2008 Chevy Malibu

um, I dont think there is any way that GM's sportier sedans are less connected to the road than the camry. Very few Toyotas are made to be driven hard. Perhaps the Lexus IS and GS, but that's about it. Toyotas are about reliability and isolation from the road.

I think we all have the idea that Toyotas are the numbest cars money can buy - and that comes out of the fact that they seem to do it on purpose - but some of the GM sedans I've driven felt even worse. I'm not talking about the sporty GM sedans... haven't tried those, and I've heard some of them are alright.
 
I have more experience in the Cobalt and Corolla than in midsizers, and I'd have to say the Corolla feels better in every way. The steering is a little more communicative, the brake linearity is MUCH better, throttle a little better, and the car basically feels like it's working as one unit.
I have less Camry miles and I know I didn't like the brakes or the steering - but there was more slop in the Malibu. And slop is way worse than numb.

I did not like the rear end of the '08 Malibu when I first saw it. After seeing it a few times it now looks alright. I liked the rest of the exterior and the interior as soon as I saw it. The '08 Malibu and the new Silverado should help Chevrolet sales a lot.
Car and Driver did a comparison test of 4-cylinder mid-size sedans. It was the Accord, Altima, Aura, Camry, Optima, and Sebring. The Camry received fifth place. It was 14 points behind the Aura. Thats not very good. Of course the Accord recieved first place by a few points. This was in the February 2007 issue.

lemontj13, could you please post the issue this comparison was done in. I haven't seen it and would love to take a look. Thanks.

that is in the February issue of C&D which is out right now. The Aura had the 2nd best performance overall and they loved the styling but it strangely came in 4th place below the Optima, Altima and Accord. The test results do not match up with their final rankings. It was pretty obvious they used the subjective scores to boost the Accord and Altima and drop the Aura to make up for it's top of class performance. They praised ride and handling but gave it a low score in the "fun to drive" column as well as the "gotta have" column.

I agree with you 1487. The Aura should have placed higher in that comparison test. I dont understand how the Altima scored higher under handling when they had the same g on the skidpad. They also said it had well-tuned body control and fog-free steering. I think that it should have definitely beat the Optima. Im sure most of the driving characteristics of the Aura should carry over into the Malibu.

I thought the Aura would have placed 2nd or 3rd. Lemon, the Altima and Aura have the same Gs around the pad but you cant always go by numbers. Feeling is more important. 2 cars can post the exact same skidpad numbers yet feel totally different behind the wheel. Im not picking sides as I like both cars. But what I dont get is even though the Aura had scored high in acceleration (all other cars were 4 cyl) it wasnt impressive performance given it had as least a liter or more displacement over the other cars. The Altima actually matched its performance in several areas and the others were still close given their MUCH lower HP rating.
 
Its good to see the Accord finish first as it shows Hondas ability to design/engineer something that can hold up well, and stay competitive in this very crowded segment. Few cars at any price can do that.

"I think it's the best looking Chevy sedan since the '55 model."
 
A little journalistic license perhaps?
 
Well, there's the '56 and '57 Chevy, '61 and '65 Impala, '65 Corvair, '67 Chevelle, and I'm not even out of the 60s yet!

"A little journalistic license perhaps?
Well, there's the '56 and '57 Chevy, '61 and '65 Impala, '65 Corvair, '67 Chevelle, and I'm not even out of the 60s yet!"
Maybe I should have stated: I think it's arguably the best looking Chevy sedan since the '55 model, and we know how much that model is revered.I'm coming at this from well over 30 years of being a (graphic) designer and 10+ years being a design educator at one of the nation's leading art colleges, not to mention being a car geek all my life. So when I talk design (or styling), I usually have a pretty good grasp of the situation.The '55 model's styling was like a fresh snowfall; beautiful, pure and clean. Not so with most of Chevy's later efforts, and some of those you mentioned.Of course, your mileage may differ... :)

Finally GM has a LEGIT import fighter. This car is what the current Bu should have been. The two tone interiors are nice but I hope chevy offers a burlwood trim as well for consumers who like their cars to have a upscale look.

