mmarshall

I'll reserve final judgement on the Cobalt until I see it and test-drive it, ( maybe this weekend ) but to be honest, the Cavalier was such a shoddy, cheap, and poor design that the Cobalt, even by default, pretty much HAS to be an improvement. The question is how much?.....I'll let you know when I test it out.
The auto magazines have given it fair-to-good ratings based on their limited exposure to it.

jet864

I'm sure the Cobalt will be an improvement over the Cavalier, what wouldn't be? My problem is the SS model. GM already has the Ion Redline for the sport compact segment, and my guess is the Cobalt SS will just get brushed to the side and forgotten.

James

mmarshall

Even without first seeing it myself, I think the Cobalt SS should do pretty well against the Ion Red Line. Unless one happens to like Saturn's sticker-price policy of no-bargaining that makes for quick, easy sales, and the plastic side body panels that ward off rust and dings, there isn't really much reason to buy an Ion. The interior, like the old Cavalier we discussed, is super-cheap both in materials and fit-and-finish, and the center-mount speedo and gauges turns a lot of people off (as Nissan is finding out with its Quest minivan) .

mmarshall

The Corolla XRS and the supercharged 200HP Scion tC will probably be more of a threat to the Cavalier SS than the Ion Red Line. Even though the XRS has a few less horses than the Cobalt SS, both it and the Scion have Toyota build quality.

videcormeum

The SRT-4 looks like *** and is about as safe in a wreck as a refrigerator box.

I'm guessing the Cobalt will be ~ 2k dollars better than Dodge's offering.



M.

mmarshall

Yes....the SRT-4 is a drag racer and an autocrosser but unfortunately is built like a tin can.
If it is crash protection you want in high-performance small car, look at a Beetle Turbo S....the Beetle excels in crash protection for a car its size.