What's the deal with the Malibu's 40-ft turning radius? Isn't that Tahoe territory?
Other than that, the Malibu appears to be very competitive even in it's lower forms

 

Even from Edmunds, it seems that the Camry is consistently the bottom of the class. Well heck, every comparison with these three seems to put the Camry at the bottom.

If there is a conclusion to be drawn, buy a Camry if you want a Kia that runs more often. Buy a Malibu or Accord if you haven't been neutered and want something that runs just fine.

 

Even from Edmunds, it seems that the Camry is consistently the bottom of the class. Well heck, every comparison with these three seems to put the Camry at the bottom.

Motortrend did a recent comparo and the Camry came out on top with the Malubu second and the Accord third. Of course, it had to work out this way since Motortrend gave the Camry car of the year last year.

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests...adtests/sedans/112_0802_midsize_sedan_comparison/specs_and_ road_test_data.html

Kind of funny that Motortrend comes up with opposite results from most other comparison tests. It's all part of the game.

Mark

 

A good review for the Malibu. It seems to be a clear winner over the Camry and a close contender for the Accord. The Accord rear seats may be roomer, but I thought they looked kinda cheap in the photos.

 

A couple things I noticed...

Although they mentioned that the Camry got the best fuel economy, and the Accord got the worst, they made no mention of the Malibu's mpg.

They point out the low-grip Hankook tires on the Malibu, but it achieved the highest grip on the skidpad and second in the slalom.

Other than that, I didn't really pay much attention to what I was reading, to be honest. Seemed fair overall though. Oh, and I want one

 

Nice CTS commercial in the video on the site before the comparo, LOL!

 

Hmm...I don't think it gives enough justice to the Malibu, but I can live with the fact that we beat toyota.

 

Seems like a fair assessment. I'm not surprised that Malibu wasn't ranked first, but I'm thrilled that the Camry was ranked 3rd.

Funny thing, however, about the perception about Toyota. It has brainwashed a generation of buyers that simply can't comprehend buying anything else.

 

As long as the Malibu doesn't rank at the bottom and is competitive with a new Accord it is good for GM. They deserve all the credit in the world for the Malibu, especially since it was written off early on about how it would only be able to compete with the old Accord and not the new one... you know who you are.

 

The Malibu is for sure the best looking of the 3 !!

 

Yeah and I think that the new Chevy Malibu should have came in at 1st place. Its obvious that the Malibu was going to come in 2nd place. After all, Edmunds is very biased towards Honda.

 

I don't think the Malibu will steel any sales from either the Accord or Camry. It is certainly a much improved vehicle,however, it has only managed to catch up, not leap ahead of the competition. The arrival of the 6-speed in the 4 cylinder will certainly help if it will be available in the base and LT models. The Malibu has been available for two months now and I am yet to see one on the road. New Accords are all over the place. What gives?

 

I don't think the Malibu will steel any sales from either the Accord or Camry.

Oh don't worry , it already has and it will continue to do so .

Not often discussed yet is thats its going to also steal a few from the Civic and definitely more than than that from the Corolla .

Also not often discussed yet is that a 19995$ base Malibu is pretty much the strongest 20k MSRP automotive product available from anyone for 2008 .

The Malibu in terms of model/options packaging and price points is looking more and more like one of the most 'efficient' and versatile out there .

 

I hate that attitude they have. "They may not be first, but A for effort GM! Good for youuuuuu."

 

Did you guys watch the video at all? It said that the cars were within a mere 5 points of each other in the finishing order. Theres no bias here, just a very close competition.

 

not really. Accord had worse mileage, worse ride, less features than Malibu and less style and yet it finished in first place because of its steering. Sorry, but steering feel is not a key attribute that concerns family sedan buyers. Styling, price, performance and warranty count a lot more than steering feel and the Malibu wins in all those categories.

 

"It's annoying to have a manual seatback recline lever alongside power height and fore/aft adjusters"

this is referring to the malibu. Am I the only person that hates waiting for a power recline feature? If i want to lay back i would rather reach down and pull a level than reach down and finger a button for 20 seconds while the back lowers

 

"It's annoying to have a manual seatback recline lever alongside power height and fore/aft adjusters"

this is referring to the malibu. Am I the only person that hates waiting for a power recline feature? If i want to lay back i would rather reach down and pull a level than reach down and finger a button for 20 seconds while the back lowers

I'd like power seats. But they all sound like this. "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."
Then you reach the maximum adjustment and it goes, "ratatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatat."

 

Anyone else notice how Edmunds lauds Toyota and Honda for having wider trunk openings than the Malibu yet they both use conventional trunk hinges that steal space and can damage objects while the Chevy doesn't? It used to be that the domestics got knocked for having a higher trunk liftover on coupes and sedans and rightly so but I guess Edmunds had to nitpick at something on the Malibu since it does so much, so well, from the start.

