Vagabond142
04-28-2006, 05:33 PM
Okay... as many people pointed out in my previous review thread, I focused mostly on cars **I** was interested in, meaning pretty much Japanese cars. For this set of reviews, I've decided to test what are the current $15k-$25k market, no matter the country of origin.
In this set, I will be reviewing:
2006 Chevy Cobalt SS
2006 Hyundai Tiburon (with a counter-review by A790)
2006 Saturn Ion Coupe (non-supercharged)
2006 Honda Fit (review coming soon)
2006 Pontiac G6
Please remember, these opinions and reviews are my own, and I do test from a performance driving perspective, namely handling, power, and ride, with a little nod to looks and gadgets if I feel it needs to be mentioned.
ON TO THE REVIEWS!
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2006 Chevy Cobalt SS Coupe
Base price ~$21k before taxes and freight. As tested $25k (leather seats, XM/MP3 radio, 17" rims with performance rubber)
I will admit, the very first thing that struck me when I was looking at a Cobalt in the dealership showroom was "growling." It has the right kind of aggressive, forward swept, "i'm going to eat your children" kind of look to it that I think the market it's aimed at (us 20-35 year olds) want. I really liked the rising sill line towards the tasteful spoiler on the hatch. Inside isn't bad at all, except for two HUGELY glaring and nasty things. The first of these, and I will be honest, is the goddamned AWFUL placement of the handbrake. It's hidden under the armrest, which you have to push up and out of the way to even get access to the lever. In the case of an emergency braking situation with the armrest down, you'd be SOL. It's a dangerous placement, it's a horrible placement, I absolutely and utterly HATE IT. The other glaring thing about the interior is the quality of the plastics. Now, I'm not expecting a dash of wood like in a Jaguar, but COME ON. I have tupperware for my luches for work that feels stronger than this stuff. On the plus side, the cobalt was an absolute dream to get into for us tall folk. It's easier to get into than the average LRT train.
However, despite all that, the center console is nicely out of the way of the right leg, well equipped and all controls are easily reached. The seats (leather ones, at least) have ratcheting seat height, lumbar support adjustment, recline, forward back slide, and heaters. The leather ones are also very comfortable, but lack in lateral support in the bolsters. It feels like it was made for a very large, fat person to sit in and be comfy. Now, I'm not exactly small myself, but i was still feeling a little dwarfed by the seat. However, it did hold me on cornering, even if I did feel like I was sliding out the drivers side window. Nicely equipped for just around $25k.
To the driving... I drove the Cobalt SS, which has the stiffer suspension as well as the 2.4L DOHC I-4 171 bhp and some odd number lb-ft of torque engine. This engine has great low down response, starts to roar as you get into the midrange and keeps pushing to the redline with a bit of noise to go with it. Lovely sound coming from under the hood and through the firewall. Not intrusive, but lets you know that there's something there. Acceleration from midrange revs was also impressive, with a good snap back into my seat as it pulled harder than I was expecting. Made me grin, which is something special to happen in an American car with me. It actually FELT powerful, which is good.
Handlingwise, the car corners very positively with just the slightest hint of understeer as you approach the limit, which is expect of front wheel drive. Unlike other front wheel drive cars that I've driven recently, however, the Cobalt SS actually stuck to its line, with just the tiniest bit of tire squeal. I attribute this to the performance rubber on the 17" alloys, but I would expect that lesser models would have some kind of similar feel. It is confidence inspiring, and I would have no trouble belting the SS around the track attacking corners, as it does feel solid and planted. Also, in the corners, it was AMAZINGLY flat. There was some lean, but shockingly little, maybe 3-5 degrees off axis. The power steering is light and direct, but lacks road feel, unfortunately, as I really wanted to feel where the nose was going with my hands.
The shifter and clutch in the SS are a bit of a letdown, to be honest. The clutch gives very good engine feel as soon as you rest your foot on it, but as soon as you press down in any way, the feel is gone, even before the clutch disengages. There is absolutely NO engine feel whatsoever through the shifter, and it has a very akward throw positioning. First, third and fifth gears have the shifter pointing straight up, and second, fourth and reverse have it pointing about 60 degrees down angle towards the rear window. It was akward but adjustable to. The throws are longer than a football field, although the gates are very solid, close, and have a good chunky feel when the shifter slides home.
