Chevy Malibu Maxx

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Comments

  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    Hey, they gotta sell them SOMEWHERE! :)
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    The Aztek does have a few good things. (If not many) It has the camping package, which means that you do not have to buy a trailer with your Aztek. Savings: about $3-5,000.
  • logic1logic1 Member Posts: 2,433
    Of course it depends upon the dealer. I have done this several times with my dealers. If your first Chevy dealer won't do the legwork, try another one. But do get the tires you want.
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    just ask the dealer.
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    Jim Kenzie is the best Canadian auto journalist. Yes folks, he has slammed GM in the past on numerous occasions, but like most auto journalists in NA (less so C&D), he can't write a solid review like journalists from CAR or evo in the UK - read one of their reviews and they make you feel you're actually there - read most NA reviews and all they do is list the specs of the car - they rarely talk about handling, steering feel, braking, interior fit and finish, etc... This is what I wanna see, not that it comes standars w/tilt a steering
    wheel - I can see tha manufacturer's site for that type of info.

    The worst from the Toronto Star is an old lady that doesn't know what she's talking about - Jill McIntosh. Laurence Yap is not that far behind and has a STRONG preference for any Honda product, even if other cars do what the Honda does but with more excitement.

    But we must do with what we have.

    Dinu
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    I like Jim and I totally agree with you on the other 2. Mr. Yap has said many time he owns a Honda and has preference for them. Jill should not be writing at all, she knows nothing about cars or anything else for that matter.
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    Can anyone post a link to a review by Jill so we American Car magazine readers can compare to what we get from Motor Trend or Automobile Magazine.
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    I looked on the Star's website and she's not listed as a columnist... Maybe the TOO had enough.

    This is the person: http://auto.francite.com/can_eg/templatedivers.asp?auteur=55

    This is a piece on a Mini - not one word about handling/cornering, just specs and rants about the interior.

    http://auto.francite.com/can_eg/newEssaiRoutier.asp?NoPage=3&- TxtId=447&Table=Essais&intPage=2

    There was one review a few months ago where she praised an AT Cavalier OR Accent (can't remeber which one) for hpw well it drove (ride quality only), but made no mention of its competitors, its interior, suspension design, etc...

    Dinu
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    take a basic v6 Malibu. swap out the crappy engine for a 'high feature engine'. Don't add all the other crap. The engine you put in the car has NOTHING to do with interior trim, power features, etc. The difference it would add to MSRP might be 1000 bucks worst case.

    In GM's world, sure they want to bundle everything up into packages to jack the price up thousands. That's why we have 31k Grand Prixs.

    The engine swap alone hardly adds anything to the price of the car. Certainly it is not responsible for adding 7 thousand of other crap you may not need. And for those who don't want it, then make it optional. Then you please everyone. Cheap pushrod motors for those who don't care about what's under the hood. An option for little cost to upgrade for those who do. Everybody's happy then.

    GM JUST DOESN'T GET THIS IDEA.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Well, I don't see Honda putting their 3.5L in the Accord either.

    I suspect the 3.6L Caddy engine would add at least $2000 over the 3.5L OHC. With that you would need to add beefed up suspension, brakes and likely a new transmission, add another $1000. A Euro dash (like the Opel) would probably add another $500-1000.Perhaps $7000 is exaggerated, but I would bet you would be looking at $4000 more for what you want. That puts you out of Chevy prices ranges and that is why GM scaled back it's NA version of this car.

    Why is this so hard for you to understand??

    The review above re-iterates the view that seems to be coming from the press that the new Bu is very competitive. Given it will carry list prices substantially less than Camcords, the new Bu is EXACTLY what a Chevy should be, a great value.
  • jeffj77jeffj77 Member Posts: 11
    I just caught up on the last 90 or so posts since the beginning of the Labor Day weekend. It's amazing how a few of you are drooling all over yourselves snickering about Car & Driver's (supposedly?) negative review of the Malibu (not actually posted but related, second-hand, over several choppy posts). In the meanwhile, three actual reviews with actual links have been posted, all of which are positive to extremely positive...and there's essentially no reaction. Talk about hearing what you want to hear. Is it any surprise that this thread is dominated by the same five or six posters?

