Malibu Maxx offers Chevy concept of 'blue-collar tech'
John Gilbert
Budgeteer News
A friend of mine owns a Chevrolet Malibu Maxx, and he insists it’s better than any of the so-called superior Japanese midsize sedans. He insists he has adequate power, adequate fuel-economy and features that cars such as the Accord and Camry can’t match.
This fellow fancies himself objective, but he is not open to debate if the conversation turns to the superiority of the latest technology in overhead-camshaft engines, for example. It turns out, the new Malibu Maxx is quite a good car, despite a refusal to offer GM’s highest-tech V6 engine. What we can call GMs “blue-collar tech” V6 is adequate for power, efficiency, price, although not up to the car’s impressive occupant conveniences. The question, in the current highly competitive automotive climate, is whether adequate is good enough. Obviously, GM in recent years believes it is, but recent drops in GM’s share of new-car sales indicates consumers have not shared that outlook.
Personally, I like the silhouette cast by the Malibu Maxx, and the fact that the test car was gleaming white, and I drove it during some very gray days, made it stand out all the more. From a styling standpoint, the front end has what has become Chevrolet’s “signature” horizontal bar across the middle of the grille, which looks OK on some vehicles, and accents others, but which I think clutters the clean lines of the Maxx.
Performance wise, the Malibu Maxx is no more than adequate, with the iron-block 3.5-liter V6 engine, an option choice above the Ecotec four. The V6 achieves 200 horsepower, which is adequate — that word again — for a 3,500-pound four-door, and its 220 foot-pounds of torque moves the Maxx away from stops with adequate zip.
Climbing into the Maxx, the interior is well laid out, especially the gauges and switchgear for the driver. I have grown to appreciate the firm support of stiffer seats for maintaining alertness and driving control, and I found the seats in the Maxx almost old-time soft compared to the firmness of the competitors.
The hatchback offers a worthy alternative between sedans and don’t-call-it-a-station-wagon, and the test car had a heavily tinted skylight over the rear portion, which doesn’t do a lot for occupants of the first or second row of seats, but would brighten up the rear a little, if you happened to haul your dog back there. Fido, and any groceries or objects you might want to haul, are easily loaded through the large, top-opening hatch.
Living with the Malibu has some surprise benefits. For example, as I drove through the I-94 tunnel leaving the west edge of Minneapolis, the headlights suddenly came on. I like that feature, because often, even if you think about switching the lights on in a tunnel, you rationalize that it’s only a short tunnel so you can get along without them, even though it’s obviously safer to have them on.
A bigger benefit, and a tremendous feature, is the remote start feature that was standard on the LT model of the Maxx. You have a remote key-fob switch to lock and unlock the doors and hatch, and if you click it in the proper sequence, you can start the vehicle from across the parking lot. That could be a good feature when it’s a humid, 90-degree day, because you could have the air-conditioner preset, and cool down the car before you get to it.
The audio system was quite good, and a separate set of rear audio headphones and controls should make the kids happy. Heated front seats should make you and your front passenger happy, and a six-way power driver seat with manual lumbar support, plus adjustable pedals, should make the driver happy. A fold-flat front backrest, plus “multi-flex” rear seats, make hauling long objects easier.
The most ironic circumstance is that General Motors has a fantastic and very competitive engine — the Cadillac “high feature” 3.6-liter V6, which also can be obtained in 2.8 or 3.2 liter displacement options. That engine delivers 255 horsepower in standard form, and General Motors engineers have extracted more in testing. But GM won’t let anyone outside Cadillac, except for the Buick LaCrosse, to use that engine, presumably because it costs more to build. Too bad, because that engine would push the Malibu Maxx, Grand Prix, G6, and countless other GM sedans and coupes — which are high tech everywhere except under the hood — to vault from adequate to world class.
Otherwise, it’s possible the Maxx’s versatility and flexibility can carry it to some competitive sales achievements beyond fleets, and it’s also possible that being solid and tight, and decidedly...adequate, might be good enough to offset the technologically advanced competition. Time will tell.
Full Review Here:
http://www.duluth.com/placed/index.p...tory_id=203363