Something that has to be pointed out is that there is absolutely NO WAY to heel-toe in this car. None. You could be an octopus and still not be able to do it. The accelerator is too far forwards and the brake too far away from the firewall to be able to reach the gas with your heel at all. Horrible pedal placement, despite good solid brake feel
All in all, I think the Cobalt is definitely a buyable car (as is show by the sales success it has been enjoying), but you do have to live with some bargain basement bits about it, namely the lack of input to your body from the parts that should be giving you road information, the lack of feel of any kind in the clutch, wheel and shifter, and the inability to be able to do a performance downshift, which is sad because this is marketed as a budget performance car. I would rate it as buyable, but I would never personally own one.
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2006 Hyundai Tiburon SE 5 speed coupe
Base price and as tested: ~$24.6K
Okay.. I'm a closet fan of the Tiburon. The first iteration was a kinda snotty, ugly thing that had four wheels and went in a direction, but the current version, I must say, really does invoke a good sense of aggression and performance aura. It looks, from some angles, a little like a Ferrari 456, and that seriously isn't a bad thing. The sweeping lines from the front fender vents to the back hatch are really a lovely touch to a nice looking car.
Inside, it's a decent little package for your 24 grand. The plastics feel MUCH better than they do in the Cobalt, which is surprising coming from a Korean car. The center tower feels a little star warsy, but then again, in a 24 grand car, that's not a bad thing. I was AMAZED at the seats. Comfortable yet held me firmly during cornering. They feel like they belong in a higher-model GT car, which again is a good thing. Headroom is fine, although the car is a little more difficult due to the slightly lower seating position to get into. Once in though, I could stay there for hours on end with no problems. Pedals are well placed, and the console and shifter are very easily reached.
On the road, the Tiburon has good ride comfort, and over bumps has no squeaks, and doesn't feel wobbly. It feels taut and like it wanted to have a go at a corner or two, which was a pleasant surprise. Steering feel is there, but it feels like it has been dumbed down a bit so as to not shatter any delicate north american wrists :P The fact that it has feel is a good thing. The clutch was great, with my foot telling me exactly where the plates were in relation to each other. Shifter likes to snap home into the gates, with moderate engine feel through the shifter.
Cornering in the Tiburon deserves its own special section. For a 24 grand KOREAN car to handle like this is worthy of an award. Heel-toe downshifts before the corner were done easily with the HUGE brake and gas pedals, which are spaced perfectly for quick blips. The engine responds with lightning fast revs, and engages with confidence into the lower gear. Turn the wheel and the car hauls its nose over like it had tossed out an anchor and hit a stone. No tire squeal, minimum of lean, and great power slingshotting out of the corner. For 24 grand price band, I would have to say that this is the best cornering coupe out there. It's confident, positive and grips like a mofugger. Slight hint of midcorner understeer, as well as large hint of salesperson screaming, but the car took it and loved it.
The Tiburon comes as standard with a 172 bhp, DOHC, some odd torquey number 2.0L I-4 engine. Engine response from a standstill was positive and confident, with a great induction roar as the revs climbed the counter. The engine did feel a little shallow at the top end though, so for performance I dropped the shift point to around 1250 rpm under redline and the Tibby gobbled up the road.
This is going to be the most shocking revelation of any test drive I have ever been on... but quite honestly... I would buy a Tiburon. I would put my hard earned money into the hands of a Korean automobile manufacturer because their product has impressed me with the 45 minutes I had with it. For 24k, I think the Tiburon rules as the budget coupe (this is keeping in mind that the RSX starts around $26k, and the Civic doesn't have the same sharp feel as the Tiburon does). I seriously think it's that good. The 2006 Hyundai Tiburon SE 5speed coupe gets my "Recommended buy" stamp of approval. This is despite the fact that my 1990 Honda Civic feels sharper and has better road feel, but I do have to consider that the Tibby has power steering and hydraulic clutch, while everything in my car is cable and manual. No power anything :) I'm also not saying that it handles like a Ferrari or a well tuned Porsche, but for 24 grand, you really get your moneys worth in the handling department.
-----------------------
2006 Saturn Ion3 Coupe
Base and as tested: ~$19k
I've never really liked Saturns, to be brutally honest. I will try, however, to be as unbiased and fair as possible with this review.
