2005 Chevy Cavalier Replaces Aging Cavalier

Considered the Chevy Cavalier replacement, the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt is now available. Auto industry insiders have described the Cobalt as a modern compact car that is both appealing and affordable, adding that it appears to be both a satisfactory replacement of the Cavalier and a worthy response to Chevrolet's partner company GM's Saturn Ion, generally considered to be a disaster and an embarrassment for Saturn and GM when it made its debut in late 2002.

The Chevy Cobalt enters the competitive class that includes the Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Volkswagen Jetta, Mazda 3 and Kia Spectra. Reviewers have described it as a comfortable and compliant ride due to excellent chassis dynamics. The new 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt also has a well configured cockpit with high-quality materials. The Cobalt LT version includes leather upholstery and wood trim.

Standard features include a CD player, air conditioning, split folding rear seat and battery rundown protection. The mid-level LS comes with standard antilock brakes, traction control and power windows.

The Delta engineers are reported to have added front and rear stabilizer bars to the basic chassis formula of a strut-type front end and twist-beam rear axle. Also provisions for tire sizes from 15 inches to 18 inches were made.

Most Cobalt engines come standard with an all-aluminum, twin-cam 2.2-liter four-cylinder, with 145 horsepower and 155 pounds-feet of torque, beating out Toyota, Honda and Ford. Buyers are also offered a choice of a Getrag five-speed manual transmission or a Hydra-matic four-speed automatic. The EPA rating of the 2.2/automatic combination is 24 miles per gallon in the city and 32 on the highway. The 2.2/manual achieves 23 in the city and 29 on the highway.