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08' Malibu drive test

7 messages,  Last post on Dec 08, 2007 at 7:42 PM

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#1 of 7 08' Malibu drive test by marclar Dec 06, 2007 (2:14 pm)
Folks, here I am adding a completely non-biased review of the new '08 Maliby LXT(is that correct, with the 252 HP V6). Recently somebody hit my vehicle in front of my house so their insurance company got me a car. At the lot they offered me a brand new (they just received it) Chevy Malibu with the V6. The car has been rented out but it still had clear film over the radio face that has not been peeled off.   When I first got in I noticed a pretty much basic GM designed interior. It is somewhat ergonpmicaly awkward and not really well thought out...but it was ok for a rental car as I did not expect much more. I hear they offer a premium 6 speed transmission with paddle shifters on these. This car did not have it. It has +/- buttons on the shifter lever for changing gears that were awfully uncomfortable.   First drive. The engine power is adequate but it does not feel like 252 HP. This is mainly die to a high geard automatic transmission. The four gears a somewhat tall and decrease acceleration. Im sure that the 6 speed auto will perform much better with much better. The one thing that I found immediately wrong is light to medium thumping in the steering wheel during acceleration (especially during fast acceleration). I found this somewhat unsafe and very unnoying....but soon I found the problem causing this effect. I noticed a Traction Control button close to the shifting lever and decided to disable it....and suddenly the steering thumping along with some other 'funny' steering affects went away completely.   Next step I did was to run a light test on Traction Control on a wet pavement in an empty parking lot.   The test revealed that during traction control activation it mainly prevents the passenger side wheel from excessive spin but does not do the same for the drivers side causing steering 'jerks'. I also found that during sharp cornering it does the same for both left and right turns (always the passenger wheel brakes). I suppose this could be a badly tuned system just on this vehicle...but folks it tells you about the built quality and Quality Control on these things. The rest of the time I drove with TC disabled but you have to do it every time you start the car.   Overall: the car drives and handles just a bit like a wounded whale at higher speeds. Supension feels boaty and makes the cornering abilities poor and sometimes dangerous even at lower speeds. The stereo works pretty nice and the leather was pretty well assembled too....but the first thing in the car is its connection to the road, steering and handling which are all poor on this vehicle.   Considering its current price any Japanese car will be a much better buy (by the way I don't currently own a Japanese car but have before and they all exhibited proper steering and suspension feel).   I understand many Chevy owners will want to strangle me...please forgive me for being simply honest about this vehicle and feel free to argue many of my statements.
#2 of 7 Another opinion by pao Dec 07, 2007 (4:35 am)
first I find it hard to beleive that the LTZ is already in a rental fleet..since they cant be found at the dealers....secondly...most rental fleets dont use the upgraded models as rentals in my experience..and third..if it was an LTZ it would have had paddle shifters on the steering wheel......so based on your description.......I dont beleive you had an 08 LTZ...was this a dealership loaner or a chain rental car??   the thumping you hear or felt was a classic problem with the 04-07 model year malibus due to the electronic steering columns and the front suspension configuation....which I once again I beleive was redesigned for the 08 MY..which once again leads me to beleive you were not driving an 08 MY Malibu, but rather a fleet version of the older one....again...simply going by your description here   my test drive of the vehicle coming out of an 04 Maxx LT was just the opposite of yours....... Replies to this message: marclar (Dec 07, 2007 10:44 am) csandste (Dec 07, 2007 5:49 pm) marclar (Dec 08, 2007 12:49 am)
#3 of 7 Re: Another opinion [pao] by marclar Dec 07, 2007 (10:44 am)
