[nicolet]

He is on MTV.

Thanks...no wonder I didn't know...

 

[Beau]

"Obviously you haven't read a signature "Plane" Post before. They're are usually the most inverted, sarcastic, best written replies on GMI. Get used to them. and Plane, never stop posting, your reversed intellect and sarcasm reflects the true lack of informed intelligent shoppers present in todays society"

Lol dude, I don't think Plane is ***. I wish there was an emoticon for leg humping.

But, nice to see praise for posters instead of the "he or she doesn't know what they are talking about" posts.

 

[DuSpinnst]

You guys are too much sometimes. Some excerpts from Dan Neil's review of the 2007 Camry:

"comfortably numb"

"almost laughably stately sheetmetal"

"This car is the radon of midsize exurban transportation: odorless, colorless, invisible."

"the Camry moves at a deliberate and unhurried pace -- which is to say, it's kind of slow"

"rather yacht-like in its cornering and steering responses"


If that's what constitutes "sucking Toyota's teet," then I don't know what to say.

It should be applauded that such a critical writer has deemed the new Malibu competitive. GM has put so much garbage on American roads for so many years that this piece may seem damning the car with faint praise.

But just the notion that the new Malibu is *right up there* with the Accord and Camry is truly remarkable. It's still missing some features and has a few chintzy bits, but it's one MCE away from being top-notch. This is a sea change.

-Drew

So he wrote a negative review of Toyota once or twice.

If anything it just proves he is anal retentive. He still recommends the Toyota's.

Listen, you people on the coasts need to be brought back to reality. Especially people in LA, the most unrealistic place in the world.

 

[mkaresh]

If ALL the cars in this class are average than I see no reason why one shouldn't chose the Malibu.

I think this is essentially what Dan Neil is saying.

Also, realize that he tested the four-cylinder LT. I've driven the LS 4-cylinder, similar to the car he drove, and the 2LT V6. The V6 is much more impressive. As it is in the Accord and Camry.

I've come across the same problem when writing my own reviews. If all of the leading offerings in a segment are very good, they're all essentially average. By definition, every car can't be "better than average." But there are a still some second-tier players that field cars worse than the leaders. So I end up giving the leaders a "better than average" rating, but not a "much better than average" rating. For "much better than average," a car must be pretty much perfect in many segments these days.

 

[TiburonJT]

Who is Carson daly????

He has a show on NBC after Conan O'Brien's show. He used to be the host of a request show (TRL) on MTV.

 

[mtndrew1]

So he wrote a negative review of Toyota once or twice.

If anything it just proves he is anal retentive. He still recommends the Toyota's.

Listen, you people on the coasts need to be brought back to reality. Especially people in LA, the most unrealistic place in the world.

And what do you consider reality?

My reality is that I've worked at GM, internally, watching engineers laugh endlessly about whatever garbage car they had to implement endless fixes and TSBs for.

My reality is that all of my GM cars have been at least somewhat problematic, with lousy fit/finish and lead-balloon resale value.

I mean, let's look at the last decade or two:

Pontiac 6000 / Honda Accord Resale? Reliability? Appeal?

Aztek / Highlander Resale? Reliability? Appeal?

Rendezvous / RX330 Resale? Reliability? Appeal?

Cavalier / Civic Resale? Reliability? Appeal?

Lumina / Camry Resale? Reliability? Appeal?

Regal / ES300 Resale? Reliability? Appeal?

Cimarron / 190E Resale? Reliability? Appeal?

Uplander / Odyssey Resale? Reliability? Appeal?

Monte Carlo / Solara Resale? Reliability? Appeal?

Let's be honest here, most of those up there from the General were big duds with big cash on the hoods chasing buyers that were sick of GM's crap. While those cars were peddled, market share dwindled, profits evaporated, record losses were incurred, everything-and-the-kitchen-sink was sold off, and lowly Toyota took their place.

