Cobalt upgrades: Best mileage in class

By Don Shilling

Some Cobalt models are now rated at 36 mpg on the highway.

Chevrolet has tweaked some Cobalt models to give them the best highway mileage in the small-car class.

Engine upgrades and other changes boost highway ratings on some manual models to 36 mpg. The increase of three miles per gallon is enough for the Cobalt to top cars such as the Honda Civic, which gets 34 mpg highway, and the Toyota Corolla, which gets 35 mpg, Chevrolet says.

Chris Sammartino, general manager of Sweeney Chevrolet, said the Boardman dealership is eagerly waiting for its first shipment of the new Cobalt models. The increased mileage number will be a good selling point because more buyers are asking about fuel economy now that gas prices have topped $3.50 a gallon for regular unleaded.

“We’re excited about it. It gives us an extra edge against the competition,” he said.

Cobalts are produced at General Motors’ Lordstown complex.

The upgraded Cobalts are identified by an XFE badge on the right side of the trunk that stands for “extra fuel economy.”

All LS and 1LT models with manual transmissions are XFE models. Cobalt also has 2LT and SS models. The 2LT carries an upgraded stereo and higher trim level. The SS model has a turbocharger and is to begin arriving in dealerships soon.

Cobalts with automatic transmissions did not receive the mileage upgrade. They are rated at 31 mpg on the highway.

Chevrolet notified dealers that the additional mileage achieved by XFE models came through changes in engine calibrations, new tires with lower rolling resistance and other alterations that it didn’t want to disclose.

Nancy Libby, a Chevrolet spokeswoman, could not be reached to comment.

Autosavant, an auto-related Web site, applauded the upgrade, noting that the Cobalt not only has the best fuel economy in the class but also the most powerful engine at 148 horsepower. It said GM has been focusing more of its marketing efforts on its performance cars, such as the Cobalt SS and Pontiac G8. The Web site said, however, that the XFE model will be more significant to customers.

shilling@vindy.com