More on the 2008 Chevy Cobalt XFE

We had many commenters question our first post on Chevy’s revamping of the Cobalt base model with a manual transmission and renaming it the XFE. We felt we needed to clarify. XFE will be an additional badge added to distinguish newly manufactured Cobalts that have revised engine tuning and low-resistance wheels and tires to help them achieve better mileage. Mileage in the XFE is better by 3 mpg on the highway and 1 mpg in the city.

These XFEs come with the exact same equipment as the non-XFE Cobalts. All Cobalts — again, including the XFE — come with air conditioning, a CD player, XM Satellite Radio, 15-inch steel wheels and side curtain airbags standard.

They also come with one more thing other Cobalts do: Rebates. XFEs get the exact same rebate as all other Cobalts. Nationally, that’s at least $1,000, but the amount may vary in your area. Check our incentives page for your region.

Chevy Cobalt XFE Bests Segment, 36 mpg

How badly are fuel prices impacting car sales? So badly Chevy has gone under the hood of the Cobalt economy car and magically found 3 more mpg on the highway. Dubbed the XFE — Xtra Fuel Economy — the revised Cobalt is on sale now and delivers 25/36 mpg equipped with a manual transmission. The XFE replaces the base offering in both coupe and sedan versions of the LS and LT1 trim packages. Prices still start at $14,885.

Hitting the magical 36 mpg number propels the Cobalt XFE past the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus in terms of mileage for their manual transmission and represents a 9% gain in highway fuel efficiency. The Honda Civic with an automatic also gets 36 mpg.

How was the magic done? According to Chevy, “it uses revised engine calibration, low-rolling-resistance tires, a new, 3.74:1 final drive ratio and other technologies.” Meaning, they didn't have to do too much.

We’re glad automakers are adding more efficiency, but we’re not sure how we feel about slapping a special badge on what isn't a dramatically different vehicle. It will save confusion on the lot, though, where older 2008s that didn't receive the tweaks will look identical to the XFEs.

Frugal Compacts Add Up with Basic Options

The compact car segment is no new place to find low base prices and a good deal on a new car. After having three major players in our hands over the past few weeks, including the 2009 Toyota Corolla, 2008 Honda Civic and 2008 Ford Focus sedans, we were scraping together specs and options to evaluate the competition. When we started to compare the cars, something surprised us. Mostly optional features that we think are necessary for a comfortable and safe daily driver — automatic transmission, air conditioning, power windows, cruise control, keyless entry, power locks, antilock brakes, side airbags and a CD player — have a funny way of changing each car’s relative value.

Chevy Cobalt SS Priced at $22,335

Chevrolet has priced its 2009 Cobalt SS at $22,335, plus a $660 destination charge. With a 260-hp turbo engine under the hood and a 0-60 time of 5.7 seconds, the coupe has plenty of get-up-and-go, but as is so often the question: What else ya got?

Features at this price include stability control, OnStar and XM Satellite Radio, none of which you can really argue with. Additional features for an added price include a sunroof for $750, a high-wing rear spoiler for $195 and a sound system for $295. The five-speed Cobalt also gets a decent 30 mpg on the highway.

Chevy expects the Cobalt SS to arrive at dealerships by late April.

2008 Chevy Cobalt SS Turbocharged

• Competes with: Mazdaspeed3, Dodge Caliber SRT4, VW GTI
• Looks like: Last year’s Cobalt SS
• Drivetrain: 260-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, five-speed manual transmission
• Hits dealerships: Summer 2008

We know. You’re asking: What’s so special about a 2008 Cobalt SS that was a pricey underachiever the past few years? Well, Chevy has swapped out a 215-hp supercharged four-cylinder for a 260-hp turbocharged four-cylinder that the company says now lives up to the SS badging.

We won’t ask why they gave the SS badging to the old supercharged version if it didn’t live up to the name, but we guess this is an improvement. All told the Cobalt now has the same set-up as the Chevy HHR SS due out early next year and the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Red Line roadsters, except that those last two are rear-wheel drive.

The limited nature of these trims means most buyers won’t be too concerned about the new power to an otherwise unremarkable compact coupe. However, there are fans out there. We’d expect prices to be only slightly higher than last year’s SS Supercharged $20,795 despite the improvement in power.

Best-Selling Cars of 2006

A few readers recently asked when someone would release the list of last-year’s best-selling cars. The answer, it seems, is now. MSN Autos tracked down the top 10 best-sellers of 2006 using data from Automotive News, and there are few surprises. The Ford F-150 still tops the list, and the Chevy Silverado comes in second despite a 6.7% downturn in overall truck sales last year. The full list including total sales is below.

98,000 Chevrolet Cobalt Coupes Recalled

GM is recalling more than 98,000 2005 – 06 Chevrolet Cobalt coupes to upgrade their side-impact protection. The recalled vehicles are ones not equipped with optional side-impact airbags, and potential harm is only to drivers or passengers not wearing seat belts.

There have been no injuries related to the recall. GM is having dealers install energy-absorbing plastic in the affected areas. Concerned Cobalt owners can call Chevrolet at (800) 630-2438 for more information.