2008 Chevy Malibu Arrives at Dealerships

Detroit has made lots of mistakes, like lobbying the government for dual tiered Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards so they could continue to build pickups and SUVs. Management should have focused on the heart of the automotive market: the competitive mid-size sedan segment.

With Chevy's neglected ugly duckling 2003-2007 Malibu selling primarily to rental fleets, General Motors ceded the core business to Japanese competitors. Camry became America's new sweetheart, with Accord a close second.

Bob Lutz promised us a Camry-fighter. He has delivered one in the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu.

I think this is the most year-over-year model improvement I've seen in nearly 50 years as a car enthusiast.

Will the new Chevy Malibu be the hit Mr. Lutz is hoping for?

A 2008 Car of the Year contender?

2008 is shaping up as a bad year for the car industry. About 8 months will be required to determine the new Chevy's sales penetration.

But in critical internet buzz, the new Malibu is hot. The problem with a much-hyped model like this is availability. Chevy.com logged a record 3.7 million hits on the first big "web takeover" promotion day, reflecting the $300 million GM advertising campaign behind the new car.

Two weeks after Malibu arrived at dealerships, inventories can't keep up with sales.

I had to hunt for a 2008 Malibu to examine, finally catching the only one at Westside Chevrolet in Katy, Texas.

Built on GM's Epsilon architecture, shared with Saturn Aura, the new Malibu is larger and much more attractive than its predecessor.

Three trims are available; LS, LT, and LTZ.

Exterior fit and finish is on a par with imported models, panel gaps uniform and small.

Interior room and comfort are significantly improved, with the cool Corvette-inspired set-back dash giving front seaters the feeling of a bigger, more expensive ride.

Optional high-contrast color schemes give a loaded Malibu some real pizazz, though the vast majority sold will be plainer models. A roomy rear seat and 15-cubic-foot trunk make it a good family-of-four tourer.

The base engine, a 169-hp, 2.4-liter DOHC four-cylinder GM Ecotec, propels the car to sixty in around 9.3 seconds.

The four-cylinder Malibu (including the hybrid) is projected to do 70 percent of sales. Estimated fuel economy is 22/30 mpg city/highway, a mere one mpg below Accord and Camry.

A six-speed automatic is available with the V6 power-train, and is rumored to be coming for the four.

With the optional 252-hp V-6, Malibu for 2008 is much quicker, doing 0-to-60 in the mid-six-second area. Reviewers have noticed significant full throttle torque steer with the V-6.

Handling and balance are adequate, around 0.81 g on the skidpad.

In this segment, each of the leaders has an edge: Camry is smooth and quiet, Accord is nimble and possesses a refined engine. The Bob Lutz 2008 Malibu does lots of things right.

But to steal market share from Toyota Camry and Honda Accord will be difficult. Will sales come from the competition, or from GM's other models?

Mr. Lutz has produced an amazingly improved value in the mid-size sedan segment.

The base LT trim offers six air bags including side-curtains, anti-lock brakes, traction control, OnStar, XM Radio, and an acceptable stereo for $20K.

Malibu for 2008 looks and feels like a more expensive car, and will sell to private buyers, not just to rental fleets.

Buyers in the mid-size sedan market, the new Chevrolet Malibu is worth a look.

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by Edgar V. Sherbenou

texas-cars-and-dealerships.com