CHEVROLET COBALT

The 'Chevrolet Cobalt' is a compact car introduced by Chevrolet in 2004 for the 2005 model year. The Cobalt replaced the Cavalier as Chevrolet's compact car. The Cobalt is intended to compete with compact cars like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Mazda 3.
It is available as both a coupe and sedan and is based upon the GM Delta platform, along with the Chevrolet HHR, Pontiac G5, Saturn ION, Saturn (Opel) Astra, Opel Zafira (a seven seat van). All Cobalts are currently manufactured at GM's Lordstown Assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio,
Although the EPA lists the Cobalt as a subcompact, the Cobalt is still a compact car. In 2009, the Cobalt and its sibling, the Pontiac G5 will get a restyling.

Contents

Specifications

Year-to-year changes

Performance

Engines

Sales

Racing

External links

Specifications

The front suspension is independent with MacPherson struts, while a semi-independent torsion bar is used in the rear. The wheelbase is 103.3 in (262.4 cm), longer than its competitors, and the width is 68.4 in (173.8 cm). Weight is average in-class, at 2681 lb for the coupe and 2747 lb for the sedan. (1216-1246 kg), and best EPA fuel economy is 25 mpg city/34 mpg highway (9.4/6.9  L/100 km). The car is notable for its use of an electric power steering system developed by Koyo Seiko, rather than a conventional hydraulic system. It is built at the General Motors plant in Lordstown, Ohio.

Year-to-year changes

★ 2006: A non-supercharged Cobalt SS was added to the lineup. This car is equipped with a 2.4 L naturally-aspirated Ecotec inline-4. The LS became the base model while the LT was marketed as a mid-range package; the top level trim was now the LTZ. In addition, as with most other GM vehicles that year, GM's Mark of Excellence symbol was added to both front fenders near the doors.

★ 2007: Both engines were retuned for more power while retaining the same fuel economy. The 2.2 L Ecotec is now rated at 110 kW (148 hp) with the 2.4 L Ecotec rated at 130 kW (173 hp). Other changes include a new console, new steering wheel and new radio head unit that features an audio input jack. In addition, all models except the LS and LT1 now use a 5x110 wheel bolt pattern. The LS and LT1 retained the standard 4x100. In addition, the 2007 model year marked the introduction of a new 32-bit computer that replaced the 16-bit unit from 2006.

★ 2008: Supercharged SS dropped from the model lineup, while the SS coupe and SS sedan were renamed to "Sport Coupe" and "Sport Sedan" respectively. XM Radio, side-impact air bags for improved safety, and MP3 player are now standard instead of options. StabiliTrak stability control system introduced. Other changes include the adding and removing of several exterior and interior colors.

Performance

The Cobalt is available with the SS performance package. There are two engine choices: the naturally-aspirated 2.4 L Ecotec rated at 171 bhp (129 kW) and the 2.0 L supercharged Ecotec engine rated at 205 bhp (153 kW). GM currently offers dealer-installed performance upgrade packages called "stage kits" that are covered by factory warranty. The Stage 1 kit consists of new fuel injectors and a reprogram of the ECU, and yields up to a 30 bhp (22 kW) improvement. The Stage 2 kit consists of new fuel injectors and the same reprogram with a smaller serpentine belt and pulley for the supercharger, producing a 40 bhp (30 kW ) improvement and 30 ft·lbf(40 Nm ) of torque. Both stage 1 and 2 kits increase the engine redline to 7000 rpm. The Stage 3 kit consists of a smaller, 76 mm (2.79 in) supercharger pulley, a 2-pass intercooler end plate and a customizable replacement ECU. The Stage 3 ECU allows for the use of a 50-shot of nitrous, 100 octane fuel and an adjustable redline from 6750 to 8000 rpm. Stage 3 produces 248 bhp using 93 octane fuel, up to 260 bhp using 100 octane fuel, and much higher bhp with nitrous. Stage 3 is for off-road use only.
Aside from the official GM Stage Kits, there are many other companies that offer performance Upgrades out there. The other brand parts do void the original factory warranty to some extent, but often offer the same or superior performance for far less money. When installing these other performance kits, it will be essential to have the cars Engine Control Module retuned.
There are countless different configurations for the LSJ equipped motors including injectors, intakes, headers, exhausts, and supercharger upgrades.

Engines

Years	Engine	Power	Torque
2005–2006	2.2 L ''Ecotec L61'' I4	145 hp (108 kW)	155 ft·lbf (210 N·m)
2007-present	2.2 L ''Ecotec L61'' I4	148 hp (108 kW)	155 ft·lbf (210 N·m)
2005–2007	2.0 L ''Ecotec LSJ'' supercharged I4	205 hp (153 kW)	200 ft·lbf
2006	2.4 L ''Ecotec LE5'' I4	171 hp (128 kW)	163 ft·lbf (221 N·m)
2007-present	2.4 L ''Ecotec LE5'' I4	173 hp (128 kW)	163 ft·lbf (221 N·m)

Sales

Model Year	Sales
2005	212,667
2006	211,449

Racing

Chevrolet Cobalts are currently used in the KONI Challenge Series.

External links

★ Official American site

★ Official Canadian site