• The Chevrolet Cobalt is available as either a two-door coupe or a four-door sedan, each available in four trims: Base, LS, LT and SS Turbocharged.
• The Base, LS and LT trims come standard with a 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine mated to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. The SS Turbocharged comes with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The LS trim comes standard with: 15-inch steel wheels, air conditioning, front airbags with side curtain airbags, front bucket seats with a fold down rear seat, and a satellite radio; the Base trim shares all the same standard equipment as the LS except for the lack of air conditioning, making it the value leader in the Cobalt line-up. The LT adds on top of the LS trim: front and rear carpeted floor mats, premium cloth seat trim and power mirrors, windows and door locks with remote keyless entry. The SS Turbocharged has the same content as the LT but further adds: 18-inch aluminum wheels, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, a rear spoiler, a leather gear shift knob, a leather steering wheel, cruise control and an upgraded radio.
• For 2010 the Chevrolet Cobalt receives minor paint and equipment changes.

The Chevrolet Cobalt comes in two-door coupe and four-door sedan body styles, and in base, LS, LT, and SS trim levels. The base engine produces 155 horsepower and qualifies the Cobalt as an Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle; these models come standard with a five-speed manual transmission and a four-speed automatic is an option. The base version of the Cobalt is EPA-rated at 25/37 mpg City/Highway with the five-speed manual transmission.

The Cobalt SS is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four rated at 260 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. A heavy-duty five-speed manual is the only transmission available with the SS. The SS is available only as the coupe.

For 2010, Chevrolet Cobalt changes are few. The My Link package includes an AM/FM/CD/MP3/USB audio system with Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, steering-wheel audio controls, OnStar Directions and Connections, and 16-inch alloy wheels. The power sunroof and performance display are standard on the SS model.

Body panel fits are extremely tight. So tight, in fact, that there are no rubber trim gaskets around the Cobalt's compound complex headlamps.

The coupe weighs about 50 pounds less than the sedan, a relatively insignificant amount.

The Cobalt is longer, wider and lower than most of its direct competitors. Its interior dimensions and trunk capacity are comparable for the class.

The Cobalt SS is distinguished by its front fascia with integrated air dam and projector-beam fog lights. Upper and lower grilles both sport a specific diamond-mesh texture. Rocker extensions are also unique to the SS, and a rear deck-lid spoiler is standard. The standard spoiler can be replaced with big wing. The rear is finished off with a bright-tip exhaust outlet.

The variable valve timing helps fatten the torque curve through a wide range of engine speeds. EPA-estimated fuel economy with the 2.2-liter engine, manual transmission, and standard low-rolling-resistance tires is 25/37 mpg City/Highway. With any of the larger tire options that slips slightly to 25/35 mpg, which is still within the ranges of the likely competitors. With the automatic transmission, the Cobalt is rated at 24/33 mpg.

The brakes seemed a little mushy on the LT and LS models we drove, which come with drums in the rear.

The Cobalt SS is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged and intercooled Ecotec four-cylinder that uses direct fuel injection to balance performance with fuel efficiency. With direct injection, fuel is delivered directly to the combustion chamber to create a more complete burn of the air/fuel mixture. Compared to a conventional port-injection system, less fuel is required to produce the equivalent horsepower, especially at normal cruising speeds. The Cobalt SS is rated at 260 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, so we anticipate exciting performance. Chevrolet claims a quick 0-60 time of approximately 5.7 seconds, and the EPA-estimated fuel economy is a decent 22 mpg City/30 mpg Highway.

Chevrolet developed an all-new FE5 Sport suspension specifically for the SS, including upgraded stabilizer bars, spring rates and damper tuning, for a claimed cornering grip of 0.9 g. Front brakes are from Brembo and have a performance-oriented fixed-caliper design, which resists fade better than floating calipers. Rear discs are vented for better heat dissipation. This combination enabled the Cobalt SS to set a new class record of 8 minutes, 22.85 seconds at the famed Nurburgring racing circuit.

The Cobalt uses different seats in the different trim levels, each with detail changes in foam, padding and trim. We found plenty of fore/aft travel and rake adjustment for a 6-foot, 4-inch driver, plus seat-height adjustment with a ratcheting handle. The LT seats were very comfortable and grabbed us in the fast corners exactly where we needed to be grabbed and held. Even better were the optional leather-trimmed seats, which come with electric heat.

Inside the SS are sport seats embroidered with the SS-logo and enhanced with suede-like UltraLux inserts. A specific gauge package includes an A-pillar-mounted turbo boost gauge.

The available Pioneer seven-speaker sound system with the Delphi AM/FM/CD delivers good sound and includes a huge subwoofer mounted on the left side trunk wall. And all Cobalts come with XM Satellite Radio.

The heating, ventilation and defroster system worked quickly and intuitively.

The Cobalt LS comes with manually operated windows that take a lot of cranking (about four and half times around) to wind the windows up. The urethane steering wheel that comes on LS and LT models feels cheap. The leather-wrapped wheel that's optional on the Cobalt LT is much nicer.

Rear-seat passengers pay a price for the coupe's sporty looks. Headroom, legroom, and hip room are reduced by 2 inches, 1.5 inches, and 3.5 inches, respectively; enough to make the difference between a comfortable place for adults and one best left to pre-adolescents. Up front, the coupe actually offers more head and legroom than the sedan, but only by fractions of an inch. Therefore, the coupe is a good choice for drivers who are usually alone or with a friend, while the sedan is the better choice for drivers who often find themselves with two or three passengers.

The trunk in the sedan is wide and deep with a low lift-over height, and almost 14 cubic feet of capacity, more than competitive in the class, though the opening to the trunk seems relatively small. The trunk lid uses outside corner hinges and two hydraulic assist struts instead of gooseneck hinges that can squash groceries when the lid is closed. The coupe has the same trunk volume but an even smaller trunk opening, making it difficult to stow a thick suitcase. A 60/40-split, fold-down rear seat with a trunk pass-through feature adds utility to both sedan and coupe.

NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Jim McCraw reported from Dearborn, Michigan, with Mitch McCullough reporting from Los Angeles and John F. Katz from Pennsylvania.