So Dan Neil, one of the most critical writers in mainstream newsprint, writing an article putting the Malibu up there with the excellent Accord and Camry (both of which he took to task for their faults) should be celebrated.

Competitive non-truck products are a new thing for GM. The Malibu may seem like God's gift for those that treasured such fine products as the Chevrolet Celebrity EUROSport and the Buick Reatta, but it's truly just (finally, OMG, BBQ) competitive with its competition.

Going from a '97 Malibu to an '08 Malibu is an "oh my God, look at this!" moment. Going from a '97 Accord, less so. This article reflects that.

-Drew

 

[nicolet]

He has a show on NBC after Conan O'Brien's show. He used to be the host of a request show (TRL) on MTV.

LOL... still never heard of him!

 

[TORRED1]

Obviously you haven't read a signature "Plane" Post before. They're are usually the most inverted, sarcastic, best written replies on GMI. Get used to them. and Plane, never stop posting, your reversed intellect and sarcasm reflects the true lack of informed intelligent shoppers present in todays society.

I have to second this, I allways like Planes posts

 

[BBDOS CV8]

i can't understand what all the bitching is, about this review. The reviewer to me basically recommended the Malibu as the equal of any car in this class, the 'biggest game in town' and hardest nut to crack. This is a 'good' review for GM to have, while Camaros etc are nive, they won't save the company. This will.

Sure, he took some shots at it. But he also damned it with faint praise as being at least equal to the Camry. It really doesn't get better than that.

Let's face it, it isn't an enthusiast vehicle. It is transport with a small 't' - like everything else in the category.

It seemed to me he liked it - enough to call it a valid choice needing no excuses against buying a Japanese alternative. GM just need to keep this up. build competitive cars, price them keenly. People will buy them.

 

[DMD]

Wow, people are hardly complimentary towards the Malibu in my eyes here on this board. The Malibu has something over the competition that has been ignored by the sporadic postings I've read, on GMI. That oversight is that the Malibu has alot more value I think than anything else out there.

The 2.4 liter ecotech engine has been around for about 6-7 years now, it has won awards in some automotive press publications for its abilities. It is a decent engine at a minimum. The Malibus interior is right up there with the competitions I think, why well, I have seen a couple Malibus at a couple local dealers. The thing that is important to remember with the Malibu is that it might not be the best car ever made by Detroit. What it does in a very credible way is, hurt the perception by many foreign car lovers that GM and Chevy are light years behind all other offerings. The truth is GM doesn't deserve this nasty designation. They deserve a real look by all people willing to be openminded to a company changing its ways. Hopefully, people will realize in large numbers that the stuff they make is on the map and people who wouldn't have considered a GM car in the past at least checkout their offerings at the dealership. At that point, whether these people want to admit it or not the Malibu is worthy of real praise regardless how anti-GM/Chevy these people have been in the past.

 

[eaton53]

His reviews are some of the lightest on facts out of any I have seen. he spends more time trying to be clever than actually reviewing the vehicle.

He'd fit right in at TTAC.

 

[mkaresh]

Very thoughtful posts from mtndrew1 and BBDOS CV8.

The review on TTAC was more positive, but largely because the reviewer (me) drove the V6 as well as the 4. I drove the four first, and came away thinking, "stylish, quiet, capable appliance that's a viable alternative to the Accord and Camry." Which is pretty much what Dan Neil is saying. The V6 is not only much quicker but handles a bit better thanks to conventional steering and lower profile tires.

I get the sense that many people here evaluate cars based on how they look in website photos (plus brand loyalty). There's a bit more to it than that. How many people here test drive more than a handful of cars per year?

Hmmm...might have to conduct a poll. Check the general forum.

 

[eaton53]

The review on TTAC was more positive, but largely because the reviewer (me) drove the V6 as well as the 4.

You do a good job on your reviews. But some people who review there are truly clueless.... and by extension so is Farago, who supposedly edits them.

See the Tahoe hybrid reviews for an example.... "Why don't they use a smaller engine?"
To quote Hyundai... DUH!!! Do a little research, dope!

