2007 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged Road Test

Remember the Cavalier? You probably do, because it sold remarkably well

2007 is the last year of production for Chevrolet's hyperactive Supercharged compact... kind of. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

during its lifetime (particularly towards the end when it was offered at unbelievably low prices) and still has a rather loyal following in the sports compact arena. Even with this in mind, as a compact car it fell rather short in comparison to other cars in its class. The people at GM's Performance Division sat up and took notice. The sport compact class of vehicles is a hot market segment, and it's got some pretty cool cars competing for your dollars, so Chevrolet decided back in 2005 that it wouldn't just idly stand by and risk its owners checking their baggage for a Japanese or European import.

Besides being a big step forward in general, the Cobalt SS Supercharged (not to be confused with the regular, and quite frankly lame non-supercharged SS) was a big step forward for GM's performance offering in the compact segment. Z24 drivers won't be the only ones pining to get behind the wheel of one of these, with promises of handling tuned on the Nurburgring and rather appealing exterior visuals. While the oversized rear wing has become the telltale sign of an SS Supercharged (the SS doesn't have as big a wing), it literally cuts out half your rearward visibility. You

Since the birth of the non-Supercharged Cobalt SS, the wing is the easiest way to tell the two apart. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

really can't tell if the car following close behind belongs to the folks in law enforcement or not. The car's body does have flares in all the right places, and the front and rear bumper skirts look great, as do the polished, flangeless 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels. The Cobalt immediately distances itself from its predecessor in terms of a visual statement, such as the new Civic Si and Sentra SE-R that look rather ordinary. The car has the looks, but given the choices sport compact buyers have, how does it drive?

Quite well, as it turns out. As we said, if you're a Cavalier owner the Cobalt will blow you away. It's a huge step forward. The chassis rigidity of the international Delta platform (also shared with that exciting new Saturn Astra) is leagues above the J-Body, and gives the car a nice, tight feeling. For the Cobalt application, the Delta underpinnings come alive; it seems perfectly suited to its sporty demeanor. People often talk about rigid structures as a vital starting point to tuning the car dynamically, and the Cobalt SS doesn't disappoint. Not only does it have a solid feel, but you feel just as confident tracking straight and true on the highway as you would on a twisty back road.

And twisting roads in mind, the sport-tuned suspension with aluminum links does a great job at controlling body roll and dive when the going gets quick. In fact, the Cobalt's rear suspension has some really trick hydro-elastic bushings that allow sharpness of handling without shaking your fillings loose around town. It's a technology found on some premium import brands, and it works well on the Cobalt. All these components conspire to endow the SS with handling abilities that rival or exceed its competition; it can generate cornering forces in the neighborhood of 0.90 Gs on the skid pad. The Cobalt SS

Interior can be had in some fairly bright colors including yellow, red and blue. (Photo: Chevrolet)

Supercharged was a little low on steering feedback, due to the fact that the car has an electrical power steering system instead of the traditional hydraulic power steering.

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