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Comments
I hope to check dealer inventories on Thurs. or Fri. and (if my deealer finally has one), take a gander at it Fri. or Sat.
And now, back to the subject of this discussion. Thanks!
Revka
Host of Hatchbacks & Wagons
Hi wpbharry- We look forward to your report! Also, please copy/paste it into our new Malibu Maxx comparison discussion. Thanks. ;-)
Revka
Host of Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
It could be a software issue.
It could be a software issue. <<<
After I reported the error, I got messages encouaging me to upgrade the browser, which I did. Also did other MS recommended upgrades. OS is W-XP. 'Puter is a year old Dell Latitude. Still could not get the site to respond.
I'm new to this forum...thought I'd write a few comments with respect to a test drive I took in an '04 Malibu. First off, despite the magazines' characterization of the styling as "uninspired" or "simple", I think the 04 Malibu looks quite attractive in person (better than in the photos, for sure), though in my opinion it looks more attractive in some colors than in others. I more recently saw one in the metallic sand/beige and it just didn't look near as nice as it did in silver or black (though I'll never own a black car again- too much hassle to keep clean). While the interior may not be quite up to Honda standards, overall it is still very good. There were a few small details I noticed in the switch gear that could stand upgrading. For example the light rheostat has no damping whatsoever...feels cheap. And on the LS, which has no climate control, the 4 position fan switch feels very cheap as well. The LT overcomes that with its climate control system, which necessitates a different selector. But I'm picking nits. The seats are very comfortable- French sourced I read somewhere (who are known for their comfy chairs). The back seats are excellent! The overall feeling of the car was one of solidity. It passes the door slam test with flying colors- VERY solid! Better than the Saab 9-3, oddly enough. The door pulls have a nice tactile feel to them. The test drive was a quickie, so I can't really comment on how the car takes the twisty bits and so on, but I will say that the 3.5 liter has plenty of power down low. It sounds OK, maybe not super refined, but it definitely has good torque. Once up to cruise speed you can't really hear it...the car strikes me as being very quiet. While I wish the tranny were a 5 speed auto, the 4 speed does seem to get the job done. The Saab 9-3 is a FWD with a 5 speed auto, so perhaps at some point in the future it will become optional or standard on the Malibu as well. One feature the transmission has that I didn't know at the time is a rocker switch on the left side of the shift lever that has the symbols "+" and "-". This rocker switch supposedly works as sort of a tap shift ala Pontiac Grand Prix GTP (which has the controls located on the steering wheel, instead). I wish I had known as I'd like to get an idea of just how quickly the transmission responds to selecting a lower or higher gear, and once done, will it hold it (there is no "auto-manual" mode to select, so I'm a little confused as to just how it operates). On the parkway the car felt very well planted, giving a smooth but not flaccid ride, with no body float. I've read some criticism of the Saab's low speed ride over bumps, but the Malibu's strut bushings apparently are of a different design to take the edge off (perhaps the only area where the Saab and Malibu suspensions DO differ). It may be that the Malibu actually has a suspension more suited to American roads than the Saab. The brake pedal was very firm with excellent feel- definitely not my dad's Buick.
I really didn’t get a feeling for just how well the car turns in (response to steering just off center), though I actually kind of liked how light the steering felt in parking maneuvers. It did seem to firm up nicely at higher speeds. I read (I believe) somewhere on the GM website that the electric power steering affords an improvement in fuel mileage on the order of .7 mpg at highway cruise speeds (presumably where it's assist is lowest, thus presenting minimal drag on the engine). In any case, I feel that for the power the engine puts out, the EPA mpg rating of 23/32 is very impressive indeed. The fact that it's a pushrod 2 valver doesn't faze me in the least. I've had an Acura GSR 4 door with an 8000 rpm redline (thinking it might recall my days of youth with my Fiat 124 sport coupe...turns out it DID- you had to rev the wee out of the Acura to make it go, just like the Fiat...and it also turns out that at 45, I no longer feel the need or desire to have to drive like that!). My current car is a '96 VW Golf GTI VR-6, which has been, if not trouble free, still, an excellent car for me. I'm looking at a Malibu Maxx to replace it at some point in time... I like the utility of a hatch (of note, The Maxx's lift gate is made of aluminum). In addition, what I also like about the Maxx over the sedan is that it has brake rotors of a little larger diameter, (to handle the increased gross weight, I imagine), and I think they would probably be less prone to warpage.
