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Couldn't agree with you more about the comments on the motor. Very smooth and responsive and great MPG. On trips I have consistently averaged 32 to 33 MPG.
One final word about professional reviewers. I have to keep reminding myself that they are just people. As such, they can't help bring their personal preferences into it. IE: Seats too hard - too soft - Leather/Cloth etc. As for the magazines they write for, there can't be any doubt that some are absolutely blinded by the Japan twins, (H & T). Before I purchased my Maxx, I test drove both of the Japan twins. They drove and performed well enough but one had an interior fit and finish that I could write a book on, it was that bad. As I said, they drove well enough but nothing outstanding. After the test drives, I found myself thinking, "What was so special about that"? I had to be honest and answer, they are both look-a-likes and cost more than a similarly equipped Maxx but didn't drive any better. Since I purchased one of the first egg cars (1986 Taurus) and have driven eggs for nearly 20 years, I was looking for something different. So far, very happy with my choice.
Still, there are a lot more rattles in the Malibu than there should be.
The Camry's a nice car, with a nice ride and nice materials/seats, but nothing special. The next day I test drove a 2006 Maxx LT to compare the two (I'm not currently in the market, but, with prices the way they are, a 6 month old, and the utility/safety/economy of the Maxx, I could be tempted). There was little discernable difference between the two.
The interior of the Maxx was all black - and it looked/felt great. The only area here where the Camry (also all black) was better was the center console - materials a hair better and it has a cover for the cupholders. In the Maxx I was thouroughly impressed with the new steering wheel (and the contrasting stitching on it and the shifter), the chrome around the clear, simple guages and shifter, the quality of the plastics, and the seats.
The Maxx was QUIETER on the highway than the Camry, which had some excessive wind noise at 70-75 MPH. The ride was comparable, and handling/body roll better. The V6 in the Maxx was quiet and smooth and had much more of a punch than the 4cyl of the Camry.
At a price of over $4000 less than the Camry, and similarly equiped (both had ABS, single CD, sunroof, but no side airbags) the Maxx/Camry are equals. In fact, even at the same price an objective person would have a difficult time deciding between the two (not taking into account the Camry's resale value - which is the only area where it has a clear advantage).
Now if I can get the wife into a showroom.......I'd have a Maxx in the driveway!
On our 05 Maxx I get the same, but more of a clicking "ratchetting" type noise. Very loud!...mostly when the wheel is turned hard left and backing out. What could this be?
I took to the dealer for a number of things not long ago and mentioned we had this clicking from day 1. They said they couldn't duplicate it! Now with 20K on the odometer, its still there.. not getting worse but anoying. D~
Sorry to hear Chevy is bowing to bling-bling and sticking more chrome in the Maxx interior (chrome door handles excepted - those look nice and are no problem wrt reflections). I recently drove an HHR and found its gauge chrome trim annoying - made it harder to read gauges and occasionally subjected me to sun glare.
The Maxx is a nice car overall, but too bad GM's not going to follow through with some once-hinted-at features like AWD. Toyota borrowed some of the Maxx for their '06 RAV4, and that one's looking like a real winner.
On our 05 Maxx I get the same, but more of a clicking "ratchetting" type noise. Very loud!...mostly when the wheel is turned hard left and backing out. What could this be?
I took to the dealer for a number of things not long ago and mentioned we had this clicking from day 1. They said they couldn't duplicate it! Now with 20K on the odometer, its still there.. not getting worse but anoying. D~
I get that as well. In my case however, it is pretty recent. It is now progressing to where it feels kind of like a door that is stuck. You know if you try to move a door that is partially open and it doesn't want to go at first? Like that. Plus it variably looses power when turning into parking spaces. Sometimes it is fine, sometimes it gets a little stiff, sometimes it gets very stiff.
Keep in mind that there is probably a lot more markup in that Camry than the Malibu. Plus you are paying for the Toyota nameplate. Also, the V6 is a relatively old technology, whereas Toyota's 4cyl is more up to date.
Back to winter handling...My 'Bu has about 33k on it now. The factory bridgestone 450s were squirrely and a bit noisy on dry pavement, and hydroplaned on 1/4" of water. I tried a new 'Bu at a dealer right after a rain storm and the results were similar, so I figured the tires were just plain poor. I bought the Tripletreds a few weeks ago and now have about 3,500 miles on them. They are smoother and quieter (at 35 psi) than the factory Bridgestones at 32 psi. They corner much better and do not hydroplane like the Bridgestones did.
Then the snow came...We got about 5" of snow at home after some rain. The roads were slick, to put it mildly. When I got to work (62 miles north of here) we had almost 10" of fresh snow over ice. To keep this in context, the roads were poor, but not impassable. A lot of the snow had been driven off the roads by high winds, so it was really like driving on maybe 3 or 4" of snow over iced roads.
The car handles WAY better than my old Chevy Prizm (Corolla twin). The tires held well and brakes were perfect. It was really not like driving in snow has EVER been before.
Then came last night. We got freezing rain. I drove to work this morning and it was 18 degrees. the roads had been greased by a bit of freezing rain. When I got to work, which is at the top of a hill on a back country road, I did not realize how slippery it was. There were at least 20 cars in the ditch during my 60+ mile commute, but I had figured that it was from rain earlier at night.
When I shut off the 'Bu and tried to stand up, I slipped and nearly fell. Mind you, I have worked construction for over 20 years and am very aware of how to move in ice. I simply did not know it was slippery.
The Tripletreds are amazing. They really are very good on ice. I don't think I will drive 90 mph on a solid sheet of smooth ice, but I was none the less amazed at how well they did grip on the treacherous roads this morning. Both of the people I work with had a tough time getting in this morning.
