
Larger driveshafts and wheel bearings have been fitted to cope with the upgrade.ĮPA estimates say the '08 Cobalt SS gets 22 mpg city/30 mpg highway. Compare this to 205 hp at 5,600 rpm and 200 lb-ft of torque way up at 4,000 for the supercharged Ecotec in the '07 Cobalt SS. The 2.0-liter turbo develops 260 horsepower at 5,300 rpm and 260 pound-feet of torque at only 2,000 rpm. The output gains over the former supercharged Ecotec are substantial. This turbocharged, intercooled Ecotec with direct fuel injection is the same engine introduced by the 2008 Chevy HHR SS.

In addition, the 2.0-liter Ecotec four-cylinder gets continuously variable timing for its intake and exhaust valves this year. Of course, then we go poking around under the Cobalt's hood and find the turbocharger that engineers from the GM Performance Division (GMPD) have secreted away in the back, which replaces the supercharger that used to be under the SS's hood. The only hard visual evidence that we're driving a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS is a set of new 18-by-7.5-inch wheels (0.5 inch wider than before). But give this 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Coupe an hour of your time on a good road and it takes you somewhere completely different. It's an odd feeling, because with that familiar Chevy face and Pro Stock-size rear wing, you wonder if you're getting behind the wheel of last year's car.
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It's an old-school touch in a car full of new-school kit, and you realize there's quite a bit going on with the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS.

The sounds are distinct even to the distracted ear, and they refuse to harmonize. We hear the euphoric sigh of the turbocharger, followed by a throbbing exhaust note out the back. Instead of savoring the moment, we get back on the throttle. Perhaps most surprising of all, it gives the impression of being happy to do it. It turns into a tight left-hander with the haste and hunger of an import sport compact. We come to our first serious corner on Glendora Mountain Road, and the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Coupe delivers the unexpected.
