Interior styling

The new cabin is by far more inviting than that of the Ion. The ergonomics are superior in every way not to mention that the plastics are also nicer. The materials used in the Pursuit are still "bon marché", however combined with a higher quality assembly process, it seems as though GM was less stingy on the budget for the Pursuit's interior.

The redesigned dashboard is much better looking and has less of an industrial flair compared to those in the Cavalier and Sunfire. The gauges are chrome-rimmed with red lighting. Actually, this lighting will only come on when the luminosity sensor located on the dash deems that it is necessary. However nice they might be, the fact that there is no engine temperature gauge boggles my mind. The HVAC controls are simple and user friendly. The fan however, is very noisy even at its lowest setting.

The front seats are comfy although the seat cushions are too short to offer sufficient support for a longish trip. I found it a little difficult to find a comfortable driving position. The fact that the emergency brake handle and shifter are set further back on the floor console did not help. The rear bench seat is too upright and legroom is quite tight. Interior volume is one of the Pursuit's major weaknesses. Legroom and headroom are at a premium in every position. The fact that there are no assist handles is almost proof of this: if they were present, my head would rub on them constantly and this, with the seat in its lowest position. The leather that covers the seats could be best described as expensive vinyl. I would suggest that everyone save $1,200 and not get the option. The leather-wrapped steering wheel, on the other hand, is meaty and provides a good grip.

Technical

There is one engine offered in both cars. It is a 2.2L 4 cylinder that develops 145 hp at 5 400 rpm and 155 lb/ft of torque at 4 000 rpm also found in many of GM's worldwide products. A supercharged 2.0L 4-cylinder that puts out 205 hp at 5 600 rpm and 200 lb/ft of torque at 4 400 rpm is exclusively reserved for the Cobalt SS. The base engine gets a standard 5-speed manual transmission or an optional 4-speed automatic. Steering is achieved through an electric motor and the brakes are comprised of front discs and rear drums. The front suspension is fully independent whereas the rear setup is semi-independent.

On the road

The 2.2L Ecotec is very torquey. It will get the Pursuit moving along very nicely. The problem is when you really push the car, the engine becomes whinny and buzzy as the revs climb. It actually sounds worse than it is performing. All this gusto comes with an average fuel consumption of nearly 10.5L per 100 km in a mixture of highway and city driving. Pure highway cruising brought the average down to 8.0L. Not too bad considering that Natural Resources Canada's average is of around 8.0L per 100 km.

The automatic transmission is occasionally a little slow on the downshift but it generally works well. Like the Ion, the 4th gear overdrive makes the engine rev very low when it kicks in while travelling at 80 km/h. The engine then drones and the transmission absolutely needs to downshift to permit any passing manoeuvres. Unfortunately, there is no button to manually disengage overdrive.