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Comments
-juice
Unfortunately, there are no rear profile shots yet. Please post if you find any.
http://www.detnews.com/2003/autosinsider/0304/17/e01-139653.htm
Hope I can crawl in and check 3rd row space.
-juice
Click on the Maxx. There are different profile shots.
Looks like only the V6 is avaiable on the Maxx though, I wonder why?
Camry and Accord are mostly 4-cyl vehicles. I don't see the Max competing without a nice smooth, efficient 4 as the base engine.
For example, my wife is only 5'2", and I'm just over 6'4". Rarely do we find a vehicle that can comfortably accommodate both of us. The adjustable pedals and telescoping steering wheel will definitely keep the airbag a safer distance from her when driving.
I haven't seen it mentioned here, but the front passenger seat also folds flat, allowing room for larger cargo.
When the time comes, we'll probably splurge for a Maxx. The DVD system would keep me entertained if I could convince my wife to drive more often. I'm not too sure about the purpose of the remote. I mean, the controls are right there! The sunroof is a nice touch.
Overall, I can't wait to take one out for a spin!
But I do think the Maxx will sell like hotcakes once folks catch on. It won't come close to matching the Mazda6 hatch or wagon in termsof driving experience, but the innovative rear seat and rear sunroof should give them a leg up in that department.
Between the Equinox and Maxx Chevy is addressing some gaping holes in its lineup and while the vehicles may not wow the buff books, they may finally begin to actually connect with some car buyers again.
For April 17.
* looks a lot like the Citation or older Saab 9-3
* maybe in black w/nice wheels it looks better
* for the sedan and Maxx...wait 2-years for either the new 6 from the CTS or the supercharged engine to appear and it could be a killer
* wish GM would stop releasing cars with the lesser engine when they have the better units ready to go
* price - what will it be? If it is $24K or less loaded it could be a very sweet deal w/incentives
4 cyl would have been nice, it still may come if people ask for it but I would but the V6 anyway. The new 3.5 is suppose to be nice.
Color choice is bad. GM seem to have all it's new show cars in gray, don't know why?
Maybe this MAXX is really an undercover resurrection of the CUTLASS SALON hatchback of the late70's/ early 80's, with a little extra blip of a trunk on the rear so it doesn't look totally like a hatchback.
The lines are a big more rigid than the citation though. Like I said earlier, kind of a Protege5 meets Citation in profile.
With swooshes.
I like that the Signum is more upscale. The thing is, GM is positioning Chevrolet to be its practical division, not its upscale division. When you look at the Signum and the Maxx, the distinction is obvious.
The Signum has a more toney look inside and out. The Signum rear passenger portion is much more shielded from the outside. The exterior says pamper me.
The Maxx rear passenger will be much more involved with the outside world. The Maxx storage space is much more mini-van practical than the Signums with all of its hooks, cubby holes. Even the front passenger seat lays flat.
The Maxx is a car designed for a more open and engaged lifestyle. The Signum for a more closed and proper one.
What we can hope for is that the hatch style gains more cachet and we do see a more upscale Signum like design either from Saturn or from the new Buick.
You mean the one that puts portholes on the side of Park Avenues and thinks it is being radical? Or the one that resurrects Mr. Earl in its advertising, a man who, though well known among auto buffs, is virtually unknown to Buick's target market? Or do you mean the Buick whose overlap with Cadillac makes marketing very difficult (it used to overlap with Olds as well)? Or the one with its very own version of the Pontiac Aztek? The one that is marketing the Ranier?
A new Buick?
Yep, I'll believe it when I see it. Just like I will believe a new, consistent and sustained marketing and brand philosophy at Mercury when I see that.
Judge car companies by what they DO, not what they say they WILL do. And judge the Maxx after you have seen and driven it! I have high hopes that there is a new GM, but I have had those hopes many, many times before. The best example was all the hoopla before the most radical small car ever introduced. The one that would change the world. I knew that because GM's ads told me so.
