Chevrolet Cobalt

Chevrolet Cobalt at a glance

The name Cobalt was used earlier for a compact car in North America; this second Cobalt is a different model aimed at emerging markets. In Brazil it filled the gap left by the Astra saloon, and it was later replaced there by the Onix Plus. Production spread to Uzbekistan in 2013, to Colombia until early 2016 and to Kazakhstan from 2020. Chevrolet's current and past models are in the Chevrolet catalogue.

Cobalt timeline

Design

The Cobalt's design is practical rather than flashy. According to the old 1cars text, the front has a large two-section grille divided by a wide bar carrying the Chevrolet emblem, almond-shaped headlights and fog lamps in the bumper. The side view shows a high waistline, flat panels and round wheel arches, and the roof and rear pillars are styled like those of the Chevrolet Corsa saloon. The large boot lid and vertical tail lights make loading easy. Steel or alloy 15-inch wheels were offered.

Interior and boot

The cabin has two-tone trim, chrome accents and a three-spoke steering wheel that adjusts for height and reach. The instrument panel combines an analogue rev counter with a digital speedometer. The old 1cars text notes that the front seats come from the Chevrolet Aveo and have good side support, and that rear legroom and headroom are generous, though the rear bench has only two head restraints.

The boot is the Cobalt's highlight: the old 1cars text gives about 545 litres, with a 60:40 split-folding rear seat. To make room for it, the fuel tank was reduced to 46 litres.

Flex-fuel and petrol engines

The flex-fuel engines run on petrol or ethanol, a common fuel in Brazil, and produce more power on ethanol. The 1.8 arrived in Brazil in 2013 with LS, LT and LTZ trims. The old 1cars text gives 0–100 km/h in 11.9 seconds with the manual gearbox and a top speed of 170 km/h, and, for the 1.5, combined fuel use of 6.5 litres per 100 km with the manual and 7.6 litres with the automatic.

Suspension and body structure

The Cobalt uses MacPherson struts at the front and a semi-independent torsion-beam rear axle, a typical layout for a budget saloon. The old 1cars text notes that the body uses high-strength steel and that the long wheelbase gives good stability on the road.

Cobalt size and fuel tank

Dimensions are from the old 1cars text.

Sales in Brazil

Sales peaked in 2012, the first full year, and production in Brazil ended in late 2019, with 2020 as the final model year.

Airbags, ABS and trim levels

According to the old 1cars text, the Cobalt has two front airbags, ABS with brake-force distribution and ISOFIX child-seat mounts; the passenger airbag can be deactivated, but seat-belt pretensioners were limited to the top LTZ trim, and the middle rear seat has only a lap belt. Better-equipped versions add electric windows and heated mirrors, an on-board computer, a radio with USB and AUX, 15-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors and steering-wheel audio controls. The Cobalt was not tested by Euro NCAP.

Rivals: how the Cobalt compares

The Cobalt competes with budget saloons such as the Renault Logan, the Volkswagen Polo saloon, the Renault Symbol and the Lada Granta. Its strengths are a huge boot, a roomy cabin and simple, durable mechanicals. Its weaknesses are plain styling, limited safety equipment and modest performance.