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Comments
-juice
It seems to meet your criteria for a roomy wagon.
I just think it's a good idea to sample several vehicles before you buy. We drove probably a dozen or so (see the Town Hall Test Drive Team thread).
-juice
As for fuel economy, you are correct; I am biting my lip just thinking what a 12 valve, 6 cylinder engine is going to bring me in gas mileage. I'm not big on getting only 21 in the city, but I bet that is about what it will come in at.
True, not everyone does.
However, you wouldn't need a very big room to hold a meeting of the people who love the Aztek. Disasters like that make us wonder if anyone at GM has even half a clue, and make it hard to understand how some can keep defending them in the face of screw-up after screw-up.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
jchan : Expect 20/30 range give or take 2 mpg.
Maxx : The entire Vibe concept and interior are GM. It's Toyota mechanicals though. People are always quick to assume GM had nothing to do with the Vibe and are just re-badging a Toyota car.
ateixeira : I like Subarus in general, but the Forester we looked at is just not very attractive to me. I like the Outback wagons best, but they seem a bit pricey.
I don't think they'll compete with the Maxx, though. The Maxx will be FWD and puts the emphasis on passenger space, while Subies tend to focus on cargo and gear.
-juice
I'd love to get some kind of wagon / crossover as I'm sure the insurance will be less than a SUV. Got a quote on a CRV and VUE and it was not much less than a full size SUV. Ack!
That's another story. There is more demand and less supply there. Subies don't have to compete much on price.
OTOH, you get nice options we don't, like heated seats standard on the WRX, and the moonroof option with the Forester turbo 5 speed.
Where is the Malibu made? US or Canada?
-juice
-juice
Used to be $1.59/US$, now $1.40. An Outback would actually be cheaper for us to buy in the US today.
-juice
My '98 spent the better part of 2 weeks in the shop since when they replaced the intake manifold gaskets, they didn't put other things back together right. Then, 2 days ago, the inside rearview mirror fell off again (3rd time), but that's minor and a FL thing.
Per a tip-off in the '04 Malibu forum that final sedan pricing would be released at 10AM today, I'm trying to find a site where the final prices are posted. No luck so far. Gmbuypower will likely be the best bet, but its not there yet (if any of you think that the sedan estimates posted there right now include a Maxx LT as the top $25.5, I hate to tell you the truth). Maxx pricing won't be out for a few months. Sedan production does begin a week from Monday. Expect we'll be getting the final sedan brochure in the mail in Sept. (or sooner). Official intro date is in Sept. for the sedan.
Chevy has truly bent over backwards to get me thru the rough spot with my car, which is far more than I can say for Honda, based on reading the postings of disgust in the Accord forum re: experiences with the '03s. Call it a slap in the face, but I'm back on board.
Once again, hoping that the Sept. car mags, which should start arriving any day now, have at least preview drives of the new 'Bu sedan...
Mileage with the 3.5L is rated at 23/32. Not bad at all!
Well, there you have a really close guesstimate Maxx. Your Maxx LS (assuming you add head curtains, power seat and treat your daughter to the rear DVD) will sticker for just about $24,250.
The loaded Maxx LT will go for $27,075.
Above based on the $1500 premium for the Maxx over the sedan, which we saw at gmbuypower.
Chalk one up for moi.
-juice
and are dull and nauseating in operation. So much fun, wink wink, that you gotta bring a magazine with to read while you drive its so dull.
27,000 for the MAXX hmmmm, exactly as I thought....who was the one DREAMING about Maxx's in the low 20's.....
Ecotec in the malibu...errrr....classic, that would be an improvment.....lighten up the front end from that cast iron v6.....and not a deadly drive like the quad4 version. I had driven the Quad4 Malibu before and that was like driving a garden tractor. The ecotec 4 is more enjoyable than the buzzsaw v6, having driven the ecotec in the saturns and getting cursed from above by getting stuck with a lameibu rental a few weeks ago. 1000+ miles, yech.
Reg : Why is the 3.8L so dull? It hauls off the line and with a supercharger, even more so. As for the Maxx, 27K is for a loaded one. Not many loaded Chevy's on the road that I see. It will start in the lower $20's and that is pretty well equipped.
-juice
magnetophone : No Maxx pricing has been released yet, it's all speculation.
