2005 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged vs. 2005 Dodge SRT4 - Handling & Acceleration - Compact Sport Coupe Comparison

Well, it's time to switch off the game--we've got to park the joystick and go drive the Chevy and Dodge for real.

Twist the key on the SRT4, and a sharp report from the unmuffled exhaust backs up the spec-sheet's assertion that this motor means business. The stats: 25 more horses, 50 pound-feet more halfshaft-wringing twist, and 38 fewer pounds to carry around relative to the Cobalt. The staff odds-makers handicapped the Dodge in the sprints and on the tight Streets of Willow course, where strong corner exits and more straight-line pull were expected to win the day.

Driving the cars up to the track did little to change that impression. The Chevy comes off as a bit less extroverted, quieter, and slicker than the Dodge. But the technology beneath that calm veneer is five years more advanced than the Neon platform. Its 60/40 weight distribution bests the Dodge's 64/36, and its smaller, lighter engine is quicker to rev, feeling almost Japanese (down to the light flywheel that demands more throttle at launch to prevent stalling).

Running an SRT4 at manufacturer specifications in GT4 might vindicate the oddsmakers' prognostication. But in real life, build variations and green engines (1450 miles old) can conspire to lower performance, as our test car's 6.0-second 0-to-60-mph sprint and 14.4-second 100.8-mph quarter-mile time suggest (our last two SRT4s were about a half-second quicker to both marks). Our Cobalt performed well within expected tolerances, returning a 6.1-second sprint to 60 mph and a 14.4-second, 99.3-mph quarter (within a tenth and one mph of our last test). GT4 players should note that to get this kind of performance out of one of the usual sport-compact suspects (see sidebar) requires aftermarket tuning that could easily bring the total tab to well above the $21,195 Dodge or $21,995 Chevy base stickers.

The SRT4's slim victory at the dragstrip was offset by the Cobalt's similarly slender margins in our handling tests: 0.1 second quicker around the figure-eight at an identical 0.69 g average (max lateral acceleration was also tied at 0.88 g), 0.2 second per lap on the Streets of Willow (see sidebar), 1.3 mph in the slalom, and five feet in braking from 60 mph.