Sunday, July 21, 2013
2006 Chevrolet Malibu Review
Very pleased with the features like adjustable peddles and info system in the radio. Sound system sounds excelent to me. Lots of room in the back seats and I can throw my 10 speed bike tn the back w/o removing the wheels.
I was quite suprised by how smooth this car rides for its size. If you test drive one try to get it on the freeway. Very smoth at high speeds.
Was looking for gas mileage but, I really enjoy driving this car. My SUV has been sitting unless I need to haul something.
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The Chevrolet Malibu was launched to compete with mid-size imports such as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. The Malibu emphasizes civilized road manners, quality construction, and buttoned-down practicality wrapped in innocuous if not anonymous styling.
AS it struggles to regain market share, General Motors promises nothing short of a revolution in the number of new or redesigned vehicles it is bringing to market. One of the first cars in this product wave was the Malibu Maxx, a practical hatchback sedan that somehow manages to look both distinctive and a bit drab.
Despite its efforts — and someone obviously put a lot of thought into the Maxx — G.M. has brought forth another car full of nice touches but cloaked in slab-sided sheet metal that seems to scream, "Rent me!"
Starting at just over $17,000 and topping out around $27,000 fully optioned, the Malibu is extremely competitive with the prices of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, which can approach $30,000 with options.
Interior
The Malibu looks as substantial inside as out. With 101 cubic feet of interior space, the sedan is extremely roomy front and rear. The seats are comfortable, although they could use a deeper seat bottom cushion with more thigh support. The front passenger seat cleverly folds flat in all but the SS models for carrying long objects such as skis. The rear seat splits and folds 60/40 for versatility when mixing cargo and passengers.
The interior, the visual and tactile elements of which are shared with the Maxx, is conservatively styled. Theres an off switch for the daytime running lights, useful when parked with the engine running. Controls on the center dash are conveniently backlit for night driving. Heating and air conditioning controls are quite logical. The stereo and information system are a little less so, but still more readily understood than many others. We thought the wipers were a little loud. And the triangularly shaped outside mirrors are small, limiting rearward vision more than we liked.
Otherwise, its a convenient interior. Lots of nooks and crannies are available for storage, including a center console with a roomy bin, four cupholders (though beware the two in the rear seats fold-down center armrest, as it bounces enough over bumps to flip a cup of coffee into an unwary lap), a storage tray and a clip pad. Two 12-volt outlets provide power for whatever needs powering; the Maxx adds a third outlet in the cargo area.
Malibu Maxx offers slightly more total passenger space than the sedan, at 106 cubic feet. But more than that, Maxx offers increased versatility. Its rear seat is split 60/40 not only in the back, but in the cushion; and each unit slides fore and aft as much as seven inches to adjust between passenger and cargo room. Rear-seat passengers sit farther back in the Maxx and enjoy nearly identical room as the front-seat occupants and as much as the rear-seat riders in a full-size domestic sedan. Also, the rear seatbacks recline for improved comfort. In short, the back seats of the Maxx are a comfortable place for adults.
Standard in the Maxx are a pair of fixed skylights over the rear seating area, so rear-seat passengers can see clouds by day and stars by night. Or if its sunny, they can close their individual sunshades.
Back in the cargo bay, Maxx provides 22.8 cubic feet of space, versus 15.4 for the trunk of the sedan. Fold down Maxxs back seats and the available space expands to 41 cubic feet. Theres a 12-volt power outlet way in the back in addition to the two up front that it shares with the sedan. A four-position shelf in back can be configured for two-tier loading or, with a drop-down leg, as a table for roadside picnics. There are hooks for hanging plastic grocery bags. And of course the one-piece liftgate with remote power release allows you to load objects like appliances that would never squeeze through the sedans conventional trunk opening.
The biggest problem with the Malibus interior, whether sedan or Maxx, is its inconsistency. Some interior parts are made from high quality materials, such as the soft rubber door handles, which reminded us of Volkswagen, the benchmark for interiors. Yet other parts, such as the plastic surrounding the audio and climate controls, appear hard and cheap. The cover for the drivers seat-mounted, side-impact airbag left gaps around the edges. Several plastic pieces showed flash where the sides of the mold had clamped together. Although fit and finish was otherwise good, with decent tolerances between pieces, panels and fabrics, we didnt feel the interior generally measured up to the craftsmanship of a Honda, a Toyota or today, a Hyundai.
The remote starter is a questionable feature. Useful for starting the car from inside the house when its very cold or very hot outside, it also contradicts what every carmakers owners manual and clean air agency urge people to do when starting a car. And that is, instead of letting the engine warm up unloaded at idle, to get in and drive the car as promptly as possible. This heats up the engine quicker, thereby lighting off the catalytic converter earlier, which minimizes exhaust emissions when theyre at their dirtiest level. As convenient as it might be, wed conveniently forget about it. Some of our other testers like it. If youre the type of person who runs outside on cold mornings, starts the car, then runs back inside while it warms up and defrosts, then youll like the remote starter.
New for 2006 is the Malibu Maxx SS, with a larger (but less efficient) 3.9-liter V-6. This sportier $23,890 version also has fancy seats, a tighter suspension and larger wheels.
I didnt drive the SS, but my 201-horsepower test car accelerated briskly, and the brakes were sound. But the rack-and-pinion electric steering, with variable-speed assist, was numb and devoid of road feel.
Pros: Actually getting 22.6 mpg around town, great ride, will light up tires.
Cons: Drive defensivly around the SUVs, its a smaller car than I am used to
After driving the car, I started to pay attention to others I saw on the road. On vacation with my family, I spotted one Maxx after another in a parking lot thick with tourists. Could it be that this hatchback Malibu was drawing a tidal wave of buyers, leaving G.M. dealers awash in orders? I looked closer. Alas, several of the cars wore the telltale decals of rental car fleets.
