Well, I would agree, if you define the term "successful" as simply selling to the public in Camry/Accord numbers. But a vehicle can be successful in other ways than just selling half a million units a year. The 5Gen Malibu not only made a fair profit for GM, but, besides private-owners, enough other people drove enough Malibus, enough miles, at the rental firms, to keep the assembly lines going as those rental cars were worn, sold off as is, reconditioned/sold, and replaced with newer Malibus.

 

Generally, I'm not concered about age or a so-called "dated" look. In my book, either something looks good or it doesn't, regardless of the date of manufacture.That's why, to me, one of the most beautiful airplanes ever built was the Lockheed Super Constellation of the 1950s.....over half a century ago. And one of the best-looking cars was the 1970 Pontiac GTO.

 

That's because, on pickups, it often has to share space on the column-shifter with the TOW/HAUL mode switch which blocks out the highest gears and adjusts engine torque.

 

You really think they look that similar? Much cleaner looking than those Saturns pictured. I'm not a GM fanboy by any stretch but I'd say the new Malibu overall is a pretty solid entry level car.

OP-nice review.

 

Thanks. The new Audi A3 review is coming up when the car is available in my area.

 

I know, right? My work vehicle last summer was a 13' Suburban and I found that little switch awkward to use. Who wants to reach up to the colum shifter to push a button to shift? Of course, it's not something I use regularly. The only practical use I've found so far is for gearing down on a steep descent(which, admittedly, you could do before manual shift came about).

 

Agreed. I used it on my grandad's 2013 F-150 in the mountains last summer hauling the boat to the lake.

 

People getting stuck with a Malibu at Enterprise and driving it for 500 miles doesn't make it a successful car. The fact that it was fleeted to seemingly no end proves that it wasn't successful. Retail buyers weren't buying it, aka actual people weren't going out and spending their money on it.

 

Nice review again.

The previous 7th Gen Malibu was a huge hit for Chevy and did well in comparisons, I liked the exterior design and it had a V6 option, it played a big part in the revival of GM. The next generation went up in price, lost its V6 in the American market, and reviews were pretty poor, sales dropped significantly too. Those Chevy 4 cylinders are not very well suited for a car of its size and weight. They really got it wrong, it is a okay looking car with a homely interior but the new update seems like a improvement. The new Chevy Impala has been stealing a lot of the Malibu's thunder, it has been getting pretty positive reviews not to mention it is a good looking car. I like the styling update on the front end of the new Malibu, it is pretty sharp but I don't like the rear, it is not something I would ever consider.

What other cars do you plan on reviewing marshall?

 

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.


I agree it's not in the Impala's class, but, for the money, IMO, few sedans are.

I have a request for a new A3 sedan review, but it hasn't been released yet in the DC area. I also plan to do the K900 and the Chevy SS.

 

I'll agree with Udel, the last generation had more pizzazz.

Mike, the new A3 launch parties all take place in L.A. next Thursday. I have an slot at the dealer for a test drive, but may be stuck working late that night. Will see. I bring this up because maybe the east coast is sharing a similar launch sequence, making A3's available for testing next week?

 

Toyota's 2.5L 4GR-FSE is superior to the Honda's 2.4L in every way. Perhaps it's a little less fuel efficient at idle. That's it.

Look at the power band of the Lexus 2.5L V6. Honda's 2.4L could only dream



And remember the size difference between Honda 2.4 & Lexus 2.5 is only 0.1L with the Lexus having very small pistons

 

At least it had a V6. The new 2.0T is not a slouch, but it is less-refined.


Thanks. I'm going have a fair amount of (non-review) stuff on my calendar for the next few weeks, but I do have the A3 on my list and will get to it.

 

Deal-breaker for me too. I am not a big fan of the buttons on the center stack, they look really cheap to me and I am not a fan at all of the swooping arcs on each side of the dash.

 

Test drove an A4 last week, but got in the A3 in the showroom while waiting for the salesman. The A4 has a roomier back seat (but the A3 seat is at least as big as my IS), and I don't love the pop up nav, but other than that, I can't see getting the current A4 over an A3.