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This is also on the post-hero’s in the small USA market in that brief moment in history were the USA market fought back against the invading JDM market of the 90’s and early 2000’s it’s such an overlooked time in the car history but I have loads of of knowledge and experience with these platforms and like an Evo or STI they work when “they work” 😎🤘🏻 But I will agree to this is the better version and!!! Is the the Camaro 2.0 the grandson to this justin rear wheel drive platform? 🤔 thank you David for the great content 🙏❤️
As a long time cobalt ss owner, and a long time subscriber I just want to say how happy this video made me, thank you David for always being so open and appreciating all walks of car culture, thank you
I always wondered why he never reviewed one back in the day when he did more miatas, neon srt4s, mazdaspeed 3s ect before he started doing stuff like 1000 hp vipers, and gtrs. Glad to see him doing one now.
Been a Cobalt SS/TC owner for about 3 years now and this review is spot on. I bought the car for a fun college commuter and it did not disappoint. With just tune and a few bolt ons it hangs with cars that you would not expect. I've put almost 100k miles on mine now and many of them were not easy. It hasn't been without its issues but over all the car owes me nothing and it has been nothing but smiles while driving it. The look on mustang owners faces when you start pulling on them on the highway is priceless.
Same here I bought mine back in 2015 as a college commuter (an 07 SC), still daily driving it and I absolutely beat on it regularly. I left it (mostly) stock so it’s not a rocket ship but it’s enough to have fun
Guess I’m not the only one that bought mine as a college commuter! Made the 30 min commute so much more fun! I had 0 issues with my 09 SS except for the chain tensioner going bad at 50k miles.
Hey David, just wanted to say thank you for still reviewing these low budget cars and haven't just forgotten that not everyone has high end cars like lambos, crazy Corvettes, or vipers and Audis or supras ect. You still have time and have fun doing these very low priced cars thank you and never changed that cause a lot of RUclipsrs have, again thank you keep up the awesome work.
Glad you made this video. I had an 05 Cobalt SS Supercharged (the less remembered one). GM sold stage kits for 1500 it dropped the pulley, fuel injectors and tune for 65+ hp and torque. Best bang for buck I had so much fun in that damn car I cant believe I am not dead from it. These were rare jewels and the car that led me to my car today. Great job GM, your gunna be missed
Yeah. I did some seriously crazy things in mine too. I raced a GTI and a classic Porsche on a highway and won, dude got out of his Porsche at the next red light and punched my window. I had also been drinking, so had to drive away. But don't know how I didn't die or end up in jail.
@@DooDickyless remembered because the one people like to talk about is the turbo ones, making almost 300 hp with little to no mods. Supercharged ones are a LOT more difficult to make those numbers
This was a truly underappreciated car when they came out. I was always trying to figure out what was special about them. Then I had a friend tell me his father's was factory supercharged. I'm guessing not many people looked into these when they came out. They prolly thought it was just a chevy with an added body kit and a few horses.
These cars still dont get any attention. Mainly because its a cobalt, and thats what sealed its fate of being ignored. But I like it that way. Not every car needs to be praised and speculated into oblivion. We need there to still be cheap, fun cars around for regular car guys to enjoy.
It was when they replaced the supercharger with a turbo along with other upgrades, that it showed true performance. When C&D tested it, it was faster in their lightning lap than the STI, Evo, and other more expensive cars.
@@popupheadlights yeah. The 7th gen was actually nice when they mod it cosmetically and internally. Have you seen a RUclipsr called nisformance. They manual swapped a 7th gen.
One of the things I love about you is your genuine appreciation of every car. I'm a Mustang guy. You're a Mustang guy. That got me here. You are always showing me new things. Every car you drive, you always have fun and find the good! That's what car culture should be!
This comment is awesome. I modded an old gamecube and my boys love to play most wanted and they have a cobalt ss in the game that they love. I think they mainly picked that car because I have a turbo ss in the driveway.
I basically fought the blacklist with the Cobalt SS and slapped with junkman parts and it was one hell of a quick car. Even Razor driving the M3 GTR was no match to the Supercharged 4 banger FWD car. also the bulk of my Bounty Points was with this car, the heat level 5/6 Corvette cop cars could not even catch up.
I have a maroon one because EVERYONE had the yellow. Now I don't see maroon or yellow lmao. I have a Borg Warner s252 52/61 extended tip, injectors, ported intake, exhaust and tune & made 451 on the dyno lol. It feels like 600 in a full size car though. Such a blast. What happened to yours?
When I was car shopping about 7 to 8 years ago my top three choices were the cobalt ss/sc, 04-07 wrx and the neon srt-4; loved the look of all three but went with the srt-4 based on power and pricing at the time.
I had one just like this but the supercharged version, Loved that little pocket rocket. That little shit box had little issue doing triple digit speeds and holding them. The fastest I got it was 135 on the Kansas Turnpike one evening as me and a friend were coming back from a trip. We covered an hour and a half drive in just 45 minutes. It also handled the turns on that highway with 0 complaints at over 110 mph. I seriously want another one to have and play with.
One of the most underrated cars ever in my opinion. As you said 8 minutes 22 seconds around Nurburgring and at the time that beat out the R-34 Skyline production car lap record on the biggest road course in the world. But no one wants to say Godzilla was wasted by a Cobalt lol
Just being a mopar guy I've always loved the srt-4 a lil more than the SS but I will always remember back in the day there were a few badass cobalt's running around my home town and not many people wanting to run against them.
I have an 09 HHR SS with the performance package ( limited slip differential and brembo brakes), 5 speed, Blue Flash Metallic paint. I bought it 3 years ago with 91,000 miles, I have swapped the timing chain and upgraded the motor and tyranny mounts so far. The car is a ton of fun and even more of a sleeper than the Cobalt.
The supercharged cobalt Ss was the first car with boost I ever rode in. My neighbor got a brand new one the day he got his license and I was 14 and he took me for a ride it was a lot of fun! Always will have a soft spot 👌
I had a 2009 Cobalt SS sedan with the LSD, super sleeper. So fast. Had the porous block problem that some cars had and the LNF was replaced at the dealership. The car dynoed stock at 260whp, numbers were super underrated.
That one time when I thought I was fast in my RSX-S and a Cobalt SS took me to gapplebees while he was spinning all the way through second and pulled a bus on me when he caught third.
Did this to my buddy’s RSX-S in my 06 SS/SC. Both of us were young and stupid in our brand new cars because bonus at work that year was amazing. He got rid of his RSX, but I still have the Cobalt 16 years and 208k miles later.
@@shadowopsairman1583 or VVT Is just Vtec. Cobalt SS was the replacement for the Cavalier Z24 since they pretty much had butchered the hell out of It at that point. Vtec isn't too shabby, Ive been In a couple fast Vtec cars, Cool system.
Not to mention that while stock they were 260hp / 260tq, you could get a GM Stage 1 "kit" that bumped it up to 280hp and 320tq while keeping your warranty.
@@retrocompaq5212 perhaps, I think my main point just being that you could take an already pretty great car and you could still bump the numbers up while retaining a warranty. It only cost around a grand as well if I remember right.
Great review of what was my very first car ever, a Cobalt SS turbo!! Got to love the look on faces when it finally stops spinning and walks cars it has no right to!
Fresh out of high school I bought a 05 SS brand new. 2.0 LSJ supercharged. It was amazing with some simple bolt ons but threw the timing chain and got rid of it at 130k. The 2.2 LNF turbo was far superior. No heat soak issues. So glad you did a review just hate the roads were terrible. They are a beast.
