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Sedans Chevrolet Malibu Article Comments - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu First Look, First Drive, and Full Test
106 messages, Last post on Mar 30, 2008 at 2:11 PM
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First Look: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu - There's more to the new Mailbu than just the sheet metal and the low-sheen plastic. Even the proportions look significantly better thanks to a wheelbase that's a whopping 6 inches longer than the outgoing Malibu (now the longest in the class). From nose to tail, the Malibu measures 3 inches longer than before, and this visually pushes the wheels to the corners of the car and gives it a stable look. These dimensions should also provide GM with the means to make tangible improvements in ride quality and handling compared to previous efforts. (more)
First Drive: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu - he new Malibu shares the same basic chassis as the well-received Saturn Aura, and this means the expected MacPherson strut front suspension and multilink independent rear. It differs from the Aura only in tuning, really. Chevrolet says it used a new tuning philosophy for the Malibu, and as far as we can tell, this means the car now slots between the mushy Camry and the sporty Accord. (here)
Full Test: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ - The new Malibu jumps smack in the middle of most consideration lists. It might even sell well to the lost generation in California. (more)
I would never have ever thought I'd look at a Malibu and say "wow." About six months ago, right before the spy shots started appearing on blogs, I saw a red one on the streets of Manhattan. Honestly, I was shocked when I saw the bowtie and 'Malibu" on the rear deck and didn't really know what to think of it... other than it looked really nice and drew a lot of positive attention. I drive an S4 Cabrio and would probably never be in the market for a midpriced sedan like the Malibu. But I do think that it looks like a much smarter design, more athletic and more refined than the competition. It's going to sell like crazy.
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Replying to: ne1butu2 (Nov 09, 2007 5:05 pm) Is it a better car than the Japanese competition? Maybe. the problem is that Chevy have chosen to land the car in the middle of the pack instead of the head of the pack in the features/performance. This will make it hard for them to steal sales from the big two (or three). The Chevy badge alone guarantees lead balloon depreciation and likely big rebates at dealers. Bottom line is that it's a huge leap ahead of the old Malibu, but that's not a useful comparison for any new car. To really threaten the imports it needs to be more than just competitive. I've driven a lot of Honda's and Chevy's in the past. They have never been in the same Universe (until now?).
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Replying to: flemo123 (Nov 12, 2007 1:24 pm) In performance, the Malibu will probably exceed the foriegn competition. And in Features, all it lacks is a navigation system. And though very popular, this still isn't a widespread option yet. It's not totally comonplace to see a navi in a Civic or Corolla, let alone a camry. The option is too expensive. And testers have already said the interior is nicer than the Camry (though not as nice as the Accord) Chevy did its homework (I'll give them an A-) and studied hard, but the real test is the sales. We'll see what happens.
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Replying to: clace (Nov 06, 2007 7:19 pm) my 07 accord (5 sp auto) with 244 hp, 200 lb of torque is 7 sec. so....what's the big deal? BTW, same engine with a stick is 5.9. Altima and Camry will be around 6.5 seconds i believe with auto/CVT. Half a second difference is something you just might feel.
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Replying to: yury (Nov 12, 2007 2:32 pm) |
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Replying to: albook (Nov 12, 2007 2:07 pm) Hey, I'm just judging by the review. The power numbers are average, specifications likewise. Mind you, the handling will need to be a lot better than any US GM I've driven to compete with the imports. I don't know what would make you think this will outperform anything in it's class. For the record I think navigation is an over priced option and it will probably show up in later models of the Malibu. That said GM have a habit of maintaining huge ancient parts inventories so they'll probably want to use up all those OnStar units before adding proper navigation. The interior does look nice. I've never been impressed by the quality of materials in Toyota's, but Honda is tough to beat. I don't think the body design is nearly as cutting edge as GM would have you believe. It's really quite conservative. The profile is very much like the Opel/Vauxhall Vectra, a European model that's been around for a good 8-10 years basically unchanged in exterior design. See it at GM's UK web-site www.vauxhall.co.uk Actually when I take another look at the Vectra the new Malibu is practically identical with a different tail light design. The family likeness isn't just by chance, checkout the new Saturn Astra. This is straight transfer of design and name from the Opel arm of GM in Europe. |
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Replying to: bbechtel16 (Oct 10, 2007 6:33 am) The new Malibu looks better on most angles (front, front quarter, rear quarter, profiles) except one: its rear end! It seems to me like GM Design Department was told to skimp on this angle to save money. The rear tail light looks primitive like some old model Volvo or Mitsubishi. Today's vehicles of this and lower class have jewel like details and this one just has a simple lens design. At least, they should add some crease line above the bowtie to make it like an Audi. Ignore this lens design, the rear end actually has the wide stable stance that is unlike old Chevy or Toyota (hip heavy) Other than that, the vehicle's exterior has the sleek and beautiful look that has mixture of VW Passat and some Audis. That may have to do with its stretch wheel base. The interior is very classy compared to the Saturn Aura even though the difference is minor only. To me this is the most good looking Chevy car that comes out from GM for a long time. I wish they fix that rear end look to make it more classy. Then this Chevy would kick Toyota Camry and Honda Accord soundly jt
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Replying to: flemo123 (Nov 12, 2007 6:26 pm) |
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Replying to: jnt (Nov 12, 2007 6:52 pm) I repeatedly posted that the tail lights and c-pillar looked like a mid-90's Mitsu Diamante. That's before I actually saw the car. Frankly this is one car that looks lots better in person. |
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Replying to: flemo123 (Nov 12, 2007 6:26 pm) Sounds like you haven't driven a GM vehicle in 5 years. The Japenese power numbers are just that- numbers. GM vehicles are said to have less horsepower, and yet are quicker and perform better. That goes for the Camry/Altima vs the Saturn Aura. The Aura is quicker and testers say more agile. Guess what is based off the Aura? Go drive it. That said GM have a habit of maintaining huge ancient parts inventories so they'll probably want to use up all those OnStar units before adding proper navigation. Yep- more American bias. Nothing more to it. I don't think the body design is nearly as cutting edge as GM would have you believe. It's really quite conservative. The profile is very much like the Opel/Vauxhall Vectra, a European model that's been around for a good 8-10 years basically unchanged in exterior design. See it at GM's UK web-site www.vauxhall.co.uk Styling is totally sublective. That said, I think the Malibu looks so much better than the current Camry- which is plain ugly. And the Accord which, although a huge styling improvement to its predecessor, still looks plain. But styling has always been a strong point of GM, and a weaker point of Honda/Toyota. Hence them trying to put more "style" in the Camry/Accord.
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