Malibu

Vehicle: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ with power sunroof
Price as tested: CDN$36055

Performance: The new Malibu is powered by 1 of 3 engines. The base version is a 2.4 liter 16-valve Ecotec 4-cylinder with 169 hp and 160 lb/ft of torque. A level above is the Malibu Hybrid, which has 164 hp and 159 lb/ft of torque respectively. The highlight of our tester is Malibu’s full-flaged model, LTZ, that comes standard with a 3.6 liter V6 24-valve with Variable Valve Timing and DOHC. When it comes to engine quality, GM’s garden-variety family sedan was never able to reach the high standards set by Honda and Toyota. With this new unit, this Malibu has both performance and refinement to match the best of its Japanese rivals. In terms of performance, this unit is good for 252 horses and 251 lb/ft of torque which has to be one of the most powerful engines in its class. Mesh the gas pedal and the Malibu launch with authority. 251 lb/ft of torque arrives at 3200rpm certainly helpss that a lot. Its throttle response is a much linear type than the usual American oversensitive variety, which is a truly refreshing change. When it comes to refinement, smoothness and quietness, it also rated as top-tiers even with compare with Camry and Accord’s exceptional 3.5 liter V6s. The 6-speed automatic is up to GM’s usual high standards of producing excellent automatic gearbox. The shifts are crisp and smooth. Thanks to the nifty paddle shifters come standard on our LTZ version, it also encourages manual shifting on the steering, for more spirited driving experience. However, this manumatic still has a protective nature which tends to up or downshifts whenever an enthuisastic driver wants to rev it pass redline. What GM should do is to adapt CTS’s more aggressive shifting program into this Malibu, it would make a perfect match for this sweet powertrain.

Handling: As impressive as new Malibu’s powertrain, its driving dynamics is equally astounishing. I have never used the word astounishing to describe the driving experience of GM family sedans because they were so uninspiring to drive. Began last year with the awesome Saturn Aura, GM really has started to build family sedan with great driving abilities. The new Malibu shares the same rock-solid foundation as the Aura, which is a stiff, stout and completely rattle free platform for suspensions to hang its hats. When it comes the suspension, GM engineers have done a wonderful job on caliberating the right amount of firmness with suppleness for handling, as well as softness for ride comfort. The result is amazing as its suspension is sporty and capable to handle twisties without sacificing the ride quality one expects from a family car. At the same time, it provides the joy of driving which never been seen on previous Malibus. It is so capable we actually enjoyed pushing this Malibu through corners even on rainly days. On the other hand, the rack-and-pinion steering provides eager response during turn-in. Not to mention excellent driving feedback and precision. Although there are safe understeer and body rolls are expected in a family sedan. Its Stabilizatrak finally acts like what it should be. This stability control finally doesn’t step in until absoultely necessary, which cannot be said with the same system in previous GM products.

Brakes: Malibu’s braking prowess scores another point after its driving dynamics and performance. The stopping distance is short while the pedal feel is firm and solid, without all the numbness we usually associate with Malibu of the last decade. Its also fade-free after a couple of hard stops during fall’s rainy weather.

Interior: When it comess to interior quality and design, Malibu is a radical change. Gone are the nasty plastic materials with poorly layout. The new Malibu’s interior is anything but. All the materials are superb quality, with a touch of tactical and expensive feel that is more in line with a VW than a Chevrolet. The use of interior colors is another refreshing change from blend to cheerful. Our tester comes with a tasty Cocoa/Cashmere leather, which GM could only dream of using this color scheme a couple of years ago. The leather quality is soft and supple, with a tense of firmness, for good support. Both the auto climate control and stereo are covered with high-quality switchgears, which both are ergonomically layout. If there is one drawback, however, its the needle on the instrumentation gauges are hard to read due to its style-over-function instrument color. If GM is able to adapt a cleaner background color on the instrument, this interior would be flawless.

On the backseat, both the head and legrooms are spacious. Its able to sit 2 comfortably at the back with 3 as a little more squeeze.

With 60/40 fold-down rear seats, Malibu’s cargo space is huge despite of the high liftover. The use of an uninstrusive hinges show how much attention GM has given to the new Malibu.

Conclusion: The new Malibu is, indeed, a truly wonderful car. It has proved GM is really able to produce a family sedan that is able to run with the best from Honda and Toyota, with significant price advantage. Both the Accord and Camry should start to worry because this Malibu is able to eat up their market share in the long run.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
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Performance: 4.5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4.5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 5/5

Overall rating: 4.25/5

Vehicle: 2004 Chevy Malibu LS
Price as tested: CDN $25905

Performance: The Malibu LS is powered by a 3 and a 1/2 liter OHV V6 that bumps out 200hp and 220 lb/ft of torque. While this pushrod engine still lacks the refinement of competitors’ SOHC and DOHC V6 engines, it provides more than enough power for daily driving. The throttle response is typical GM quick. The same goes for the 4-speed auto tranny. Its shifts are smooth and crisp although I found it hunting between 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear. GM should give Malibu a 5-speed auto which is more competitive with the rest of the segment. While Accord, Camry and 6 are all offer 5-speed auto,Chevy fell behind the rest of the pack in engine packaging. On another note, this 3.5L V6 not only fell short of refinement compares to Camry, Accord and Altima’s 6s. It also doesn’t feel as refine as GM’s venerable 3800 Series 2 pushrod engine.

Handling: Since Malibu shares the same Eplison platform as 9-3SS and Vectra, it doesn’t come as a surprise its a stiff structure. Even though Malibu shares the same chassis as 9-3, it doesn’t feel to have the same stout struture when pushed through corners. The electric power steering feels numb, featherweight, completely lack of feedback and has slow response. Every time I turned the wheel, it feels like the software for EPS has died. When I pushed the car through left and right transition tests, the steering has a dead feel on center and slightly stiff off center. This EPS feels as worse as the unit in the last Ion I drove. Another problem is this steering needs slight correction when going straight, especially on highway speed. The ride quality is acceptable although it doesn’t feel as comfy as an Accord or as firm as a 6. However, it needs more rebound damping when going over washboard pavement and expansion joints. As usual, it has plenty of understeer and body rolls when pushed.

Brakes: The front discs/rear drums provide better than average pedal feel. The ABS kicks in appropriately. The pedal modulation feels better than many GM cars preceding it.

Interior: Inside the Malibu, there are tons of hard plastic on top of hard plastic on the dashboard. The texture of the wood trim looks even more faux than many others’ faux wood trim. Although the switchgears have some pretty decent quality feel, the knobs are loose on our tester. The velour has a low-rent rental car feel. In other words, its texture has a rough and low-quality feel. The driving position feels more like seating on top instead of in a car thanks to its flat seat. On the other hand, the instrumentation gauges are clear and analog. The auto shifter slightly tilts toward the driver is a smart idea. The stereo placed above the climate control is another smart idea from GM. Back seat space is more than adequate.

Malibu’s trunk uses instrusive trunk hinges for cost measure. While its good at save money, its never been a good idea on my book. It also has a high liftover that is not very good for loading.

Conclusion: Although the Malibu has improved significantly over its predecessor, it still fell short of the competitors. Suffice to say, it barely match the bar sets by the rivals. GM needs lots of efforts before Malibu becomes a real Camcord, Altima, 6 and Passat competitors.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2004 CHEVY MALIBU LS
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Performance: 2/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 2/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 2.25/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 2/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 2.25/5
Value-for-money: 2/5

Overall rating: 2/5