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Why are there no pictures of the side profile? Does the screen in the center console mean that there’s finally a real navigation system available instead of the awful Onstar turn-by-turn navigation?
As for the question presented, I’m not a fan of the Camaro Butt on the Malibu, but I wouldn’t buy a new GM vehicle anyway.
Weren’t the Malibu and its predecessor, the Saturn Aura, based on a 90’s Opel/Vauxhall design from Europe? Maybe this re-styling is to add some flair and pizzazz to an otherwise decades-old bland design. The bottom line is that the Malibu is uninspired when compared to its immediate competitors in the US, and its power train is nothing to write home about unless it is a rental.
The hottest mid-size sedan right now is the Sonata based on both its looks and its modern powertrain. Camry still sells very well and has a long track record of dependability going for it, as does the Accord, but even the Altima has really caught on with the buying public. Fusion and Malibu are just not real players for anything other than rental fleets. Styling changes are not going to help either. Reverse engineering all the best features of Camry, Accord, Altima and Sonata, and putting them in a new Malibu would kick up sales a notch or two.
It worked for Toyota in 2007 when they put all the best features of America’s pickup trucks in their new Tundra. Yeah, they were copy cats, but they captured a niche slice of the truck segment and are taking a few sales away from Ford, GM and Dodge.
How did you arrive to all these conclusions, do you ever read automotive press of Internet, or TTAC at least? Never heard more absurd statements about how, when and on what Malibu and Aura/Regal platforms were and are based.
The Epsilon platforum debuted in ’02 as an Opel, and the new Malibu is I believe Epsilon II, which underpins the current LaCrosse, so, no, it isn’t a decades old platform.
The current Malibu isn’t a bad car by any means, it just doesn’t have any killer feature. I’d be careful about suddenly vaulting the Sonata up to the same level of the Camry/Accord which have traditionally led the segment. The Sonata is currently selling at a decent pace, but long term reliability on the new engines is still an unknown factor, and the design, while an improvement over past Sonata models, is still derivative and may not age particularly well.
There is really nothing that needs to be reverse engineered from the current Camry or Accord – they are both pretty much straighforward midsize family sedans, with nothing particularly special about them other than their sales numbers. The history of good reliability from Toyota and Honda has helped sales numbers, and Ford’s recent reliability gains have aided in launching the Fusion into the same territory. GM likewise has made great strides in reliability recently, so in any objective comparison there would be no real reason to pick a Camry or Accord over the new Malibu. Of course, people will likely go with what they know, so GM will have to find a way to attract people to the Malibu, but based on the strides made in market share with the current model, there is no reason to think they can’t continue to gain ground with the new one. Remember, nothing happens overnight, progress is all that matters.
Regarding the Tundra, Toyota didn’t really copy anyone else’s pickup design very closely. While the market leaders in the segment, Ford and GM, built their pickups on fully boxed frames with welded in place cross members, Toyota opted for a C channel frame (similar to what Ford uses in the Super Duty line for purposes of making it easier on upfitters, but in Toyota’s case making use of much smaller rails and thinner metal) and riveted cross members. Given that the frame is one of most important parts of a pickup truck, Toyota’s deviation from the established industry practice pretty much leaves the Tundra standing alone in the segment from a design perspective. Toyota also went with a far more carlike interior design theme compared to the established players, whether that is for better or for worse is up for debate. The only thing that the Toyota really did that could be seen as copying the domestic pickup leaders is increasing the overall size of the truck and offering a more powerful V8 option.
Sorry, but I see the Sonata as ugly. What is so “modern” about its power train? Direct Injection? A Turbo? 6 speed auto? All of this has been around for a few years. The vehicle is too loud. Not enough sound deadening in it. Go ride in this a Sonata, then go ride in a Camry, Regal, LaCrosse, or other vehicle that cares about road noise, and then back in the Sonata. The volume will be very noticeable.
Nullo, thanks for the explanation. When I was in Europe (Germany) in 1999 we rented an Opel (something or other) to use for transportation while there for the month (visiting my son and daughter-in-law stationed there with the US Air Force at Lindsey). Turns out that rental looked an awful lot (and I mean a great deal) like both the Saturn Aura and its successor, the Malibu. I had my suspicions. Thought this might be a case of Euro-development for North American application and use. But it does not appear that buyers are flocking to the Malibu. I’m not in the market for a midsize sedan but I do notice a new Sonata because of its eye-catching lines. Maybe a little styling cue like the Camaro Butt will attract more buyers. Does anyone know how well the Malibu power train is holding up because there has to be a reason why the Camry, Accord and Altima consistently outsell the Malibu.
