First Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt XFE XFE Means More MPG

16/10/2008 03:01. Chevy has replicated the formula, and applied it to the Cobalt . This time around, it's called XFE, acronym for Xtended Fuel Economy. Or is it Xtra Fuel Economy? Whatever, it's part of a shuffling of the Cobalt lineup for 2009. The previous 2.2L Ecotec I-4 put out 148 hp and was EPA rated at 24 city/32 highway mpg with a manual transmission. The 2009-spec 2.2L four gets a bump to 155 hp, and its EPA numbers increase to 26 mpg city/37 mpg highway - not insignificant. The previously optional 171-hp, 2.4L four has been dropped, as has the Sport model it came in. The turbocharged SS is unchanged.

The rest of the XFE treatment is about as simple as Ford's '70s approach. Raise the final drive ratio (numerically lower) an approximately 10%, switch to 15-in. tires with a harder... // MotorTrend Magazine