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Dinu
If
Malibu=Mainstream
And
Malibu = Not Exciting/Fun to Drive
Therefore
Malibu = Another pointless car on the market
Domestic automakers should learn to make a fun to drive car, not appliances and trucks. The same can be said for Toyota and to some extent Honda.
We need more Mazdas, Subarus, Nissans, BMWs in this world and less Chevy/Pontiac/Buick.
But that's another issue.
Dinu
I wouldn't call Honda more sporting than average anymore. 1996 is a long time ago.
We need more mazda 6's obviously the public has shown their overwhelming preference for midsize sport family sedans emphasizing sport.
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/amulay2003
What will you say about the Cavalier/Sunfire then. Tons of sales, yet so inferior. They sure aren't tops in any comparo.
The fact that the American public did not warm up to the Mazda6 yet is another example of ignorance - something so many are so good at in NA.
The Mazda6 has won "Car of the Year" and been voted to #1 status on many occasions.
http://www.mazda.fi/awards/awards_eu.htm
I doubt the Malibu will win anything.
Dinu
I'm not a fan of "tuning" a car, but I like to drive a well-made sporty car, something the 6 is and the Malibu isn't. There's nothing wrong with a 4-wheel independent suspension, steering feel, less body roll, excellent brakes, 17" alloys. I think you have F+F mixed with a driver's car - one is for show, the other to be driven.
Spoilers? On the Mazda6, the car looks good even without one. Side skirts? Not my thing.
Styling-wise, one has it, the other doesn't.
Performance-wise, one has it, the other doesn't.
Quality-wise, both could turn out to be reliable (both are too new to judge now), but one will be reliable in a coarse, unrefined kind of way, the other won't.
Dinu
And you fault Chevy for addressing the larger market? Unbelievable.
Chevy plays the high sales game well with run-of-the-mill, nothing-to-write-home-about type of cars. And people like those cars - this is what I find unbelievable!
This is one thing that upsets me. The other is the way of thinking of some people that put more thought on the # of cupholders than on the car's brakes or suspension type. And I know I can't change that either (: Two cupholders for a car and 4 for a minivan should be enough. Let's see more 4-wheel independent suspensions, 4-wheel disc brakes, dual mufflers for improved performance, side blinkers for safety, mandatory rear windshielf wipers on sedans (yes it's possible) and the like.
Dinu
By the same token, please be aware that trolling or continuous negative postings, that only serve to disrupt a topic, will not be tolerated in our discussions. It's okay to critique a vehicle as long as you can use civil/friendly debate, stay on topic, and respect other members as you would in a public arena.
Please note: any further back/forth bickering or off topic posts will be automatically deleted. And let's get back to the subject of the Chevy Malibu Maxx. Thanks!
Revka
Host/Hatchbacks & Wagons
A few features the Maxx has..
-Fixed rear skylight over the rear seat
-60/40 split rear seats travel independently fore/aft 7in to prioritize passenger comfort or cargo capacity
-power-adjustable pedals
I was impressed with the Mazda 6 GT as a FWD "sport sedan" until I drove a Saab 9-3 sedan listed for $2500 more CAD.
I saw an 04 Malibu LT on the lot today. Black. I won't get into the whole powertrain thing as y'all know that GM is forced to put cheaper pushrod motors under hood because of them higher labor costs, to stay competitive. So I will limit this to appearance, etc. Not being able to sit in the car is a handicap, but here is an initial impression.
Exterior styling- in black it helps but the freakish front and chunky rear again makes me wonder why the Vectra skin wasn't good enough? In comparison to the Camry and Accord which are not attractive either, let me just say the Impala at least fits in, aside from its freakshow grille and headlights and loserish and juvenile swoooshes on the sides which the black paint still cannot hide. Flabby and blocky rear is high and seemingly short. Overall though, you won't puke. It certainly is bland enough and not totally offensive to the point that you couldn't buy one and still face your neighbors.
As far as panel gaps and assembly quality on the exterior, it appears dramatically improved. Much like the assembly quality on the Grand Prix, it seemed like it was assembled with a much higher level of precision than before and not noticeably subpar compared to the competition. The paint job was poor and wavy though.
The spoiler helps. Wheels did not look typical GM cheeseball either.
Interior.