That is an interesting comment about the Tundra because I owned both a 2006 F150 SC and a 1988 Silverado EC prior to buying my 2011 Tundra. I drove a 2010 F150 (the best selling truck in America) and I found it only to be a more up-to-date version of my own 2006 F150. But when I drove the 2010 Tundra Limited 4Dr 5.7, I was sold! I chose the 2011 Tundra SR5 DoubleCab 5.7 2WD and it has been a real joy. No more bounciness, jounciness, and skittishness of the F150. No more wallowing and wandering on rutted roads. No more shuddering when accelerating or braking. But most of all what I noticed was the dead-quiet inside the cab. No more creaking, moaning and groaning when driving over uneven country roads. I read an article back in 2007 that outlined how Toyota had really done their homework by buying and dissecting a truck from each of the American manufacturers. From my own experience I have to say, that they succeeded! But to be sure, the Tundra is not for everyone. I paid over $7500 more than a 2011 Silverado could be had for in El Paso, TX,, and over $5000 more than a similar 2011 F150. But a Tundra is what I wanted, based on the test drive..
What rock have you been hiding under? The current Malibu and Fusion are very good pieces are certainly not rental car fodder. Just take a look at most editors rankings and you will find one of these cars nearly always ranked higher than the CamCord. The Epsilon platform debuted in 2002 via Opel and then right after it underpinned a Saab. This new Malibu uses Epsilon II which debuted but a few years ago and currently underpins the new Regal and LaCrosse or hardly decades old. The Camry/Avalon platforms are older if you want a comparison even though the 2007 Camry claims to be mostly new. There platforms are heavily based on the previous generation cars which are based on the generation before etc. Why would a car company keep making a totally brand new chassis for a car every time it was re-designed? That would be a huge waste of money. This new Malibu looks to be far better than any current Camry with a more powerful and efficient engine, far better styling, a way nicer interior and more features/tech for the money. I have driven the current 2007-2011 generation Camrys and they are nothing special at all with there rental grade gray interiors that are mis-aligned and lacking in material choices plus there sloppy soft handling and I have seen numerous used examples with worn mouse fur on the door panals and buttons with fading lettering and console covers that won’t stay shut or hardly a high quality car interior!
Ponchoman, would you like to add your opinion as to why neither the current Malibu nor the current Fusion sell worth a damn? I am only interested in the sustained profitability of both GM and Ford so that we, the people, can have a chance at getting some of our bail out and ‘loan’ money back. At the current rate of sales, I don’t see that happening, ever.
Hopefully this styling tweak will win Malibu some more real-world buyers. You may be interested in knowing that ALL of the rentals put on the market after they reach their magic 12K miles on the odometer, sell. That means that Malibu actually sells more of their units as a used-rental than as a brand new off-the-lot unit, because GM sells more Malibu to rental fleets than they do to individual sales. What do you think will be the best selling mid-sized sedan for the month of April? Altima? or Sonata? Certainly not Malibu or Fusion.
I also have read where different posters have stated that ALL the transplants went precariously down hill when they started making their vehicles in America. We own a Jap-built 2008 Highlander Limited AWD that the wife drives, and I own a 2011 Tundra, neither which seem to suffer from bad fit&finish. We did rent a 2010 Malibu from the local airport rental company when we went to California last summer, and it was an unremarkable vehicle. We rent for long trips because we do not want to pile on the miles on our cars, and because my wife can write off the rental as an expense. I hate flying. Spent 20 years in the USAF on flying status in transports. I do not like crowded cattle-car flying.
YTD sales of the Fusion are 98% of the Accord, 95% of the Altima, and 85% of the Camry, so, overall very far from not selling worth a damn.
The Malibu is at 94% the yearly sales rate of the Sonata, so, also not really being dominated. Given that the Malibu as a model has been out the longest without a refresh, I think the update could help it a lot.
Rental car sales are counted when the vehicles are sold new to the rental companies. When rental fleets then sell the cars later (after however many miles, I’d seen most trending towards closer to 30K these days) those sales are considered as used cars, and not counted in the figures posted here each month. While Chevy does have certain models that are very popular with rental fleets, such as the Impala, the Malibu doesn’t have an overwhelming rental fleet sales percentage.
Nullo, I’m hoping that the new styling tweak will sell more Malibu when it comes out. I really would like to see the US tax payers get paid back that bail out money. Even a little is better than nothing. I do believe we, the people will lose more on the US auto industry than what we will recoup, if that is even possible since I do believe that Ford and GM as we know them today… well, their days are numbered. At some point, maybe 2013, maybe 2014, maybe 2015, we have to cut our losses. Maybe by then Ford and GM will have moved much more production to Mexico and Brazil, China and and India, and will be making real money that they can send home to mama. That would be a good thing for America.
Finally real nav available? You mean like the factory in-dash navs in my ’07 GM products?
Yes, exactly like that. It wasn’t available on the Malibu.
Hide yo kids
a very nice looking car. btw segfault, I for one happen to love turn by turn. just sayin’.
