http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/ Autoblog Comments for Chevrolet announces 2008 Cobalt XFE improvement http://www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/Apr 24th 2008 11:35AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/
Not that they "have" to now, I'm sure. But with the recently announced CAFE goals, it's an even hotter topic than it already was. So what better time to announce the same car with a few "tweaks" that gets significantly better mileage and sell a few more units?]]>Apr 24th 2008 11:39AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/
Lower rolling resistance tires are a synonym for lower grip tires.

Engine mapping and gearing tweaks for mileage come at the expense of quick throttle response.

It also seems plausible that the electronic shift mapping and engine timing parameters were optimized to game the pre 2008 treadmill test, these changes are set up to game the 2008+ treadmill test instead, and the real world difference will be negligible.
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A huge reason that vehicles get worse mpg than what they did in the 80s is because tires increased in width a lot and decreased tire pressures. It's not just more powerful motors that caused the problem, but the changes to increase performance in other ways.]]>Apr 24th 2008 11:49AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/
I guess some good old-fashion American ingenuity could give you a 20% improvement.

Just imagine if the Detroit 3 could quit their bitching and just do it, they could probably find 15-25% improvements pretty easily.]]>Apr 24th 2008 1:26PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/]]>Apr 24th 2008 2:44PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/Apr 24th 2008 3:45PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/Apr 24th 2008 3:49PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/Apr 24th 2008 5:16PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/Apr 24th 2008 5:24PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/
Remember, light weight improves handling, and the safest accident is the one you didn't get in.]]>Apr 24th 2008 5:58PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/
I've been driving and riding in cars for 35 years now and never been in an accident where all that extra bulk comes into play anyway. Whereas the lightweight would have been in play every day.]]>Apr 24th 2008 8:58PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/
Besides, if cars keep getting grossly fat like this, I'd probably just switch to two wheels, and I'm pretty sure that almost any car has better crash test results than a motorcycle. ]]>Apr 24th 2008 11:02PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/
Most of us know that mpg can be increased by modifying the fuel injection for economy instead of the current trend for performance. No one wants to be left behind its competitor so that is why everyone wants to be at the top in the hp war.]]>Apr 25th 2008 9:11AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/Apr 27th 2008 6:04PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/
I ride a motorcycle, ZERO safety.
ANY CAR is safer than a bike]]>Apr 29th 2008 2:05AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/Apr 24th 2008 11:36AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/
GOOD MOVE.]]>Apr 24th 2008 11:37AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/
I drove a 1.0L Daihatsu through Germany recently (fifty eight horses, baby!). It was fine--slow, but totally adequate--and the mileage was surreal-good, but in this era of six-second Toyota Camrys, I think North Americans will have trouble with going back to 1980s performance levels. ]]>Apr 27th 2008 9:18PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/Apr 24th 2008 11:38AM