    Thanks for posting the links, BTW.
  • maxx4memaxx4me Member Posts: 1,340
    geez Jeff, maybe you too have been reading what you want to read. As a HUGE American car industry hater, I have been nothing but impressed by the thinking that went into designing the Maxx. While Japan continues to build cars for 5'10'' Japanese, I have grown tiresome of squeezing into the Toyotas I so dearly love. For me to look at an American car is a huge leap of faith, and I have been one of the most prolific posters on this site. Keep in mind, that we can all learn from even the most negative person. Not to use him as an example, but Reg has been very helpful to me in keeping my resounding yahooos to an even keel. He is very knowlegeable about GM products, and I have repeatedly thanked him for helping to steer me in the right direction. All of the posters here have done that for me, because I have zero knowlege of American cars (except that Consumer Reports has steered me away from them). I just got home from work, so I'll assume there are those like me who have not had time to react to the positive press. As I have stated in previous posts, if you or anyone can tell me why I should run in the opposite direction and not buy the Maxx, I'm still listening. All of your inputs are welcome.
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    Time to order the Maxx! The 626 isn't going to last any longer. (Rust is on the way, due to rain)
  • maxx4memaxx4me Member Posts: 1,340
    he, he, he....that's not rust, it is the rack and pinion dispensing of the brake fluid I put in to stop the bleeding!!! I am anxiously sitting by the phone waiting for the dealer to call so I can check out the Bu sedan. I wanna feel those pedals adjusting under my feet!!
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    good luck!
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    "With that you would need to add beefed up suspension, brakes and likely a new transmission, add another $1000"

    why. an engine swap is just an engine swap. In your Intrigue dindak, they swapped the motors and changed nothing else. For what reason would changing an engine only require you to change the suspension and brakes? And if it did, why would it neccessarily cost more? By the end of the run, they were giving away Introggs for cheaper with the Shortstar, than they were selling them with the lawnmower 3800 when they started out. And did the Shortstar equipped Intrigue have the same tranny or different? And if it was different did the transmission itself neccessarily cost more? Maybe not, because it was codeveloped for more than one car.

    And, if GM just spent a few hundred extra and offered it for the same deal as you get on the Taurus, like a thousand, maybe that's better to do that and then maybe they could avoid the three thousand dollar rebates that way, which are otherwise so inevitable with GM. Taking the Walmart cheapest approach isn't always the best.

    Swap the freaking engine, offer it as an option. It doesn't hurt the GM faithful pushrod brigade one bit. The public doesn't care whether if Chevy has an equal motor to a Pontiac. They do care is, 'is the engine in a Chevy equal to the engine I can get in an Accord or Altima". GM is not competing with itself. It is competing with others.

    "The four-banger feels light and playful and would be well suited to a manual transmission, though none is available. Steering is lighter than the Accord’s and less accurate"

    "If you do chose to wind it out, the hollow baritone is far less pleasing than the sounds of the Accord or Altima engines but no more off putting than the gruff Camry V6"

    and then the apology.....

    "But enough of what is lacking in the Malibu. Let’s focus instead on its strengths"

    Plenty of strengths.....sure, but enough to make the car place in the upper part of the crowded midsize sedan pack? Close, according to the article....but again, that's not Car and Driver or Road and Track.
  • maxx4memaxx4me Member Posts: 1,340
    your point about competing with itself is an excellent one Reg. If GM has this attitude, then they need to drop yet another of their line of cars. Their focus should be on beating the competition and minimizing the amount of rebate cash they dole out.
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    But GM does focus on interdivision rivalry to this day. That is why the Chevrolet Impala, which finally got a supercharger, got only the Series II and not the Series III. Less horsepower than the Pontiac Grand Prix, don't you see?

    Either that or they had old parts to use up.

    I hope similar moves weren't made with the Malibu Maxx, but time will tell...
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    well all the makers do it to some degree, as an example, the Accord has a 3.0l 240hp mill and the TL Acura type S has a 3.2l 260hp mill. But my point is that the Honda motor is so dang good that no one misses the Acura. GM's mainstream powerplant offerings don't give the same overall goodness impression. Yeah, they start and run, give decent mpg, and give the GM owner a chubby because they can change their own oil and they have lots of displacement for the dollar but they are in most cases a notch or three below in each class of car that they are offered in the mainstream segments.

    Look at the Altima. Fricking v6 is 'detuned' compared to the Z and Maxima but still is a monster and pulls a 0-60 in less than 6 seconds. Even the 4 cylinder in the Altima is a powerful sweetheart.

