What Do You Want to Know About the 2008 Chevy Malibu?

In September we spent a lot of time on the blog talking about the redesigned Honda Accord. The car is a best-seller and quickly became the most-searched car model on Cars.com after commercials for it hit the airwaves. One common complaint inquiry was if we would cover the new Chevy Malibu in the same way when it went on sale in November. The answer was yes.

To back up our claim, we’re opening up the discussion to the readers. Take the space in the comments below to send us your pressing questions about the new Malibu. We’ll be driving it this week and delivering a full review, as well as video and blog coverage. Tell us what you want and we’ll try to bring it to you as best we can.

Comments

[KJ]

This isn't so much a question as it is a comment...why can't GM/Chevy come up with a style of their bread n' butter car other than a boring look on the new Malibu? I mean this new model has equal or less excitement and distinction than a Cobalt, which from the beginning starting our with a what I call the snooze-line. The Malibu is supposed to be a Camry/Accord fighter. It doesn't stand a chance. It doesn't have quality looks. Heck, at least some Chrysler/Dodge styles look good on the outside. Of course can't say the same on the inside or mechanically. Anyway, just my opinion here. Good luck to the Chevy Malibu sales, however most profits will probably occur at the rental fleet sales.

[ronnie]

Please list the interior space dimensions and trunk volume and compare it to the Accord, Fusion, etc.

[Jon Tolar]

The three biggest white lies told by Americans are: (1) How much I paid for or sold my house fo. (2)The mileage I get from my car. (3) I have never had any trouble with my Japanese car.

[Scott J.]

I'm most interested in the interior quality. The pictures of the interior look great -- they seem to have blended retro (1960s scallopped dash) but made it comtemporary. If they can make it feel expensive (i.e. Honda) and work well on a bread-and-butter vehicle, I think GM may be out of the woods wrt interior development.

I'd also like to see a Saturn Aura vs. Chevy Malibu comparison. Not because its the most important competitor, but because I'd like to see what GM fixed since the launch of the Aura (and there were problems). In other words, did they listen to Aura customers and fix the most pressing problems, or did they just design a cooler looking Aura.

Is the new Malibu a chevy version of the Pontiac G6?

[LM]

Hey Jon - My Japanese car has no problems.

Housing prices are on public record, just call your assessors office.

And the EPA will tell you MPG (for real) now.

=D

[Hwy Driver]

I would like to see comparisons to the Accord, Camry, and Fusion based on the following:

1) fuel economy
2) safety equipment, particularly various airbags and ESC-available/standard/optional
3) (smooth) ride quality and road noise
4) for the long hauls, seat comfort and support
5) everyday driving dynamics: how easy is it to park at the mall or on the street? How well can you see out of the vehicle?

[ziggy]

Hey jon

I have a toyota sienna - 130K no problems, had a Nissan Sentra 150k no problems (my brother-in-law has it now 250k no problems), had a Honda civic 150k no problems, had a mazda b2000(before it was a ford ranger) 150k no problems.

[Brent]

Jon you got me. I own a 02 civic with 100k miles and I tell everyone that I've haven't had any problems with it but in actuallity I did have to take it into the dealer one time to get a faulty door lock actuator replaced to the tune of $93. So technically I've had one problem with it. Compare that the the pos 02 trailblazer that I used to own. That thing had a new recall every other month. Don't get me started on the cavalier that I owned before that. As far as mpg I tell people that I get 38-40 mpg. In actuallity I get any where from 35mpg in city driving in the winter to as high as 42mpg on straight highway driving in the spring/fall.

[***]

My question to GM: Is this the very best you could have done with the restyled Malibu? The answer appears to be a "maybe".

Jon, I have another white lie to add to the list: I own an American car. Hah, most American cars are made somewhere else. I'm not even sure what a so called American car is anymore.

[Jon Tolar]

*** The difference is $30 to $50 an hour with great benefits for American cars, versus $15 an hour, good benefits for the Japanese cars. Add that to the fact most of the profit from the Japanese cat is sent back to japan. That's the difference between an American-made and a Japanese-made car -- really big bucks going somewhere else to grow someone elses economy.

[Dave T.]

Can we not have the made in america argument here ? Thanks.

[Q1]

Maybe if American car companies made cars that last longer than 10 days, maybe more people would choose to buy American, and the money would stay here. Ah, my debut comment.

[sheth]

Brent/Ziggy,

I cant even list all of the problems I have heard of in regards to Japanese cars but rest assured that if you had ZERO problems in 250k miles per vehicle as you state you are very lucky indeed. Japanese cars are largely made in America by Americans using the same global suppliers as the Big 3. There is a reason why the quality gap is smaller than ever.

