p.s. if you think $21K for a 205hp supercharged car is good you should shop Dodge. Their 230hp 260lb.ft SRT4 will flat out smoke any other 4 banger in our class (minus the evo).

 

I completly forgot about those...

 

I've driven an SRT-4, and used to be a Neon owner. I admit the SRT-4 is a fun car to drive, but 19k is WAY too much for that cheap, bargain-basement interior. The Cobalt is being pitched as a premium compact, and has vastly upgraded trim. Sort of like our Proteges, some of which cost well into the twenties and offer only 130hp at the crank stock.

 

I know Im gona make someone steam, but the interior in the Proteges suck, the carpet is to thin wears to quickly, no seating supports what so ever. and the rest is just normal every day old plastic! I sat in the SRT-4 and the inside of the car is just as good if not better than the pros (because of the seats) Everyone says its just a neon, yet I don't know any protege owners that havent sunk in 6k into their car that can beat it. Stock for stock that little american mucle car is bad to the bone! Through in the same money that you would on a turo upgrade or Rodds SC and you just bout the stage 2 or 3 and your hittin 300hp+. The only fall back on the SRT I can see is it came from the neon that when it first came out sucked big time. It's a hole new ball of wax now.

OK Let the Yelling Begin!

 

I LOVE my protege interior...as nice as I think it is my wife's 3S is heads and shoulders above it. Every reveiw you'll read about the protege/3 compliments it on class leading interior. Take a look at my car or my wifes and I think you'll see why.

The SRT4 is hands down the best PERFORMANCE bang for the buck you can get today. It used to be the $23K WRX and now it's the $20K SRT4. These things accept modding SO well. The aftermarket has fallen all over themselves to get stuff for them it's unreal.

I think this new Cobalt is another product of weak-*** GM platform sharing. This is the chevy version of the saturn Ion Redline. I also think the Ion looks much better. The chevy version is going to make an extra 5hp so you know who makes the real fast cars in GM's line up!! This car is too little too late. 200hp USED to be enough to make a difference when the ITR ruled the scene but those days have come and gone.

 

oh yeah....if you want a nice GM product that is sporty and you don't want a MS-Miata.... the new rear drive Kappa platform will have the Pontiac solstice (2.2L supercharged ecotec, RWD 220hp) and chevy bel-air 5cyl (possible turbo) Both look somewhat cool and priced right around $20K

 

Yes that pontiac is another car I hope comes out looking the way it did at the Auto show! Should be very nice.

 

Oh puh-leeze... spare me. Again, I've owned both a Neon and a P5, so I can speak from experieince on this one. The Neon has cheap, tupperware ABS and polyethylene everywhere your eyes look. The graining doesn't match between panels, either. And, the gaps beteen pieces is astoundingly bad. The dash creaks and moans on cold mornings. The rotary dials for the HVAC feel junky. The in-dash CD changer is mounted below the center stack... better not load it while driving, because it involves taking your eyes off the road to do so. The inner door trim used to have carpeted fill panels above the arm rests; these are now black vinyl in EVERY car so that Dodge can save another nickel or two. My favorite example of the relentless downmarket nature of this car has to be the fact that if you order power windows, that'll be power windows IN THE FRONT ONLY. The rear passengers get manual cranks, no matter how many boxes you check on the options sheet. The SRT-4 does not have a vastly different interior than the other Neons. The only differences are those heavily bolstered seats, and a boost guage tucked into the sunglass tray above the HVAC controls.

The Mazda, on the other hand, has near perfect ergonomics. Expensive satin nickel trimmed panels that the Neon seeks to emulate. Low gloss interior plastics with convincing graining. Dimpled vinyl fill trim on the doors that is interesting, and compliments other interior textures well. Supportive seats with a manual height adjustment. Buttery switch gear. A REAL dead pedal (so few cars have them). Orange backlit gauges. All four doors have power windows in them. I could go on and on, but at this point it seems to me that the superiority of the Protege is so obviously superior to the Neon that the best advice I can give you is to live with both for a while. Then, you'll see what I mean. And, I'm not saying the SRT-4 is a bad car. But creature comforts hardly rate as a reason for buying one.

 

The Ion is not a great car. Saturns are for people who would rather buy a Saturn than have to dicker on the price. But, I will say this: the Cobalt is based on the excellent European Astra, which the European press was amazed with. The Cobalt is a more upscale version of that platform than the Ion. The Ion, with its nasty plastic panels, poor fit and finish, gutless styling, and weirdo centerally located cluster is not a convincing car for people who like cars. But, the Cobalt corrects those faults while building upon the positive attributes of the Astra platform. I think it looks promising... but withhold firm judgement until I can drive one. Oh, and by the way, this car has nothing in common with the old Cavalier. Except for maybe the Ecotec 2.2L on the base versions.

If the American press gives this car a big thumbs down, or if my test drive is disappointing, I'll eat my words. Until then, it feels good to be optimistic about this little car. It sure left an impression on me last year, when I saw it in person at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.