I’m more curious to see what the center stack looks like for those that don’t spring for the $1000 in dash navigation/onstar system.
To be honest, the more real estate OnStar takes up in a car the less likely I am to buy a GM product. I have no interest in paying a monthly fee to have my whereabouts tracked.
@Buickman: OnStar is more than turn by turn, which I love also. I personally don’t like having to look down at the screen (and read text) as most factory nav systems are installed that way. This weekend, I made a quick visit home to Cleveland and used the trip advisor feature to guide me to my destinations. The hands-free phone is incredibly handy. I encountered severe thunderstorms while driving on the Ohio Turnpike Saturday, and made phone calls to folks waiting for me to let them know I would be delayed. I can get weather reports while I’m moving with OnStar. It’s a lot more than nav and location tracking, both of which can be accomplished with your existing cell phone…
My major complaint is that I would like to find an upgrade path to version 8 of OnStar. Version 7 that I have in my 2009 Pontiac doesn’t have bluetooth capability, and I will be upgrading my phone in the next couple of months or so. OS 8 has it and it would be great to have that feature in my existing car. I’ve put in my request, but have not heard back yet. Here’s hoping…
Sorry for the partial post there, but commenting on an iPhone doesn’t work right and it won’t let me edit it now. I was going to say:
Hide yo kids and hide to wife, because the plood is back and it’s looking worse than ever. As for the rest of the car, if it had a beak and different taillights it’d be a dead ringer for the TL.
I agree, the plood is brutal. I think it’s a really attractive car inside and out in every other respect. I hope they fix that before they release the car; the current Malibu’s plood is actually pretty decent, but this stuff looks like the stamped tin in the current Accord EX.
Other wish list items that the old Malibu doesn’t have:
•Padded front door armrests (ouch!).
•A rear armrest, as much for looks as for function.
•Rear door styling that matches the fronts, rather than looking like they built the car from the front and ran out of money halfway through.
Overall the car isn’t bad, it’s a little bit more sporty looking than before. As for those tail lights though, in the immortal words of the Most Interesting Man in the World, “No”.
Not bad overall, but the tailights don’t work for me. They actually remind me of the early Vega, but on that car, they looked good.
I hope those taillights look better in real life. In 2-D, they look like afterthoughts. Also, I hope the whole car looks better in real life as it looks to be a design by committee, with one choosing the front, one middle, one back. And I liked that trunk lid better when it was on the first gen Stratus….
No.
Bad things first: 1) I didn’t know Chris Bangle had gone (back) to work for Opel/GM. The man may be gone, but his eponymous Butt lives on here. It only makes sense as BMW distances itself from this styling language, that GM would adopt it.
2) That interior is horrid. So many different shapes and textures fighting for dominance, and gaudy plastiwood even on the steering wheel spokes — just to remind you it’s fake. And the plastic “vents” across the dash? Ugh.
That said, the rest of the car is mostly inoffensive, which does mark something of a victory for GM — if a notable step back from the previous rental-grade ‘Bu, that at least had some quiet character to it.
Agreed. That is one of the most shameless Bangle Butt ripoffs yet. Are memories really so short? I don’t see the Camaro in this Malibu, but I know I would have little use for a big rental car with a mail-slot trunk opening like the one on the Camaro.
Well, if one recalls the band known as “The Bangles,” they had two hits. “Manic Monday” was actually written by Prince. And of course, there was “Walk Like An Egyptian,” which was remade by the “Swinging Erudites” into “Walk With An Erection.”
Point being, the Malibu’s riff on the the Bangle 7-series is not unprecedented.
Perfectly acceptable. All it’s missing in this picture is the little green “e” sticker under the left taillight.
Meh…After the great job GM did with the latest Buicks and Cadillac CTS coupe, I’m frankly disappointed by this whole car, style-wise.
The rear end is reminiscent of the current Camry to me, and the “Camaro” style taillights look like an afterthought, even though they’re supposed to be the highlight of the car’s design.
Actually, the problem I have with this car isn’t that it looks bad – it certainly doesn’t. It just doesn’t look new. GM releasing pictures a full year ahead of the Malibu’s launch is only going to make it age more quickly.
It would have made a great new-for-2007 design, but it doesn’t look “new for 2013”.
Right on. It’s an inoffensive retread of an inoffensive car. The Malibu is a solid player in the midsize market. It’s WAY better than previous recent generations (having owned a ’97 Malibu, believe me). It’s just not all that compelling as a vehicle — visually or in driving dynamics.
GM hasn’t gained the quality aura that Toyota (despite recalls) and Honda (despite a few design missteps on the Accord) possess. Ford has gained a lot of ground with multiple years of solid reliability for the Fusion. This means GM needs to try harder — yes, maybe unfair, but it does. There are a lot of years of bad vehicles to atone for and many of us who would be tempted by a solid, enjoyable to drive American vehicle aren’t going to pony up unless there is a reason. (Even my father, who swore off American cars nearly 30 years ago, bought a 2010 Fusion — and likes it a lot.)
