels, thick carpets and pads, noise blockers and noise
absorbers throughout the front, middle and rear of the car. As a result, normal
front-seat conversation is possible at speeds above 90 mph. The supercharged
engine in the Cobalt SS Supercharged offers remarkable power
even at lower RPMs.
Interior for 2007
Instruments are large, well placed, and easy to
read, with nice graphic treatment throughout. Cobalt uses different seats in the
different trim levels, each with detail changes in foam, padding and trim. There
is plenty of fore/aft and rake adjustment for a tall driver, plus seat height
adjustment with a ratcheting handle. The available Pioneer seven-speaker sound
system with the Delphi AM/FM/CD and XM Satellite Radio delivers good sound and
includes a huge subwoofer mounted on the left side trunk wall. The heating,
ventilation and defroster system work quickly and intuitively.
The LS comes with manually operated windows.
Cobalt does not use space-eating gooseneck hinges
on its deck lid, opting instead for simple outside corner hinges and two
hydraulic assist struts. The coupe has a small trunk opening, making it
difficult to fit a thick suitcase.
2007 Cobalt Design
The Chevy Cobalt is built on GM's Delta platform,
which it shares with the new Saturn Astra and European-market Opel Astra. But
with its single-bar grille and bowtie emblem, it looks like a proper Chevrolet
small car right down to its shoes and socks. Body panel fits are extremely
tight; so tight in fact, that there are no rubber trim gaskets around the
compound complex headlamps. The sedan features a more modern roofline sweep. The
SS coupe and sedan models have a small rear spoiler, while the SS Supercharged
coupe carries a huge, tall rear spoiler than says it's a serious sport compact.
The 2007 Cobalt is longer, wider and lower than most of its direct competitors
and its interior dimensions and trunk capacity are comparable for the class.
Safety
Safety features include dual-stage front air bags,
front seatbelt pre-tensioners, rear center shoulder belts, and the LATCH child
seat retention system. All but LS come standard with anti-lock brakes (ABS).
Head curtain side air bags designed to provide extra head protection are
optional.
The Chevrolet Cobalt will satisfy the needs of drivers looking for economy of
price, economy of operation, and a nice, quiet ride. The 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt is a
handsome, well-equipped car. The standard engine could offer more responsive
low-end power. The SS models are fun to drive, particularly the Cobalt SS
Supercharged coupe.