Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the Chevy Aveo

Consumer Reports isn't known for completely trashing cars in its reviews. In fact, the publication is more often criticized for going too easy on them and finding something to like in everything that passes through the CR garage. But dang if they didn't just tear apart the 2008 Chevy Aveo sedan, going so far as to say its big-bro Cobalt is an all-around better car and better deal for bargain shoppers. They cite Cobalt's comparable fuel economy, better handling, quieter more refined interior and, after discounts, better price.

The magazine calls the Aveo a "miserable little car" and, since they couldn't find the name "Aveo" anywhere in the car's interior, thinks GM might think so, too. CR says its readers certainly thought the Aveo was miserable, rating the hatchback and sedan variants at the very bottom of their classes.

Worse than the Cobalt? Ouch. We tested the 2007 model and gave it a resounding score of "eh." Any Aveo owners out there who want to defend their little Korean cars' reputation? Anyone?


[Source: Consumer Reports]

Soaring gas prices and tightening credit are currently pushing consumers into smaller, cheaper, more fuel efficient vehicles. However, due to past demand for high-powered, high capacity people haulers, the current economy car market consists of fairly slim pickings. Many great developments are on the horizon, but the high cost of new technologies and the lengthy wait time do not do much to help buyers today. That is why, in order to snag a larger market share of drivers trading in their big toys for small appliances, Chevrolet has reprogrammed the Cobalt to offer the best fuel economy in its class. The new 36 mpg number (up from 31) is the result of a few tweaks in engine mapping, lower roller resistance tires and perhaps some gearing adjustments. All LS and 1LT five speed manual transmission models ordered on or before March 17th will receive the fuel sipping changes. The vehicles will also be equipped with a distinguishing XFE badge, standing for Xtra Fuel Economy (although it would be more edgy if the X stood for Xtreme).

[Source: Autosavant]

When the American Axle strike began, GM had a 106-day supply of pickup trucks on dealer lots, and even a month-long strike likely wouldn't have hurt the Detroit automaker. It has now been more than a month, the strike isn't any closer to ending, and now GM's car plants are joining its truck plants in the unemployment line. Friday marked the last shift at the General's Hamtramck, MI plant, which builds the Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS, due to a lack of parts coming from American Axle. According to Automotive News the pain may not stop there, either, as the Lordstown, Ohio plant may have to shut down production of the Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G5 due to a lack of brake components. GM may not have been all that concerned about the American Axle strike when it began in February, but now after a month with barely any talks and a quickly growing list of shuttered plants, we're guessing things are getting a bit tight over at the Ren Cen.

[Source: Auto News (subs. req'd)]

Click through to the source for more pictures of the Cobalt SS Sedan

Chevy's Cobalt SS Coupe goes on sale soon, but the door count comes up short for some folks who would otherwise consider the turbo-fed modern-day Z24. Powered by the 2.0 liter turbocharged Ecotec four that does an uncanny impression of a small block V8, the Cobalt SS looks to offer a significant grin coefficient for $22,995. There's only a few options, this being a top-dog model. A limited-slip differential will help hardcore drivers power out of turns and costs $495, and the only other boxes to tick are for a sunroof, metallic paint, and a rear wing – all items we'd gladly omit to save weight and cost. In contrast to the equally-priced HHR SS, the Cobalt SS wears summer-only Continental tires and also carries a beefier brake package from Brembo. The porting of the hot rod powertrain to the four door bodyshell is another beacon of hope for those who find a two door impractical (ever tried to wrangle a baby seat into a coupe?) but still want to have some fun, and the reasonable price of entry makes the SS and its quick, competent performance an attainable domestic entry in the economy missile segment.

[Source: MotiveMag]

Click above to view more new high-res shots of the 2008 Chevy Cobalt SS

Everything looks better with proper lighting. The 2008 Chevy Cobalt SS just stepped into the studio for its glamour shots and they didn't come out half bad. Though the Cobalt itself is somewhat ancient compared to other small cars that have been significantly redesigned in the past few years, it still sells well and the Cobalt SS will likely be the cheapest cost of entry into the wonderful world of direct injection technology when it goes on sale. Its motor is the same one used in the Pontiac Solstice GXP, Saturn Sky Red Line and Chevy HHR SS. The turbocharged, direct-inject 2.0L four cylinder produces 260 horsepower and 260 pound feet of torque, though is tasked with towing around a lighter weight package than other inexpensive pocket rockets like the Dodge Caliber SRT-4 and Mazdaspeed3. Torque steer, of course, is always an issue, but the FE5 sport suspension package was tuned on the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany and GM promises a ride you can live with on a daily basis. As for the design, it's 95% Cobalt and 5% go-fast tomfoolery. That combination makes for a great sleeper car, as the Cobalt SS does not announce itself on arrival. The 10-split-spoke wheels, subtle (and still useless on a FWD car) rear spoiler, new fog lamps and side sills are extremely tasteful. No scoops and fender vents here, thank you very much. We'll start bothering GM for one to review right now, but in the meantime check out the new 2008 Chevy Cobalt SS shots in the gallery below.

