The Oracle of Apollo Snippets from the life of Apollo Lee

Test Driving More Cars

This weekend, I test drove four cars. My front runner, the 2008 Pontiac Vibe, is now a distant fourth. Who knew that the Chevrolet Cobalt, which I’ve rented before, would be so much fun with a manual transmission?

Yesterday, I went with Oz to Dublin to check out a 2008 Pontiac Vibe I found on the internet. This practically new car had been on the lot there since January, but it had only 9,000 miles on it. So, after swinging out in my rental car to pick up Oz, I made the beeline toward Dublin to take it for a spin.

Sadly, there are a few things wrong with this car, most startlingly the brakes. The acceleration is pretty anemic (I’m used to a V6) in the automatic, and the brakes are soft. In addition, there were blemishes on the car that warranted me making an offer well under the sticker. Instead of meeting me in the middle somewhere, the sales manager came back with a counteroffer higher than the sticker. CAR SALEZ, UR DOIN IT RONG!

The Honda Fit I test drove next door was fun, but the car is a little too cute and girly for me to really want one. It gets good gas mileage and is peppy off the line, primarily due to the VTEC under the hood, but I’m pretty sure the authorities would confiscate my man card. Still, I’ll add it to the list, since it’s available in purple.

Earlier today, I decided to step into my Chevrolet dealership, just around the corner from my house. A young sales guy came out to chat me up, we told car stories, and I ruled out the Aveo, but decided to go for a spin in the amazingly sexy Cobalt coupe, equipped with a manual transmission. Taking this bad boy out on the freeway was breathtaking. Acceleration is amazing in this 2.2L inline four, the handling is sweet, and all of this on a coupe that gets 34 mpg on the highway. This particular one is a 2007, with all of 30 miles on the odometer. I really want to test drive the 2008 before I make my final decision. The yellow Cobalt moves into the lead on my list of cars.

After wasting another chunk of time at the Honda dealership, I bailed and headed over to the Toyota dealership to see about getting behind the wheel of a Matrix with a manual transmission. Somehow, I got talked into going for a spin in a 2009 Corolla S manual. Now, this car isn’t as much fun as the Cobalt, but it still blows the recent leader, the Pontiac Vibe, out of the sky. The shifting is nice and smooth, the acceleration is playful, and the steering is tight and sporty. Toyota’s nudged the Vibe even further down. The young salesman handed me off to his senior manager guy who blew me off when I wanted to test drive a Matrix (he wanted me to consider the Yaris).

The Contenders

1. 2007 – 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LS coupe
2. 2009 Toyota Corolla S
3. 2008 Scion xD (need to test drive the manual)
4. 2008 – 2009 Pontiac Vibe (manual – the automatic is way too anemic)
5. 2008 Honda Fit (need to test the manual)
6. 2008 Pontiac G5 (still can’t get a test drive in this)
7. 2009 Toyota Matrix
8. 2008 Honda Civic (4 visits, still no drive)
9. 2008 Saturn Astra (?)
10. 2008 Ford Focus (doubtful, but might as well check it out)

I still suggest you find a way to test drive a Civic before you choose. I promise you it will outdrive the Cobalt, hands down, or any other car you’ve tried, even in an automatic (though the stick should be even sportier). And it still bests the Cobalt in MPG, both city and hwy.

Actually, that isn’t true.

The 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt XFE gets 36 mpg on the highway, better than the Civic.

Ah, that’s because the Civic auto gets better milage than the manual.