BTW, it should be noted that MOST American cars are NOT imported. A large number are the the majority of domestic vehicles are made in the US. Meanwhile Toyota has been increasing its share of imported vehicles in recent years because many of its hot models are made in Japan.

KJ,

The Malibu is hands down better looking than any Asian midsize car. You are in the minority if you think it's styling isnt rich enough to compete with the dull 2008 Accord.

[sheth]

My main question is whether or not the armrests are better in this car than in the Aura. Other than that I would presume the car drives like the Aura which is a good thing. It's definitely got the looks to compete as well as the powertrains.

[Phaeton]

Actually reading some of the responses conjured up a question that may involve some added research (sorry Kelsey, Dave and crew). I really liked the post you all did a while back on the big trucks that showed what percentage of the vehicle was made in America. I would be interested to see that for the main competition passenger cars like the Camry, Accord, Altima, Fusion & Malibu.

Personally I think the new Malibu looks alright (lightyears better than the last iteration) and I have to agree with Scott on the interior which looks pretty nice for a car in that class. Given I would have to see it in person to make a final call.
One thing I dont really care for is their commercials with a tag line to the effect of a car you can't ignore or miss, something like that. Which is fine but then they use a previous mid 90's model malibu or oldmobile counterpart as the car being missed by everyone. Albeit resulting in some funny situations, chosing one of your own previous products to knock is kind of self defeating. Makes you think they arent proud of their own vehicles and they may have a similar outlook on this new malibu in a few years. One thing you learn in business 101 and from my previous years in retail is to never knock your own product no matter what. If they wanted to pull this off in the commercial, at least pick one of their competitions older vehicles. But then again I am probably reading way too much into it and just being picky.

[sulli]

phaeton,
you aren't the only one, I too thought long and hard about why they would do that. I think I figured it out though- the jogging lady seems really dumb for running into the car twice, so i think they were saying that all the people who didn't notice the old mailbu when it was frumpy were kinda ditsy. I don't know, that is just my take on it. Overall though, I do not like the commercials, I would rather see the new car inside and out rather than a dumb jogger.

[KJ]

I thought the woman in the TV commericial was running into a late 90's Corolla. Am I wrong here?

To Sheth, glad you like the new Malibu. You should be able to buy a cheap one from the Avis Rental Parking Lot Sale.......soon!

[KJ]

I thought the woman in the TV commericial was running into a late 90's Corolla. Am I wrong here?

To Sheth, glad you like the new Malibu. You should be able to buy a cheap one from the Avis Rental Parking Lot Sale.......soon!

[Paul]

They are actually pretty good commercials if you break them down, but too many people are taking them at face value. Think it was a 50/50 decision to use the previous Malibu Iteration or an old Camry for instance(look up the definition of boring in the dictionary and there is an old Camry photo). But they wanted some irony in the Commercial I think. It says the new one is so much better and we are that confident in it that we can afford to poke some fun at the old one now. It does not necessarily put the old one down either, more just saying we had a decent car but just made it too conservative perhaps. As far as them not really showing or emphasizing the new vehicle, I think that is just their way to keep the buzz going a little longer and keep people interested in seeing it before it is an everyday sighting on the road a few months from now like the Aura.

[ziggy]

The new commercials are kinda dumb. Your focus is on the bank robbers or the dumb woman running into the car and you could care less that it's a malibu commercial. "Better looking than any Asian midsize" - Sheth get your eyes examined.

[z]

The everyday sighting will the malibus that have the green and white "e" sticker on the back.

[Juan Carlos]

remember being a passenger in the malibuu maxx and very quiet even at 90 mph.

[Kevin]

Two things are guaranteed with the new Malibu: 1. You can find it at Avis, 2. Wait a few months and rebates will start appearing.

Chevy is like the athlete that talks a good game but never delivers. Meanwhile Honda and Toyota rack up wins.

The old adage still applies: If it's a Ford, GM or Chrysler product it has to be priced at least $3k less than it's direct Japanese competitor or it will not sell.

[JM]

I would like to see a nice detailed review on the interior. hopefully Chevy can stay away from hard plastic...its just not attractive. From what ive read, the 4 cylinder only has 4 speeds... it is very disappointing that GM consistently puts more 4 speed transmissions in their new cars

[Mark]

Actually passed a new Malibu in NW Ohio 10-31. Wonder if the test drives have started for writers.? Looked great by the way...definitely caught my eye (while driving the Aura). Just want to a full comparison that is fair! Don't tear apart little things that you let slide with Honda and Toyota.

