IS-SV

Wow a race for last place, sounds like a recipe for bankruptcy.

mmarshall

The Cavalier was classic, low-priced, base transportation built to a budget, using parts that only did not last but were not expected to last. You got exactly what you expected from an entry-level Chevrolet product....in fact, even the smaller, Daewoo-built Chevy Aveo, IMO, showed better overall quality, especially the LT2 version. The Cobalt, admittedly, is a better overall product than the Cavalier, but still not one of the more impressively-built small cars.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

The aveo is so much worse, i wrote a min mini review on it somewhere here, we got it for free when the es300 was in the shop, only good thing was we got it around black friday so i didn't worry about someone slamming there door into it, it was a great feeling haha

-J-P-L-

Wow, since you mention it, I can't remember the last time I saw a late '90's Cavalier. That's bad considering they sold like hotcakes.

That car, and the later refreshed model, was always considered and old fashioned (from and engineering standpoint) car in it's own time.

-J-P-L-

Well, I think they need to be given a little more credit with some of these latest models. I'll be the first to say that they are unlikely to ever reach the longevity that Toyota and Honda vehicles achieve, but cars such as the new Cruze is nothing to sneeze at. I didn't necessarily mean that the Cruze would kill the Civic or Corolla, but in many respects it should meet or beat them.
Of course, as you pointed out, the Civic is already at the end of its cycle, so Honda must have quite a car lined up to replace it since the current Civic I still consider to be best in class. Corolla, however, is still at least 3 years away from replacement.

FKL

No, the Malibu is a German Opel Vectra. I guess you could call it a "joint effort", but it's clear there isn't much old school GM-esque obnoxious and obvious cost cutting.


Look familiar?

The Malibu is a great, great car. The last two generations were complete and utter garbage in every conceivable way. This goes beyond the sorry "reliability" argument (who cares if they happened to be cheap to drive), the cars were built poorly, had poor safety, looked like trash, and drove like something from a manufacture based in a developing nation - They were both terrible and left the their Japanese foes to really capitalize on their better quality.

But when you inspect the new Malibu, it's clear this is not a regular GM. The body panels are tighter than both the Camry and Accord, the sheetmetal feels MUCH more substantial than both of those cars, the doors are heavier, the chrome is high quality, the trunk is nicely lined and opens very nice, and overall you get a sense of quality when you really look closely at one. They drive well too. At this point, the Malibu is unquestionably on par with the Accord and Camry, and IMO, is built a little better than the Ford Fusion. The interior could stand some better materials, but they are not any worse than the sorry trashy plastics the Japanese are putting into their midsized cars (Altima, Camry, Accord, etc.). I wish Toyota would benefit their mass market cars with at least some of the superb materials from the Lexus models (just proves they can, they choose not to).

TRDFantasy

We'll see. The Cobalt was supposed to "meet or beat" the Civic and Corolla when it first came out. People were saying what a huge leap the Cobalt was over the Cavalier when Cobalt pics first showed up. If the Cruze proves itself to be a competitive car, I will fully give it credit. Until then, I refuse to.

I know the next-gen Corolla is years away. All I'm saying is that judging from some rumoured insider info the next-gen is supposed to be a big leap over this current model.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

The Chevy Cruze is miles ahead of the Cobolt in styling & fit/finish. I had an opportunity to see, sit, feel this car at the NYIAS a few months ago (see NYIAS thread). I was very impressed!

-J-P-L-

Well, that's of course most directly the Saturn Aura rebadge. Yes, the Malibu is based on this car but is different in many ways (the Malibu doesn't share a single panel and it is sized differently as well). And it has about 2 years extra development for improvements.

primecut

iTrader: (1)

Wow... I rented a compact car recently for a road trip, and boy am I glad I didn't end up with a Cobalt! They actually gave me the latest model Hyundai Elantra, and I was very impressed. The interior materials and build quality were great, it was roomy and comfortable, and it drove very well. I would def. consider one for my next beater.

Habious

But, there's the rub...If I were in the market for a mid-sized family sedan, would I go for...

The Camry - My mother's on her 7th Camry. Not one problem with ANY of them in about 20 years. Rock-solid, reliable, easy to drive (I took my driving test in a Camry in 1988), well equipped (even on the base trim levels), etc. It's been the best-selling car for 9 of the past 10 years.

The Accord - My dad owned 3 of these in his lifetime. Again, ZERO problems...ever. It's been Car and Driver's recipient of 10 Best recognition for 23 of the last 27 years.

The Mailbu - This year, it has some potential. Hell, it may even be the best car Chevy's ever made...better than the Camry...better than the Accord. But, what's Chevy's sales slogan gonna be? "Look, we know we've been making Pieces of Crap for 20 years now, but trust us, this time...we didn't. Promise!"

03 ES

haha nice review...
its funny, i saw a cobalt sedan on the road today and i was thinking to myself how ugly/cheap it looks..
granted some toyotas are cheap economy cars, but id take a yaris with manual windows and locks over a cobalt.

herbvdh

My Lexus dealer had Enterprise for rentals I wound up with a real UNSAFE piece of junk. It was a Chevy ??? ZR2 4 wheel drive with an anemic V6 my lawn mower had more power. I survived day one but day two I was cut off and had to slam on the brakes (scared the **** out of me literally and figuratively) if that guy did not move I would have nailed him at 45 MPH this thing needed several hundred feet to stop in. (wanted to tow it back but I would have to pay) I had to have two way radio contact driving to work as going up hill I dropped 60 MPH by time I made the top four ways on and using the shoulder dropped it in neutral gas pedal to the floor slammed it in drive to gain some power. Transmission ground gears (YES) lets say this much at 20,000 miles engine and tranny were gone.

-J-P-L-

Good choice.

Trexus

Exactly, when someone says trust me...do the opposite.

I'd rather have a 1999 Toyota Tercel than a 2010 Chevy Cobalt...