I just hope they put this up for sale ASAP, rather than delaying it to the Fall. The current Malibu certainly isn't doing much for Chevy and this one could change things in a hurry.

Good point. I wonder when the release dates are for the new Malibus.
 
It looks alright. I see a lot of BMW in the sides. The interior shot posted forever ago also shows improvement. I'm sure it will take sales from Camry and Accord owners, but I doubt the competitiveness of this model will compare with Toyota and Honda.

gmguy,
 
Did you happen to look at the rest of the pictures and read the captions that go with them. There is a picture of the interior with wood trim. The caption says "For those who simply must have it, Chevrolet will offer wood grain trim". As for the rest of your comment, I strongly agree.

Hondaacura,
 
there is no way the Accord should've won that comparison. But we all know the Accord rarely loses in C&D since they have a love affair with that car. Its probably the 3rd best midsizer on the market and yet it gets a guaranteed 10BEST spot each and every year, even when it's 4 years into its lifecycle. That test was a joke and the Accord was a lock to win from the beginning. When a car isnt the cheapest, the best looking or the best performing it shouldnt finish #1.
 
The Malibu is likely to get praise from the media in general just like the Aura, but magazines like C&D will not allow it to bump the Accord from its perch regardless of its qualities.
 
Maybe Edmunds will actually deem the Malibu new enough to warrant a long term test. I was told previously that Edmunds doesnt long term test many GM cars because a) they arent interesting enough to test or b) most new GM cars arent really new (the Impala was given as an example) they are just refreshed cars disguised as "all new". Will the Malibu be an exception?

Not another gm vehicle to add to the test fleet! The SRX, tahoe, silverado, and the [not so} recently exited solstice...

LemontJ
 
No i did not catch that thanx for the heads up. Lemont.

Hopefully the marketing people at GM will find a good way to advertise this car and not screw it up remember the infamous Catera advertisments with that weird duck thing? Oh well marketing aside This is the one car from the General that should make Toyota and Honda worry about losing sales to GM.

1487,
 
I was surprised that the Camry scored so low. I thought it would definitely be at least second. I agree with you about the Accord and how C&D always puts the Accord on top.

lemont,
 
C&D arent huge Toyota fans although they typically rank Toyota/Lexus products above GM products. They did not like the Camry when they first tested it earlier in the year so I wasnt shocked. Since the Camry isn't sporty it rarely does well in C&D comparisons. C&D loves virtually everything made by Mazda, Honda, BMW, Audi and Acura. They are more lukewarm towards the Big 3, Toyota and MB.

I hope to see more GM vehicles int he test fleet.
GM still sells the most vehicles in the country.

The Accord won becasue it was the best all around car, end of story.
That new Malibu looks like GM is just stealing styling aspects of other cars. Rear end, Passat, over all body,  slab sided and boring.......Losers. Sense when is the Aura good to replicate. Another case of GM under designing, ond over badging. This car is another joke in the long, and boring GM stand up comedy routine.

dhamilton, Actually, the Accord won becuse C&D loves it so much. Almost every car on the market has a design inspiration. Most of those design inspirations are other cars. The Malibu looks nothing like the Passat. The Aura has been good to replicate since it started getting overall good reviews from everyone who tests it. The 08 Malibu is one of the most stylish midsize sedans so not very many people would call it an example of "under designing". What do you mean by "over badging"? If you think the Malibu is a joke, nobody said you have to buy it. GM will be just fine without your whining and complaining at their dealerships.

Well just another pathetic attempt from GM to compete with Japanese. Styling wise its little bit of this little bit of that but in a conclusion these borrowed details (VW Jetta-sides....rear lights -Infinity) don't quite work together....so yeah its just another cheap way to compete with a big boys....next time GM look at something originaly american as a inspiration...like say Chrysler 300C.

whose whinning? It's the GM apologists that are whinning about not winning a comparo. The interior sucks on the Aura, and it will suck on the Malibu. Next question, or next sniffle.
 