I wouldn't say haul, but it feels punchy off the line mainly because the way GM has the throttle linkage set up and tranny shift points. Once you get up to 40+ mph, it is average at best and once you get up over 50 or so it just doesn't have the lunge. Ask it to do more than cruise around town, go above 50+ and then its starts to feel breathless and like it has to work too hard when other powerplants are just starting to come alive at 40 or 50+ mph. The 3800 just never seems like it has much left or work as easily as the OHC powerplants do once you hit cruising speeds. Sure it feels 'peppy' from a start, but that's not the whole picture.
"and with a supercharger, even more so"
How much do you gotta pay extra for that bandaid.....GTP's run 30 grand now, a lot of extra coin to just get a supercharger to boost engine power to competitive levels when the basic engine design should be updated in the first place to keep pace with the competition.
That's why I am all too skeptical of this 'new' (not really new, but you guys go ahead and believe) 3.5.......it will exhibit the same driving characteristics all these GM PR motors do.....'peppy' from a start and then less enjoyable as you get to real driving speeds. This new Malibu really deserves a v6 that is more engaging and lively.....just like the competitors have. NOT like all the old GM cars of yore.
Look around, Camrys hit $30k MSRP nowadays. MSRP doesn't mean much.
-juice
The Malibu at 3500 pounds is heavier than the more spacious Altima. The Altima has a 45hp edge to boot. The Malibu's power will be concentrated on the low end of the powerband, unlike the competitors which will have ample power at all rpm's.
The Malibu will be able to get out of its own way, but a speed demon it will not be. I'd say its on track for a 0-60 somewhere around 8.1-8.3 seconds..........really about .5 to 1.0 seconds behind where it ought to be.
Since the extended warranty doesn't expire on my '98 until 8/04, I've decided to wait for an '05 something. Will just have to put up with dealer visits for another year, but the mileage is low and repairs are free. Now I even hear that the Sonata (friend has an '02 and claims it the best car he's ever had) will be all-new for '05, so who knows?
I'll be watching the forum (in whatever form it's in over the next year;I hope they don't combine the new 'Bu forums with the old, but bet they do) to get feedback on the new car, and checking TSB's like a hawk.
Maxx, glad you're so excited. Please be a trooper and report goods and bads after you take delivery. I might have missed this, but have no idea what UBS stands for (Universal Buying Service??). Also, I assume that you're trading in the 626 (or doing something with it) and keeping the Vibe. What I don't get is why you need cargo flexibility if you're keeping the Vibe. I'm flipflopping all over the place on car choices because a sedan also suits me fine. Talk about legroom (I'm 6'3"), the Altima, Sonata and Accord all have it in spades.
I'd like the Maxx for Home Depot stuff and trips to get folks to/from the airport, but I don't think I can swing the price of the Maxx and won't settle for a stripper. I'm not really fond of the looks of the new sedan (see my posts in that forum). Looks like something my grandmother would drive.
If anything, what I hear about American cars is that legroom seems to stop at a certain point.
I guess maybe these pushrod people don't drive in the traffic that I do, but 50-75 is the most important stretch of acceleration. When traffic backs up and then quickly speeds up on the freeway, it's the most important.
I would venture to say that every pushrod I've driven, including the 3.8 supercharged, becomes nearly gutless past 50mph.
Some random observations from the Sept. Motor Trend which arrived today ("First Drive")(others have posted a capsule summary of the article in the '04 forum):
1. The car looks even worse on the road, and they likened its looks to that of a work truck. Maybe I'll get over it as I did with the '03 Accord fanny, but it'll take a while. DRLs in the parking lamps help a bit.
2. Rear seat only folds to a 30-degree incline (steeper than in my '98). Will be a problem if that's the case in the Maxx also.
3. Gave kudos to the new steering, I'm glad.
4. "The 3500 is as quiet and smooth as the Camry's V-6 (but a notch below the Accord's)". That's a pretty big compliment. 7.8 0-60 ain't too shabby, while not a class-leader, it'll do.
5. Also gave kudos to all-around legroom ("especially in the rear seat of the Maxx"). I hope I agree.
Reg : I'm thinking most people aren't going to be dragging Chevy Maxxes on the drag strip. That said an SS version is supposedly in the works for some reason?