Again I will reiterate that I have liked the interior design shapes of the dash panels and door panels and the gauge layout and center stack shape. The seats' shape looks ok too. A chevy with rear headrests? WOW. The dash is even more stylish in person, as far as forms. Doors too. And just the right amount of chrome/metal look. (LT).
i'm too tired to retype what i said about the interior. Basically the interior is pretty nice with some obvious flaws like the shifter and steering wheel and carpet quality. Leg room appears small(certainly not bigger than the Mazda6).
Again I lament why the Malibu needs it freakish ugly exterior when the tasteful Vectra exterior was fine. You might be able to drive a Chevy now and not have your neighbors talk about you behind your back. Just don't show em the ugly front end. It looks like it might swallow their children.
I'd give on looks and feature content a B or B-. Give us a real steering wheel and shifter. Make some of the center stack switches less cheap looking and throw Vectra skin and a cammy motor in it and then we get closer to A status.
4 wheel discs BTW. Thanks for joining the 21st century GM.
Oh yeah, the ULTRALUX (lol) leather inserts are cheeesy. Buy a cloth car and get your leather which will be no doubt superior from classicsofttrim.com.
really like the cockpit feel of the dash.
BTW when I said more expensive labor in the previous post, I meant that GM is forced to put cheaper pushrod motors in to make up for the fact that they most likely are necessitated to do things like that to make up for exhorbitant union labor costs that the Nissans and Hondas and Toyotas have been able to avoid so far.
Did you sit in the car? Obviously you didn't test yet.
Alero is small inside comapritively. That said, our base Alero was cheaper than a Civic, is bigger and has more features.
Dindak: When does it come out in Canada? On the GM Canada site it lists the sedan as a future vehicle and there's no word of the MAXX. Are we getting the MAXX?
Dinu
1) Thanx snaab and reg for all of the great insights. I'm jealous.
2) Managed to finally make it all the way thru the 10/03 Motor Trend and C&D last nite. Sure you've all discussed them already (also picked up lunch today at the nearby supermarket and snagged the 10/03 Road&Track before checking out; no driving impression; not surprised - they HATE American iron). But, I finally figured out what's wrong with the front end. The insistance on the stupid truck chrome bar. If that were gone, the hood would be lower, so the front would look less huge and the headlights would be more aerodynamic. Apparently, Chevy has learned it's lesson. It's dropping the equally-dumb rear chrome bar that was on the '03 Cavalier in place of a simple gold bowtie. The chrome bar looks great on the trucks with their huge front-ends, but shouldn't be on the cars.
3) (This one's for reg) Check out today's AutoWeek.com for a zillion pics from Frankfurt (in too much of a rush to post the link; sorry. Especially note the Saab 9-3 SportHatch and the summary around the pic. If THAT'S a blur between a hatchback and a wagon (that's a wagon, for sure), then exactly what's a Maxx???).
4) Guess maxx wasn't successful in getting his hands on a new Malibu this weekend. Haven't checked the Malibu forum; am about to and that's why I'm so rushed.
Harry
wpbharry : I saw the review in Automobile Magazine today. Basically they said the Malibu was competitive in every way and was a great value. Better highway ride than the Accord they also commented, but over all very bread an butter like the Camcords.
Remember, I have a '98 'Bu. Thought the trunk was awfully small with nasty hinges, thought it's cheap that the engine doesn't even say 3500 V-6, and once again a prop rod....
The pix of the GP (thanks for having those on there, snaab) are in most ways more appealing to me. Uh oh (and the chances for a juicy rebate are greater on that car, too).
Harry
They have a black LS at my closest local dealerships showroom. I got to look inside, but didn't have time to do any real checking out. The passenger side front seat felt fairly comfortable, but I didn't really notice the material (other than that it was cloth, not leather / etc.)
I really like the overall fit and finish of the car, though I noticed one seam around the center stack where it meets the dashboard where I could actually make out the edge of the plastic that covers the vents / climate controls / stereo. That was a bit of a disappointing surprise, since I expected that the edges would meet more cleanly, or at least in a way that would hide the actual molded edge of the plastics. That's not to say that it was a large gap, because it wasn't. Maybe only pencil lead thickness. But enough that I could possibly slide a small business card into it.