I said the rear end looks like the passat. Mix in a glance at another car maker.

I've met some of the designers who worked on this malibu and I can tell you they didn't steal the malibu design from anyone. Most of the cars that are sited as targets of design theft they would find boring. I can tell you as young creative individuals with their careers ahead of them design theft is not a way to make a mark. It's a bogus accusation with no basis in reality or actual real-world research. You would also be surprised to find who designed this car...young, aggressive, diverse and freed up under Lutz to do some real design work. Certainly beauty is in the eye of the beholder and if you like this design or that design more than the new malibu then that is your right and no one can or should tell you otherwise but you don't have to accuse GM of resorting to theft when you have nothing more than a fleeting view of some pictures. Everyone has got their opinion and you don't have to like the designs that come out but there is alot going on at GM you don't know....there is indeed a design renaissance underway that is the work of Ed Wellburn working in tandem with Lutz and is in no small part due to the fact that GM has finally figured a way to harness all their global design resources. This renaissance has just started with the 07's and aside from all our subjective views is one reason why almost every 07 GM car has had spectacular reviews from the auto writers and top initial quality reports from the JD Powers types. Yes, they made some horrible cars not so many years ago with cheap materials and poor fit and finish and brought the perception problems they suffer under now on themselves. And they would be the first to admit that just being as good as everyone else will not be enough to overcome that perception deficit. But they are in the game now and they are hungry so while you may think you have GM all figured out and don't think much of their design....I would be careful in how forceful I was in that view....it could be an unpleasant retraction.

balkanboy1, I see alot (too much) of a Bentley in the 300C (not that that's a bad thing... but, not original either).

johnson 14
 You sound like a knowledgeable guy with lots of inside info. Thanks for your thoughts.
 
The rear end on that thing looks like a Passat.
 
I'm sure the other manufactureres are terrified of the impending GM renaissance. I for one, am fleeing for the hills.

dhamilton,
 
Do you work for another car company or do you just hate GM?

neither. I give credit where credit is due. GM can't climb out of the hole their in by planting a chevy badge on an Aura, with a Passat rear end.

I, too, have had choice words concerning GM (and Ford), though I do take great care not to use taboo words (badge engineering, et al). I'm not sorry for my opinions (blogs are intended to be subjective after all). Besides, my comments aren't exactly end all facts about how it is (I THINK that rear end screams Passat, I don't know whether the designers had that in mind. Though I will say the 300C definately had a certain high end goal in mind).
 
Johnson14, thank you for your insight. None of us would want to be classified as stereotypists, though we do indeed make assumptions based on thin air sometimes. Not having the knowledge you possess allows for a certain degree of filling-in-the-blanks. Under such circumstances, I'm sure you would agree that conclusions can oft-times appear condescending. As I said before, I welcome your input and hope that such input can fill in the blanks I need to get a better grasp on what's really going on in the secretive world of Detroit.

dhamilton, The Aura and Malibu look completley different inside and out. When the first interior picture was released I compared the two side by side and found that the looked very different. With the exteriors, If you have a good eye for cars you would immediatly see no resemblance between the two. Some people they just see cars with the same body style they think the two cars look just alike.

This is a bad choice for a design for a Malibu. It looks like a Buick or some sort of ugly Jaguar.

it's amazing how people are trying to reason with dhamilton as if there is any point. He isnt basing his statements on reality or anything resembling the truth. He hates GM products 100% and he feels its necessary to let everyone know this over and over. I think it's prety obvious from his posts that he isn't all that knowledgable.

Beautiful CAR! If it looks like Accord its because people like them to look like that, THIS ONE IS NICE. Remember this one should be cheaper than Accord.

Thank you for enlightening me on that 4187.

Yeah, thanks for letting me know that to 4187.
  
Once again, you are the most knowlegable guy here.

dhamilton,
 
1487 did not say that he was the most knowlegable guy here. He was just saying that you were one of the least knowledgable. I strongly agree with him.