[J]

Dave,
The first thing I want to know about the new Malibu is: (Drumroll) Where is the final assembly?

Because I am already expecting GM is going to throw some patriotic commercial about it just like the Silverado, and to be complete honest, those commercial made me sick to the stomach. Since it has nothing to do with how good the vehicle is.
BTW, I have already seen a couple of them driving around town, and even saw one parking at my college.

[hitman1970]

Good to know that Asian car fanboys and the immature know how to use the internet.

I like the Malibu will but will not be purchasing one. We have two American cars. One for two years and one for fifteen months with no problems. We plan on keeping each vehicle until there our planned six year trade it time. Looking forward to seeing what 2011 and 2012 have to offer.

Previous cars were three German cars for several years with several problems, Korean car for five years with no problems, and a Japanese cars for eight years with two failed axles and various other problems.

[Rob]

Sorry. Japanese are much better than US. 1978 Ford, 7 recalls, numerous probs. 1993 Ford, tranny out 5,000 miles, 2 recalls. 1989 Dodge Van, paint flaking off at 5 years. Company says had no complaints. Find out later there were big probs. They lied. 7 year old Toyota, 97,000 miles. Not one prob. 1990 Mazda, 71,000 miles. Not one prob. The big three screwed themselves. I would really like to get US but wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole.

[starlightmica]

For anyone who wants to know the dimensions of the Malibu, they're virtually identical to the Aura - I spent some time looking at them when they came out a couple of months ago. That means they're the same size inside as Altima, and slightly smaller by 3-4 cubic feet passenger space than Camry. Accord and Sonata are bigger still.

2 days ago, Bob Lutz said, "Right now, we don't know how to do better than this." So, Dave (& company), could they have done better than a reskin of the Aura?

[sj]

kevin,

Perhaps you should read some of the reviews that are being posted today. You are way off unsurprisingly. If you read anything about the Aura (which you obviously havent) you wouldnt expect the Malibu to be a bad car. Edmunds and C&D have their reviews up already and they are positive. Edmunds says the interior is only outclassed by 2008 Accord which is a compliment in my book.

Anyone who wont even consider a domestic because of problems with a car they had 20 years ago is cheating themselves. Warranties have been lengthened and every sources shows reliability has increased substantially in the last 10 years or so. I cannot understand how anyone could have such doubts about an attractive, well made car with a 5 year powertrain warranty. It just goes to show that most people really dont want "better" American cars- they only want JApanese cars.

The car is made in Kansas City.

I like the ads and I am not going to dismiss a car because they used a '97 Cutlass in the ads. That is a sorry reason to ignore a competitive vehicle.

Rob,

toyota has been leading in recalls lately even if Ford or GM led the list deacades ago. Which is more significant to you?

[sulli]

I am really tired to reading about the "hard plastic" as a bad thing only on domestic cars. EVERY car has a predominantly plastic interior. The "gold standard" in the class, Camry has more plastic than any or them, and it is not just the current body style. Having spent lots of time in Asian, Domestic, and European autos, I just have to say to all my toyota and honda (more toyota though), spend some extended time in a german car- a cheap one like a jetta even, and you'll see that your great interiors are not that much better than the domestics.

The rental comments are unfortunatly true, however, I happen to know that enterprise for one, will put anything on their lot that they can buy. I unfortunatley had to rent a car for 2 months recently and I was surprised, to see that they had everything. The location that I went to even had 2 prius and a C class M-B. The rental comments are stupid. People need rental cars. The fact that bean counters of a company would even employ a certain car should be a testament to its reliability and low maitenance costs- those companies are there to make money, so I doubt that they would be dumb enough to put cars in their fleets that are not going to loose them money while out of commision beign serviced. Especially knowing the way some people drive them. Maybe the carmakers should build a car that they only sell to rental places, lol.

kevin,
On the rebate comments, I don't know where you live, but in houston the dealers are compeating against themselves. If you buy any car (non luxury) without a rebate or big discount, you probably got ripped. Camrys for 16,950, accords for the price of a civic, etc. Dealers make their money on the back end of the financing and the service department.