I get the sense that many people here evaluate cars based on how they look in website photos (plus brand loyalty). There's a bit more to it than that. How many people here test drive more than a handful of cars per year?

Hmmm...might have to conduct a poll. Check the general forum.

I do! And if I'm interested in buying I drive everything within that class.

I'd like to drive a 'Bu, but they keep selling 'em all!
Did get to look at some, but that was on a Sunday when it was against the law to sell them.

 

[MaxLegroom]

Very thoughtful posts from mtndrew1 and BBDOS CV8.

The review on TTAC was more positive, but largely because the reviewer (me) drove the V6 as well as the 4. I drove the four first, and came away thinking, "stylish, quiet, capable appliance that's a viable alternative to the Accord and Camry." Which is pretty much what Dan Neil is saying. The V6 is not only much quicker but handles a bit better thanks to conventional steering and lower profile tires.

I get the sense that many people here evaluate cars based on how they look in website photos (plus brand loyalty). There's a bit more to it than that. How many people here test drive more than a handful of cars per year?

Hmmm...might have to conduct a poll. Check the general forum.

I try to test drive more than a handful of cars a year. Problem is, with no press fleet access, I've few choices. I can rent one (good idea for a longer term impression), or pretend that I'm actually in the market and go to a dealer. Of course, the latter has the hazard that I might actually fall in love with it and buy it, despite my just having bought a car recently. Aside from posting in these forums, friends do ask me about cars, as I talk about them a fair bit. I like to have an opinion, not regurgitate someone else's. I've driven the Malibu LS. It's a steal at the price, really, but at this point, I'd be looking either for a dual mode hybrid, or the V6. For me, four cylinders pretty much requires three pedals.

We've had a hate fest for Dan Neil before, as I recall, over his absolute demolition of the Mercury Montego in print. Nice to see he's still in character (assassinations, that is).

 

[mkaresh]

Reviewer quality varies pretty much everywhere I've looked.

With the pros, it's probably easy to get burned out. They're travelling a lot, and at some point the cars probably threaten to blend together. Especially since the manufacturers rarely tune a car to stand out. No one wants to take a risk on something completely different. Saturn started out completely different. Not anymore. Even Saab and Subaru are striving to become more mainstream.

Put another way, it takes a lot to get a genuinely enthusiastic review from these guys.

 

[mkaresh]

I try to test drive more than a handful of cars a year. Problem is, with no press fleet access, I've few choices. I can rent one (good idea for a longer term impression), or pretend that I'm actually in the market and go to a dealer. Of course, the latter has the hazard that I might actually fall in love with it and buy it, despite my just having bought a car recently.

There's no need to lie or pretend. Just go to the dealer and say, "I'm interested in driving an X." If they ask, "Are you planning on buying one today?," be honest. Say you're not in the market immediately, but might consider it down the road. Or that friends have asked you about the car, and you want to be able to provide them with an informed opinion. Or that you're simply wondering what it's like to drive.

In nearly all cases you'll get your test drive regardless. The exceptions: Mitsubishi Evos and such. I had to wait a couple of years before driving the STI and Evo, because I wasn't willing to tell them I was likely to buy the car then and there.

Can't help you on the falling in love bit. That's probably why it's not hard to get a test drive even if you're honest: they figure you might fall in love and end up buying anyway. And they might be right.

 

[VibenPontiac]

Dan Neil is an average car reviewer!!!

 

[marinerbc]

But, nice to see praise for posters instead of the "he or she doesn't know what they are talking about" posts.

Good point and I agree completely.

Per that thought:

Listen, you people on the coasts need to be brought back to reality. Especially people in LA, the most unrealistic place in the world.

Post of the year.

For the record, I live on the Left Coast.

 

[Evo69]

What can I say... an average review from a average guy on a average car? Bleh.

 

[mkaresh]

Dan Neil is an average car reviewer!!!

And yet, as far as I'm aware, he's the only car reviewer to ever win a Pulitzer.