As a tuned Fiesta ST owner... im jealous of these numbers good lord! This car is 10 years older than my FiST, but hauls the mail! I mean hell, it's only half a second slower in the quarter than a 2020 Civic Type R!!! I never knew how fast these were!
I had the supercharged version, These little shits were very deceiving. I can verify that if you have the balls, these will eat miles on an interstate like you wouldnt believe and do it effortlessly. Lets just say that I'd love to have a lightly modified one thats tight as it can be and let it experience the Autobahn.
I moved from the Cobalt to the ATS. I believe the ATS is everything I ever wanted out of the Cobalt. Daily driver with performance and style. It also came with ~800lbs more.
I have a 2004 Saturn ION Redline that's unmolested with a mere 10k miles on it. It's a fun toy. My Father was the original owner, and I'm keeping it till I die. Mine doesn't have the wing which only adds to the sleeper appearance, making it that much more fun to get the jump on the "red light drags. "
I bought my 2009 SS TC back in 2013 and still have it today. Looks just like this car but with the low spoiler. Never had a problem that wasn't just a wear item to replace. Kept it stock except for a turbo-back exhaust when the cat started to fail last year. 100% a perfectly fun, efficient and cheap commuter that's easy to work on.
@@GrayDeathSociety as i’m sure you know those cars are extremely rare only around 800 total so keep it clean, in good condition they’re worth what they were new.
Never owned one but as a kid in high school, always really liked them. Out of college, I eventually got a Trailblazer SS that i really loved. Man, do i miss that thing.
I had a 2008 for 4 years. I still miss that car. With about 3k invested it was an absolute blast and surprised many people at a 60MPH roll-on. The next-gen version of this platform was in the Regal GS, btw. Nice cars.
So glad you finally got to one of these David, I've had my ion redline for a few years now and I love it. Don't be put off by the supercharger, it screams, and if you do want a turbo, ZZP makes an awesome conversion kit
I'm so glad there's another Ion Red Line owner in this community, and also another member of the ZZP fam! I got an 05 ion redline fully built/ tuned through ZZP!
@@Pudding175 mine is an 07 with the competition package. Haven't gone crazy as it's my daily. Intake, downpipe/catback, and a simple flash tune, along with a few other things. Upgrade parts when they need replacing and such
Something neat not mentioned in this video is you could get the Cobalt SS turbo with adjustable launch control and flat foot shifting from the factory. Pretty rare especially for the time. The LSD was optional and not standard although it was an affordable option. Along with the Brembos, this car is a massive sleeper and a ton of fun to drive. In '09 I drove this and a speed3. The cobalt drove and handled better but I bought the speed3 for the drastically superior interior look/ quality and the fact that all speed3s have an LSD. Every cobalt ss at nearby dealers did not have it optioned unfortunately. A shame because it was a relatively cheap option that makes a big difference-- especially if you are planning to track the car or bump up the power.
Ss turbo doesn't have adjustable launch control it's a fixed launch control. They also have the rpd optional in 09 and standard in 10 but this one doesn't.
Years ago I had a friend who had one of these. I remember it being so loud on the inside that every acceleration was going to rattle every interior trim piece right off. I thought that was pretty awesome and probably one of the fastest cars I had every been in back then.
The LNF was fantastic and responded to modification/tuning very well. I loved mine. Had a 2010 LNF and regret selling it everyday. Other drivers HATED getting absolutely bud length’s by a cobalt.
The Chevy Cobalt SS was the first car that I bought and modded on my own. GOD I loved the car. the front wheel hop when you got on it, that rear high rise spoiler that block your rear view (didn't matter, I was more focused on what I was headed towards) and all. I had the super charged version. LOVED IT!
I've waited for this review from you for years lol. I owned supercharged for 3 years and turbo for 2 years. The turbo is hands down the one I promise you will make people upset great car loved it. Bolt ons and tune you will have fun. Sold it about a year ago to focus on building my camaro but still miss it all the time.
Long time Delta owner, had a 2009 SS years ago and now own an HHR SS (Because family man). Seeing this video awoke so much joy in me! i BEG YOU to find one with a mild turbo upgrade, these cars with a BW 6758 or 7163 are a whole new ball game!
I had an ‘09 in red, FBO put down 318whp. Thing laid the f****** smack in 3rd gear. One of the most fun cars I ever owned. Had a ton a cool features like factory “no lift shift”. Mine had the digital boost gauge which was sweet. LOVE the tone of the ecotec, really muscular sounding for a 4cl. Pulled close to 1g with just springs. Great car for the money.
@@cherry1le. That’s why I stopped messing around with high horsepower FWD cars, not my cup of tea if I can’t utilize the power. But could still be a fun daily driver.
One thing I'll give the cobalt is they are surprisingly built well for collision. I hit a deer dead center front going 60 last month and still drove it home. Just needed a hood and bumper and I pulled the core support back out cause the radiator was almost touching the motor
@@KylesGuide my intercooler is still warped and twisted but it doesn't leak or get hot so I haven't changed it out yet 😂 it's just a work car anyway cause I cant afford driving my 8 mpg tahoe everyday
I love them and if for some reason you have to get a regular Cobalt you can actually take the supercharger off the first ss's and put it on a regular one. Quite easy and cheaply, but don't try to up the PSI because the transmissions on the regular ones can't take much power
Had one of these couple years back during college, 2008 SS. Always wanted one with the digital screen on the a pillar. Anyway loved it but had almost every problem (timing chain, rust through fuel line, cam phasers, sticking rear calipers, random overheating). Then it started grinding 2nd gear and that was it for me. Too many Saab sourced parts. Steering was incredible, seats were perfect, brakes where race car like effective, and the exhaust note was noticeably deeper (as mentioned). GM’s performance division really hit it out of the park, too bad the car wasn’t built better with higher quality materials.
My buddy had the SC version and even that was a hoot, one of the first boosted cars i'd driven. I'll always remember it as some weird offshoot of all the cars I really wanted, with enough power to make a younger me very excited. Good review man!
These cars were great on a road course, suspension was tuned by GM engineer John Heinricy who also won SCCA championships with the car, he also worked on corvette suspension programs and helped develop the Hennessey Venom GT suspension.
They def rip for what they are, raced a turbo in my ms3 the other day and he hung pretty good with me from a 40 until about 90 idk what he had done but I'm fbo stock turbo on 93
I've got a white one of these, with some extra options, $5500 when I bought it in 2015. It makes a bit more power than this one, torque steer for days, when it gets traction that is. And I'm never getting rid of it.
@@klausschwab11 can still be purchased from a dealer lot used with some “hidden fees”. Either way, the comment was more comedic in connotation than serious 🥺 I guess a more correct variation of that would be the used market prices skyrocketing
Wow so rare to see a 08-10 SS T/C without a sunroof! I still love my 08 SS T/C and its my daily! FBO E50 Tuned. And since fellow SS LSJ/LNF owners will probably see this comment.........I work at GM in Parts so if you need anything just reply to this comment and ill get ahold of you. Lots of rare parts for these cars still left in the country i can get at wholesale price;)
Had a buddy buy a supercharged one new when we were in high school. No matter how fast you were going in first and second, it was blazing the tires. Seriously an underrated car
Thank you David for bringing back some attention to probably the most underestimated little cars of all time. You build it up with not a whole bunch of money and on top of it the car itself isn’t very expensive and as you said you’ll destroy a lot of different people and totally get that WTF!! Factor out of anyone you embarrassed with this absolute gem of the small performance car.