 

The Malibu consistently places in the Top 2, and the Camry is as of late coming in #3. Like I've been saying, the Camry isn't the benchmark of excellence. To me, the current model never was. It has an uncohesive design, lackluster dynamics and right from the start I noticed the cheap build of the interior. Chevrolet really stepped up their game with the 2008, it's a dramatic change. The one Edmunds tested had the worst interior color combination you can pick for this car! Doesn't do the car's interior justice. Also, I wonder if the results would have been different with the 6 speed in the Malibu (it's coming this year). Anyway, these latest tests are significant. Most did not think the 2008 Malibu would be that car; looks like it is. Just wait and see what they're going to do with the EPII cars!

 

The Malibu consistently places in the Top 2, and the Camry is as of late coming in #3. Like I've been saying, the Camry isn't the benchmark of excellence. To me, the current model never was. It has an uncohesive design, lackluster dynamics and right from the start I noticed the cheap build of the interior. Chevrolet really stepped up their game with the 2008, it's a dramatic change. The one Edmunds tested had the worst interior color combination you can pick for this car! Doesn't do the car's interior justice. Also, I wonder if the results would have been different with the 6 speed in the Malibu (it's coming this year). Anyway, these latest tests are significant. Most did not think the 2008 Malibu would be that car; looks like it is. Just wait and see what they're going to do with the EPII cars!

Exactly to all and esp that last !

 

Wow, a lot of praise from the Edmunds guys. Wonders never cease!

 

The Accord is fugly, the Camry is boring. The Malibu is definitely the best looking.

 

there is nothing wrong with MT 's review..
as they use a camry SE V6 in the test
while all others use XLE/LE

SE V6 camry is just a much better version of camry in my own eye
(cough...... yes I do own a camry SE V6, and i do sell Camry ,
i do always recommand my customer getting the SE model instead of LE/XLE.)

 

You DO know that it is written that Good must always destroy evil, right?

You are brave to post that here, well done.

 

I really have grown to like the looks of the Malibu, except for the rearend, which still bothers me a little bit. Other than that, I think it looks really good. Too bad the 6-speed isn't coming until 09 for across the whole Maliby line.

This Malibu is by far, a heck of a lot better looking than the older Malibu.

:dro:

 

Yeah yeah, laugh all you want at me buying the last generation Malibu ONE YEAR before the new one came out.
Curse my Saturn for dying one year early...

 

i like how different places but the cars in different orders.. the Malibu is always second.. but the Camry and the Honda switch

 

What's become clear is these three cars are now very close. It all comes down to personal priorities, and reviewers have individual priorities as well (biases in their simplest form) Bias isn't always a bad thing. Its why MT likes the Camry and Edmunds prefers the Accord, but Automobile likes the Malibu.

This is what we all hoped for. GM will not unseat the Accord and Camry - but they will sell an insane number if they are perceived in the same class. And the Malibu finally is.

 

The important thing for the Malibu is that is consistantly being rated as good as or better than the main competitors, you see it once maybe it was lucky, see it twice you pay a bit more attention, three times, four times, then it is no longer luck and the car really is good.

GM is really getting its act together and the the thing to watch is to see what happens with the 2nd gen cars, ie the 08 CTS, if the 1st gen cars are a step up and then the 2nd gen are even better again then GM really has changed.

If GM offers everything now then they don't have much else to go. The GF is going to be needing a new vehicle in the next 6 months or so, plenty of GM vehicles are appealing to her which is great news for me.

 

Malibore. GM has yet to build a competitive, quality product to compete against the Camcord. GM has successfully matched both for design that could cause people to snooze looking at it. What a shame that GM thinks dull is the answer in the marketplace. Either women have taken over GM or there aren't any bullocks left on the men in positions of power.

GM. Building wimpy vehicles for today's feminized men who wear hip hugging pants. Real men look elsewhere for vehicles.

 

Every mall I went into this holiday season had either a CTS, Malibu, or both. The dealers have been doing a great job getting these into malls with representatives to answer questions and provide literature as well. I talked to each representative I saw at over 13 malls across NJ over this holiday season and all reported the same result:

People are really interested in these cars.

 

Sounds to me like if the Malibu had the six-speed it would have level-pegged the Honda for straightline and the Toyo for economy, which would have made it first. It would be worth GM doing it for everything but the base IMO just so it does.

Not a fan of front-drivers, but I have to say this is the most promising Chevvy sedan in years. The Impala is good in it's class, so is this. The fact it rates higher than a Camry for fit, finish and content is a first, too. Plus the economy beating the Honda!

This is all good news - the previously unkind to GM publications are not making any excuses for recommending the Malibu, and make the point that for ride, handling, grip and many other ways it is more than a match for the others. With more speeds in the trans it probbly would have been for go, too.

It will take a while to reboot people's perceptions with the message that GM can = good value and good car, but it will permeate slowly.