Tires make all the difference in the world. The 'Bu takes advantage of these great Goodyear tires. I am really amazed at the first few weeks of winter with the Malibu sedan and the Tripletreds.
I hope this helps you. By the way, I would hate to have been driving on the factory tires during either of these storms.
I've had experiences where a new pair of tires make my car ride like an old truck - harsh, noisy. The stock tires do ride pretty well. But their grip is not all that good.
Larry :-)
Sorry, but I can't help you in the Invictas. My OEMs were Bridgestone 450s, an extremely light tire with apparently an excellent rolling resistance. Unfortunately, their grip is poor (and I drive VERY sensibly) and they squealed around corners if going more than about 5 mph. I had 28k miles on them when I got really worried about how bad they could potentially be in snow. As bad as they were in rain, I was truly afraid of snow, and I put about 40k miles a year on my work vehicle. The tripletreds are much better (so far) than I had expected. They are easily the best tire I have ever put on a vehicle, and I generally run Michelins. They are not a soft tire, yet they are not overly stiff. They handle like the car is on rails. Rough roads are conveyed as such, but with a dull thud rather than a sharp jolt. The tires are slightly more quiet on rough roads than the OEMs, but they are MUCH more quiet on smooth pavement. The OEMs have a bit smoother ride. I was looking for a smoother, more quiet ride than the OEMs, but what I found with the Tripletreds was a ride that was firm enough to be better handling (instead of spongy...which is how I would now describe the OEMs) yet not rough and stiff.
I am trying to describe them to you the best I can. I have always liked a serene, soft and comfortable ride. Perhaps the stiffer Tripletreds mate better to the Malibu sedan's suspension. Although they feel stiffer and much better controlled than the OEMs, their stiffness is conveyed more to me as a feeling for the road than a harsh ride. This may not make sense, but it is my only way of describing it.
If I had not taken a roughly 6% hit in overall fuel economy when I had them installed, I would be giddy with glee over these tires. Instead, I will just say that in 22 years of driving, I have NEVER been as amazed with a tire as I am with these (so far...I will make a better judgement in a year or so). The mileage is the only thing I can grumble about, and I would bet that switching to a lot of other tires would have produced the same results. These tires are much heavier than the OEMs and can not be expected to roll as well.
Sorry about the long winded response, but...I would give these tires an "A". The "A+" will come when the rolling resistance on these tires decreases to what the OEMs were.
By the way...I HATED Goodyear. Every Goodyear tire I ever tried was aweful. That is, until these Tripletreds.
Having said all that, it really weaves me that the law requires (as a favor to the oil companies) that oxygenated fuel still be sold during the winter time- this gas was formulated to reduce emissions of older carbureted cars, but modern fuel injected autos are inherently cleaner. Oxygenated fuel tricks the fuel control modules of these modern cars into thinking that the air is denser, thus requiring more fuel input. That is at least one reason why oxygenated fuel gives us poorer fuel mileage. Another windfall for the oil companies- the cost of development has already been accounted for, so instant 6% (plus or minus) increase in profits per unit volume during the winter time.
Or maybe the above is all a bunch of malarkey...but I don't think so.
stock tires for 2004 were bridgstone insignia se200
The Leading Consumer Magazine thought highly of the tripletreads...only minus was Ice traction (only fair).
and I agree, I have had bad luck with Goodyear before (my Prism had those - every one of them went bad long before tread was supposed to wear out.
My Prizm (1999) came with Goodyears. I put Michelin X Radials on it. They were good tires in everything except snow. They also gave great mpg. After these tires, I am not sure anything else will ever go on a car of mine. Of course, the truck will still get Revos.
Larry in Iowa :-)
My question is this: After the long trip,I got gas,& had a hard time starting the car again. I have been reading about hard starts here so I need to know if I need to know about any TSB and where do I find them?
Thank you in advance for any help you can give this new Maxx owner
My '04 Maxx got its 30K inspection today. Not so great; they forgot to reset oil life, torqued all wheels wrong (many bolts way over 100 psi spec), set all tire air pressures wrong.
Meanwhile, steering columm which has been replaced by one dealer, repaired twice by another dealer, was diagnosed as needing replacing __again__ by the 30k mile dealer. The driveline is getting a lot of slack in it as well - may require transmission replacement (my Maxx was built around the period of bad transmissions).
I'm very worried about reliability. Has GM redesigned the columm so it can last a decent vehicle lifetime? And is driveline slop a signal that the trans is one of the bad ones?
Here in the states most rust proofing dealers went out of business because there really is no longer a need; additionally, you have to take your car in at least once-a-year for inspection at the tune of $75-100 a pop.
You do not need to hold the key in the start position-just twist th key to the start position, then release. The computer chips will actually start the car for you--and faster than if you try it yourself.
dont have any drive line slack you are referring too and still with the orignal steering column in my 04 Maxx....Feb 04 build date so right at the beginning of the steering column fix.....havent had any work done on the transmission.....guess the "howl" isnt there or I simply dont notice it......approaching 55K on my car...and no problems at all....
I think I would get a second opinion your steering column..have you noticed any symptoms yet......
would seem this is a major recurring problem for GM/Chevy on the steering column..wondering if there is enough to warrant a recall perhaps..vice simple warranty repairs...
Actually, it won't start any faster. When you turn the key to start it signals the PCM to engergize the starter. Once the key hits start it doesn't care what you do with the key as long as it doesn't move out of the Run position. You could leave it all day in start and it won't take it any longer to start and it won't do any damage.
My Maxx is going to need some major repairs very soon (the steering columm glitches now qualifies the car as a "Lemon"), and would like to have one more try at getting the big gremlins out of this car before the warranty expires.