I use to have a 1999 Chevy Z24 This car was quick for what it was. It had a 2.4 liter 16v 4 cylinder and Hp to Torque was matched. It was easy to go to the street races and beat all the Hondas and Acura RSX. Then this came out and the Z24 was gone. These cars are very underrated
I had an '09 2LT with a manual trans. It made 155 HP but was only 2,800 lbs. Very fun, it drove like a honda without the reliability. Edit: I was always really jealous of the SS when I saw one. The Ion redline is still in my perfect 10 car garage.
I don't own a Cobalt but I do own a Gen lll Ecotec in my Cadillac ATS. I can say that the LNF and LTG are fairly well put together 4 bangers. It doesn't take much to wake up these engines. I have around 320ish hp in my 2.0T and still get 420ish on a tank of fuel.
Finally a Cobalt review. I bought mine new in 08. I dailied and Autocrossed it for 8 years. Now it's my weekend car. Now I daily a 08 HHR Panel 2.2 manual with my original Cobalt fe5 suspension and an 07 Cobalt SS supercharger at 12 PSI. 225whp
I've got two, and daily and a "racecar", love the LNF platform in general. And yes and the faster one absolutely hurts feelings. Nobody expects the cobalt.
Ive driven both the super and turbo Cobalts and the HHR SS with the manual. Fun cars indeed. My favorite feature of those cars is the no-lift-shift. Not to many people know about that. Gotta hit the traction button (if i remember right, correct me if wrong), scroll thru and turn it on. Then just keep hitting the gas while bangin gears. Its takes a bit to get used to but its fun. It helps maintain consistent boost. I always loved these cars. Awesome video man 👍🏻
Same here. I want another go at one really bad. And after what me and my friend experienced on the Kansas Turnpike one evening 7 years ago, I'd love to run one on the Autobahn so I can experience that evening legally. These thing will eat miles on an interstate at some alarming speeds with little effort.
Pre bankruptcy gm was wild. It kinda started with the avalanche. A pickup truck derived from a suburban. But the suburban itself is a derivative a pickup truck. So they made an suv out of a pickup, then cut the back roof off and called it a pickup again.
OK 12 minutes in I'm seriously loving this. I love that you're having fun in the cobalt. Also YES I've destroyed many a WRX in my cobalt. Actually I beat pretty much every WRX STI I ever raced too. (Again, highly modded and running on E85 with a really good tune. A stock Cobalt wouldn't stand a chance)
the new wrxs I kinda doubt with how much horse power they have stock. maybe the older ones. especially cause when you see the new wrxs guys are hardly riding stock.
@@scottratchet6730 I sold my cobalt so I wouldn't know. The last race I had was against a 2022 Civic Type R and I lost (barely, but yeah) so you're probably right
@@scottratchet6730 naw I have an 08 TC ss and i beat subis like nada fbo tune 91 I raced a new sti fbo tune 91 and I kept 2 car lengths on him the whole time, we did 3 rolls from 60 to 140
@@CriticalPhactsPodcast as someone who used to have a tuner and knows what they're talking about. You did not beat an 2022 turbo sti in ricer. My neighbours is at 780 HP lmao
Bought mine for 6k 5 years ago with 90k miles, been through a lot (motor, couple transmissions) but definitely one of my favorite cars I’ve owned. ZZP and OTTP offer so much aftermarket support in the ecotec line
Lol I enjoyed mine while I had it. Yes the interior was garbage but it wasn’t ever priced to be anything less than economy interior. Seats were comfortable and supportive and the lnf motor is a gem. Plus the optional rpd was pretty sweet. I’ll still always have a soft spot for the HHR SS, same engine and if you got the brembos, rpd and stick shift it was a little beast
But Paired with the Recaro Buckets and the Pioneer Sound system/Speaker? Mmmmm👌, Absolutely perfect! Mine had all the options. It had the desireable seats, the factory body kit, the big wing, sun roof, the stereo system, CD Changer, Leather wrapped wheel, 18 in gun metal alloy wheels. It was the shit for my first sports car. Lots of memories with friends and roadtrips. sadly it got totaled 2 months after I moved to Denver in 2017 due to a massive hail storm.
I had a 2010 cobalt ss turbo, I put an intake on it, changed the intercooler piping, an exhaust, and tuned it. it was soo much fun and tbh I miss it every day. I hit a deer and totaled it in 2015. seriously miss that thing so much
The supercharged version of the car was actually really fun and you could do front wheel drive drifts in it if you had the stick shift because the traction control actually didn't kick in on it so you could slide the car pretty killer and with the supercharger you had a lot of low end torque so it was perfect it would pull you around turns the turbo is nice but you lack a little bit less torque than the supercharger but for long straightaways the turbo is better
the supercharged version was a total failure, its not even close, i had lots of those, the 08-10 were the only good cobalts, btw the supercharged doesnt get much torque at all
@@retrocompaq5212 he's not talking about its peak torque he's talking about how the power comes on and WHERE the torque is in the power band. Much more snappy down low and responsive and pulls better initially. Even though it's peak torque might not be higher it feels like it is better on torque because of how a blower like that works. Ecsp if it's pullied down and modded nicely.
I have a friend with a 2008 HHR/SS, 5 speed. the only thing modified is the FMIC, a cat delete pipe and a tune. Shockingly makes 298/315 and is ridiculously quick, a real sleeper. I've wanted one for years and still on the hunt.
Fun fact: There was actually a 3rd version in addition to the Turbo and Supercharged version. The 3rd version had a NA 2.4 Ecotec and was later renamed to Cobalt Sport Coupe and Sport Sedan.
I’ve driven the supercharged version and it was a blast to drive. Sucked it wasn’t taken care of. I test drove for my buddy. He bought it for 2 gran and tried flipping it but we ended up not being able to figure what was wrong with it. But when it did run great it was Fantastic
About time this car was reviewed! Owned a 2009 with the lsd. I miss it soo much! Was such a fun car to drive for fwd. Interior was crap but the seats were nice and would roast the tires all through 1st gear Haha
I owned a supercharged one from 2013-2017. Mine had every option possible and it was a fun little car, Many great memories of roadtrips and with friends. Sadly it got totaled 2 months after I moved to Denver back in 2017. My favorite memoryt? Me and one of my friends covering an hour and a half section of the Kansas Turnpike in 45 minutes and doing anywhere between 110-135 mph(We were young and stupid okay), and the Cobalt held those corners at speeds around 110-120 with 0 complaints.
@@DustinB855 I own an 09 mustang GT now and have since I got the check from my insurance for that little thing. I had it from 50k and drove it to136k. They're a very cool little car. Yeah, the Blue ones are rare, as were the white ones. There were a few running around Denver too, There was 1 Blue, 1 Black Turbo sedan, a white one with gold wheels and one of the copper ones. I look for another one all the time for fun.
I own a 2008 Cobalt Sport Coupe with a 2.4 fully loaded except the turbo , leather seats , & the manual trans. I bought it brand new in 08 it has all the same stuff as the SS except what I mentioned ! It's just as much fun to drive , & is in better condition than the SS your driving , It's only 184 HP but that is plenty for this automobile , & it has not even hit 80,000 on the clock ! & it still surprises Me whenever I kick down on it ! I would compare it to my 1965 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa Turbo performance wise. Thanks for the video.