    Honda, and Toyota and Nissan don't worry so much about how their cars compete within their own walls as GM does. H,T, and N seem more concerned with how to trump the competition. They don't limit their offerings based upon whether they would step on each others toes or not. I seriously think this attitude keeps GM from succeeding in actually increasing market share.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    You always forget that GM has other divisions. This is Chevy and it's hallmark is value. Always has been and always will be.

    You think the same transmission, suspension and brakes from a 200hp engine can be used for a 260hp engine? Come on Reg!

    I'm not saying GM can't put a lesser variant of the 3.6L in the Chevy but they don't have one right now. Do you honestly think any company would put their premier V6 engine in their lowest line of cars?

    While I too would prefer a DOHC motor in there, all indications so far point to the fact that this is a VERY competitive revised OHC with class leading fuel economy.

    I can't for the life of me figure you out.. you seem to hate this car and yet you hang out here with the same posts about the same thing all the time. If you love the Mazda wagon so much, buy it an be happy.

    p.s. You can't compare the Intrigue to this either as it was a much more expensive car.
  • jeffj77jeffj77 Member Posts: 11
    "I can't for the life of me figure you out.. you seem to hate this car and yet you hang out here with the same posts about the same thing all the time. If you love the Mazda wagon so much, buy it an be happy."

    Amen, Dindak! The highly esteemed Mazda 6. By all accounts, it's a great car, notwithstanding Mazda's feeble efforts at putting together logical option packages (you have to get 200lbs of cladding and spoilers in order to select critical safety equipment or a sunroof?). But by Accord/Camry standards (you know, the same ones that the Malibu is being held up to again and again.....and again.) it's an utter sales failure. What is the percentage increase in 6 sales versus the 626? Has the 6 even cracked a double digit improvement over the model it replaced? Will the 6 even crack 100K units a year?

    Mazda is far more desperate than Chevy for customers. Hopefully for them, they'll do better with people that post at Edmunds than they're doing with the other 15 million people considering a car purchace this year.

    At the end of the day, what Car & Driver and Road and Track have to say isn't going to make a damn bit of difference. For a car like the Malibu, Consumer Reports opinion will be exponentially more important. I'd also suggest that the opinions of female buyers (as opposed to gear-head male Car & Driver subscribers...myself included) will matter more...speaking of which, here's another solid review. Enjoy!

    http://www.detnews.com/2003/autosconsumer/0309/03/g01-260823.htm
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    You are right, if Chevy can get a "recommend" from CR and Consumer Digest, the sales should increase nicely. Sounds like the car is competitive (from the reviews I've seen) so quality is KEY now. GM need a very trouble free launch and given what they have done with CTS and ION lately, I think they are certainly capable of good launches these days.

    Mazda 6 sales have been dismal. I'm actually surprised as I really like the 6. I would likely buy a 6 before I'd get a Camcord. Not sure what the quality has been like though?
  • maxx4memaxx4me Member Posts: 1,340
    thanks for the Bu post Jeff. I think that there are WAAAAY too many 626 owners like me who are licking their wounds. The 6 may be a diamond; but it will have to shine in someone else's driveway.
  • magnetophonemagnetophone Member Posts: 605
    It's a shame the 6 is not doing well. I think it's because of its size, and that will possibly plague the Malibu too (the new Malibu is actually a bit smaller than the old one I think.)
  • wpbharrywpbharry Member Posts: 399
    Buy the Maxx, maxx.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    The new Bu is wider than the old and only marginally smaller than Camcords inside where is counts. It definitely looks bigger when you see it though it could be an inch or two shorter than the old.

    Mazda 6 is a touch on the small size. I hope the Ford versions is a bit bigger or Ford will have a slow seller also.
  • maxx4memaxx4me Member Posts: 1,340
    yes, I was amazed that the 6 was so small considering it replaced the 626 AND Millenia
  • jerrywimerjerrywimer Member Posts: 588
    I may have to buy one to replace my aging Toyota Corolla. I probably would be out looking at the new bu's now, except that I recently bought a Trailblazer instead. (BTW, the tb replaced a 1997 Malibu, which was getting to the point that it was eating all of our excess income with 'surprise' visits to the repair shop. I had sworn off 1st model years because of it, but the new Bu is really looking appealing right now!)

    I hate to say it, but as far as appearances go, I like the looks of the sedan better than the 'extended sedan', though those extra features of the Maxx very well could sway my buying judgement.

    I also agree with the many people here that thought the General should've just rebadged the Signum and brought it to the US. It's perfectly understandable why they didn't though, since most Chevy buyers won't want to spend the extra $5-$10k that it would probably cost.

