Edmunds says Malibu Maxx won't make the leap to the next gen Malibu.

Link: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/d...rticleId=106179
Source: Edmunds.com / Date Posted 06-22-2005


The five-door Malibu Maxx will be dropped when the new Epsilon models are redesigned beginning in 2008

DETROIT — Financially troubled General Motors will be relying heavily on its front-wheel-drive cars in the future, Inside Line has learned.

The bulk of GM's car sales volume in the future will come from front-wheel-drive platforms: the compact Delta (e.g., Saturn Ion); the midsize Epsilon (Chevrolet Malibu); and the new full-size Chi.

The Saturn Ion was the first North American car derived from Delta. It was followed by the Chevrolet Cobalt. The 2006 Chevrolet HHR, just now being introduced, is the third. A fourth, the Pontiac Pursuit, is for Canada only. The Delta cars will receive a face-lift in model-year 2008, with a full redesign not slated until after 2010, supplier sources told Inside Line.

The midsize Epsilon is GM's workhorse platform. In North America, it will underpin vehicles from six different brands by 2010, including replacements for the Buick LaCrosse, the Chevrolet Malibu, the Pontiac G6 and the Saab 9-3, as well as the new Cadillac BLS and the Saturn Aura, sources told Inside Line. When the Malibu sedan is redesigned, the five-door Maxx will be dropped.

GM also is developing a new full-size front-wheel-drive platform called Chi, though it has not yet been fully approved and funded. It would be the basis for proposed replacements for the Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS and Chevrolet Impala. The first models would not arrive until 2011 at the earliest.

What it means to you: GM will offer buyers a long menu of front-wheel-drive cars in the future. Whether it will have any customers at that point remains to be seen.

 

Cant say that I am disappointed. Its kind of goofy.

 

I'm actually kind of surprised...

In a world where wagon and wagon-like crossovers are coming back, you'd think the Maxx is a relatively cheap way to put on on market, being such a close deriviative of the sedan....

 

I thought the same thing. It is a good value and is very practicle

 

Word is that the next Malibu will have more rear leg room. A Maxx version would be redundant.

 

I agree, I think they look like a$$.

 

So long as they incorporate the same ideas into the sedan i.e. Sliding/folding rear seat and built in rear sunroof (non opening) and alot of rear leg room and an entertainment system... I'm in... Although I always thought the MAXX looked better than the sedan IMO.

Can you tell I have a child???

 

Station wagons suck.

If you need the space, get an SUV.

 

Funny, because one of the local Chevy dealers only stocks Maxxs and base 4 cylinder sedans...one of their salespeople told me all people really want from their lot is Maxxes. Go figure...

 

I would say almost the opposite to people. If you want extra space, get a wagon, unless you plan to tow (many do) or go off roading (yeah, right).

Wagons go, stop, turn, and use fuel like cars (good).
SUVS go, stop, turn, and use fuel like trucks. Newer crossover SUVs are better, sort of a compromise, but still not equivalent to cars. Check out the fuel economy, acceleration, handling and braking of a Malibu Maxx vs. a Trailblazer or an Equinox...

Wagons are Remember when the stupid X5 came out, and it turned out that the 5 series wagon had MORE space for cargo?

Anyway, I'm surprised by this news too (if it is true, which I question). The Maxx seems to sell alright. The Mazda 6 has a sedan AND a hatchback AND a wagon, and the wagon style of Epsilon is utilized by Opel. The Maxx made for a rather unique entry (no more Accord or Camry wagon, no midsize wagon from Ford or DCX, no wagon version of the Pontiac and Saturn Epsilons, which get the Maxx's wheelbase but not the rear hatch). Maybe by "dropped" they mean the current hatchback style configuration will be dropped in favor of a true wagon? Or, maybe the Maxx is going away but will be replaced with a wagon/hatch version of the Aura? (Pure speculation; I've seen/heard no evidence of that)...

 

If you need the space, get a minivan.

Of course, you couldn't pretend to be Ahnold and intimidate Miata drivers with a minivan. But it would save owners from having to buy those $20 cans of fake mud to make their SUVs look like they actually touched tread to gravel.

I think the Maxx is better looking than the sedan too. Wagons extract hardly any penalty versus their sedan siblings in terms of size or weight, yet return a bunch more functionality. Same with hatchbacks. I was looking forward to their mass acceptance again.

 

I didnt want a big mondo SUV with poor handling. I wanted a CAR that could pack a lot of stuff for travel and for just flat out cargo space.

 

Remember that we're getting Epsilon crossovers, too. With that in mind, I dont think there's a need for the Maxx.

Regardless, I'll take my big *** fuel sipping SUVs any day of the week.

 

My gf and I are considering the Maxx for our baby hauler. I would hope that they don't drop it. I like what it is. An extended sedan, or whatever they called it instead of a wagon. I guess I just like how it doesn't have the traditional rounded off roof line in the back.

 

I don't care for the looks of the Maxx. I was surprised that GM actually produced it, to be honest. Seemed out of place for GM, especially with the minivans, and the vibe already there.

As far as the space issue goes. It's VERY hard to beat a minivan. I have a Chevy Venture, and I can fit a full 4'x8' sheet of plywood or drywall on the floor of the van with all the doors closed. Many truck beds can't even fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood anymore, and I'm not sure if any SUV's could fit one in there. Maybe the Suburban could.

I've stuffed the Minivan to the gills, with people/luggage/stuff on long road trips and it still gets 25+ mpg on the interstate. I'm a true convert to the minivan for the family car. Plus it's been 100% trouble free after 4+ years and 45000 miles.

The only advantage to a SUV, in my opinion, is the ability to tow, and serious offroad capability, which the majority of owners don't do anyway.

Dan