Replying to: pao (Dec 07, 2007 4:35 am) Pao,   although the Malibu I drove was in fact the '08 model, it was not the new body style that is about to be debuted in spring of '08. My rental appears to be a model made in November 2007 so it was marked '08 year model (same on the door sticker).   I certainly hope they have the electric steering fixed. Although the thumping was not noticable with traction control off. Replies to this message: csandste (Dec 07, 2007 5:49 pm) marclar (Dec 08, 2007 12:49 am)
#4 of 7 Re: Another opinion [marclar] by csandste Dec 07, 2007 (5:49 pm)
Replying to: marclar (Dec 07, 2007 10:44 am) Although I have and like the previous gen. Malibu Maxx, I think it's very misleading to call this an '08 Malibu. It's a Malibu Classic. Replies to this message: marclar (Dec 08, 2007 12:49 am)
#5 of 7 Re: Another opinion [csandste] by marclar Dec 08, 2007 (12:49 am)
Replying to: csandste (Dec 07, 2007 5:49 pm) Perhaps it is misleading to call it an '08 but thats what they marked it and my insurance paper also says so. I have also never faced a Malibu that closely ever before and never researched the models.
#6 of 7 Re: Another opinion by talldriver1 Dec 08, 2007 (6:48 pm)
Yes the old model Malibu is still selling to the rental fleet and call Malibu Classic. Guess they try to hold the new Malibu resell value by not selling it to the fleet too many too quick. But I think it is a wrong decision to keep calling Malibu on both. People who don't follow car business, go rent the Malibu (classic) and think it is bad, then go tell everyone that the 'new' Malibu's is a bad car! The 'real' 08 Malibu is night and day different compare to the old design; at least to all of the reviews I'd read and 5 minute sit time at the dealership. The electronic steering from the Malibu Classic have received nothing but bad reviews. The interior is also horrible; the gray color panels (only SS have black I believe) make the cheap material look even cheaper. I looked at the new 08 Malibu (both LT1 and LTZ), and test drove 08 Accord LX and 07 Camry LE; to me the Camry have the worst fit and finish but nicely design; doesn't preform that well too. Accord is nice, both on fit and finish and performance, but I really hate the exterior design and the radio/AC control are hard to use when driving (but I am sure the owner will get used to it). Malibu LTZ is amazing on material, better than both Accord and Camry, fit and finish is about Camry but below Accord; exterior look really good too; only thing I don't like is the super sizes steering wheel. The LT1 ( just looking in from outside) somehow feel water down too much, maybe because the use of color make it look...rental.   Will soon go drive one and see how it perform! Replies to this message: csandste (Dec 08, 2007 7:42 pm)
#7 of 7 Re: Another opinion [talldriver1] by csandste Dec 08, 2007 (7:42 pm)
Replying to: talldriver1 (Dec 08, 2007 6:48 pm) Although the new Malibu is admittedly superior to the old one, I must say that my 05 Maxx is aging very well. I looked at a number of mid-sized cars last year before buying my wife an 07 Optima. The Optima's build quality was quite a bit better than the Camry, although only the four cylinder can compare in the engine department. Frankly, I prefer my Maxx as a day-in day-out driver, primarily because of increased room. My wife likes the Optima. I'd take either over the Camry but not over an old or new Accord. Price dependent (sixteen thou for either), they're better buys than most Japanese iron if you don't intend on trading in every three years.   The electric steering of the last gen Malibu can seem sloppy until you get used to it. It took me a couple of months to get used to it. The car's Opel platform is pretty good. The failure of a steering column did set me back a thousand bucks. If that happens again, I will be ticked off. I would never call the steering or suspension dangerous.   I'm not sure what engine you had since you didn't describe the car accurately. I suspect you have the 3.5 ohv engine which had 200 horsepower and has since been increased. It's old (and being replaced on the new car), but rock steady and gets more than 30 mpg on the highway. Plus with the GM OLM, you will get about 7000 oil change intervals if you don't abuse the engine-- and it sounds like you did.   Again, it may technically be an 08 but your subject heading is very, very misleading. You could ask a hundred people what the 08 Malibu looked like and none of them who knew would indicate the old car. That's a trick question. The last old platform rental continuation in 04 was simply named the Classic. I'm surprised Chevy didn't keep the Classic name on the old car. Everything I'd read on the subject indicated that they would do so.

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