Fun fact these cars had a factory no lift shift feature in all their models from base to SS so if you used that it's even faster. The entire platform had this from Pursuit g5 to HHR. That made them deceptively quick for what they were. I do believe this was the first production car to offer this.
GM has a history of some... _interesting_ performance cars. For instance, in the 90s you could not only get a performance version of the Chevy Lumina (ignoring the Monte Carlo based upon it) with the 3.4L DOHC V6, but you could find that same engine in an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, of all cars.
@@OxBlitzkriegxO That's true, many of the vehicles that had the Quad 4 were likely lighter and faster than those with the LQ1 3.4. I just find it amusing that a car as sedate and highway cruiser-like as the Cutlass Supreme had an engine as lively as that.
They were super slept on back in the day. One of the best handling fwd that came out on that era. The focus svt focus was another fwd that handles amazing.
If you want to talk about niche cars, the Saturn Ion Redline was even more under the radar. The looks on peoples faces when I told them it was a factory supercharged car WITH factory Recaro seats in a Saturn, priceless. Also the rear suicide doors for the rear passengers made it even cooler. (I may have owned one for 12 years, no bias at all)
Made 305 to the wheels with bolt ons to my 05 SS supercharged. Dyno was closer to 340 whp with methanol injection turned on. FWD and wheel hop were the worst issues on this car. My cousin owned an 08 turbo which I wish I owned. Direct injection and turbo was the way to go. Exhaust temps were way hot in the supercharged version as well. I blew through 3 different headers because of the heat issues. When I debaged the back of the car, soo many people asked me what the car was. Design was very aggressive for the time. One of the best cars for a college kid at the time.
Another great value car that uses this engine is the GM Saab 9-3 of the same era!! So often overlooked! You can pick up a decent one for 2-3 grand and it’s packed with features and surprising power. Had two of them and both were a great time and fast af!
This car was the successor to the Chevy cavalier, not the srt4, it was the srt4 direct arch rival on the street along with the r32 golf. That being said, this is one of my absolute favorite tuner cars. One day I hope to own one
As someone who currently owns an 08 turbo ss . I’ve owned many cars and I can say I’ve found my niche with the cobalt ss . Even on the stock turbo they pull like freight trains , I have really suprised countless people In significantly more expensive and newer sports cars . It takes very little money to make them compete with or surpass modified modern sports cars . Best looking car ever? Definitely not but with a carbon fiber corvette style vented hood + ground effects on mine it gets quite a bit of attention around town . I can not think of a single car in its price range that would compare in performance or fun .
the cobalt has a lot of cool things about them such as they only made 759 of the sedan manual ss cobalts and if you can find one they are still fairly expensive
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Hey David! I have a 2019 nissan versa s that I modified and I would love to have you review it!
I don't like the turbo version of this car
This is also on the post-hero’s in the small USA market in that brief moment in history were the USA market fought back against the invading JDM market of the 90’s and early 2000’s it’s such an overlooked time in the car history but I have loads of of knowledge and experience with these platforms and like an Evo or STI they work when “they work” 😎🤘🏻
But I will agree to this is the better version and!!! Is the the Camaro 2.0 the grandson to this justin rear wheel drive platform? 🤔 thank you David for the great content 🙏❤️
THANK YOU DAVID!!!!!
You need to find someone with a DF Goblin. The kit car that uses the Cobalt as a donor. They are insane. I'm building one right now.
As a long time cobalt ss owner, and a long time subscriber I just want to say how happy this video made me, thank you David for always being so open and appreciating all walks of car culture, thank you
Same here, I get so excited when I see some appreciation for these cars, that’s rare lol
Hell yea same here
yup same here. Been waiting so long for this video and its perfect
I always wondered why he never reviewed one back in the day when he did more miatas, neon srt4s, mazdaspeed 3s ect before he started doing stuff like 1000 hp vipers, and gtrs. Glad to see him doing one now.
You should review my 4 door 5speed base model with 240k and I haven’t hardly replaced anything on it….floats like a caddy in a bad way 😂
Been a Cobalt SS/TC owner for about 3 years now and this review is spot on. I bought the car for a fun college commuter and it did not disappoint. With just tune and a few bolt ons it hangs with cars that you would not expect. I've put almost 100k miles on mine now and many of them were not easy. It hasn't been without its issues but over all the car owes me nothing and it has been nothing but smiles while driving it. The look on mustang owners faces when you start pulling on them on the highway is priceless.
Same here I bought mine back in 2015 as a college commuter (an 07 SC), still daily driving it and I absolutely beat on it regularly. I left it (mostly) stock so it’s not a rocket ship but it’s enough to have fun
Guess I’m not the only one that bought mine as a college commuter! Made the 30 min commute so much more fun!
I had 0 issues with my 09 SS except for the chain tensioner going bad at 50k miles.
What's fun is when a 07 bowtie with a stock 4.8 gaps a newer F-150 up a hill and it has a bigger engine. (5.0-5.4)
@@grantp9798 need a heavier duty unit then
@@shadowopsairman1583 there is like 5 different timing chain tensioner revisions from GM, I swear lol.
Hey David, just wanted to say thank you for still reviewing these low budget cars and haven't just forgotten that not everyone has high end cars like lambos, crazy Corvettes, or vipers and Audis or supras ect. You still have time and have fun doing these very low priced cars thank you and never changed that cause a lot of RUclipsrs have, again thank you keep up the awesome work.
Glad you made this video. I had an 05 Cobalt SS Supercharged (the less remembered one). GM sold stage kits for 1500 it dropped the pulley, fuel injectors and tune for 65+ hp and torque. Best bang for buck I had so much fun in that damn car I cant believe I am not dead from it. These were rare jewels and the car that led me to my car today. Great job GM, your gunna be missed
Yeah. I did some seriously crazy things in mine too. I raced a GTI and a classic Porsche on a highway and won, dude got out of his Porsche at the next red light and punched my window. I had also been drinking, so had to drive away. But don't know how I didn't die or end up in jail.
What you mean less remembered?
@@DooDickyless remembered because the one people like to talk about is the turbo ones, making almost 300 hp with little to no mods. Supercharged ones are a LOT more difficult to make those numbers
i still have mine, 215k, beat the shit out of it and it still pulls strong!
@@Third_eyee ecotec platform! They are too damn good
This was a truly underappreciated car when they came out. I was always trying to figure out what was special about them. Then I had a friend tell me his father's was factory supercharged. I'm guessing not many people looked into these when they came out. They prolly thought it was just a chevy with an added body kit and a few horses.
These cars still dont get any attention. Mainly because its a cobalt, and thats what sealed its fate of being ignored. But I like it that way. Not every car needs to be praised and speculated into oblivion. We need there to still be cheap, fun cars around for regular car guys to enjoy.
@@joshuakhaos4451 like the nissan maxima with the vq
It was when they replaced the supercharger with a turbo along with other upgrades, that it showed true performance. When C&D tested it, it was faster in their lightning lap than the STI, Evo, and other more expensive cars.
@@joselorenzo3774 gotta manual swap and get that cvt out of it though
@@popupheadlights yeah. The 7th gen was actually nice when they mod it cosmetically and internally. Have you seen a RUclipsr called nisformance. They manual swapped a 7th gen.
One of the things I love about you is your genuine appreciation of every car. I'm a Mustang guy. You're a Mustang guy. That got me here. You are always showing me new things. Every car you drive, you always have fun and find the good! That's what car culture should be!
I always chose this in Need For Speed Most Wanted, it was so good and could handle its own in the game. I'd love to drive one of these if I could.
i was just about to comment this. Mine was always red lol.
