GMI Long Term Review: 2008 Chevy Malibu LTZ

[63GrandSport001]

The Malibu is a extremely good looking car, its come out in 2008 and we are already seeing 2010 vehicles on the road and people are still asking him about his car.........

Generally when a new car comes out it looks good for a while, this is because they mainly go for something that is different rather then something that looks good. So once your eyes get use to seeing it then it falls back into the sea of mid sized sedans, also newer models from other makes takes the spot light from your car. But this Malibu in its 3rd model year still is a looker.

[Rocket 88]

Originally Posted by 63GrandSport001

Its not that everyone wants a Camaro but more of you will have two vehicles in competition with eachother on the same dealer lots. Just like you now have the Chevy Malibu and the Chevy impala competing with eachother for sales on dealer lots. This would mean lower sales for either vehicle if they were offered singularly, which means costs will have to be spread among fewer vehicles which means lower profits.

A Buick Coupe on the other hand would make a ton of sense, they are not on the same dealer lots and it would be more up market. Although a Zeta Buick Coupe would be more beneficial to the Camaro in the long run as they can share chassis and some parts with eachother.

A Malibu Coupe wouldn't compete with a Camaro because it is FWD vs. RWD. Not to mention a major style difference.

I rented a 4 cyl. 4 speed Malibu and liked it a lot. For a base model it was a nice car and suprisingly fun to drive.

[A Bum In A Bus]

Would love to see a Malibu two door coupe....

[Ghrankenstein]

This article wasy to read, with a fluid, conversational voice and an interesting perspective. I like the pictures as well. Very well done.

And Pringle's still around!

Ghrank

[63GrandSport001]

Originally Posted by Rocket 88

A Malibu Coupe wouldn't compete with a Camaro because it is FWD vs. RWD. Not to mention a major style difference.

I rented a 4 cyl. 4 speed Malibu and liked it a lot. For a base model it was a nice car and suprisingly fun to drive.

For many consumers its not that clear cut.......

A consumer can like both styles and not be in the market for a V-8 so a V-6 Malibu coupe or a V-6 Camaro would greatly interest them. And being RWD vs FWD means nothing to them.

Part of the reasoning for killing the Monte Carlo was the fact that the Camaro was coming out..........

[FanOfDurant]

I love this current Malibu. It's the first Chevy car I've seriously considered buying in over 20 years aside from a Camaro/Vette/Truck. Chevy and most GM cars just never made anything of quality in this department. Either the interior was horrid, the reliability was non existent or the car was just plain ugly. Usually it was a combination of all 3. Anyhow, I'm waiting to see the next Malibu and hoping they haven't ruined it before I make my purchase. When I hear it looks like the new Camaro I get a bit worried...

[vtecdaddy2000]

Originally Posted by 63GrandSport001

Its not that everyone wants a Camaro but more of you will have two vehicles in competition with eachother on the same dealer lots. Just like you now have the Chevy Malibu and the Chevy impala competing with eachother for sales on dealer lots. This would mean lower sales for either vehicle if they were offered singularly, which means costs will have to be spread among fewer vehicles which means lower profits.

A Buick Coupe on the other hand would make a ton of sense, they are not on the same dealer lots and it would be more up market. Although a Zeta Buick Coupe would be more beneficial to the Camaro in the long run as they can share chassis and some parts with eachother.

A RWD PONTIAC coupe is what would have made the most sense under the GTO nameplate as a companion to the G8, maybe even bringing back the Firebird nameplate. A EpiII-based Malibu coupe is what fits in the new Chevrolet mission; the Camaro really does not fit well in what is envisioned for Chevy's future and not the halo vehicle the division needs no matter how many Camaro styling cues GM wants to put on the coming mid-cycle refresh. I really miss Pontiac.

[TaHoE]

Originally Posted by Patate

I also own a Malibu 2LT 2.4L/6 speed, and I have never experienced anything wrong with the transmission. It's probably a V6 thing.

From what I have read in other reviews, GM tuned the 6-Speed in the 4-Cylinder and 6-Cylinder Malibus differently. Clearly they wanted to get the best fuel economy they could, and since a V6 would have be neutered much more than a 4-Cylinder to get good fuel economy, we get the lagging effect of the extremely tall gear ratios on the V6. Still the V6 is a hoot, and worth the penalty in fuel economy in my opinion.

Originally Posted by Ghrankenstein

This article wasy to read, with a fluid, conversational voice and an interesting perspective. I like the pictures as well. Very well done.

And Pringle's still around!

Ghrank

Thanks Ghrank. Means a lot coming from such a well versed reviewer.

[gerardo_zg]

There is a small mistake in the torque unit used in the article, the correct one is "lb-ft" instead of "lb/ft". Both things have different meanings. It is a common error in media, and I just want the best for GMI.

Cheers!

[howey]

Great interview! I've had my 4cyl/6spd LTZ for five months now and love everything about it. I've also got the Cocoa/Cashmere two tone interior and contrary to what was said earlier, I've no problems with it. Oh. That's not dirt on the beige part of the seats. It's the way the leather's grained. I forget the name of it, but remember reading about it. (Tipped?)

[dindak]

I am just coming up on a year with my Malibu LT2 V6 and my experience pretty much echos this review. I have had no issues whatsoever and The car does everything I want with ease. Build quality is A1 and zero rattles.

My only issues with the car. 1> a bigger trunk opening would be nice, 2> The dial for heat/cold is a little cheap and has no grip and 3> the audio and cruse controls are backwards and should be the other way around.

Things I would like to see. 1> A 3.6L DI - Malibu SS version, 2> an inch or two wider, 3> improvements in fuel economy.

Over all, could not be happier with my car. I never hesitate to recommend it to anyone. I never really considered the Malibu seriously before, a test drive sold me in 5 minutes.

[CadiEldo67]

I think that a wagon would make a nice addition to the Chevy lineup. I'd also like to think that a coupe and/or convertible variant of the LaCrosse would be right at home at a Buick showroom but the real question would be to figure out if it would really be worth it.

I'd suggest a coupe/wagon for Chevy, because Nissan and Honda have a coupe and the wagon would make them a trendsetter.

Buick could get a hardtop convertible for the LaCrosse and price it higher than the late G6 convertible. It would also eliminate the need for another coupe on Epsilon II.

Of course with the exciting vehicles GM has coming out, it's probably better to get those right and then work on filling in the gaps.

[Mr_Pringle]

Originally Posted by Ghrankenstein

This article wasy to read, with a fluid, conversational voice and an interesting perspective. I like the pictures as well. Very well done.

And Pringle's still around!

Ghrank

I still read everyday; I just don't feel a need to post very often.

[chevyman1973]

this just goes to show me that gm can get it right when they need to, and now is the time they need to!

[goatgary]

I have about 7500 miles on my 4cyl LTZ, Black Granite. Outstanding car. Zero problems, great ride. Get a lot of compliments. Matter of fact I waxed it today. No problem keeping Cashmere interior clean.

BTW, I had a Caddy STS with Nav. Frankly, although there is no razzle dazzle, I prefer the On Star Turn by Turn for actually finding a destination. Don't miss the Dual Zone either since 98% of the time I am solo. Everything about this car is awesome.

I also have a loaded '09 Saturn Vue XR and apparently am one of the tiny minority who have had zero problems with that either. Too thirsty though.