2005 Chevrolet Cobalt: In The Autoblog Garage Day 2

The Chevy Cobalt might be a little tight inside but it sure is peppy around town. The 145 horsepower engine seems almost powerful for the class. The speed sensitive steering excels on twisty city roads, but is a bear during parallel parking. Isn't there a way to implement this type of steering where it doesn't add an extra revolution of the wheel to turn sharply enough for parking maneuvers?

The engine does make a bit of a light buzzing noise that intrudes in the cabin, but it isn?t horrendous. Luckily, the seven speaker stereo is surprisingly capable and our test vehicle was completely equipped with XM radio, so there are tunes aplenty to cover that engine noise.

During a thorough day of city errands, the Cobalt handled itself competently and with no real complaints. When I pushed it to make the fleeting yellows, it responded with a healthy growl and lurched forward like you?d expect. And even when the rare bus pulled out from a stop unexpectedly, the brakes came to the rescue. That doesn?t mean I still don?t feel cramped in the car. I drove without my heavy winter coat and that seemed to help, but the Cobalt?s cabin still didn?t feel spacious.

I?m enjoying the Cobalt for its ride but the rest of the package hasn?t won me over yet.