Chevrolet Cobalt 1.5L LTZ: Practicality and value

By Ghaith Madadha - Oct 29,2018 - Last updated at Oct 29,2018

Photo courtesy of Chevrolet

The most popular car sold in Uzbekistan, where it is manufactured locally by the Uzbek-government’s and minority stakeholder General Motors’ GM Uzbekistan joint venture, the Chevrolet Cobalt is a practical value-oriented compact saloon car aimed squarely at developing markets.

Produced by GM Uzbekistan after the demise of its predecessor UzDaewooAuto, the Chevrolet Cobalt aims to compete with similarly sized, rugged and affordable saloons developed for similar world and developing markets, and is also sold in some export markets as the Ravon branded R4 model.

Confident Cobalt

Aimed at an often overlooked but increasingly more important segment for established Western manufacturers, the Cobalt is Chevrolet’s gambit at competing with cars like the Peugeot 301 and Citroen Elysee sister models and the highly successful Renault Logan, which itself is developed by the French brand’s Romanian wing Dacia.

Taking on the previously used Cobalt nameplate for export as a Chevrolet, the Cobalt also competes with Russian car maker Lada’s Vesta and Granta saloons, both developed as part of Lada’s role in the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

Tall and upright with a high level waistline and relatively narrow, the Cobalt’s design is not complex, but features prominent side character lines, and is quite practical for daily use. If not an outright “pretty” car, the Cobalt does, however, have a certain confident and assertive presence for such a value segment. Featuring big diamond-shaped headlights and a high clamshell bonnet, the Cobalt also incorporated Chevrolet’s twin stacked and horizontally-oriented grille design, resembling Cruze and Malibu models of the early 2010s.

Progressive delivery

Powered by a transversely mounted 1.5-litre DOHC 4-cylinder engine, the Chevrolet Cobalt produces a maximum of 104BHP at 5,900rpm and 104lb/ft torque at 3,900rpm. Making progress at a good rate to keep up with other traffic, the Cobalt 1.5L may not exactly be quick, but is as fast as basic value-minded family transport needs to be. In the absence of performance specifications being available, one would roughly estimate a 0-100km/h time of around 12-seconds or more and a top speed of possibly up to 170km/h

Driven briefly on a small circuit and at low to medium speeds, one found the Cobalt’s delivery to be progressive and acceptably refined, and with low engine at moderate rpm, yet, more pronounced near the rev limit. Driving the front wheels through a 6-speed automatic gearbox, the Cobalt shifts smoothly and with decent responses. A lightweight car at 1,152kg, and with unexaggerated width tyres and streamlined design, the Cobalt 1.5L is quoted to return 6.7l/100km combined cycle fuel efficiency.

Manoeuvrable and comfortable

Riding on MacPherson Strut front and torsion beam rear suspension as is virtually standard in its segment, the Cobalt seemed to be a comfortable car during brief test drive on a smooth yet small track. And while one did not get to drive it over rough real world roads, one would assume it would be a forgiving ride judging from its comparatively narrow and tall 195/65R15 tyres, and in how absorbent its suspension felt through tight corners. Meanwhile, its relatively long wheelbase lent itself to good rear grip, and one would expect also for decent highway stability.

Set-up for unsurprising and benign handling and safety, the Cobalt tended to understeer and lean slightly through aggressively driven narrow corners and hairpins, as to be expected, but remained reassuringly committed at the rear, with no unwanted slippage. Turning in tidy into corners at more moderate speeds, the Cobalts’ narrow body length and light steering help make it manoeuvrable and easy to park. Meanwhile its front disc and rear drum brakes proved confident and capable.

Comfort and space

With its level and upright roofline, the Cobalt’s cabin may not be the widest, but does provide good front and rear headroom, while its longish wheelbase allows for decent if not outright generous rear legroom. Seating is up right and comfortable enough with 4-way manual adjustment, while visibility is good, but would be better still were the waistline lower. A practical car with a generously sized 563-litre boot and split folding rear seats, the Cobalt, however, does not have a rear armrest.

User-friendly and uncomplicated inside, the Cobalt’s chunky and sport steering wheel was a plus point among the cabin’s grey hard plastics and upholstery and somewhat brightly coloured instrument cluster lights. Starting from JD13,090, the Cobalt is well equipped with more essential, rather than high tech or extravagant, equipment as standard on the range-topping LTZ model. Included are air conditioning, dual front airbags, Isofix child seat latches, two rear head restraints, electric windows and central locking, and a four-speaker MP3-enabled audio system.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 1.5-litre, transverse 4-cylinders

Bore x Stroke: 74.71 x 84.7mm

Compression ratio: 10.2:1

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC

Gearbox: 6-speed automatic, front-wheel-drive

Gear ratios: 1st 4.449 2nd 2.908 3rd 1.893 4th 1.446 5th 1.0 6th 0.742

Reverse/final drive ratios: 2.871/3.72

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 104 (106) [78] @5,900rpm

Specific power: 70.4BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 90.8BHP/tonne

Torque lb/ft (Nm): 104 (141) @3,800rpm