Oddly enough, the current Camry looks smooth and expensive. (Almost better than the Lexus ES!) The Altima looks fairly exciting, and even the Accord has shaken off its dorky profile. Cars in this class don't have to be completely anonymous anymore....

Okay, the Mazda 6 and Acura TSX do look exactly alike, more so than any other modern cars that come to mind.

My point is that mainstream midsized cars have moved a long way from boring refrigerators. If you want performance, shop Nissan. If you want luxury, shop Toyota. If you can't decide, go for a Honda Accord.

However, the Malibu is going a player down in the Hyundai/Kia league. Even there, the cars have started to get a distinctive, over-chromed look. The Malibu is a bland, but ugly appliance. I don't much see who is going to buy it.

 

You can still be conservative and have good proportions and styling. Styling is a weakness of Japanese cars - why not take advantage of it? Really, look at the new accord and camry sedans...they really look odd from some angles.

 

I agree. The new Accord has some very odd proportions. The Malibu doesn't look nearly as odd.