BONUS: GM also release four new shots of the Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept



[Source: GM]

For you Cobalt fans, GM race driver and director of high-performance vehicle operations, John Heinricy, gives the 2008 Cobalt SS Turbocharged a sound thrashing on the Nurburgring. Even better, he talks you through it for much of the way. There's an interlude where he gets quiet, and if you didn't hear the car's tires squealing you'd think he was doing nothing more than going grocery shopping. So the car doesn't best the Nissan GT-R's lap time -- the track was wet, see -- but you can at least get a good idea of what the quite-capable Cobalt can do. That is, if you have a professional racer at the wheel. Follow the jump to check out the whole video.

[Source: GM Inside News]

Podcast 68 Part One (CTS-V)

The enhanced version of Autoblog Podcast #68 is now ready for your discerning eyes and ears. In Part One, we talk about the ridiculous horsepower of the CTS-V and in Part Two we dive into GM's upcoming RWD Alpha program, which could underpin a future G6. The continuation of Part Two includes a discussion of the departure of the Cobalt SS for 2008. We finish up with Wolgang Bernhardt taking over in the background over at Chrysler, and discuss Hyundai's 10-year warranties for its certified pre-owned vehicles.

Check it out. Per your suggestions, we cut the podcast into three sections for smaller downloads. If you have any more suggestions on how to improve the enhanced version of the Podcast, let us know in the comments. We're working on a better distribution system than shoving all three in our current RSS feed of the audio-only version, so soon you'll be able to subscribe just to the enhanced version's RSS feed.

DOWNLOAD Part One to your desktop (CTS-V)
DOWNLOAD Part Two to your desktop (GM Alpha RWD, Cobalt SS)
DOWNLOAD Part Three to your desktop (Wolfgang Bernhardt, Hyundai)

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Getting back in the groove, we bring you Autoblog Podcast #68. Starting us off is the battle of the inside sources, where we debate which GM mole is correct about the CTS-V. One rumor has the hottest little Caddy getting the Blue Devil's 600-horsepower 6.0L V8. The competing theory is that there'll be a 6.2L V8 with mid-500 horsepower, not the Blue Devil's mill. Either way, it will add up to M5 punch in an M3-sized wrapper. GM has more RWD goodies for us, as word of its Alpha platform replacing Epsilon cars like the G6, and Cadillac BLS replacement, which may come here, has us all atwitter. Our last bit of GM fodder is the passing of the Cobalt SS Supercharged. It was an entertaining car; but even though the supercharged Cobalt goes away, the un-muscled SS remains. We hope that GM's pledge to reinvigorate the SS badge so that it actually means something will get in gear soon.

We move on from GM to Chrysler and the Cerberus sale. Wolfgang Berhnardt is said to be an integral consultant to the deal, and he's looking for a homestead in the Detroit area as well as poking around the offices and design studio. Seems like Bernhardt is waiting for his noncompete with VW to expire while quietly orchestrating a turn of the Pentastar vessel. We detour into how fitting a Star Wars-themed Chrysler press conference would be (c'mon, you wouldn't really be surprised, would you?) before wrapping up with Hyundai's confidence-inspiring extension of its 10-year/100,000 mile warranty to Certified Pre Owned Vehicles up to five years old. They must feel pretty certain that their cars will hold up, as the warranty means they could possibly cover some powertrains for 15 years. That's it – 37 minutes of heaven!

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Sometimes news is just too good to keep to yourself. Just ask GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. With his company supposedly claiming 13 spots on Edmund's Consumers' Most Wanted list, Lutz just had to brag a bit on the corporate blog before the winners were made public.

And he should brag. Most other car of the year awards are chosen by us automotive writers who usually prefer horsepower over hip room. As the name implies, Edmund's CMW awards are chosen by the car-buying public. And despite not voting with their wallets, the car-buying public who visits Edmund's really like their GMs.

The GMC Acadia got Most Significant vehicle of the year, beating out Honda's Fit, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, the Ford Edge and the Toyota Tundra.

Click through to see Edmund's press release as well as the other category winners.

[Source: Edmunds, GM FastLane Blog]

Turns out the trick-looking Cobalt we showed you earlier is actually an extra General Motors used in one of its Super Bowl commercials that will debut this Sunday. The car originally debuted as a 2005 SEMA vehicle (thanks, Nick!). The distinguished Ray Wert III from Jalopnik saw our post with the picture of a Cobalt wearing a very Malibu-esque face, and immediately noticed it in this commercial. Despite the fact it's apparent the car is just a prop, it doesn't change the fact that the Cobalt would look a lot better with a front end more like the Malibu's. Mystery solved.

Check out the commercial in full after the jump, the Cobalt appears with about 13 seconds left.

[Source: Jalopnik]