Booo! GM also canceling Cobalt SS Sedan for 2010
2009 Chevy Cobalt SS Sedan – Click above for high-res image gallery
OK, we can stand losing the Impala SS for the 2010 model year, but we've just learned that the grim reaper at General Motors is also claiming the Cobalt SS Sedan. The news comes straight from the automaker's 2010 Online Order / Reference Guide for dealers, and we may yet find more models destined for deletion as people dig deeper into this online document.
While the Cobalt itself is at best a mid-pack contender in the small car arena, the SS version is tops among pocket rockets, a fact we discovered for ourselves when we reviewed the coupe version. Though Chevy didn't impress us with the first, supercharged version of the Cobalt SS, it made amends with the current model that sports a 260-hp, turbocharged, direct-inject, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Not only is the powerplant one of the most potent you can get for the money, but the supporting cast of mechanicals creates a machine that's hardly recognizable as the Cobalt on which it's based. While the coupe is great, we've always preferred the sedan version for its extra space and utility, not to mention the fact that it doesn't look like an extra on the set of Fast and the Furious.
Gallery: 2009 Chevy Cobalt SS Sedan
[Source: General Motors]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
9C3GrandPrix 4:09PM (5/07/2009)
what's next....no ss at all, and no ZR1?-+
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Dude 4:14PM (5/07/2009)
If Obama and his crew get their way, yes. They've made it clear that they want Detroit building Prius knock-offs instead of sporty fun cars.
Sean 4:26PM (5/07/2009)
Careful, the socialists don't want you to have fast cars!
bc 4:44PM (5/07/2009)
"If Obama and his crew get their way, yes. They've made it clear that they want Detroit building Prius knock-offs instead of sporty fun cars."
Um, so why is the 2-door not canceled? I hate to spoil a good paranoid conspiracy theory, but even GM's management can read sales reports and see the 4-door SS sells too few units to justify keeping in production when the whole model line is being replaced by the Cruze in a few years.
Mike 4:08PM (5/07/2009)
Fast car, ugly as hell looks though. Bring the Focus RS over here and this car would never be mentioned even if it didn't get cancelled.
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larry a 4:22PM (5/07/2009)
They're quick but not fast, I just can't see that many kids choosing this over a Civic Si, Speed3, or like you mentioned the Focus RS, if it was here. So yes this is a good move by GM, they know it wont sell as well as they like.
chconline 4:28PM (5/07/2009)
I agree. I test drove one around 3 months ago, and there's nothing much I can complain about performance wise. It handles very well for a 260hp 260lb-ft front wheel drive sedan, feels amazing when the turbo kicks in, and accelerates very quickly. And combined with the price it's almost unbelievable.
Of course, that's where the good stuff ends in my opinion. The exterior is OK, not great; but the interior leaves a lot to be desired. Hard plastic everywhere, looks pretty ugly, and when I fired one up back then all the panels started rattling against each other :|
I found the Civic Si to be much more fun to drive and is better both inside and out. I am more than willing to sacrifice the performance for it. Nothing beats the awesome 6MT and the 8000rpm K20Z3 :D
Cypher09 4:51PM (5/07/2009)
I'll take the mechanical bits of the Cobalt SS stuffed into a Cruze please. Obama, Fritz Henderson, whoever is in control of GM now please make this happen.
Jake B 5:24PM (5/07/2009)
I CAN understand why people would choose this over the 200hp Civic SI. C'mon, 200 horsepower? Honda needs to step their game up.
chconline 5:53PM (5/07/2009)
Straight line performance is not everything. I could care less if the Civic Si has 180hp. It's fun to drive, and it's one aspect the Cobalt can't beat imo.
Eliminator 9:36PM (5/07/2009)
See Cobalt SS's time around the ring.
jv2k 10:07PM (5/07/2009)
1.Why do people never complain about the old civics?
http://tongdaauto.com/db3/00231/tongdaauto.com/_uimages/2004CivicLeft.JPG
2. Lol at the "It's full of hard plastic, unlike the civic" comment. I'm getting tired of this so I'm going to finally use a visual aid.
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1717/112080812z2009hondacivi.jpg
Now I know I'm gunna get a lot of "well it's a worse feeling plastic and it creaks and isn't as tightly put together blah blah blah". Now that might be true, honestly I've never spent enough time with either car to be able to tell, but people who own them don't seem to complain. I think people need to get images of j-body interiors out of their heads already.
On a side note I'm not surprised with the news. The coupe looks better anyway and I don't see a big deal in dropping the 4 door.
spa2nky1 10:28PM (5/07/2009)
The panels did not start rattling against each other, and unless you were test driving a used older cobalt with high mileage, please take your BS elsewhere...I bought a cobalt (base model...$12500 after rebates) almost 11 months ago, it had 14 miles when I drove it off the lot...it has 17,800 miles today.
Not a single rattle, shake, shimmy, and the only problem I had was a turn signal switch that would not automatically shut off when the wheel turned against it, which was repaired under warranty by my dealer, who drove me home...and picked me up a few hours later when it was fixed.
It performs, and acts just like any new car should...foreign or domestic. I don't spend enough time caressing my dashboard to care that it's not soft enough...and while the front end of the car isn't the best looking (coupe) from the mirrors back it's a good looking car IMO.
why not the LS2LS7? 12:05AM (5/08/2009)
Wouldn't pick this over a Focus RS? The Focus RS would be at least $30,000 it could be $32K easily. You can pick one of these up for $21K if you are careful.
I think perhaps there is some reason that a kid would choose this over a Focus RS.
murph4 2:47AM (5/12/2009)
The only thing "ugly" is your comment about the Cobalt SS turbo sedan. It sits with an aggressive stance and in white has some very nice character lines. The wheels are wicked and set the whole car off as one to be reckoned with. It is a hoot to drive. Its steering, brakes and, oh that engine, are some kind of fun. It is indeed sad that GM chose to delete the SS turbo for 2010. Big, bad mistake on GM's part. I guess it is only symptomatic of a car company that is on the way out into history with the Packards and the Studerbakers.
jakecarolan 4:10PM (5/07/2009)
Noooooooooooooo!
I guess, honestly, I was never going to buy one, but I rather hoped lots of other people would. Bummer. This little ride gave the domestics a lot of street cred in the turbo compact market. I sure hope they've got plans to juice up the Cruze in a similar manner when they get back on their feet.
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wseroyer 8:55PM (5/07/2009)
GM you are so dumb, this was one of your best small cars.
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Dude 4:12PM (5/07/2009)
Boo? How about THANK YOU!
That sedan was just plain ugly.
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CB 4:25PM (5/07/2009)
Dude, I agree that we could do without the Cobalts running around, but they aren't killing off the Cobalt sedan altogether (unfortunately), only the SS.
If we have to look at Cobalt Sedan, they might as well be the SS variety. They look like rental cars, but at least they drive well.
Mike P. 4:12PM (5/07/2009)
Say it ain't so! I'll actually miss this car.
Get it in white and slap an "Enterprise" sticker on the bumper and you've got the best sleeper. Ever. It'd be worth it just to see the look on the face of the guy next to you with the automatic V6 Mustang.
That said, I can't have been much of a volume seller, and the coupe's still around, so... it's a logical move for GM.
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