I typically try not to spill or spit on presenters during a media preview. So, I have to say that I’m glad Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager, was just far enough a way that he didn’t get hit when I laughed out loud just after taking a sip of water.
He was introducing us to “The car you can’t ignore” commercials for the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The first one, called “The jogger” consists of two 15-second spots that sandwich another commercial. In the first spot, a jogger runs into a generic old-model midsize car. OK, ha, ha. It’s so nondescript she didn’t even notice it, and, bam, runs right into it. After a word from a different sponsor, the second spot appears, and the jogger is still on the ground (Note: Jill takes a sip of water). She gets up, shakes it off, and, bam, runs right back into the side of the car (Cue watery, out-loud laughter).
That she would run into the car once was funny. That she would do it again was, to me, hilarious. Point well made, Chevrolet.
There are a lot of ho-hum, utterly ignorable midsize cars on the market right now. But the 2008 Malibu is about to change that. From exterior design to ride and handling, there is nothing boring about the new Malibu.
The exterior lines are long, lean and luxurious, and they wax slightly reminiscent of a Lexus ES. The front end, however, might remind you of a recent Chevrolet dream car. I definitely see a little of the Volt concept in the grille and get a sense that this Malibu is just the beginning of many good things for Chevrolet.
I have zinged more than one General Motors product because of its by-rote interior. While the Malibu does maintain the generic GM audio interface, the rest of the interior design is awesome. In fact, I’d even go so far as to describe it as shocking – especially if you’re looking at the ebony-and-brick color scheme. Those who are more conservative in the color arena can opt for the less dramatic but equally attractive cocoa-and-cashmere color scheme or the titanium monochromatic cloth-only option. Taking color out of it, the brushed aluminum accents and overall design add visual interest and an upscale quality.
I do have one minor quibble with the placement of the outside mirror adjustment, however. It was mounted on the dashboard rather than the door, which made even taller drivers stretch to make the adjustment. Then, when leaning back, the mirrors had to be readjusted.
The rest of the controls were well-placed and easy to reach, and I was particularly impressed not only with the placement but also the overall appearance of the instrument cluster. The gauges are clear by day and have glowing blue accents by night.
It’s hard to believe that this car starts at $19,995.
Both the base cloth seating surfaces and the up-level leather seats were soft and comfortable, and the manual lumbar adjustment was perfect. The side bolsters, thigh bolsters and seat length were all perfect. I was behind the wheel of three different vehicles, two cloth and one leather, for a total of 4 hours and didn’t feel tired or sore at the end of the trek.
I was able to get an excellent driver’s position in all models both with and without the optional adjustable pedals, with and without the power adjustable seats. There were two key features that helped me achieve this: 1) the tilt/telescoping steering wheel, and 2) the knee groove carved out of the underbelly of the dash on the right side of the steering wheel that keeps drivers in the far-forward position from bumping their knee when moving from gas pedal to brake.
During the preview, I got behind the wheel of a base LS, a hybrid and an up-level LTZ model. The ride remained remarkably the same in all three, and only the packages, engines and pricing changed.
The base LS has a 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine that delivers 169 horsepower. My first reaction when hitting the streets was: This is a four-cylinder engine? It sure was, and it was one of the smoothest, quietest and oomphiest four bangers I’ve ever driven.
When I got behind the wheel of the LTZ model with the 3.6-liter V-6 engine that delivers 252 horsepower, I could definitely see the difference. But without driving the vehicles back-to-back, I’m not sure I would have realized what I was missing. On top of a nice amount of pep, the four-cylinder engine also maintains a 30 mpg EPA fuel rating on the highway, even with the new 2008 testing. City mpg rings in at 22. The V-6 engine city/highway numbers drop to 17/26 mpg.
The hybrid Malibu, which bases at $22,790, utilizes the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, but is mated to a hybrid propulsion electric system. The Malibu is considered a mild hybrid, so unlike the Toyota system that can run on electric-only power, the Malibu runs completely on the gasoline engine, but the engine shuts off when at a stop. This is what allows you to get better fuel consumption, especially during city driving. EPA estimates for the Malibu Hybrid are 24 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway, just 2 mpg better than the regular four-cylinder, gas-only model.
Up and down the lineup, I was incredibly impressed with each Malibu I drove. The comfort, the interior quietness and the handling were all well above the current bar for a midsize sedan. On highways and wending country roads, the Malibu gave this driver a great connection to the road, and there were a couple of fast curves that actually produced the fun-to-drive smile on my face.
On the list of new cars out in 2008, the Malibu is a must-drive with a very good price point. Just try to ignore it. It won’t be easy.
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