The Saturn Ion3 coupe is probably the simplest looking of all the cars tested so far, but then again, Saturn is not exactly known for being flashy and overly dramatic with their cars. They aim for the budget crowd that wants something mostly reliable and easy to live with, at least from what I could garned from the "modern styling" of the showroom.
My initial thoughts about the Ion3 were actually "looks like something a graduating student might buy," which is exactly what I think they were going for. It's racy, but still restrained and modern. Inside, things are pretty bargain feeling. Plastics felt cheap, sounded like they were attached by only a couple of bolts. I don't really get this whole center mounted dials setup, and I usually don't like it, although once in a while a car comes along that pulls it off well (Yaris RS hatch). The dials sit a little too high and out of the sightline to feel really comfortable with at my body size. Seats were comfortable, but not overly bolstered.
Drivingwise, the Ion3 does have a bit of pep, as it does come with the 2.4L 170 hp VVT DOHC ecotec engine that seems to be a fairly standard engine across the GM line of vehicles. In this car, however, it is restrained some. It didn't feel as racy as the Cobalt's engine, despite being literally the same engine. I blame the engine mapping and ECU being set for "conservative" vs "performance." I would say that if you want to get a performance saturn, the Ion RedLine is where you should be looking.
The car does turn-in well, with confidence, but suffers from a very wobbly midcorner feel. It felt like the car was wanting to leap off and understeer if not for the sheer mechanical grip of the tires on the road. Confidence from the turn in fades as the apex is reached, basically, but it does have decent pull from the apex onwards. Steering feel is present, but feels really withheld and muted. Clutch is light and simple, not much feel. Shifter transmits some engine rumbles and wobbles, but doesn't give all the tactile information that I would personally prefer. I would describe the controls as feeling "Smooth" if I had to put one term to them. Heel-toe was possible, but I kept hitting my heel on the transmission tunnel in the footwell. People with daintier feet than 11 1/2 will probably be fine. Ride quality is quite good, although a good thump will transmit into the car and subsequently into your body (like dropping from a new road surface to an old one with a drop of about an inch. Not many squeaks or torsional movements when going through off camber turns and wavy road surfaces.
Basically... I think that if you like to have a decent bit of punch but want a reserved car, the Ion3 will suit you. It's by no stretch of the imagination in the same category as the pretty much any other car I've reviewed as a performance vehicle, but as a "first new car," it would not be a bad choice if you can put up with the gauge cluster and the bad plastics.
----------------------
2006 Pontiac G6
Base price: ~$23k. As tested (G6 V6) ~$25k
Well, I was actually quite interested in theis car as it seems to be enjoying massive sales success (at least by the number of them I see on the road). It looks decently sleek and in black looks positively good. I hoped that it went as good as it looked in black.
The interior is what one comes to expect from Pontiac... not much pizzazz but decent functionality. The triple binnacled instruments are quite nice, adding a little flair to the otherwise workman's boot interior. The seats are comfortable and nicely bolstered for us taller types. Not much more to be said about the interior, really. Plastics felt somewhat cheap but much better than the Cobalt.
Drivingwise, the G6 V6 definitely benefits from the V and the 6 cylinders. It has loads of bottom end grunt for stop-go driving and hard acceleration from low revs in the proper gear. 201 bhp and 302 lb-ft of torque really get you going in a small coupe. Engine response was good, liking to do what my right foot told it to do. Clutch was a little vague, but once you find the engagement point, first gear slip is easy and manageable. The shifter has very nicely spaced gates and the throws don't feel like they come out of a steam engine clutch system. They aren't spectacularly short, but there is a sporty snap to them. Steering is decent, feel is okay, but the power steering interrupts too much of the feeling to really get a good sense of what the nose is doing.
Turn in is sharp, with a breath of understeer. Using a little lift-off correction, the understeer was easily countered and the G6 handled cornering very well. You just have to enter a little slower than you would like to prevent the nose from washing out, otherwise it was very positive and confident. Ride is a little soft, with some lean in the corners, but very comfortable while still being communicative.
Overall, I would put the G6 V6 as a decent, buyable car, but I wouldn't buy it myself. I personally want the razor sharp handling and response of a car like the Mazda MX-5, but in a coupe, the G6 isn't all that bad. I would say that if you get the V6 or any of the GT versions, it performs as its looks suggest it should.