A salesman was overeager about trying to sell me one, even though I told him I'd just recently bought the Trailblazer and only wanted to check out the new Bu to decide whether or not to put it on my list for the future. This guy was the pushiest I've ever met at this dealer, and I guess he is new, since I haven't seen him before. Despite the pushiness, he did manage to show me something I hadn't known- the manumatic mode of the transmission. If anyone hasn't, take a look at the photos posted by snaab of the shifter. You'll notice the button on it has a '+' and '-' on it. I didn't actually work it myself, but the pushy salesman turned the ignition power to on (without starting the car) and then proceeded to put the car into drive, after which he used the button to up/downshift, and demonstrated on the instruments where the current gear is displayed as the car showed 3.. 2.. 1.. 2.. 3 etc.
I really didn't know GM had moved to a manumatic transmission (other than the 2nd gear start feature that they've had on some models for a while now, and especially not on the Chevrolet models; I knew the new GP had it, but that is understood, given that car's competition).
Am stopping by my dealer later this morning to snoop. Have to run. Will report back.
Harry
Harry: I agree with you about the cloth interior. I was alarmed when I saw snaab's pictures. I hope this is "fixed" and/or the grey interior diminishes the chessboard look. I don't like it at all. Also, compared to my 626, the seats look flat and unsupportive. I am glad to have read snaab's and other's posts claiming the seats as comfortable.
It would be a good selling point for some people I suppose.
As I said, the car wasn't started, so I only got to see the salesman shifting up and down through the gear selections. I guess it doesn't actually hold the selected gear like a true manumatic would though, based on your feedback. And that's what's so interesting about manumatics in the first place!
dindak: I guess that's also why it hasn't been hyped anywhere. snaab's info sounds like they just changed the shifter layout from moving the shift for all the gears onto the button instead. Bummer.
The +/- feature is called "Extended Range Selector" and it's standard. Sorry, maxx. Don't think it's anything likely to break. Just put it in drive and forget it even exists.
maxx, you'll have to do the "adjustable pedal test" I guess. We're so far away from the plant that it could be a few more weeks. Official intro is 9/25 or 10/1. He couldn't recall right then and there.
Jerry, exactly right. From the pix I've seen, the markings on the floor are "PRND" and that's it. I'd hope "123" etc. is on the dash indicator. Think so, judging from what you said.
Harry
Harry- I only spent maybe 2 minutes checking out the interior of the showroom demo (was running errands for the wife, so I guess I was lucky I got that..). Because of that, I concentrated on my main concerns first, that being primarily the design and fit / finish of the interior. The transmission thing was brought up by the salesman as I was getting ready to walk back out of the showroom and I hadn't noticed the actual markings on the floor. But you're absolutely correct about the gear being indicated on the instrument panel display. The PRND(123) indicator is pretty much in the same position in the new instrument cluster that it appeared in the older models, at the bottom near the odometer.
I had a salesman try to convince me that a stripper S-10 four cylinder was a great truck when what I was really shopping for was an extended cab 1500. That was when I eventually settled on my first Malibu, after I came to the conclusion that there weren't any trucks offering enough space for my family in my price range. My salesman DID profit, in that instance. (I was looking for something that could haul both my family AND larger items like furniture at the time, but had to give in and make do with only toting the family until my credit was stronger.)
You guys are all talking about the manumatic tranny in the MAXX like it's some type of high tech gizmo, yet fail to notice some manufacturers have had these for a few years now:
Honda's PRND321 (Had it in a 93 Civic)
Mazda's SportAT (Activematic in Europe) standard on AT-equipped Mazda6 (I4 or V6) and even on the Protege since 2002 (I believe).
So if GM finally puts a manumatic in a car it's a big deal? A nice feature to have yes, but not the talk of the towm
So, does it come with a 5spd MT?
Dinu
Ok I'll stop picking on the seats.
I'm guessing it's not available in MT.
Dinu
People still risk buying Honda automatic trannies?
So there shouldn't be a problem with the 'feature' either, unless you just really have something against limiting the maximum gear the car can go into. (That's what the floor selection really did before too- basically, it didn't keep the car from downshifting to a lower gear, only limited the upper gear and worked well for steep grades, 2nd gear starts, etc.) A true manumatic limits the car to the gear itself, no lower, no higher, except maybe if the engine is almost stalling..