Short Bus
Beep beep!
- Apr 17, 2001
- 104,117
So I bought the recent Car and Driver and was stunned by just how fast this little booger goes. I was especially stunned that it nudged past the EVO X, Elise, S2000, 135i, and kicked the crap out of the STI. ( 
)
First impression... the car doesn't look like much. It's like a regular Cobalt, but with badging and nice looking wheels. The interior mostly sucks. The interior in my five year old Subaru is honestly nicer (and the Impreza isn't exactly known for it's nice interior) . The seats are incredible, perfect fit for me. Back seat is useless. Trunk is bigger than I would have thought.
Driving it... it certainly accelerates quite briskly, but with the five speed and long gears it's more of a long legged fast feeling. My Subaru feels like it accelerates much more violently in comparison, but it has much shorter gears. Given the trap speeds the SS has pulled though, it is no doubt faster from a rolling start. The engine pulls cleanly and smoothly through redline from about 2000 RPM's.
Transition response felt slightly dulled compared to my STi, but the overall cornering grip is certainly there. The brakes also work just like you'd expect, very good. Shifter feel is crap compared to the STi, but it's linked through a cable. With that in mind it really isn't bad, just have to accept it for what it is.
For daily driving the car would be superior to the STi. The ride is smoother, it gets better gas mileage, and it's quieter.
Overall I'm impressed. This is an exceptionally good car if you're looking for the cheapest, fastest thing you can get. Just gotta look past it's warts.
The reason I was intrigued enough to look is because it offers similar or better performance than my STi... BUT comes with a 100k mile five year warranty. Being the type to leave things mostly stock, I love the idea that I can do as many track days I want and have Chevy fix it if I actually manage to break it.
Now... I just have to find one without a moonroof, that nasty wing, and with a limited slip. I also need to find a dealership that'll give me $17k for my Subaru on trade-in.
)First impression... the car doesn't look like much. It's like a regular Cobalt, but with badging and nice looking wheels. The interior mostly sucks. The interior in my five year old Subaru is honestly nicer (and the Impreza isn't exactly known for it's nice interior) . The seats are incredible, perfect fit for me. Back seat is useless. Trunk is bigger than I would have thought.
Driving it... it certainly accelerates quite briskly, but with the five speed and long gears it's more of a long legged fast feeling. My Subaru feels like it accelerates much more violently in comparison, but it has much shorter gears. Given the trap speeds the SS has pulled though, it is no doubt faster from a rolling start. The engine pulls cleanly and smoothly through redline from about 2000 RPM's.
Transition response felt slightly dulled compared to my STi, but the overall cornering grip is certainly there. The brakes also work just like you'd expect, very good. Shifter feel is crap compared to the STi, but it's linked through a cable. With that in mind it really isn't bad, just have to accept it for what it is.
For daily driving the car would be superior to the STi. The ride is smoother, it gets better gas mileage, and it's quieter.
Overall I'm impressed. This is an exceptionally good car if you're looking for the cheapest, fastest thing you can get. Just gotta look past it's warts.
The reason I was intrigued enough to look is because it offers similar or better performance than my STi... BUT comes with a 100k mile five year warranty. Being the type to leave things mostly stock, I love the idea that I can do as many track days I want and have Chevy fix it if I actually manage to break it.
Now... I just have to find one without a moonroof, that nasty wing, and with a limited slip. I also need to find a dealership that'll give me $17k for my Subaru on trade-in.
