Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Chevrolet
The fans find ways: Cobalt SS Turbo info found on the web
by Alex Nunez on Oct 25th 2007 at 9:02AM 
With the cancellation of the Chevy Cobalt SS Supercharged (above) for 2008 and the impending arrival of the turbocharged HHR SS, speculation was rampant that GM planned to take that 2.0L turbocharged, direct-injected Ecotec and drop it in the Cobalt's engine bay. As has been shown in the past, automakers can try to keep things under wraps, but their fans find ways of digging up info, especially when that info is squirreled away on the web, and GM Inside News has organized everything neatly for us.
First up at cobaltss.net is a copy of the SAE Power Certification for a 2008.5 Chevy Cobalt powered by GM's L850 LNF engine. This is the same motor used in the Saturn Sky Red Line, Pontiac Solstice GXP, and the aforementioned Chevy HHR SS. Also via cobaltss.net, we get a link to an official GM Planned Emission Certification doc that also lists a Cobalt with the 2.0L LNF engine (the planned certification is BIN5/LEV2, by the way). So, that's it. The writing on the wall says that a Turbo Cobalt is coming. And while we don't have anything to add, you might want to mosey back here very early Sunday morning. You know, in case anything new comes up.
[Source: GM Inside News, CobaltSS.net]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Pokey 9:13AM (10/25/2007)
SWEET!!!
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Josiah 9:24AM (10/25/2007)
The Cobalt SS remains mid-pack on my list of wanted econo-rockets (even with the turbo):
1. Mazdaspeed 3
2. Civic SI
3. Caliber SRT-4
4. Colbalt SS Turbo
5. Sentra SE-R Spec V
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Blake 4:22PM (10/26/2007)
Caliber before the Cobalt?
FThorn 9:25AM (10/25/2007)
The SC SSs are fun to drive, but have a hard time keeping the tires from breaking free under hard acceleration from a stop. Still, fun, though.
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naggs 4:29PM (10/25/2007)
its fine if you got the lsd
Derek 12:17PM (12/19/2007)
OMG, too much power, the horror of it all... It's called driver error - don't push so hard on the gas pedal.
Corvettes, Porsches, Ferraris all have the same 'problem', so I suggest you stay away from those cars too.
Johnny Rotten 9:35AM (10/25/2007)
Not as good as the MazdaSPEED 3, but a whole lot better than the damn ugly SRT-4. The Si and SE-R SpecV aren't even in the same league.
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graviton 9:53AM (10/25/2007)
You could put the Veyron W-16 in this car and I still wouldn't want it. Cobalts are IMHO the most derivative ugly cars I have laid my eyes on.
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Mike 11:52AM (10/25/2007)
FSM!
graviton 12:46PM (10/25/2007)
Indeed, I bless you with my noodley appendage.
naggs 4:23PM (10/25/2007)
all the pastafarians out there, can i get a rAMEN!
Mallory 10:01AM (10/25/2007)
I'll second the fugly design of the Cobalt. Actually the design of the coupe is not too bad but it's only the styling of the sedan that is preventing me from buying one within the next month. GM, please design a small sedan that is at least somewhat attractive. I want to be a customer but your designers currently prevent it.
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TriShield 10:14AM (10/25/2007)
I agree the car is both bland and ugly, they should have kept the name Cavalier because that's exactly what it is.
You can't deny however, that with the turbo engine it will make a good car for young tuners much like the original SRT-4. Kudos to GM for upping the ante.
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Kevin 10:26AM (10/27/2007)
you obviously know nothing about the cobalt, or the cavalier. different engine, different platform, different tranny, different ecm, pcm, bcm. but yea, it's the same in the sense that it has 4 wheels. before you open your mouth and bash a car you know nothing about, learn something first.
Dave 8:32AM (10/27/2007)
It is nothing like the Cavaliar which by the way was a pretty descent car.
tanooki2003 10:30AM (10/25/2007)
I'm sorry but there is no freakin way i would even want to consider this car as remotely cool. First of all it is totally fugly, second of all after seeing this I would need to stare at a base line 2007 Honda Civic Coupe just to cleanse my eyes and brain from the horrid afterimage this car has left behind, third of all even if i wanted to tune this thing it would end up broken down on the side of the highway in 3 years.
If i wanted to have a turbo charged econo-rocket it most certainly not be made by Chevrolet or any division of GM, this based on MY OWN past horrible 10 years worth of experiences with GM products.
In my final conclusion I must say PASS!!! Next Autoblog Aritcle Please!!
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Pokey 11:22AM (10/25/2007)
Past 10 years? So, if the first few years of those 10 were so bad, why would you continue to subject yourself to such a "horrible experience" for so long?
Seriously, I really don't know what you people do to your cars to have so much trouble with them. I grew up in a GM family, in a GM town. All of my family, and almost all of my friends, have had nothing but GM vehicles.
I have driven GM cars all my life (though I currently own a Scion), and I have never had a single problem with any of them, nor has any of my family or friends, that I am aware of. I myself have owned 12 GM vehicles, all of them trouble free.
My wife has an Olds Aurora with 230,000 miles on it. Even with her erratic driving, the Olds still runs and drives like it did when we bought it back in '99. Another example would be my dad's '96 Bonneville with over 300,000 miles on it, or my uncles 200,000+ mile Silverado.
I know GM had some quality issues back in the '80s and '90s, and I'll be the first to admit that some of the materials and craftsmanship was questionable back then. But, most of the other makes from that era weren't all that great either. As far as all these people that complain about GM cars breaking down left and right, I just don't understand it. Maybe I got lucky? I did stick mainly to cars with the venerable 3.8 in them, and I have always taken relatively good care of all of my cars. I really doubt it was luck though. Or maybe GM saved all of their good cars for us Indiana folk? Not likely either.
Oh well, no matter how much better GM cars are now, I have a feeling that alot of people will just dwell in the past, and refuse to believe anything good that they hear about GM cars, or just pretend that they never heard it in the first place. No big deal, to each his own.
Justin 11:26AM (10/25/2007)
lol I got a good laugh out of that one.
welcome to 2007
Personally, I would still pick the SS/SC over just about any tuner out there. Good looks, 2 doors, fairly nice interior IMO, 6 speed manual, underrated power/torque, and SUPERCHARGER WHINE :)
sheth 1:30PM (10/25/2007)
sorry for your experience but the SS/SC will beat a Civic Si in any test you choose. Its simply a better performing car and in my opinion it looks OK except for the ridiculous wing. The new SS with the 260hp engine will destroy the Si, period. Keep on limiting yourself to Asian vehicles and you will miss out on a lot. Give credit where it's due. Chevy built a better compact coupe that Honda and its about to improve its lead.
SLVR6 2:31PM (10/25/2007)
Can't really take the Cobalt SS's looks. Now when the Opel Astra comes over as the Saturn, that will be a nicer looking package with the same motor.