2008 Chevrolet Cobalt XFE rated at 36mpg

2008 Chevrolet Cobalt XFE rated at 36mpg

GM has just started selling its 2008 Chevy Cobalt XFE compact coupe sporting a class-leading combined fuel economy rating of 29 miles per gallon (8.1 L/100km).

With its 36mpg in the highway cycle, the Cobalt XFE comes neck to neck or even beats such competitors as Honda Civic Coupe (34-36 mpg), Ford Focus (35 mpg) and Toyota Corolla (35 mpg).

The car also delivers nice 25 mpg in the city cycle, which roughly translates to 9.4 liters per 100 kilometers and will probably be around 20mpg (12 L/100km) in real life.

Well, my diesel-powered 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe mid-size crossover SUV returns around 11 L/100km (21.4 mpg) in the city cycle and less than 8 L/100km (29.4 miles per gallon) on the highway at speeds around 100-120km/h. And I am quite an aggressive driver with a really heavy right foot.

Back to the Cobalt XFE, though. Available as LS and 1LT coupe and sedan models with the manual transmission, the XFE got its winning EPA score with the help of revised engine calibration, low rolling-resistance tires, a new, 3.74:1 final drive ratio and this sort of stuff. Combined, all these techniques helped increase the mpg ratio by about 9 percent of the previous model.

The cars come equipped with such standard equipment as head curtain side-impact air bags, air conditioning, XM satellite radio, AM/FM radio with CD and MP3 playback, rear defogger and center console with two power outlets.

Working on the regular unleaded fuel, its 2.2-liter DOHC inline-4 Ecotec engine delivers 148 hp @ 5600 rpm and 152 lb-ft (206 Nm) @ 4200 of torque.

Pictured: 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS coupe

Photo: GM/Chevrolet

See also: 2007 Pontiac G5 performance coupe