MW had the supercharged one and is the reason I own one today.
This comment is awesome. I modded an old gamecube and my boys love to play most wanted and they have a cobalt ss in the game that they love. I think they mainly picked that car because I have a turbo ss in the driveway.
I basically fought the blacklist with the Cobalt SS and slapped with junkman parts and it was one hell of a quick car. Even Razor driving the M3 GTR was no match to the Supercharged 4 banger FWD car.
also the bulk of my Bounty Points was with this car, the heat level 5/6 Corvette cop cars could not even catch up.
Same. Use it for the entire game.
I remember I bought the SS in 2008 when the turbo version came out. Absolutely loved that car. I went with the yellow and no regrets lol
I have a maroon one because EVERYONE had the yellow. Now I don't see maroon or yellow lmao. I have a Borg Warner s252 52/61 extended tip, injectors, ported intake, exhaust and tune & made 451 on the dyno lol. It feels like 600 in a full size car though. Such a blast. What happened to yours?
The one was rare. And they started doing the Cobalt CS heavily in 07/08
Cobolt SS turbo version is a Saab 9-3 motor and chassis with a different shell. GM manufactured all Saab 9-3 2.0 T from 03 to 12
@@sephiroth7818 What was rare?
@@nicholasadams9535 a 2007/2008 Cobalt SS.
The cobalt SS is a beautiful car. Love the reviews David, especially the musical intros. Keep it up!
Appreciate the support! The musical intros don't fit every car, but I get incredible fulfillment doing them.
When I was car shopping about 7 to 8 years ago my top three choices were the cobalt ss/sc, 04-07 wrx and the neon srt-4; loved the look of all three but went with the srt-4 based on power and pricing at the time.
I had one just like this but the supercharged version, Loved that little pocket rocket. That little shit box had little issue doing triple digit speeds and holding them. The fastest I got it was 135 on the Kansas Turnpike one evening as me and a friend were coming back from a trip. We covered an hour and a half drive in just 45 minutes. It also handled the turns on that highway with 0 complaints at over 110 mph.
I seriously want another one to have and play with.
@@ThatDudeinBlue Just wish you included the song name in description. Gotta support the artists (even if free)
One of the most underrated cars ever in my opinion. As you said 8 minutes 22 seconds around Nurburgring and at the time that beat out the R-34 Skyline production car lap record on the biggest road course in the world. But no one wants to say Godzilla was wasted by a Cobalt lol
Yeah there's a reason nobody who actually knows the r34 history considers it part of the Godzilla name lmao
Just being a mopar guy I've always loved the srt-4 a lil more than the SS but I will always remember back in the day there were a few badass cobalt's running around my home town and not many people wanting to run against them.
Srt4 💪🏽
It’s part Mitsubishi. FYI
@@talltexan4710 you sound short and Oklahoman
Srt4 so much worse lmao
@@jarrettblakemore4676 That's a joke, stock engines on the srt4 can reliably make twice the power the cobalt can....
I have an 09 HHR SS with the performance package ( limited slip differential and brembo brakes), 5 speed, Blue Flash Metallic paint. I bought it 3 years ago with 91,000 miles, I have swapped the timing chain and upgraded the motor and tyranny mounts so far. The car is a ton of fun and even more of a sleeper than the Cobalt.
I have a 2010 SS (same package) but mine is the same victory red as this car in the video. Glad to see a fellow owner here.
The supercharged cobalt Ss was the first car with boost I ever rode in. My neighbor got a brand new one the day he got his license and I was 14 and he took me for a ride it was a lot of fun! Always will have a soft spot 👌
My buddy has one stage 5 turbo thing is lighting
This VTech in my buddies I'll never forget.
I had a 2009 Cobalt SS sedan with the LSD, super sleeper. So fast. Had the porous block problem that some cars had and the LNF was replaced at the dealership. The car dynoed stock at 260whp, numbers were super underrated.
That one time when I thought I was fast in my RSX-S and a Cobalt SS took me to gapplebees while he was spinning all the way through second and pulled a bus on me when he caught third.
Did this to my buddy’s RSX-S in my 06 SS/SC. Both of us were young and stupid in our brand new cars because bonus at work that year was amazing.
He got rid of his RSX, but I still have the Cobalt 16 years and 208k miles later.
ROFLMFAO!!!
Learned something about a Ecotec huh, that vtec is just vvt...
@@shadowopsairman1583 or VVT Is just Vtec. Cobalt SS was the replacement for the Cavalier Z24 since they pretty much had butchered the hell out of It at that point. Vtec isn't too shabby, Ive been In a couple fast Vtec cars, Cool system.
If ya would have put a little turbo in that RSX it would have been a good race.
Not to mention that while stock they were 260hp / 260tq, you could get a GM Stage 1 "kit" that bumped it up to 280hp and 320tq while keeping your warranty.
doesnt feel much powerful tho, few bolt ons and a custom tune will do much better
@@retrocompaq5212 perhaps, I think my main point just being that you could take an already pretty great car and you could still bump the numbers up while retaining a warranty. It only cost around a grand as well if I remember right.
@@colbeycalistinson7914 kind of like the cavalier supercharger package
Great review of what was my very first car ever, a Cobalt SS turbo!! Got to love the look on faces when it finally stops spinning and walks cars it has no right to!
Fresh out of high school I bought a 05 SS brand new. 2.0 LSJ supercharged. It was amazing with some simple bolt ons but threw the timing chain and got rid of it at 130k. The 2.2 LNF turbo was far superior. No heat soak issues. So glad you did a review just hate the roads were terrible. They are a beast.
The LNF was also 2.0 The standard engines were the 2.2, and then there was the LE5 2.4 naturally aspirated SS version.
As a tuned Fiesta ST owner... im jealous of these numbers good lord! This car is 10 years older than my FiST, but hauls the mail! I mean hell, it's only half a second slower in the quarter than a 2020 Civic Type R!!! I never knew how fast these were!
I had the supercharged version, These little shits were very deceiving. I can verify that if you have the balls, these will eat miles on an interstate like you wouldnt believe and do it effortlessly. Lets just say that I'd love to have a lightly modified one thats tight as it can be and let it experience the Autobahn.
Big turbo on a "fiST" puts you at 300. This guy did the video of that.
This has larger displacement and a larger turbo than a fiesta st.
I moved from the Cobalt to the ATS. I believe the ATS is everything I ever wanted out of the Cobalt. Daily driver with performance and style. It also came with ~800lbs more.
Forgot to mention from the factory WOT shifting and launch control. Also they made the turbo models in a extremely rare 4 door sedan.
absolutely such a crazy factory option
I have one and i love this thing. Completely stock too.
I owned and crashed a 4 door turbo it was the funnest car I owned. 13 second car all day long.
I've owned my 4door SS since new, going 13 years now. 140k miles and it's been a helluva ride!
I have a 2004 Saturn ION Redline that's unmolested with a mere 10k miles on it. It's a fun toy. My Father was the original owner, and I'm keeping it till I die. Mine doesn't have the wing which only adds to the sleeper appearance, making it that much more fun to get the jump on the "red light drags. "
I bought my 2009 SS TC back in 2013 and still have it today. Looks just like this car but with the low spoiler. Never had a problem that wasn't just a wear item to replace. Kept it stock except for a turbo-back exhaust when the cat started to fail last year.
100% a perfectly fun, efficient and cheap commuter that's easy to work on.
