Car was in the shop this weekend. So I wandered the lot. We've been talking about panel gaps, so I paid extra attention to that. In that sense, I'm duly impressed with the Malibu. The interior looks the part...Much improved! There was a new Maxima in the lot as well. It was very comperable with the body gaps. The Imps and MC's on the lot were not nearly as impressive in that area....definitely noticable if you're looking!

 

The other day I went to the dealership as well and checked out the Malibu. The sticker on it was pretty high (can't remember right now) but it was a tad high for cloth interior. However I know with incentives and the host of standard features it is a good price but for some reason though it looks good it is not stunning inside or out but hey I guess thie market segment wasn't meant to be.

Good to see GM wake up and make a quality product that can stand with the best from the world..Hopefully people realize this as well and not just GM fans...

 

Yeah Joe, I noticed that too. The Malibu is not much to look at unless you get up really close and notice it's much improved fit and finish.

I hope that this is a sign of things to come from GM (I mean the fit/finish, not styling direction). Eventhough it seems many here don't care about that stuff......the rest of the world notices it.

 

The car I saw was apparently a loaded LT. It had an MSRP of 25,000....Keep in mind that's maxed out!

If I had to have a second car purchased new...Malibu Maxx LS would definitely be up there. Good utility/people hauler with decent "get out of it's own way" performance. Only options I'd need would be the sunroof and floormats...and MSRP would be around 23,000. Not a bad deal with all that comes standard.

http://www.chevrolet.com/malibu/popup/specs/index.html

 

Yeah I saw one this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. I can't say I took a real close look at it, but at a glance it looked very nice. My Dad (who is not a huge car guy) only comment was, "they just don’t make Malibu’s like they used to." I guess he was referring to the good old days

 

My Malibu observations:

1. Dull paint. Why is GM paint quality getting worse, rather than better? Three or four years ago they were leading the domestics in this regard. Now everything from a Caddy to a Chevy has the same "Ford Quality" paintwork.

To be fair, while all Toyotas have great paint quality, the Japanese models are painted better than the American assembled ones. Go figure. Same for German-built Passats as opposed to Mexican-built Jettas. Do car from Germany and Japan shine brighter, literally?

2. Cheap tires. Why should every mainstream GM product have crappy tires? If I wouldn't buy them as replacements, why should I accept them on a brand new car?

3. Horrible seating fabrics. The Malibu LS has the same quality of fabric as that found on the cheapest Dodge Neon. We're talking "polyester leisure suit" material. GM used to top the industry in terms of interior fabric quality. My, how the mighty have fallen.

Far from being the sign of "great things to come," the Malibu is just a new low in GM product planning. It has come to market with 20-45hp less than the competition and its smaller than comparable Japanese products. Size and power used to be domestic strengths, not weaknesses.

Of course, the Malibu does have class leading fuel economy ratings. So, the Japanese are losing their MPG bragging rights. This last piece of evidence pretty much sums up where the Malibu is pointed. This is a cheapskate car, meant for the "frugal consumer." As such, it doesn't merit the interest of any enthusiast, or even of any concerned motorist.

We should all thank GM for reintroducing the undersized/low-powered approach to automotive design. Just when we thought the shame of the mid-1980s downsizing was long forgotten, its back again.

 

Dull paint my foot. If GM paint is so bad, how is it that only two manufacturers currently surpass GM in JDPower's initial quality surveys? Here, take a look at the 'dull paint' on my 04 GTP Comp G: http://www.mwshowgo67.com/compgroup04/brandnewpix.htm

Cheap tires? My GTP came with BFG Comp T/A's... not a bad tire in my book. As for the 04 Malibu its tires are plenty good to satisfy the car's buyers in what you call a 'frugal segment'.

Seating fabrics - haven't sat in the new Malibu, but I can attest that the leather on my 04 GTP is MUCH higher quality than was the buffalo hide on my 98 GTP.

Less HP than competition - what exactly do you envision as the car's competitors? The Accord is the chief outlyer at 240 hp - but how many 'frugal' buyers are fretting about having max HP?

If you don't like midsize economy cars, don't get one. They're obviously not meant for you.

 

I used to drive a 99 Malibu, Affinity tires Even for these "frugal people"

Hope they changed that for the 04