In this set, I will be reviewing:
2006 Chevy Cobalt SS
2006 Hyundai Tiburon (with a counter-review by A790)
2006 Saturn Ion Coupe (non-supercharged)
2006 Honda Fit (review coming soon)
2006 Pontiac G6
Please remember, these opinions and reviews are my own, and I do test from a performance driving perspective, namely handling, power, and ride, with a little nod to looks and gadgets if I feel it needs to be mentioned.
ON TO THE REVIEWS!
------------------------------
2006 Chevy Cobalt SS Coupe
Base price ~$21k before taxes and freight. As tested $25k (leather seats, XM/MP3 radio, 17" rims with performance rubber)
I will admit, the very first thing that struck me when I was looking at a Cobalt in the dealership showroom was "growling." It has the right kind of aggressive, forward swept, "i'm going to eat your children" kind of look to it that I think the market it's aimed at (us 20-35 year olds) want. I really liked the rising sill line towards the tasteful spoiler on the hatch. Inside isn't bad at all, except for two HUGELY glaring and nasty things. The first of these, and I will be honest, is the goddamned AWFUL placement of the handbrake. It's hidden under the armrest, which you have to push up and out of the way to even get access to the lever. In the case of an emergency braking situation with the armrest down, you'd be SOL. It's a dangerous placement, it's a horrible placement, I absolutely and utterly HATE IT. The other glaring thing about the interior is the quality of the plastics. Now, I'm not expecting a dash of wood like in a Jaguar, but COME ON. I have tupperware for my luches for work that feels stronger than this stuff. On the plus side, the cobalt was an absolute dream to get into for us tall folk. It's easier to get into than the average LRT train.
However, despite all that, the center console is nicely out of the way of the right leg, well equipped and all controls are easily reached. The seats (leather ones, at least) have ratcheting seat height, lumbar support adjustment, recline, forward back slide, and heaters. The leather ones are also very comfortable, but lack in lateral support in the bolsters. It feels like it was made for a very large, fat person to sit in and be comfy. Now, I'm not exactly small myself, but i was still feeling a little dwarfed by the seat. However, it did hold me on cornering, even if I did feel like I was sliding out the drivers side window. Nicely equipped for just around $25k.
To the driving... I drove the Cobalt SS, which has the stiffer suspension as well as the 2.4L DOHC I-4 171 bhp and some odd number lb-ft of torque engine. This engine has great low down response, starts to roar as you get into the midrange and keeps pushing to the redline with a bit of noise to go with it. Lovely sound coming from under the hood and through the firewall. Not intrusive, but lets you know that there's something there. Acceleration from midrange revs was also impressive, with a good snap back into my seat as it pulled harder than I was expecting. Made me grin, which is something special to happen in an American car with me. It actually FELT powerful, which is good.
Handlingwise, the car corners very positively with just the slightest hint of understeer as you approach the limit, which is expect of front wheel drive. Unlike other front wheel drive cars that I've driven recently, however, the Cobalt SS actually stuck to its line, with just the tiniest bit of tire squeal. I attribute this to the performance rubber on the 17" alloys, but I would expect that lesser models would have some kind of similar feel. It is confidence inspiring, and I would have no trouble belting the SS around the track attacking corners, as it does feel solid and planted. Also, in the corners, it was AMAZINGLY flat. There was some lean, but shockingly little, maybe 3-5 degrees off axis. The power steering is light and direct, but lacks road feel, unfortunately, as I really wanted to feel where the nose was going with my hands.
The shifter and clutch in the SS are a bit of a letdown, to be honest. The clutch gives very good engine feel as soon as you rest your foot on it, but as soon as you press down in any way, the feel is gone, even before the clutch disengages. There is absolutely NO engine feel whatsoever through the shifter, and it has a very akward throw positioning. First, third and fifth gears have the shifter pointing straight up, and second, fourth and reverse have it pointing about 60 degrees down angle towards the rear window. It was akward but adjustable to. The throws are longer than a football field, although the gates are very solid, close, and have a good chunky feel when the shifter slides home.
