also I don't experience the 5th gear gate issue you talk about. It is a bit noisy (wind and tire mostly), but that doesn't bother me too much.

Yeah, the recall effected the '09 - '10 cobalts but i was told less than 100 'potentially' faulty ignition cylinder found their way into early 2009 models and 2010 supposedly was unaffected.

You are a special kind of ignorant. Look at the specs. 260ftlbs of torque at 2500 rpm. That is not 'near refline' unless you are talking about a diesel. The engine has a huge powerband, the transmission is a highly regarded saab f35 and is a bosch ecu not found in anything else under 50k at that time. The ride is…

Is this an assumption or...? It has side curtain airbags, a fairly stiff shell and really good (4mode) stability and traction control. About on par for a 'sporty' car. Remember this thing only weighs 2850 as well, its pretty safe given the weight and cost.

Maybe you are on the wrong website??

More than one magazine tested the cobalt at 5.4-5.5s to 60. 5.8 is more in line with the factory launch control numbers. As with most cars you can hey the car off the line quicker without launch control, hence the better numbers than advertised.

Your argument is neither relevant or stupid so you can leave the flamesuit in the closet. The cobalt far outclassed the GTI on track which is what the conversation is about. They were also much more expensive to buy, insure and maintain.

I've driven many things and auto crossed more than a few... I am still impressed every time I race mine. Turns into a different animal with just some wider wheels and wider/stickier tires. 31mpg to boot. I love mine.

No points for a fwd car with an LSD? Cobalt SS, Civic Si, SRT4, older Sentra SE-R's...

cobalt SS turbo. Argue the quality, brand blah blah blah... But nothing will get you around a track faster for 10k unless your looking at beat up shifter karts

i drive a 2L, DI turbo car and EPA mileage highway is 30... I get 36-38 no problem on the highway and Thats on wider/stickier rubber than stock. I believe city mileage is 23 but I consistantly see 27 on my daily commute which is about 3 miles -100% city with a bigass hill involved. And I don't 'hypermile'. I think…

GM's LNF DI 4-cyl is an incredible engine. 260hp and 260lb.ft (@2000rpm) is nice, 35mpg in a 2800lb car (imagine what it would do in a 2000lb car) and a good noise. I don't think you need to look much further. LDK (newest variant) has 276hp (in ATS form) and even with a 6sp. Add in gm reliability - and you have a…

The 2009 Cobalt SS was substantially faster than the 07 thanks to a turbo, direct injection, 55 more hp and new suspension. 8:22:xx - pretty sweet. The fiesta is no where near as track oriented, however.

You have that bass ackwards. A rear sway bar increases front grip and increases roll stiffness. This Moves grip forward and helps with rotation. In short, big ass sway bar rear will cause increases in oversteer. Lift off oversteer is more predominent in a fwd.

Easily the best thing I've seen all day. I'm now going to post this absolutely everywhere.

Those wheels are triggering a gag reflex. I'm all about awd celicas though.

I agree, I've just noticed that the naming and format of a successful jalopnik article seems to follow a trend not so different from your stereotypical "cat video" (but not in a bad way):

They have been improving, I just kinda feel like they threw this kid the really big task of filming his own stuff while in school / overseas and thats a lot to put on someones plate. I'm certainly not saying I could put together a better video, just that perhaps he could have used some additional outside guideance/…

Hope I didn't come off as digging for compliments - I just had such a blast I wanted to share my experience. I feel that between rally and auto x there is really no reason not to get involved in motorsport if you have the interest. If I had known how approachable both were, I would have got involved long ago.

Fwd will offer the biggest fun for your buck and will teach you more. You will end up leaning on the AWD and never really learn to keep momentum. The same is true in auto-x, awd cars cover up ALOT of driving mistakes by simply chewing the tires up.