2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS

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What is it?
2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS

What's special about it?
Chevrolet takes a second shot at force-feeding its Cobalt SS compact coupe with horsepower with the introduction of the 2008 model. Forget all about the supercharged 205-horsepower Ecotec inline-4 that was available during the 2005 and 2006 model years; for 2008 there's 260 horsepower on tap from a turbocharged Ecotec.

Throwing a turbo onto the Cobalt SS comes as no surprise, since the turbo Ecotec has already found its way into the new Cobalt-based HHR SS. In fact, the turbo engine going into the Cobalt SS is very much the same direct-injection 2.0-liter, 16-valve DOHC assembly that's used in the front-drive HHR SS and is within an eyelash of being identical to the power plant installed in the rear-drive Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Red Line.

Using a short-throw five-speed manual transmission produced by GM Powertrain Sweden (a wink-wink way of saying "Saab"), which features "shift-without-lift" technology, Chevrolet is saying the front-wheel-drive Cobalt SS turbo will rip to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds. And to balance this pull, the car carries Brembo front disc brakes that feature a fixed-caliper design to resist fade.

The Cobalt SS's suspension has been retuned thanks to significant development work at the Nürburgring — an effort, Chevy says, "to complement the high-output turbocharged powertrain and mitigate afflictions like torque steer." As with the supercharged SS, the wheels of the turbo Cobalt are 18 inches in diameter, but the summer-spec performance tires have grown 10 millimeters in section width and are now 225/40R18s. According to Chevy, all this is enough to bump performance on the skid pad up to 0.90g and enable the SS to scoot around the Nordschleife in 8 minutes, 22.85 seconds.

Cosmetically the Cobalt SS gets a new front fascia, diamond-mesh grille inserts and projector-beam foglamps. Along the sides are unique rocker sills, while atop the deck lid sits a modest spoiler. The large rear wing that had been part of the supercharged Cobalt SS will, thankfully, move to the options list.

The interior gets the expected upgrades, including sport seats with "suedelike UltraLux inserts," a specific instrument panel and a boost gauge on the driver-side A-pillar.

The new turbocharged Cobalt SS coupe will go on sale in the spring of 2008. Some time after that, Chevy promises it will also introduce a Cobalt SS four-door sedan with a similar specification.

What's Edmunds' take?
There's no way a more powerful and capable Cobalt SS can be bad news. Unless you're the guy selling Dodge Caliber SRT4s. — John Pearley Huffman, Contributor