Something that has to be pointed out is that there is absolutely NO WAY to heel-toe in this car. None. You could be an octopus and still not be able to do it. The accelerator is too far forwards and the brake too far away from the firewall to be able to reach the gas with your heel at all. Horrible pedal placement, despite good solid brake feel
All in all, I think the Cobalt is definitely a buyable car (as is show by the sales success it has been enjoying), but you do have to live with some bargain basement bits about it, namely the lack of input to your body from the parts that should be giving you road information, the lack of feel of any kind in the clutch, wheel and shifter, and the inability to be able to do a performance downshift, which is sad because this is marketed as a budget performance car. I would rate it as buyable, but I would never personally own one.
-------------------------------------
2006 Hyundai Tiburon SE 5 speed coupe
Base price and as tested: ~$24.6K
Okay.. I'm a closet fan of the Tiburon. The first iteration was a kinda snotty, ugly thing that had four wheels and went in a direction, but the current version, I must say, really does invoke a good sense of aggression and performance aura. It looks, from some angles, a little like a Ferrari 456, and that seriously isn't a bad thing. The sweeping lines from the front fender vents to the back hatch are really a lovely touch to a nice looking car.
Inside, it's a decent little package for your 24 grand. The plastics feel MUCH better than they do in the Cobalt, which is surprising coming from a Korean car. The center tower feels a little star warsy, but then again, in a 24 grand car, that's not a bad thing. I was AMAZED at the seats. Comfortable yet held me firmly during cornering. They feel like they belong in a higher-model GT car, which again is a good thing. Headroom is fine, although the car is a little more difficult due to the slightly lower seating position to get into. Once in though, I could stay there for hours on end with no problems. Pedals are well placed, and the console and shifter are very easily reached.
On the road, the Tiburon has good ride comfort, and over bumps has no squeaks, and doesn't feel wobbly. It feels taut and like it wanted to have a go at a corner or two, which was a pleasant surprise. Steering feel is there, but it feels like it has been dumbed down a bit so as to not shatter any delicate north american wrists :P The fact that it has feel is a good thing. The clutch was great, with my foot telling me exactly where the plates were in relation to each other. Shifter likes to snap home into the gates, with moderate engine feel through the shifter.
Cornering in the Tiburon deserves its own special section. For a 24 grand KOREAN car to handle like this is worthy of an award. Heel-toe downshifts before the corner were done easily with the HUGE brake and gas pedals, which are spaced perfectly for quick blips. The engine responds with lightning fast revs, and engages with confidence into the lower gear. Turn the wheel and the car hauls its nose over like it had tossed out an anchor and hit a stone. No tire squeal, minimum of lean, and great power slingshotting out of the corner. For 24 grand price band, I would have to say that this is the best cornering coupe out there. It's confident, positive and grips like a mofugger. Slight hint of midcorner understeer, as well as large hint of salesperson screaming, but the car took it and loved it.
The Tiburon comes as standard with a 172 bhp, DOHC, some odd torquey number 2.0L I-4 engine. Engine response from a standstill was positive and confident, with a great induction roar as the revs climbed the counter. The engine did feel a little shallow at the top end though, so for performance I dropped the shift point to around 1250 rpm under redline and the Tibby gobbled up the road.
This is going to be the most shocking revelation of any test drive I have ever been on... but quite honestly... I would buy a Tiburon. I would put my hard earned money into the hands of a Korean automobile manufacturer because their product has impressed me with the 45 minutes I had with it. For 24k, I think the Tiburon rules as the budget coupe (this is keeping in mind that the RSX starts around $26k, and the Civic doesn't have the same sharp feel as the Tiburon does). I seriously think it's that good. The 2006 Hyundai Tiburon SE 5speed coupe gets my "Recommended buy" stamp of approval. This is despite the fact that my 1990 Honda Civic feels sharper and has better road feel, but I do have to consider that the Tibby has power steering and hydraulic clutch, while everything in my car is cable and manual. No power anything :) I'm also not saying that it handles like a Ferrari or a well tuned Porsche, but for 24 grand, you really get your moneys worth in the handling department.
-----------------------
2006 Saturn Ion3 Coupe
Base and as tested: ~$19k
I've never really liked Saturns, to be brutally honest. I will try, however, to be as unbiased and fair as possible with this review.