We own an '09 Sedan LNF... It has hurt MANY feelings... It has been a great car!!
Same here since april 2013 and still runing strong. Trifecta tune . Bolt on !
@@alexandrederguy-page7374 FBO stock tune, for now... Our YT name is our instagram :)
@@GrayDeathSociety as i’m sure you know those cars are extremely rare only around 800 total so keep it clean, in good condition they’re worth what they were new.
I drove a SC version and love how these things sound. This one sounds exactly like my Focus ST did.
Never owned one but as a kid in high school, always really liked them. Out of college, I eventually got a Trailblazer SS that i really loved. Man, do i miss that thing.
Buy one. Heal your inner child
The supercharged SS was my starter car in NFSMW
Drove a fbo tune cobalt ss turbo and had the time of my life, it kept up with scat packs, not bad for a 4K car
I had a 2008 for 4 years. I still miss that car. With about 3k invested it was an absolute blast and surprised many people at a 60MPH roll-on.
The next-gen version of this platform was in the Regal GS, btw. Nice cars.
So glad you finally got to one of these David, I've had my ion redline for a few years now and I love it. Don't be put off by the supercharger, it screams, and if you do want a turbo, ZZP makes an awesome conversion kit
I'm so glad there's another Ion Red Line owner in this community, and also another member of the ZZP fam! I got an 05 ion redline fully built/ tuned through ZZP!
@@Pudding175 I have an 05 with a zzp z54 turbo. 350 wheel on e85 with 18 lbs boost.
@@mikealfieri641 has this setup been reliable?
@@Pudding175 mine is an 07 with the competition package. Haven't gone crazy as it's my daily. Intake, downpipe/catback, and a simple flash tune, along with a few other things. Upgrade parts when they need replacing and such
@@anthroism26mc Yes it has so far.
Everyone also forgets about the Ion Redline. That’s the variant that was my favorite of these
Something neat not mentioned in this video is you could get the Cobalt SS turbo with adjustable launch control and flat foot shifting from the factory. Pretty rare especially for the time. The LSD was optional and not standard although it was an affordable option. Along with the Brembos, this car is a massive sleeper and a ton of fun to drive. In '09 I drove this and a speed3. The cobalt drove and handled better but I bought the speed3 for the drastically superior interior look/ quality and the fact that all speed3s have an LSD. Every cobalt ss at nearby dealers did not have it optioned unfortunately. A shame because it was a relatively cheap option that makes a big difference-- especially if you are planning to track the car or bump up the power.
Came here for this! Was hoping to see him demonstrate the no lift shift
Ss turbo doesn't have adjustable launch control it's a fixed launch control. They also have the rpd optional in 09 and standard in 10 but this one doesn't.
@@Tjtuned sad thing is i have one sitting at home just havent come around to installing it this is my cobalt btw
@@jeffreycruz2967 I know it is, think who this may be 😜
It’s fun, bill still hard to launch FWD any time you have a lot of power.
Years ago I had a friend who had one of these. I remember it being so loud on the inside that every acceleration was going to rattle every interior trim piece right off. I thought that was pretty awesome and probably one of the fastest cars I had every been in back then.
The LNF was fantastic and responded to modification/tuning very well.
I loved mine. Had a 2010 LNF and regret selling it everyday.
Other drivers HATED getting absolutely bud length’s by a cobalt.
what were you racing that one of these put bus lengths on😂
@@cat740dt 2013 STI, was new at the time. My cobalt had an S259et FBO 93 back then.
Easily took the STI.
Beat a C6Z as well on a roll.
@@cat740dt Quite a few vehicles actually though.
Even stock, it performed very well for the time.
GM was smart putting a K04 on it.
The Chevy Cobalt SS was the first car that I bought and modded on my own. GOD I loved the car. the front wheel hop when you got on it, that rear high rise spoiler that block your rear view (didn't matter, I was more focused on what I was headed towards) and all. I had the super charged version. LOVED IT!
I've waited for this review from you for years lol. I owned supercharged for 3 years and turbo for 2 years. The turbo is hands down the one I promise you will make people upset great car loved it. Bolt ons and tune you will have fun. Sold it about a year ago to focus on building my camaro but still miss it all the time.
Long time Delta owner, had a 2009 SS years ago and now own an HHR SS (Because family man). Seeing this video awoke so much joy in me! i BEG YOU to find one with a mild turbo upgrade, these cars with a BW 6758 or 7163 are a whole new ball game!
the Cobalt/Corvette commercials were always good fun to watch. they really wanted to promote the Cobalt as a sports car on a budget.
I own both Cobalt and HHR SS. Love them. FYI for the owner, the Rear badge and interior badge are upside down.
I've had mine since 2008, and everything you said was spot on. Still surprises people to this day haha
I had an ‘09 in red, FBO put down 318whp. Thing laid the f****** smack in 3rd gear. One of the most fun cars I ever owned. Had a ton a cool features like factory “no lift shift”. Mine had the digital boost gauge which was sweet. LOVE the tone of the ecotec, really muscular sounding for a 4cl. Pulled close to 1g with just springs. Great car for the money.
That’s cool, but could you launch at all even with drag radials?
@@bri-manhunter2654 you might shatter the axles with that much grip
@@cherry1le. That’s why I stopped messing around with high horsepower FWD cars, not my cup of tea if I can’t utilize the power.
But could still be a fun daily driver.
One thing I'll give the cobalt is they are surprisingly built well for collision. I hit a deer dead center front going 60 last month and still drove it home. Just needed a hood and bumper and I pulled the core support back out cause the radiator was almost touching the motor
Same here. Replacing the intercooler as the deer took that as a souvenir while going under the car.
@@KylesGuide my intercooler is still warped and twisted but it doesn't leak or get hot so I haven't changed it out yet 😂 it's just a work car anyway cause I cant afford driving my 8 mpg tahoe everyday
I love them and if for some reason you have to get a regular Cobalt you can actually take the supercharger off the first ss's and put it on a regular one. Quite easy and cheaply, but don't try to up the PSI because the transmissions on the regular ones can't take much power
Had one of these couple years back during college, 2008 SS. Always wanted one with the digital screen on the a pillar. Anyway loved it but had almost every problem (timing chain, rust through fuel line, cam phasers, sticking rear calipers, random overheating). Then it started grinding 2nd gear and that was it for me. Too many Saab sourced parts. Steering was incredible, seats were perfect, brakes where race car like effective, and the exhaust note was noticeably deeper (as mentioned). GM’s performance division really hit it out of the park, too bad the car wasn’t built better with higher quality materials.
I’m not big into Honda, Kia etc. but the cobalt ss and neon srt always had a cool thing going
Happy to see these get some appreciation!
Guy has his SS badge on the trunk and dash trim upside down lol
My buddy had the SC version and even that was a hoot, one of the first boosted cars i'd driven. I'll always remember it as some weird offshoot of all the cars I really wanted, with enough power to make a younger me very excited. Good review man!
These cars were great on a road course, suspension was tuned by GM engineer John Heinricy who also won SCCA championships with the car, he also worked on corvette suspension programs and helped develop the Hennessey Venom GT suspension.
Worst interior ever lol but impressive motor when tuned
I had the supercharged vision. Smaller pulley and injectors made a huge difference
They def rip for what they are, raced a turbo in my ms3 the other day and he hung pretty good with me from a 40 until about 90 idk what he had done but I'm fbo stock turbo on 93
Cobalt got a better interior than a srt-4 imo.