    Pushrod vs. OHC.. I don't see the argument here. I've had several of each(the TB is an OHC engine), and while I can live with both, I can honestly say that in regular driving situations, I much prefer an engine with low to mid range grunt over something I have to wind out to get to the power (ie. my Corolla is that way, as was my parents' 199x Accord 4-banger). The GM OHV engines have a well-earned reputation for providing the sort of powerband that lots of Americans would like.

    In fact, if I recall correctly, there was a short-lived (2 or 3 years?) attempt by GM to introduce a 24 valve Twin DOHC V6 in 3.4l size(Lumina Z34 had it, among other products), and due to introductory issues as well as customer feedback, it went the way of the dodo. If the 3.5l spawn of the 2.8 really has improved the NVH so much that it's better than the Toyota V6, I can't see how many people could object.

    A little dig at reg here- Why on earth do you think you need your car to accelerate best between 60-100? The maximum legal speed limit anywhere in the US (to my knowledge, barring on a track) is 75, with most areas 65 on the highway. Even my 97 Bu had more than enough grunt up to that range. The comment I read pages back (yah, been reading like mad to catch up) about traffic moving 80-85 at times and needing to do 90 to pass was hilarious. If traffic's moving 90 (likely in a 75), cruise at 80 in the right hand lane and let the other guys get the tickets anyway! (These aren't meant to be sports cars. Get a vette otherwise. ;o) )
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    The Camry is just too big and the Accord is getting there.

    The 6 is about fun to drive and you'll be surprised at HIW they used the interior space so well!

    Dinu
    Another M6 fan:)
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    I would hope you would think the 6 size is ok since you own one.
  • maxx4memaxx4me Member Posts: 1,340
    well, I own its predicesor and KNOW the back seat legroom is terrible on both the 6 and 626. If I want a 2 seater, I'll drive a Miata. I can't wait to see how the Maxx's rear seat goes to and fro. I know my adult friends will sure enjoy the legroom most japanese manufactures have neglected for a very long time
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    I don't like big/large cars. Period! The 6 fits a family comfortably. Why do North Americans think they need huge vehicles to transport 1-2-3 people?

    Dinu
  • wpbharrywpbharry Member Posts: 399
    Yup, told you so. $1,000 cash back on the sedan already. Link below.

    http://www.media.gm.com/
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    $1000 was a given. From a business perspective what they have to avoid is the $3000 that the 03 has.

    $3000 would be great to see for the consumer though.
  • maxx4memaxx4me Member Posts: 1,340
    unbelievable!! I feel richer already.
    Dinu, I hate big vehicles too (I enjoy seeing them in the ditch after a snowstorm). But the 6 fitting a family comfortably in the rear?? Maybe small children, but not adults. I own a Vibe, and the rear seating comfort far outclasses the 6.
  • magnetophonemagnetophone Member Posts: 605
    Dinu, I completely agree with you, the 6 is the right size. You can fit a family of 4 very comfortably in one. But American mentalities equate bigger to better.

    Bigger cars, bigger waist lines, bigger lines at the drive thru McDonalds...
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    Your last line was was I was really thinking. Nicely put!

    Now when is this MAD MAXX out at dealerships?

    I'm curious to see what plastics GM will use this time around.

    Dinu
  • magnetophonemagnetophone Member Posts: 605
    If I were to buy a MAD MAXX, I would wait and buy a MAD MAXX BEYOND THUNDERDOME, because first-year Malibus are notoriously unreliable.

    My guess is that the plastics will be somewhere between Legos and a TV set.

    I am waiting to buy a 6 until the wagon comes out.. or if there's anything else nicer out at that time.
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    "My guess is that the plastics will be somewhere between Legos and a TV set."

    That was funny!

    Dinu
  • logic1logic1 Member Posts: 2,433
    McDonalds sales have been declining quarter by quarter. Obesity rates in Western Europe are actually growing faster than in the US (though of course the US is farther ahead).

    Perhaps US and Canadian attitudes towards cars might have something to do with the fact that their countries are far larger and population densities far less than in Europe.

    Appears in all your alleged travels abroad did you failed to notice European countries are smaller than the US and Canada, their roads and highways smaller, their interstates, to the extent they even have them, smaller and less extensive.

