2008 Chevy Malibu: An American Revolution?

The Malibu is one of the most storied names in Chevrolet’s inventory. Starting in 1964, it was attached to some of the most memorable mid-sized cars in the Bowtie’s long and storied history. But for most of the last four years, it’s been synonymous with "rental car," as a very high proportion of production has gone directly to Avis. For 2008 the Malibu is all-new and Chevy has a lot riding on its success; it is the frontal attack on the class leaders, the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, as it hopes to re-establish Chevrolet as not only a player in this category, but to be the benchmark. Have they succeeded? More…

The answer isn’t as cut and dried as we think Chevy hopes it will be. The problem is not with the Malibu; it matches up well against the Accord and Camry, class-leading or class-competitive in almost every way. That’s the good news for Chevy. The bad news? Two generations of American car buyers have not stepped inside a domestic showroom, and in a nutshell, this is the obstacle that the Malibu must surmount. Thankfully, based on our one-week, 1,000-mile test drive, it is the first domestic mid-size that is fully up to the task.

Unlike many scribes who seemed to have fallen all over themselves in praising the Malibu’s external styling, I have mixed feelings on the looks. To my eye, it’s a handsome design and if this is the future direction of Chevy’s look as far as cars is concerned, then Chevy is headed in the right direction. Is it some cutting-edge design that clearly distances itself from its two main competitors? Certainly not in the way the original Ford Taurus redefined the mid-sized category back in 1986. But in reality, given the segment in which it competes in, the Chevy went as far as it dared. (In the all-important fill-up test, in the three times I went to the pump this past week, no one asked me what I was driving.)

It’s on the inside where the Malibu clearly excels. The Malibu’s interior is clearly world-class, so much so that it is the new benchmark for a car that sells for $20,000 (the price of the base 169-horsepower, 4-cyclinder LS model is $19,645). It is actually another leap beyond the interior of the Saturn Aura which, like the Malibu, shares its underpinnings with the Pontiac G6 as well as the Swedish Saab 9-3 and German Opel Vectra.

Our LTZ test vehicle carries a base price of $26,345 and includes the 252-horsepower 3.6-liter DOHC V6, 18-inch machined sport aluminum wheels, a slick shifting 6-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted control paddles, dual chrome exhaust tips and hydraulic power steering.

Back to the interior, it’s clearly a gem; its two-tone cocoa/cashmere combination looks like it belongs in a far more expensive car. Fit and finish, as well as the materials selected give it a luxury look and feel. I especially like the way that the front cabin is shaped into two individual cockpits and we are certainly not the first observers to notice that this bears a marked resemblance to Corvettes of an earlier era. Overall, it has far more in common with an Audi A4 than a previous generation Malibu, another sign the things are headed in the right direction at GM Design, and that in this case, they won out over the bean counters. Way to go GM.

Where the Malibu falls short in the interior is in the area of infotainment. First, like its sister Epsilon-based cars, the Pontiac G6 and the Saturn Aura, it lacks a true premium-branded high-end audio system and we think that this is an inexcusable omission. While the system sounds acceptable, it’s not in keeping with the over-reaching nature of the rest of the package. And there’s no factory-installed integrated GPS navigation option that can be found in competitive models. (All Malibus include OnStar Gen7 which provides turn-by-turn navigation free for one year, which partially addresses this issue. With portable navigation systems now available for less than $150, this may be a non-issue.)

After having been in a steady diet of mid-sized crossovers and SUV, it felt a bit weird getting fully adjusted behind the wheel at first. Part of the problem is that I like to sit high and this causes an “interface” issue with the bottom of the steering wheel. This required lowering the seat to address ingress/egress issues. What really helped were the adjustable pedals, which insures whether you have short legs or long, you’ll be able to find a perfect driving position.

Driving the Malibu is what you would expect: competent in all ways and certainly competitive with the class benchmarks. The car is exceptionally quiet–which makes the omission of a truly top tier audio system all the more evident–so much so that if you closed your eyes (when in the passenger seat) at 65 MPH, you would think that you’re driving in a larger and more expensive car.

While the ride was exceptional, I felt that the suspension settings were a bit soft, again, a personal preference. Conversely, in this segment, this is not unexpected. This is, after all, a 4-door, 5-seat, mainstream family car. The Saturn Aura which we had tested previously, felt a bit tighter, dare I say sportier. 

In my 1,000-mile week behind the wheel the V6 Malibu delivered 22.5 MPG in a typical mix of in-town and freeway driving, putting it at or near the top of the class. (The EPA numbers are 17 city, 26 highway.) With a 16.3-gallon fuel tank, will easily cruise more than 330 miles between fill-ups. And against the stopwatch, the Malibu acquits itself well with the benchmark 0-60 reached in about 6.5 seconds with top speed electronically limited to 117 MPH. (The V6 Malibu feels like it still has something in reserve.)

What was surprising, when I had rented a 4-cylinder on a recent trip to Florida, it seemed very responsive, so before deciding on the optional V6, be sure to drive the 4-cylinder version as well. It may be all the horsepower you need, something to think about now that gas is at or over $4.00/gallon in many parts of the country. The EPA numbers are 22 city, 30 highway. Expect around 25 MPG in a typical mix of city and highway driving.

(A hybrid version is available, sharing its drivetrain package with the Saturn Aura. It is the lowest priced hybrid available according to Chevy, with a base price of $22,790. It promises a slight improvement in the EPA numbers over the non-hybrid 4-cylinder, 24 city, 32 highway. In our week in the mechanically similar Saturn Aura Hybrid, we registered an impressive 28.8 MPG over 650 miles of mixed driving. Expect the Malibu Hybrid to deliver similar numbers.)

Chevy’s tag line is An American Revolution, and I feel that in this case it is deserved. The new Malibu matches most of the existing benchmarks for a mainstream, mid-sized car, and in the case of its well-appointed interior, exceeds them. The big question that remains to be seen is will the Malibu be enough to get Honda and Toyota loyalists back into Chevy showrooms to take a test drive? If they do, and if Chevy dealers can deliver a winning dealership experience, the Malibu has the goods to bring buyers back into the fold. With excellent fit and finish, responsive 4- and 6-cylinder power trains, an available slick-shifting 6-speed, all wrapped up in a stylish wrapper, the 2008 Chevy Malibu delivers the goods. More than an American Revolution, it’s a winning revolution.