Seats arent to bad the rest of the plastic junk does suck tho
@@effingwrecked1917 I’d have to agree on that lol
I've got a white one of these, with some extra options, $5500 when I bought it in 2015. It makes a bit more power than this one, torque steer for days, when it gets traction that is. And I'm never getting rid of it.
And now these will come with a $30,000 markup at dealerships, thanks David 😂
What? This car is well over ten years old.
@@klausschwab11 can still be purchased from a dealer lot used with some “hidden fees”. Either way, the comment was more comedic in connotation than serious 🥺
I guess a more correct variation of that would be the used market prices skyrocketing
Cry?
It came with no lift shift and launch control from the factory. Also the 2010 came factory with the RPD computer gauge. Awesome car
Wow so rare to see a 08-10 SS T/C without a sunroof! I still love my 08 SS T/C and its my daily! FBO E50 Tuned. And since fellow SS LSJ/LNF owners will probably see this comment.........I work at GM in Parts so if you need anything just reply to this comment and ill get ahold of you. Lots of rare parts for these cars still left in the country i can get at wholesale price;)
My best friend just sold his 06 Supercharged SS about a week ago. That thing would whine like a hellcat it was awesome!
Loved these cars when they came out. I owned a caliber srt4 and ran with a few friends who had these.
Had a buddy buy a supercharged one new when we were in high school. No matter how fast you were going in first and second, it was blazing the tires. Seriously an underrated car
Thank you David for bringing back some attention to probably the most underestimated little cars of all time. You build it up with not a whole bunch of money and on top of it the car itself isn’t very expensive and as you said you’ll destroy a lot of different people and totally get that WTF!! Factor out of anyone you embarrassed with this absolute gem of the small performance car.
I use to have a 1999 Chevy Z24 This car was quick for what it was. It had a 2.4 liter 16v 4 cylinder and Hp to Torque was matched. It was easy to go to the street races and beat all the Hondas and Acura RSX. Then this came out and the Z24 was gone. These cars are very underrated
I had an '09 2LT with a manual trans. It made 155 HP but was only 2,800 lbs. Very fun, it drove like a honda without the reliability.
Edit: I was always really jealous of the SS when I saw one. The Ion redline is still in my perfect 10 car garage.
Had an '08 2LT miss that thing even though it was NA. Mine was pretty reliable other than parts rusting out.
I don't own a Cobalt but I do own a Gen lll Ecotec in my Cadillac ATS. I can say that the LNF and LTG are fairly well put together 4 bangers. It doesn't take much to wake up these engines. I have around 320ish hp in my 2.0T and still get 420ish on a tank of fuel.
Something about this review had the OG thatdudeinblue vibes. I've never been so interested in a cobalt before 😂 This vid was a homerun, David!
Finally a Cobalt review. I bought mine new in 08. I dailied and Autocrossed it for 8 years. Now it's my weekend car.
Now I daily a 08 HHR Panel 2.2 manual with my original Cobalt fe5 suspension and an 07 Cobalt SS supercharger at 12 PSI. 225whp
I've got two, and daily and a "racecar", love the LNF platform in general. And yes and the faster one absolutely hurts feelings. Nobody expects the cobalt.
Ive driven both the super and turbo Cobalts and the HHR SS with the manual. Fun cars indeed. My favorite feature of those cars is the no-lift-shift. Not to many people know about that. Gotta hit the traction button (if i remember right, correct me if wrong), scroll thru and turn it on. Then just keep hitting the gas while bangin gears. Its takes a bit to get used to but its fun. It helps maintain consistent boost. I always loved these cars. Awesome video man 👍🏻
I still really want one of these but its hard to find one that hasn't been beaten to the ground
These are actually kinda easy to find in decent shape, unlike the SRT-4 as they've all been clapped to hell and back. The Cobalt SS is better anyway.
@@Whats-It-To-Ya ill start looking again i havent looked for one super recently but when I did alot of them were over 150k miles
@@bsosmoove The Supercharged ones are usually OK with higher mileage. I'd stay under 90K miles if you want the turbo version.
Mine isnt beat too the ground but keep looking
Carvana has 1 with 31k miles for $15500. You can find them.
No lift shift and launch control from factory back then lol
AWESOME
I remember seeing that when I drove when back then and was like whaaaa
Seeing this car brings me back to some great memories. On a side note who else would pay good money to have one of these intros done with their car?
Same here. I want another go at one really bad. And after what me and my friend experienced on the Kansas Turnpike one evening 7 years ago, I'd love to run one on the Autobahn so I can experience that evening legally. These thing will eat miles on an interstate at some alarming speeds with little effort.
Pre bankruptcy gm was wild. It kinda started with the avalanche. A pickup truck derived from a suburban. But the suburban itself is a derivative a pickup truck. So they made an suv out of a pickup, then cut the back roof off and called it a pickup again.
I loved my 4dr ss turbo was super fun and reliable. Unicorn factor was cool too!
Holy shit , amazing timing bro I legit just bought a cobalt SS!
OK 12 minutes in I'm seriously loving this. I love that you're having fun in the cobalt. Also YES I've destroyed many a WRX in my cobalt. Actually I beat pretty much every WRX STI I ever raced too. (Again, highly modded and running on E85 with a really good tune. A stock Cobalt wouldn't stand a chance)
the new wrxs I kinda doubt with how much horse power they have stock. maybe the older ones. especially cause when you see the new wrxs guys are hardly riding stock.
@@scottratchet6730 I sold my cobalt so I wouldn't know. The last race I had was against a 2022 Civic Type R and I lost (barely, but yeah) so you're probably right
@@PrincessMihai yeah the 2022 WRX STI can go up to 400 HP stock
@@scottratchet6730 naw I have an 08 TC ss and i beat subis like nada fbo tune 91 I raced a new sti fbo tune 91 and I kept 2 car lengths on him the whole time, we did 3 rolls from 60 to 140
@@CriticalPhactsPodcast as someone who used to have a tuner and knows what they're talking about. You did not beat an 2022 turbo sti in ricer. My neighbours is at 780 HP lmao
I had a white 09 turbo and an 06 Supercharged and I enjoyed them
Both- for a FWD
What they are they’re fun, summit white 09 TC
Black 06
So glad you reviewed this car. Find a built one and see how strong they really are. That freight train pull feel in 3rd is real
Bought mine for 6k 5 years ago with 90k miles, been through a lot (motor, couple transmissions) but definitely one of my favorite cars I’ve owned. ZZP and OTTP offer so much aftermarket support in the ecotec line
Lol I enjoyed mine while I had it. Yes the interior was garbage but it wasn’t ever priced to be anything less than economy interior. Seats were comfortable and supportive and the lnf motor is a gem. Plus the optional rpd was pretty sweet.
I’ll still always have a soft spot for the HHR SS, same engine and if you got the brembos, rpd and stick shift it was a little beast
But Paired with the Recaro Buckets and the Pioneer Sound system/Speaker? Mmmmm👌, Absolutely perfect! Mine had all the options. It had the desireable seats, the factory body kit, the big wing, sun roof, the stereo system, CD Changer, Leather wrapped wheel, 18 in gun metal alloy wheels. It was the shit for my first sports car.
Lots of memories with friends and roadtrips. sadly it got totaled 2 months after I moved to Denver in 2017 due to a massive hail storm.
I had that exact one !
I miss it to this day !
@@arthurshortman8147 Same, I really want another one.
I had a 2010 cobalt ss turbo, I put an intake on it, changed the intercooler piping, an exhaust, and tuned it. it was soo much fun and tbh I miss it every day.