    The reviews linked above say the Malibu interior is quite nice. The Maxx interior should be as well. I think the end of the year will show Magneto completely off base about reliability as well.
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    what is a Camcord? Is it the Chrysler Concorde large car or is it some other car we've never heard of?
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    "I'm not saying GM can't put a lesser variant of the 3.6L in the Chevy but they don't have one right now"

    world's largest automaker doesn't have a capable and cost competitive one ready to go even after twenty plus years and all its competitors do.

    "You can't compare the Intrigue to this either as it was a much more expensive car"

    Yes, I can. Midsize class. Family sedan. Oh sure the Olds MSRP was higher. Way too high. Laughably high. But in the death days when the car was killed they were selling well below 20 grand.......

    "you seem to hate this car"

    no I don't, but I do hate a few things about it.

    1) UGLY. Why spend the money to redesign the Vectra into the Malibu when its already designed and good looking? The front end is gross. The rear is clumsy. The profile is blocky.

    2) Not an optional sporting / best in class competitive powertrain. There should be a an engine offered that is on par with Altima, Accord, etc. Where's the HEARTBEAT OF AMERICA????

    3) Interior, let's wait and see how cheeseball the plastic is.

    4) No stick available.

    I don't hate the car. I hate the fact GM keeps making the same market mistakes OVER AND OVER.

    "Why on earth do you think you need your car to accelerate best between 60-100?"

    That's where the engine makes its best impression as to how quality a motor it is. Any lowball motor can do 0-30. In town, you never can max accelerate from a stoplight anyways. Always ten cars in front of you doddling. Too much traffic in town to do anything besides run with the pack. Never can open it up!

    An engine that excels at 80mph is that much better at 60mph. Much less strained. Smoother. Quieter.

    And whoa! Detroit News gives a good review to a CHEVY! DUH! Of course they will! Its Detroit! No way will they be biased to the home team!

    "single button navy suit -- it never goes out of style. It's timeless"

    Yeah, and folks think you are a rube if you are seen wearing one! Except at funerals!

    BTW the Mazda 6 is plenty big inside. All the idiots who see the small outside and figure it automatically is small inside are clueless. If you sat in one you'd see its got 95% the room the Altima has. Its called EFFICIENT DESIGN.
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    are always biased to Detroit cars. Just look at the Detroit Free Press. They praise the F150 (2004) yet they haven't written anything good about the Nissan Titan just yet. I'm not saying the F150 is a bad truck, just saying the Nissan Titan may be a better truck.
  • magnetophonemagnetophone Member Posts: 605
    alleged? Please, ask me any question... I've been to pretty much every large European country west of the Czech Republic. I ask you again, who's lived there?

    In many older cities, the roads are indeed tiny and narrow. But the motorways are every bit as wide as American ones, save a smaller median, and many of the regular streets are just as wide as they'd be in an American city outside of the sun belt.

    I've driven a few small cars as well as a few American-sized cars in Europe and the only huge difference is roundabouts and that there are less 4 and 6 lane roads.
  • jchan2jchan2 Member Posts: 4,956
    Was the Malibu widened or is it still just as wide as the Opel Signum?
  • maxx4memaxx4me Member Posts: 1,340
    I'm laughing on the floor: "the 6 is plenty large inside??" for a midget. I'll chop off 4 inches from my leg length the next time I go sit in one. The entry point to the rear seat is pathetic, and the leg room is every bit as bad as my current 626. Oh, by the way, the driver's leg room in my Mazda is much better than the 6's. Oh to be short, and buy any car I wanted. I sure wish I had your problems! At least GM is smart enough to put adjustable pedals in the Malibu series. Now I won't have to drive a Mazda with the seat so reclined that the rear passenger won't feel like giving me a shave and a haircut. Oh, wait: there couldn't possibly be a passenger in the rear of a Mazda; they only build 2 seater cars...I forgot!!
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    No, folks, he isn't bitter!

    :)
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    jchan : Camcord = Camry or Accord

    magnetophone : Bigger is not necessarily better, but if you have kids and things you need to carry, bigger sure is more convenient sometimes. Everything is bigger in North America, especially distances so it makes sense that people generally want to me more comfortable.

    Reg : You hate the car, admit it. You haven't even sat in the car but I know your mind is made up. Stop wasting your time and go get a 6.

    logic : The big plus of the Maxx will be that back seat. I think that alone would push me to buy Maxx over the sedan. I'll get my wife to drive and my daughter and I can stretch out in the back seat and watch DVDs! Ahhh!
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