What I’d like to see I kind of like the idea of having a navigation system, and they could fit it in the radio well, but it would require having a remote cd changer, no doubt, with the radio/cd control buttons flanking the nav screen. I kind of doubt we'll ever see that, though I know that Honda offers a nav system on their Accord. So perhaps to compete they will. Or maybe it would be available on the proposed “SS” edition of the Maxx. . I don't know about the On Star system- seems pricey, and I believe that at some point you would have to subscribe to it. Or not- I don't know enough about it.
I'd be curious to hear the thoughts of anyone else who's test driven the new Malibu. There aren’t many out there yet. Chevy isn't advertising it because they're still ramping up production. No point in advertising if you have no inventory. It does seem like GM are doing things a little bit differently now- they withhold a model from market until they get it as correct as possible- witness the Chevy SSR, the Cadillac XLR, etc. Gone are the days of the Chevy Citation with its 43 recalls during its first year of production.
I think the new Malibu Maxx is going to be an excellent car.
I see you've had a chance to visit our Malibu Sedan Comparison discussion. Here's another wagon discussion that you may find interesting:
Malibu Maxx vs. Jetta vs. Forester vs. Mazda6 vs. Taurus...
Happy motoring!
Revka
Host of Hatchbacks & Wagons
Time will tell if they are good for the long haul also.
http://www.detnews.com/2003/autosinsider/0310/07/f01-291142.htm
If you don't subscribe to C&D, buy yourself a copy in a week or so. It's a well-written and highly accurate article (and the most photogenic pix of the car I've seen anywhere. I think it's rather handsome; talk about an about-face).
Some notes:
1. NOW we know what happens when you get OnStar AND XM. 2 thingys on the roof. It looks worse than hideous, IMO. I'm still curious if the sunroof is the el-cheapo GM kind that slides over the roof or if it slides into it. Anyone know? (My car avoided the el-cheapo GM bit as I had an ASC moonroof installed aftermarket, which closes automatically when you turn off the ignition. I'll miss that).
2. Was intrigued by the silver-green color, but now that I see it on the car, I'll pass. Silver it'll be.
3. The neutral UltraLux is WAY too light (even lighter than on mine). No thanks. Don't like the wood nearly as much as the aluminum either. Grey it is.
4. I think the entire article was very fair, plusses and minusses.
5. Maxx hopefuls, like me, will just do a backflip in air when they read the closing paragraph ("All is not lost...). The part about how they don't expect rebates on that (unlike the sedan) does worry me however.
6. I'm VERY disappointed in the Bridgestone Insignias. GM installs Goodyears on nearly everything else; they must have some written agreement with Bridgestone/Firestone for this car forever.
Per some recent posts in the Malibu discussion, I'm getting ever more convinced that assembly is still somewhat inconsistent. Brakes differing on 2 cars; my experience with door closure sound; rattles and squeaks on some; console problems on some, etc. But I still think it'll be MUCH better from the get-go than the last Malibu was. For one thing, the warranty claims would bankrupt GM if they had to go through THAT again.
My only negative on the new Malibu is NOT enough Power for me... only 200hp and 220 ft lbs torque from a 3.5L V6? Pretty embarrasing when the competition's 3.5 V6 are putting out 245+ hp!! and 240+ ft lb torque!! They should have just used the tried and true, venerable 3800 which already made the same power and is proven! Series 3 3800.
Also the new Malibu, just like the 1997-2003 is too conservative, boring, Yawn, for me... doesn't stand out like the new Grand Prix... I like cars that stand out... Malibu is just like the camaccords.. an appliance. My opinion of course!
I do like the DVD player and the interior of the Malibu is starting to close the gap between GM and Foreign... of course that is based on the photos I have seen!
regardless of the fact that the vectra was a very tidy looking sedan.
oh well.
wanna see more??
http://www.holden.com.au
Hey, we're already imported the Holden Monaro CV8 as a Pontiac GTO 5.7! Why not more??
The best cars to import are probably the Vauxhall/Opel/Holden Vectra, Holden Adventra, Holden Caprice (Statesman), and Holden Commodore SS
so, what do u think??
Won't happen.
Reasons:
a. UAW and perceived loss of American jobs
b. Costs of converting cars to NA emissions and safety standards
c. Corporate CAFE
d. GM timidity
I sure would love to see the Holden line as Oldsmobile here. And some of the European Vauxhalls/Opels as Saturn.
But, it ain't gonna happen. Sadly.
No new Olds. Not now. Probably not ever.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
I want to drive one.
wpbharry: oh, and about the HOLDEN posts, I was just wondering..u cant stop a guy from wondering..