And then it came out.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Chevrolet Vega. Produced at Lordstown, Ohio with a largely robotic system, it did indeed make automotive history. Lots of it. Just not the type GM intended. And when did you see the last one of THOSE on the road being driven?
I don't even dare mention the Cadillac Cimmaron, the Cadillac 8-6-4 engine, the Caddy that zigs, the Caddy brought to the US from Italy and marketed with a resale guarantee that cost the company millions and millions (when did you last see one of THOSE?), and on and on and on...
johnclineii : Whole Buick line is gone over the next 3-4 years. Regal replacement is coming next year followed by who knows. Lot's of new Buicks in the works.
reg : If I have to squint to see something then it can't be too obvious.
I did have a strange thing happen twice, about a week apart. I used the fob to unlock the back doors, and when I opened the door, the radio was on. Then when I started the car, I noticed the average speed & fuel econ in the DIC had been reset to zero. I was using my "normal" fob (single, no kids, btw) so no issue of using a different remote, although I can't imagine that would, or at least should, make a difference.
The second time it happened, which was yesterday, when I started the car, the XM radio had "disappeared." Cycling through the radio bands only gave me AM & FM. Turned the radio on & off a couple of times. Then I got a message code "CHECK DAB," then the XM came back on. I checked the manual & found out the code means a hardware problem with the XM.
Any ideas as to what I should ask the dealer to check? I don't want to sound like a complete idiot who doesn't realize he's resetting the DIC, although that may be preferable to them thinking I just forget I do it and have a case of early-onset Alzheimer's. Okay; well, maybe not so early. Thanks.
I could not see the size of the rear moonroof, but it looked bigger than the front. Nice touch.
The back seat looked very, very roomy. Reminded me of the space in the CR-V's back seat, way more than adequate.
Biggest disappointment, to me, was the cargo area size - not that big at all. No way could a 3rd row seat fit in there (reasonably). The hatch is angled and kills any chance of tall or boxy cargo fitting, too.
Seems to me they put ALL the emphasis on the rear seat, not on cargo. They could have moved the rear seat 6 inches forward, seriously, and a boxier rear would have made it as roomy inside as a TrailBlazer.
I did not like the front end styling, similar to the sedan. But the profile and rear look nice in person.
Overall, nice but could have been better. It really, really looks like a Malibu hatchback. She said the wheelbase was something like 6 inches longer than the sedan, and it's hard to see where that extra space went, honestly.
Not that many people were checking it out, and the show was crowded. In fact, while we were there only one other person had questions. The sound from the nearby Buick display drowned out her voice, too. Poor planning by GM.
Wish I could have gotten in to offer more info. Also, the *major* bum news is that our camera dropped and broke after we got just a couple of pictures. Ugh. No Maxx pics, sorry. At least plenty are available on-line.
-juice
And if it does, why didn't the woman who showed you the car know that?
You'll believe it when you see it? Fair enough. But look at some of the other brands. Cadillac has gone rwd and will have 4 rwd vehicles by start of next year when the new STS hits the showroom. Chevrolet will have three major new models (Malibu/Maxx, Equinox, Colorado) by the Fall, Ponitac has the GTO, G6 coming, etc, etc.
And yes, the rear seat in the Maxx does move back and forth. Why didn't the union supplied demonstrator model know? Who knows.
From the pictures I agree, the profile is excellent. Front end is ok and rear is decent. I think the whole car would look better in a dark blue or red. Why GM shows gray show cars I'll never understand.
I guess it depends on your demographic. People with kids emphasize cargo room, for the stroller, port-a-crib, toys, tub, snugli, backpack, diaper bag, etc. To me the back seat just has to fit kids.
But if you cart around adults, say a car pool or something, the Maxx might be perfect.
The model said prices would start at about $21k, and that $21-25k would be what we'd see on the sticker.
I got the impression that cargo space was about the same as the sedan, because the rear hatch glass angle sort of keeps you from loading tall objects. I'm sure the seats fold, so if you want a Malibu hatch back, you'll be happy.
