2008 Chevy Malibu Preview
8/15/2007
Purses, Practicality and the Pursuit of Happiness
I have a pet peeve. OK, I have several pet peeves, the biggest of which is people with poor grocery-store etiquette. (You know who I’m talking about — the ones who stand right in front of the shelf and search endlessly for the anchovy paste, blocking everyone else from accessing that area. Just take a step back, people, and let others in!) My second-biggest pet peeve is not having a place in the car to store my purse, leaving it to sit impatiently on the passenger seat, mischievously waiting to launch itself into the air and spew its contents all over the car mere moments before the pediatrician — whom I’ve been trying to reach for two days — calls my cell phone to explain to me why my daughter has seemingly incurable alligator skin on her toes (it’s eczema, in case you were wondering).
Crystal Windham, the interior design manager for the 2008 Chevy Malibu, seems to understand my pain. In addition to creating a center console large enough to store my purse, she’s also added a center dash compartment to keep my cell phone easily accessibly so that the next time the pediatrician calls, I won’t miss it.
The deliciously tactile ebony-and-brick or cocoa-and-cashmere two-toned seats available in the new Malibu (Chevy calls the material UltraLux Sheer Suede and Tipped Leather) were also inspired by a purse: They were created to echo cues of a certain upscale ladies handbag which shall remain nameless.
Other thoughtful interior features also prevail in the Malibu: easily accessible lower Latch anchors, a simple hinged mechanism to cover the top-tether anchors when not in use, an available rear window shade to keep the sun from shining directly into the baby’s eyes, and acoustical glass. This helps keep the car quiet enough to hear little Suzie’s meek-sounding plea for a potty stop — you don’t want her peeing on that UltraLux Suede, do you? With a slew of standard features, including antilock brakes, traction control, a tire pressure monitoring system, remote vehicle start (on upper trim levels), OnStar, XM Satellite Radio and more, the Malibu is really rather luxurious … and it’s a Chevy. Seriously. Who’d’ve thunk?
After watching a beautiful, brand-spanking-new Malibu get crash tested in front of my eyes, driving 35 mph head-on into a stationary barrier, I can also attest to the fact that the six standard airbags all work. Also, the “safety cage” passenger compartment was not intruded upon whatsoever in this particular crash.
I got to drive the Malibu on wet ceramic tiles (to simulate snow and ice) as well as an asphalt slalom course, and I’m excited to tell you how it went, but I super-secret pinkie swore I wouldn’t talk about my driving impressions of the Malibu just yet. You’ll have to wait until November for that, so keep checking back until we get the Malibu for our two-week, kids-in-tow, grime-the-car-up-then-return-it test drive. Don’t worry, Chevy, we’ll vacuum that beauty out before we give it back. Honest we will.
Comments
I cannot believe I am the only person to notice this but the alignment of the door panels and dash are absolutely horrible on the new Malibu and Aura. After looking at over 30 examples, I found 2 that had them aligned correctly. Every story I have come across about the cars rave about the great fit and finish of the interiors. GM must be providing specially assembled versions of the car for review because what is on the lots doesn't begin to match the reviews. Same on GM, I really wanted to buy a Malibu.
Posted by: alan | Mar 21, 2008 10:19:36 AM
I bought my 2008 Malibu LTZ on March 1, 2008 and I still love it! GM did everything they said they were going to do when they built this car. A coworker said he's jealous because my Malibu gets more attention than his 2008 Mustang GT.
It has a beautiful ride, it's quiet and comfortable. The sound system is excellent at 210 Watts and eight speakers. (Don't forget the subwoofers).
The seats are luxurious with the two tone leather cocoa/cashmere. And remember the corvettes of old? This is like sitting in one of them...with your own personal cockpit.
GM has 12 bowties distributed throughout the car and as people find them, they are amazed at where they are. (I'll leave it to you to find all 12).
I am absolutely sold on OnStar and can tell you now that I will renew it at the end of my free year.
I've had passengers in the back seat and they say they have plenty of leg room as well. There were no complaints about being cramped.
The power the 3.6 litre V6 puts out is quite ample. There really are a lot of surprised looks as you pull away from people on the road, or at lights. The 6spd transmission has a great shift feel to it as well. You barely notice it upshifting as you drive along. When you step into passing gear though, you know you've gone into passing gear.
Over all GM, I love what you've done with the 2008 Malibu. I fell in love with it when I first sat down in the one I road tested. My only regret was I was not able to road test an LTZ at the dealer, but I ordered one anyway and have no regrets whatsoever. Thank you for a wonderful car!
Posted by: Tom | Mar 24, 2008 11:34:28 AM
A Member of theCars.com Family
Subscribe
The new look of the Malibu is great. I'm also glad to know that a woman was the interior designer. I plan on purchasing one of these vehicles! Can't wait.........
Posted by: A.J | Aug 28, 2007 3:40:56 PM