Malibu Maxx: "Solid, refined, and high on versatility,"

[91 s-10baja]

THIS one was a surprise.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/aut...-3392057c.html

Winnipeg, CANADA - The Maxx version of Chevy's bread-and-butter Malibu sedan undoubtedly earned its moniker in reference to the added utility that it affords its driver and passengers. Rather than the standard three-box shadow that its more pedestrian sedan sibling casts, the Maxx is a part-wagon, part-hatchback affair. While it's not the most aesthetically pleasing shape to be sure, it answers in a unique way the question of how to maximize utility and versatility in a car-sized package.

It takes $26,495 to get buyers in the door of the Malibu Maxx LS. Standard equipment includes a 200-hp V-6, air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, traction control, a unique rear skylight, six-speaker CD audio, 16-inch alloy wheels, tilt and telescoping wheel, and power locks and.

Step up to the Maxx LT and 31,805 loonies will leave your wallet. The list of standard goodies grows to include a rear spoiler, fog lights, a body kit, automatic climate control, remote starter, side and head curtain airbags, OnStar, and leather trim on the otherwise suede-like seats.

Despite being badged an LS, our tester was an LT and had a couple of extras: the $1,445 DVD entertainment system and $1,065 power glass sunroof for a total price of $35,315 including A/C tax and destination.

Now that may seem like a lot of dough for a Malibu, but since the General has a penchant for offering hefty incentives, one could be reasonably confident that the price on the sticker isn't representative of what buyers dish out before they drive off the lot. While the base Malibu sedan can be ordered with a 2.2-litre Ecotec four-banger, all Maxx models come with the General's 3.5-litre pushrod V-6 with two valves per cylinder. It's the same engine found under the hood of the G6 sedan and GM's new family of "sport crossover vehicles" -- the Chevy Uplander et al.

The six-pot produces 200 hp at 5,400 rpm and 220 lb-ft of torque at 3,200 rpm. Power hits the pavement at the front wheels and is managed by a four-speed automatic transmission -- a familiar recipe for anybody who's seen a GM sedan in the past two decades.

And that's where the surprise is -- despite the dated technology that comprises the Malibu's running gear, it does its job quite well. Where the same engine in a van is overwhelmed by the weight it's lugging around, the torquey unit moves the Malibu with considerable ease. And because it has a broad torque curve, four gears are enough for the transmission even though that's one less than most competitors offer with their overhead cam engines.
Another perk of this powertrain: The Maxx consumed only 7.6 litres per 100 km on the highway and 10.5 in the city during its time with me. That's pretty close to the published figures of 6.7 and 10.5, considering that the highway loop used in official testing carries an average speed of only 77 km/h, with a top speed of 97 km/h. The Maxx also had fine manners on the road. It covered the kilometres in a refined (although somewhat noisy) manner, thanks to its solid Epsilon platform which it shares with the Saab 9-3 and Pontiac G6.

[wpbharry]

ROTFL. GM STILL has problems with badging. My Mom had an '85 Celebrity wagon, that was a CL, but it was badged a CS.

Edmund's has other cases of the misbadging.

Good review, though.

[paul8488]

Man wouldn't this thing look good as a 3-door SS! It'd be fairly useless, but hot nonetheless. I'd love to see it with 4 individual buckets and the hotrod 3.9, a 6-speed stick, and two long doors. Someone shoud photoshop such a thing!

[Road Kill]

If the styling had been a little more main stream this car could have been a big hit!

[saturnsteve]

They are killing the MAXX off aren't they? I don't know why GM made a MAXX SS.

[cfch3399]

See now, this is the kind of stuff that gets GM in trouble and makes people wonder about quality control, what else might be wrong if illiterate work at the assembly line are , etc. Seriously, how many people have to be oblivious, on drugs, or completely careless for cars with these errors to make it to the dealers lot? Sure it's a small thing, but GM has an image problem to deal with and if they hand out misbadged cars to the media (and to customers) they shouldn't wonder that people will only take their cars if they are giving them away.

Originally Posted by wpbharry

ROTFL. GM STILL has problems with badging. My Mom had an '85 Celebrity wagon, that was a CL, but it was badged a CS.

