"The New Face of Chevrolet"

Preview shots of the new Malibu interior and exterior:

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.au...alibu_face.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.au...terior_450.jpg

It's nice to see that Chevy is at least trying to make good looking cars again. I would like to buy American, but American cars (Corvette and Mustang aside) are just depressing. This design is a good start, especially the interior. Now make them truly sporting and capable on a winding road (including a 6-speed MT) and I might visit a Chevy dealership again someday.

S.

BTW: we checked out the new Silverado at the FTW Stockyards this weekend. It's a beautiful design. If I were in the market for a full-size truck it would be the obvious choice. Pictures don't do it justice.

Not like it's going to be very difficult to "raise the bar" to get above this:
http://images.consumerguide.com/auto...3231990004.JPG

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by POS Racing

Not like it's going to be very difficult to "raise the bar" to get above this...

---

That? You're better off hitting it with a bar...

Yah, but those Malibus make great rentals if you have four adults to lug around. We used one to transport me, the missus, and my folks to Kansas last Christmas and it was comfortable, refined, and quite fuel efficient. Unfortunately, Chevy needs to aim higher than making good rental cars. :(

S.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by srivendel

Yah, but those Malibus make great rentals if you have four adults to lug around. We used one to transport me, the missus, and my folks to Kansas last Christmas and it was comfortable, refined, and quite fuel efficient. Unfortunately, Chevy needs to aim higher than making good rental cars. :(

S.

---

I had the displeasure or renting one recently and longed for something better like a KIA.:rolleyes:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by POS Racing

...KIA.:rolleyes:

---

I refuse to drive around in something with the intials for Killed In Action.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Treibenschnell

I refuse to drive around in something with the intials for Killed In Action.

---

+1

As far as the Malibu goes, I think it sucks. I had one for a week long rental and i was glad to be rid of that thing after a few days. The engine could be described as anemic. Suspension was way too soft, which added to the ungodly amounts of body roll. The interior was a cheap Dollar Store special. And the RPM guage didn't even have a redline. Oh and the power steering was way overpowered. ::Rant::


Wheeeew! I'm done.

The problems with the dosmetic companies are that they have too many accountants and market researchers. By the time the products hit the market, they are all dated. If they have the cars they are selling now 5 years earlier. There would be lines outside their stealerships!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by POS Racing

I had the displeasure or renting one recently and longed for something better like a KIA.:rolleyes:

---

I had a 4x4 Kia Sorento last week in Iowa. It was actually quite nice, as rentals go. The interior fit & finish was a little subpar compared to Honda or Toyota, but with 16,000 rental miles on the clock it had no squeaks or rattles, which speaks pretty well to overall build quality. It compared quite favorably to other small SUVs I've driven, and it was light years ahead of the Jeep Liberty I had the misfortune to rent last year for a trip to Houston.

Overall, it was very comfortable on the 2-hour drive from Cedar Rapids, and it was a lot of fun on the gravel farm roads. :burnrubr:

Oh yeah - as for the Malibu, I say meh. The interior isn't horrible, but it's hard to see how cheap the plastics will look from a picture. The exterior doesn't do anything for me.

GM is still trying to succed by making cars that are as good (or almost as good) as their competition. All that will do is prolong the inevitable. Until they can make cars that are better than their competition, the downward spiral will continue... and there aren't many profitable parts of the company left to sell for bailout cash (GMAC).

anyone notice that the dash looks like a 94 - 98 mustang dash?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mingle

anyone notice that the dash looks like a 94 - 98 mustang dash?

---

Only barely, but I can see what you mean with the "two swoops" styling...
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.au...terior_450.jpg
http://jessykam77.tripod.com/1994_mu...ide_of_car.JPG

S.