Avg. Price Paid:$6,217 - $10,105
Original MSRP: $13,175 - $20,975
MPG: 25 City / 34 Hwy
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2007 Chevrolet Cobalt Review

Review Last Updated: 8/26/08

These scores and this review are from when the car was new.

Scorecard

Overall: 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt U.S. News Best Cars 7.7
Critics' Rating: 8.0
Performance: 7.7
Interior: 6.6
Safety: 8.9
Reliability:
How we calculate scores
Research analyzed for this review

Pros & Cons

  • Lively acceleration, particularly with the SS Turbocharged model
  • Competitive fuel economy
  • Excellent handling
  • Side air bags are a optional
  • Many find the seats uncomfortable
  • Rear-passenger seats are cramped
  • Loud exhaust
  • Mediocre resale value

Research Other Years

The Cobalt delivers a smooth ride and genuine attempts at upscale features, although it falls a little short of matching top Japanese competitors. If you're in the market for an affordable small car, you should also consider the comparably priced Honda Civic.

The Cobalt replaced the long-running Chevy Cavalier in 2005. While Road and Track finds that "Chevrolet has built a thoroughly modern, class-challenging contender" in the Cobalt, most reviewers believe it falls a little short of class leaders from Honda and Toyota. The 2007 carryover model comes in two-door coupe and four-door sedan versions. While the 2007 Cobalt gets high marks as a handsome, well-equipped car, criticisms focus on the Cobalt's cramped rear seat and coarse base engine.

The low sticker price makes the Cobalt a very affordable small car. For its low price of entry, Consumer Guide names the 2007 Cobalt as a "Recommended" car. USA TODAY reports, "You don't feel sentenced to Cobalt for lack of cash to buy something better, but rather that you chose it on purpose." According to the New York Times, "The Cobalt is a good car, if not a great one, and it is certainly a creditable competitor to the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and most other $15,000 cars on the market." However, the Times adds, "As low as those numbers sound, it is possible to push the price of a Cobalt beyond $20,000."

Unfortunately, the Cobalt is unimpressive in its resale value. Kelley Blue Book says that the Cobalt "holds an average five-year projected residual value, falling far from competitors such as the Honda Civic, Scion tC and Mazda Mazda3." IntelliChoice gives the base model sedan a "poor" value rating for its predicted five-year total cost of ownership, compared with other vehicles in its class.

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