Finally from a design standpoint, if you are at all interested in automotive design, than you should be able to set aside your prefernces and appreciate a good design. I'm not saying that I am in love with this malibu, but I am not going to say that it is hideous just because I don't like chevrolet. I wouldn't buy a Camry because they are too damn common, but everytime I see an SE version, I stop and look. They did a damn good job on that car. The Accord could be more cohesive and original, I am very disappointed in that one as it seems to only look good from the front in certain colors, and top end trim ( to me at least). I don't like the Malibu's nose, but I haven't seen it in person.

Wow…another GM product designed exclusively for the rental car market. If you are looking to buy one...wait a few months...CarMax will have loads of them!

[Daz]

Actually Sulli, carmakers have been making fleet only cars for years! The 2007 Taurus wuz fleet only, as is the '08 Crown Vic. Also Chevy sold the '97-'03 Malibu as the "Classic" for fleets only, in '04-05. & they'll be selling the '04-07 Malibu as the "Classic" for fleets only! So if u c a "Classic" at your local dealer..well u know where that car has been! LOL

[CoolWill]

Please stop complaining about American car companies. The difference between the American and foreign car manufacturers is that American companies and its partners give millions of dollars a year more to higher education institutions/communities and employs around a few million Americans more still compared to the foreign companies (i.e. read link to following article http://www.graduatingengineer.com/industryfocus/automotive2.html and read this link based on 2006 numbers http://www.autoyensubsidy.org/pdf/ATPCbluebook_62606%20(2).pdf ).

I agree for decades American car companies were making cheap luxury, midsize, and small cars. The management and bean counters took away the American engineering and designing advantage. They are starting to take there cars just as seriously as there trucks. Soon the American diverse workforce will make the Japanese single minded workforce second fettle i.e... 08 CTS, 09 Camaro, 2010 Volt

The 08 Malibu is to the Accord, Camry, and Altima as the 07 Tundra was to the GMT900s, F150, and Ram. It will not outsell the Japanese cars but it will become very competitive.

American companies cannot even sell their cars in Japan competitively priced because of tariffs (Japan - nationalist country). To sale cars in China any foreign company has to joint venture with a Chinese company. If you are going to assume that the new American cars are like the ones in years past. Then you go ahead and spend thousands more for a vehicle that probably will have fewer features and will not be as fun to drive. (Quality and Reliability is a given for most vehicles now)

So, yes there is a difference between American and foreign companies. A perfect example is the development of the plug-in hybrid technology between GM and Toyota. How much money Toyota is spending in America compared to GM. GM is using American based companies and Toyota is using Japanese based companies i.e.…Sony vs. A123 lithium ion technology.

Kicking Tires, discuss NVH and overall drivability of the new “Bu” compared to the Camry, Accord, and Altima. Thanks,

[Bigbee]

The 2008 Malibu is very, very nice in V-6 LT and LTZ trim. It will also be nice in LT and LTZ trim with the I-4 engine when the 6AT transmission comes online in March/April. I was able to drive the 2008 back to back with Accord's, Camry's, and Fusion's at a local GM customer introduction for dealers and select previous owners. Stil lsome hard plastic in the interior, but the two-tone interior rivals an Audi/VW interior for overall quality, fit, and finish. Only area that I'd quibble on was turning radius compared to the Accord. The Accord could U-turn in a normal road, but the new Malibu, Camry, and Fusion needed the grass to finish the turn. I'd guess that the Accord has about a 3-4 foot better turning radius than the other 3. As far as price, you can already get a 2008 Accord EX-L for $2K under MSRP in the Boston area, so I don't expect GM to be able to sell them at MSRP either.

[ROb]

seriously it's a never ending insult with GM..

if you are dumb enough to buy this over a Camry or an Accord and you save a little money you will lose your shirt when you go to trade it...

Why would ANYONE want this car? It's the Ugliest over a Saturn Aura or a Pontiac G6..

God GM sucks and they never learn

[Damian]

Has any one else noticed how the 2008 Accord looks almost exactly like the Saturn L2000 from somew years back. Also why will Honda or Toyota or Nissan not put a 5 yr 100000 mile warranty on their vehicles is it because they don't believe in their product or is it because they are greedy and can sell their vehicles for thousands less then they do? I personally don't trust anyone that won't back up their product with a very extensive transferrable warranty with no deductible. but thats just me

[ziggy]

Honda and Toyota don't need the 100,000 warranty. Ask the people that have bought them over the last 20 years. I did buy one on my sienna and it was only $450. Have 130k and it's never needed any work outside of general maintenance.

[Bob]

My 2008 chevy malibu lt paint is flaking on the entire front end and it is only 2 months old.Current owners might wanna check it out to see if there malibu is doing the same.Hopefully GM fixing this problem.