Edmund's has other cases of the misbadging.

Good review, though.

[Ming]

I've said it once and at the risk of being redundant I'll say it again:

The Maxx is an excellent, versatile, value-packed, do-it-all-for-less-gasoline vehicle, perhaps the best in GM's lineup right now. And people need to lay off the 3500 engine. It's a good step up from the 3400 and the other versions that came before it.

And lets not forget the LG8 3100 version before it was in the award-winning quality / reliability Buick Century, so how can an improved version with more horsepower and torque (and supposedly with even better reliability) be a bad thing?

I hope that when GM retires the Maxx model, it replaces it with a similar vehicle concept.

[mkaake]

because people want to complain about something, so why not point at the silly 2 valve per cylinder engine. such old tech...

</sarcasm>

I love my pushrod engines, but right now they're the nerd on the block that everyone picks on because they can... of course, lest we forget, those nerds we picked on are now... our bosses

[wpbharry]

Originally Posted by saturnsteve

They are killing the MAXX off aren't they? I don't know why GM made a MAXX SS.

I imagine they committed to the Malibu SS and Maxx SS before the decision was made to kill the Maxx after '07.

Seeing that the Lambda crossovers are getting ready to break cover, I'm glad that Chevy doesn't have a version. They're OK, if you like the Pacifica. I'm not that big of a fan.

Still convinced that Chevy will get a stablemate to the Cadillac BRX (probably with a pushrod engine) to replace the Maxx. That's fine with me.

[Hotspur]

Originally Posted by Ming

I've said it once and at the risk of being redundant I'll say it again: The Maxx is an excellent, versatile, value-packed, do-it-all-for-less-gasoline vehicle, perhaps the best in GM's lineup right now. I hope that when GM retires the Maxx model, it replaces it with a similar vehicle concept.

The Maxx contains a lot of clever ideas - poorly executed. I like the Maxx best of all GM's cars (excluding the Corvette). But the drive train is disappointing. Its not just the old tech, its the NVH. The car deserved better.

GM needs to become the undisputed leader in engine design. Pushrods - whatever - innovation is dead at GM. Just look at the new Civic for an example of a company that is alive with ideas.

[VivienM]

Originally Posted by Hotspur

Just look at the new Civic for an example of a company that is alive with ideas.

Civic? Or Ridgeline?

If Honda is the textbook example of innovation, give me old tech, any day.

[asim]

I think that the MAXX is a great value, but i can't convince anyone to buy it.

[AdmiralViscen]

What's so creative about the new Civic?

[VivienM]

Originally Posted by AdmiralViscen

What's so creative about the new Civic?

The super high-tech ultra-innovative Honda badge.

[Steven8310]

We bought a Maxx nearly a year (Aug 20, 04) and some 14,000 miles ago.

My wife absolutely loves this car. It isn't pretensious, it doesn't have flames or 20" spinning wheels on it, and it doesn't make a lot of racket when she drives it. Nobody comments on what a fine looking car it is (its silver, so it really is a wallflower), although when she uses the remote starter, she will occasionally have someone ask about it.

People are surprised when they actually take the time to see the features and options that can be had on this car for the price. If Chevrolet advertised this car properly, and compared it against the Accord and Camry, they would sell more. The JD Power rating on the Malibu is better than the Camry, but nobody knows it (look it up for 2004 model years - its there, I swear!).

If Toyota or Honda built this car, the popular motoring press would be all over it. In my opinion, this is a better Camry than the Camry.

There are many who decry the looks as too plain, but thats one of the things that my wife likes - she doesn't want the attention. In fact, when was the last time you looked at an Accord or Camry, and said to yourself, "Now THERE'S one FINE lookin car - I gotta have it!" My total has been about zero.

I'll admit that there are precious few four door family movers that excite me (OK - the number is less than a few - its zero). However, the Maxx has given me some reason for optimism about the General. It's head and shoulders above any prior GM vehicle we've ever owned - and my wife rates it as even better than the Toyota Corolla (badged as a Geo Prizm) we bought new back in 1989.

The Malibu and the G6 are indeed the General's Best Kept Secrets.

Steven