They should save the "Malibu Maxx" label for something more wagonesque, with lots more cargo room. They could easily offer a 3rd Malibu model in that format.
-juice
I realize the price level is competitive, but Dodge showed their Magnum, and even though it was not a debut, it was surrounded by crowds. OK, it's a V8 Hemi with RWD and will cost $30k+, but still, people are looking at the styling, and it manages to be both bigger and more stylish (IMO).
But they may be onto something, most import brands showed crossovers with similar shapes and sizes, like the Lexus HPX.
-juice
I hope they price it under 20k. But they probably won't because I bet they don't want to eat into Vibe sales. Or sales of that little Aveo, which looked pretty decent for such a small vehicle.
To be honest I was disappointed with the design when they first released it last week. I thought it looked like an 80's car at a time when other companies are releasing real new concept crossovers (like the murano). To me the maxx looks dated. I was hoping for more of a hatchback look and instead they tried to make it look like a 3-box sedan. But, the look is kinda growing on me. Give it time, i guess.
I agree COMPLETELY with the others that said it would look better in a darker color. I hate the light gray that GM promotes. The wide black window trim would look cool on a black car. I'm also glad the rear sun roof is fixed (won't open) I heard people talk about the rear one opening with the front one fixed and that would be stupid.
The other thing that bugs me is the focus on the back seat instead of the cargo area. I don't have kids, and I don't want to buy a car catering to the back seat when 90% of the time it will be empty. I'll use the cargo area more often.
I was surprised with all the negative reaction to the V6 engine. Usually people complain about a cars that DON'T offer a V6. Since I've always had 4-cyl cars, I would really appreciate the extra power, especially since the extra cargo space could mean a lot of extra weight in the car.
In a way I guess I wished the maxx was more like a nicer, more expensive Vibe. The Vibe focuses on the cargo area more, but it doesn't have all the cool stuff like a V6, adjustable pedals/wheel, remote start, and rear sunroof.
ateixeira : What I am hoping to do is sell my wife on a crossover car as I am trying to stay away from SUVs. The insurance and gas consumption factors are erased with something like a Maxx (even with a V6). If it's not going to do the job we will look at the Escape, VUE and CR-V.
Reg : The SS looks good, much better color!!
The standard V6 will have a DOD option sometime next year. The DOD V6 will probably get better mileage than the ecotec with a car as heavy as the Maxx.
I have to admit, I like the overall design. I am not happy with how GM arrived at the design.
I read some where that from the Instrument cluster forward, both the Maxx and the Sedan share a common heritage. It's from the I.C. back where there are dramatic sheetmetal departures.
The Malibu Maxx has more in common with the Previous Opel/Vauxhall Vectra (2001)and the current Saturn L series. The '01 5 dr. Vectra and the New Maxx rear hatches are different. I like the Maxx's design better.
Granted, the external Sheet Metal of the Maxx is unique. Its the interior door pans and the interior of the Maxx that are similar to the old Vectra/Saturn LS Sedan. I compared interior shots of the new Maxx , the current Saturn LS sedan, and a 2001 Opel Vectra 5 door.
Interior seat and door panel materials/design aside, The interior windows and trim are nearly identical for all three vehicles. Why did GM go this route instead of using the new door frame design from the 04 Malibu sedan?
I feel as if GM has created a frankenstein, Combining old/new platforms to get desired results. I think GM wasted a lot of money, when they could have just refreshed the Signums exterior sheetmetal to conform to the new Malibus design.
The Maxx is going to sell like hotcakes. Believe it or not, I still may buy one.
My deal breaker is I'm holding out for a 5 or six speed manual transmission and/or the new Opel V6 diesel.
-Ken
The Aveo is cute, tiny too. Big step up from a Chevy Metro, I thought. It's actually made by the ex-Daewoo factory in Korea.
-juice
The Matrix is made at a factory with twice the capacity of the NUMMI factory that makes the Vibe.
In any event, even if your premise is correct, doesn't that contradict your statement car-like hatches sell well?
-juice