All About Cars

• 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.