Well, my big disappointment came early on - the Maxx they had on the show stand had 5 defects. They said it was a display model and a prototype, but it wasn't very encouraging, to be honest.
The B-pillar trim was loose inside. Then the latch that reclines the rear seat had broken. I also found a piece of fabric that had ripped off, looked like a handle to something. Then in the cargo area, the spare tire lid's latch was broken, and finally the D-pillar trim was loose.
OK, with that out of the way, and knowing it was a prototype, I finally got to try one on. Rear legroom is enormous. Tons of room to spare and I'm 6' tall. The flip-up DVD is way cool. The back is a perfect place for two - but not necessarily three. There is a hump and the middle seat is hard. Fold down the arm rest and call it one of the best back seats in the biz.
The cargo floor is roomy, but it doesn't seem like tall items will fit well unless you move that seat forward. I would prefer a plain ol' wagon or at least a more squared off back end.
Loved the twin sky lights, and it also had a moonroof. Something for everyone.
Drove the sedan, 4 cylinder and V6. The 4 is adequate, but nothing special. The V6 is torquey and will chirp the tires easily in 1st gear. It's quicker than the Sonata they had along for comparison, about a match for the Camry V6. 220 lb-ft and it feels peppy, so no whining about HP, torque moves you.
Dynamically, it scores well. Did you say poor man's Saab? Exactly. Though you notice the interior isn't as nice, it drives well. Brakes are solid. Steering never ran out of boost, but it doesn't have much feel. Handling is soft, but so are its competitors. The tires are the limiting factor, they wore 65 series Blowtenzas.
But...it actually did hold up well next to the Camry. They had another loop where it was Accord vs. Malibu, but they compared a 4 cylinder Accord to a V6 Malibu, so it's not very useful to make comparisons.
I didn't really warm up to the interior, the vents are plasticky and the seats are only OK IMO. You do get all the adjustments in the world, though.
So, dynamics are promising, if they nail quality it'll be more than just a rental car.
-juice
I would swap for either Goodyear All Seasons or Michelin Pilots before even taking the car off the show room floor.
I didn't mean to sound negative - lots of things I liked, including the DVD player, the skylights, remote start, electric PS that never ran out of boost, the torquey engine, power pedal adjustments, telescoping/tilt wheel, folding passenger seat, side curtain air bags, big console, etc.
I think the features availability leads the segment. I also think the chassis, dynamically, matches the best. If production models get quality under control, it'll be a contender.
I still didn't warm up to the styling, the front-end in particular. I'm just not sure the Chevy truck look translates well to a car.
-juice
Build quality of the production Malibus I have seen has been excellent so I'm sure the Maxx will be fine. How did you feel about the amount of cargo room behind the rear seat in the Maxx? Did you get a chance to fold down the rear seats and check out the total cargo area?
Clearly a trade up to some Good Year Eagles will be in store if I buy one though. The stock tires are apparently made to maximize mileage and smoothness, I have read this several places.
Fold the seats, and I mean all of the seat except the driver's, and space is cavernous. You could slide in 10' lumber, they said, not just 8'.
But...with the rear seats in place, and hatch's shape, cargo space was only average. They put the emphasis on a limo-like rear seat. If you move the seat forward, then cargo space is better than average.
Also, if you put any kind of box in there, I doubt the hatch will close. It's not very tall, so you'll probably have to fold the seats.
The folding latch was broken, but the seat folded easily, 60/40 split. The 60 part has a nice armrest.
The leather is also very nice, with a suede middle portion. It looks and feels top notch. There's even french stitching on it.
-juice
All stock tires on mainstream sedans are models that value comfort and mileage (and how cheap the manufacturer can get them) over performance.
Tire choice is a different story. Buyer should just take a little bit of time getting used to the ride in even a modest sedan with more responsive tires. I think they would appreciate the benefits of the enhanced feel, cornering, and stopping difference over the little bit of comfort they may be giving up.
I'm still intrigued by the Maxx, but I have a feeling I will need to get a cute ute or a van.
dindak: yes, I felt the same way. We have 2 kids, and I'd have child seats secured pretty much all the time. So to me, the useful cargo area, for day-to-day stuff, seemed small. I'm used to wagons, and prefer squared off rear quarters.
But...this seems to be the trend today. The Murano, the FX, the Touareg, the Cayenne, all have rounded off backs that sacrifice cargo space.
Compare those to boxy vehicles like the Element and Scion xB, which are far more space efficient.
-juice