I hit a deer and totaled it in 2015. seriously miss that thing so much
The supercharged version of the car was actually really fun and you could do front wheel drive drifts in it if you had the stick shift because the traction control actually didn't kick in on it so you could slide the car pretty killer and with the supercharger you had a lot of low end torque so it was perfect it would pull you around turns the turbo is nice but you lack a little bit less torque than the supercharger but for long straightaways the turbo is better
the supercharged version was a total failure, its not even close, i had lots of those, the 08-10 were the only good cobalts, btw the supercharged doesnt get much torque at all
@@retrocompaq5212 he's not talking about its peak torque he's talking about how the power comes on and WHERE the torque is in the power band. Much more snappy down low and responsive and pulls better initially. Even though it's peak torque might not be higher it feels like it is better on torque because of how a blower like that works. Ecsp if it's pullied down and modded nicely.
I have a friend with a 2008 HHR/SS, 5 speed. the only thing modified is the FMIC, a cat delete pipe and a tune. Shockingly makes 298/315 and is ridiculously quick, a real sleeper. I've wanted one for years and still on the hunt.
Fun fact: There was actually a 3rd version in addition to the Turbo and Supercharged version. The 3rd version had a NA 2.4 Ecotec and was later renamed to Cobalt Sport Coupe and Sport Sedan.
Had a 07 SS/NA and I gotta say it was a great car until the timing chain snapped I’d have another in a heartbeat
I had a girlfriend with an SS/NA. It was slow but handled great still.
I’ve driven the supercharged version and it was a blast to drive. Sucked it wasn’t taken care of. I test drove for my buddy. He bought it for 2 gran and tried flipping it but we ended up not being able to figure what was wrong with it. But when it did run great it was Fantastic
About time this car was reviewed! Owned a 2009 with the lsd. I miss it soo much! Was such a fun car to drive for fwd. Interior was crap but the seats were nice and would roast the tires all through 1st gear Haha
I owned a supercharged one from 2013-2017. Mine had every option possible and it was a fun little car, Many great memories of roadtrips and with friends. Sadly it got totaled 2 months after I moved to Denver back in 2017.
My favorite memoryt? Me and one of my friends covering an hour and a half section of the Kansas Turnpike in 45 minutes and doing anywhere between 110-135 mph(We were young and stupid okay), and the Cobalt held those corners at speeds around 110-120 with 0 complaints.
@@joshuakhaos4451 sold mine when got wrx. Loved both cars but that ss was kinda rare to find blue 1 owner only 60k miles rip
@@DustinB855 I own an 09 mustang GT now and have since I got the check from my insurance for that little thing. I had it from 50k and drove it to136k. They're a very cool little car. Yeah, the Blue ones are rare, as were the white ones. There were a few running around Denver too, There was 1 Blue, 1 Black Turbo sedan, a white one with gold wheels and one of the copper ones. I look for another one all the time for fun.
I own a 2008 Cobalt Sport Coupe with a 2.4 fully loaded except the turbo , leather seats , & the manual trans. I bought it brand new in 08 it has all the same stuff as the SS except what I mentioned ! It's just as much fun to drive , & is in better condition than the SS your driving , It's only 184 HP but that is plenty for this automobile , & it has not even hit 80,000 on the clock ! & it still surprises Me whenever I kick down on it ! I would compare it to my 1965 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa Turbo performance wise. Thanks for the video.
Fun fact these cars had a factory no lift shift feature in all their models from base to SS so if you used that it's even faster. The entire platform had this from Pursuit g5 to HHR. That made them deceptively quick for what they were. I do believe this was the first production car to offer this.
The g5 didn't have that feature cause it wasn't turbo.
only the lnfs had no lift shift lsj's did not.
Turbo SSs had no-lift, supercharged and NA SSs did not
Fun fact, that's wrong lol. Only the turbo lnf had it, hhr ss and cobalt ss
@@brxttz well I have to disagree my buddy had a pursuit base with the 2.2 and it definitely had no lift shift and he used it a lot.
I loved my Red 2009 Cobalt SS with the GM Stage one kit. This video brought back so many memories. Thanks for doing it.
GM has a history of some... _interesting_ performance cars. For instance, in the 90s you could not only get a performance version of the Chevy Lumina (ignoring the Monte Carlo based upon it) with the 3.4L DOHC V6, but you could find that same engine in an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, of all cars.
I had that Cutlass! Awesome car!
I had a super clean Lumina with low miles and that car was quick at the time.
Had a 93 lumina z34 as my second car. Hauled ass for what it was and was super comfy lol
you could also buy a W41 calais that ran mid 14s, absolutely destroying the 3.4s.
@@OxBlitzkriegxO That's true, many of the vehicles that had the Quad 4 were likely lighter and faster than those with the LQ1 3.4. I just find it amusing that a car as sedate and highway cruiser-like as the Cutlass Supreme had an engine as lively as that.
Damn that exhaust note sounded amazing for a turbo 4!!!
They were super slept on back in the day. One of the best handling fwd that came out on that era. The focus svt focus was another fwd that handles amazing.
If you want to talk about niche cars, the Saturn Ion Redline was even more under the radar.
The looks on peoples faces when I told them it was a factory supercharged car WITH factory Recaro seats in a Saturn, priceless.
Also the rear suicide doors for the rear passengers made it even cooler. (I may have owned one for 12 years, no bias at all)
ZZP is truly a fantastic company. I got some of their goodies on my Pontiac Bonneville. Maybe someday when the build is finished you can drive it 🙃
Made 305 to the wheels with bolt ons to my 05 SS supercharged. Dyno was closer to 340 whp with methanol injection turned on. FWD and wheel hop were the worst issues on this car. My cousin owned an 08 turbo which I wish I owned. Direct injection and turbo was the way to go. Exhaust temps were way hot in the supercharged version as well. I blew through 3 different headers because of the heat issues.
When I debaged the back of the car, soo many people asked me what the car was. Design was very aggressive for the time. One of the best cars for a college kid at the time.
The Colbolt ss... most popular car to steal wings off of for other cars :P
I owned a 2009 turbo ss and absolutely loved it. So fast for what it was. If I was in the market for a car build I would totally buy another one.
Another great value car that uses this engine is the GM Saab 9-3 of the same era!! So often overlooked! You can pick up a decent one for 2-3 grand and it’s packed with features and surprising power. Had two of them and both were a great time and fast af!
Didn’t those have no-lift shifting? Never heard you mention or try it. Thanks
Had a silver g85 supercharged.....was a perfect daily. Loved the quick response of the supercharger
This car was the successor to the Chevy cavalier, not the srt4, it was the srt4 direct arch rival on the street along with the r32 golf. That being said, this is one of my absolute favorite tuner cars. One day I hope to own one
As someone who currently owns an 08 turbo ss . I’ve owned many cars and I can say I’ve found my niche with the cobalt ss . Even on the stock turbo they pull like freight trains , I have really suprised countless people In significantly more expensive and newer sports cars . It takes very little money to make them compete with or surpass modified modern sports cars . Best looking car ever? Definitely not but with a carbon fiber corvette style vented hood + ground effects on mine it gets quite a bit of attention around town . I can not think of a single car in its price range that would compare in performance or fun .
I believe these were sorted at the nurburgring and held the fwd production car record for awhile. 🤔
the cobalt has a lot of cool things about them such as they only made 759 of the sedan manual ss cobalts and if you can find one they are still fairly expensive