The Saturn Ion3 coupe is probably the simplest looking of all the cars tested so far, but then again, Saturn is not exactly known for being flashy and overly dramatic with their cars. They aim for the budget crowd that wants something mostly reliable and easy to live with, at least from what I could garned from the "modern styling" of the showroom.
My initial thoughts about the Ion3 were actually "looks like something a graduating student might buy," which is exactly what I think they were going for. It's racy, but still restrained and modern. Inside, things are pretty bargain feeling. Plastics felt cheap, sounded like they were attached by only a couple of bolts. I don't really get this whole center mounted dials setup, and I usually don't like it, although once in a while a car comes along that pulls it off well (Yaris RS hatch). The dials sit a little too high and out of the sightline to feel really comfortable with at my body size. Seats were comfortable, but not overly bolstered.
Drivingwise, the Ion3 does have a bit of pep, as it does come with the 2.4L 170 hp VVT DOHC ecotec engine that seems to be a fairly standard engine across the GM line of vehicles. In this car, however, it is restrained some. It didn't feel as racy as the Cobalt's engine, despite being literally the same engine. I blame the engine mapping and ECU being set for "conservative" vs "performance." I would say that if you want to get a performance saturn, the Ion RedLine is where you should be looking.
The car does turn-in well, with confidence, but suffers from a very wobbly midcorner feel. It felt like the car was wanting to leap off and understeer if not for the sheer mechanical grip of the tires on the road. Confidence from the turn in fades as the apex is reached, basically, but it does have decent pull from the apex onwards. Steering feel is present, but feels really withheld and muted. Clutch is light and simple, not much feel. Shifter transmits some engine rumbles and wobbles, but doesn't give all the tactile information that I would personally prefer. I would describe the controls as feeling "Smooth" if I had to put one term to them. Heel-toe was possible, but I kept hitting my heel on the transmission tunnel in the footwell. People with daintier feet than 11 1/2 will probably be fine. Ride quality is quite good, although a good thump will transmit into the car and subsequently into your body (like dropping from a new road surface to an old one with a drop of about an inch. Not many squeaks or torsional movements when going through off camber turns and wavy road surfaces.
Basically... I think that if you like to have a decent bit of punch but want a reserved car, the Ion3 will suit you. It's by no stretch of the imagination in the same category as the pretty much any other car I've reviewed as a performance vehicle, but as a "first new car," it would not be a bad choice if you can put up with the gauge cluster and the bad plastics.
----------------------
2006 Pontiac G6
Base price: ~$23k. As tested (G6 V6) ~$25k
Well, I was actually quite interested in theis car as it seems to be enjoying massive sales success (at least by the number of them I see on the road). It looks decently sleek and in black looks positively good. I hoped that it went as good as it looked in black.
The interior is what one comes to expect from Pontiac... not much pizzazz but decent functionality. The triple binnacled instruments are quite nice, adding a little flair to the otherwise workman's boot interior. The seats are comfortable and nicely bolstered for us taller types. Not much more to be said about the interior, really. Plastics felt somewhat cheap but much better than the Cobalt.
Drivingwise, the G6 V6 definitely benefits from the V and the 6 cylinders. It has loads of bottom end grunt for stop-go driving and hard acceleration from low revs in the proper gear. 201 bhp and 302 lb-ft of torque really get you going in a small coupe. Engine response was good, liking to do what my right foot told it to do. Clutch was a little vague, but once you find the engagement point, first gear slip is easy and manageable. The shifter has very nicely spaced gates and the throws don't feel like they come out of a steam engine clutch system. They aren't spectacularly short, but there is a sporty snap to them. Steering is decent, feel is okay, but the power steering interrupts too much of the feeling to really get a good sense of what the nose is doing.
Turn in is sharp, with a breath of understeer. Using a little lift-off correction, the understeer was easily countered and the G6 handled cornering very well. You just have to enter a little slower than you would like to prevent the nose from washing out, otherwise it was very positive and confident. Ride is a little soft, with some lean in the corners, but very comfortable while still being communicative.
Overall, I would put the G6 V6 as a decent, buyable car, but I wouldn't buy it myself. I personally want the razor sharp handling and response of a car like the Mazda MX-5, but in a coupe, the G6 isn't all that bad. I would say that if you get the V6 or any of the GT versions, it performs as its looks suggest it should.