GM’s recent designs with the Regal and CTS prove it can do better. The Malibu looks slightly dated today and probably will more so next year. Why should someone spend $25K+ for this car?
Well, aren’t you guys hard to please….
I personally think it looks “a lot” better than the Sonata. I am confident that the tail lights will look better in real-life. I can honestly say that the interior definitely looks better than the Sonata’s.
I get the feeling that some of you guys are hating just for the sake of hating.
+1
This is a mid cycle upgrade, not an all new design, unlike the Sonata. The front is good, the back – lets see in person, there have been plenty of times when something looks meh in photos but great in real life (and color specific)
This is actually all new – because of the bankruptcy there was no mid-cycle. Switching from the LWB Epsilon 1 platform to the short wheel base Epsilon 2 (same as the Regal).
I’m seeing Taurus (business) in the front and Camaro (party) in the back. Perhaps they should call it the Mullet-bu.
Asking the TTAC audience if they like the styling of a GM product is like asking a vegan convention to select the best cut of steak.
+1, and that’s the truth about TTAC.
It’s actually a lot more like asking the country’s top expert butchers what they think of GM steak…
@Robbie I’d actually accept your response if the gentle readers of TTAC didn’t hold up the Toyota Corolla as a prime example of USDA Grade A Prime beef, 4-speed automatic, rear drum brakes, and no innovation since 1998 and all.
It’s like the butchers are handing me a piece of tofu and going – mmmmmm – that’s mighty tasty.
Or how about in the ask the Best & the Brightest section where you see recommendations for use BMWs over and over again despite the well documented fact that a used BMW is a maintenance nightmare, let alone self-destructing high pressure fuel pumps. Oh Lordy no, don’t be buying a lightly used C05 or C06 Corvette – you need the BMW or a Boxster, and the big pile of bills that comes with it.
Robbie – I think you over estimate some of the readers of TTAC – they are not all expert “butchers”. Just internet users who have an interest in cars and stumbled onto this site. That would explain why some commentators on here get it wrong on such issues like the new Jetta (would be a sales disaster – incorrect), Ford can do no wrong (coming late to India and China excluded!) etc etc.
those lights Look like the foot sole rockets of a Voltron or somesuch robot.
I think overall it is a more interesting design than the outgoing model, but only by a very thin margin. It is just such a “safe” update and that bugs me.
I have a feeling that when everyone else redesigns in a year or so this is really going to look like the most generic option.
That back end is just plain ugly. Chevy combined the Camaro tail lights with a BMW trunk. It doesn’t work. The whole design is the same old Chevy. It looks like a grown up Cruze.
I like it. The dash was given a sort of retro flair, without being retro.
The hood treatment can be found in other recent Chevys I’ve seen, new Spark comes to mind. Got to see it in real life to tell.
The front end looks too much like the current one. The profile and back are definitely better.
And many of those “pics” have too much of a rendering taste.
Make it lower, lower, lower please, wider and lighter, little bit lighter. And come up with better engines and better fuel economy. Even startup like Hyundai is able to do it. On picture interior looks nice, but what’s up with steering wheel? Previous Malibu interior also looked nice until you saw and touched it in real life.
Considering may GM cars are at or near the top of the MPG rank in their respective class I wouldn’t expect the new Malibu to be any different. Ditto for the engines.
Hyundai is hardly a ‘startup’, and some of a GM’s weight contributes to a quieter ride.
gslippy is right on the money. Hyundai has been around and the vehicles are not very quiet. Hyundai has been given a free pass by many on how loud the ride is.
I’m not a fan of the tail lights (I don’t like them on the Camaro either) or the grill (it would look much better if they stretched it down to meet the lower air inlet so that it took up the entire front-middle of the car, similar to the current Audi grills) but the rest of the exterior looks nice.
The interior shot is a bit busy (blue-green stitching next to red piping on charcoal and brown leather is a bold, if confusing, design move) but aside from the general schizophrenic feel, it doesn’t look like a bad place to spend some time.
Back: It’s a combination of the old BMW “Bangle Butt” with Camaro tail lights.
Front: A tree-trunk thick A-pillar, only slightly disguised by chrome on one side and black painted windshield border on the other.
Nothing really offensive about the car, but no compelling features either. The styling already looks dated.
I am guessing it still has an unlocked gas filler cover, unlike all the “import brand” market leaders with inside gas filler release.
Looks more like Vega butt. Having said that though, this is a reasonably nice looking car both inside and out, definitely a step up for GM. In fact, it’s almost as nice as a Sonata or Elantra. Maybe in about ten years, after the car has been around long enough to determine if GM’s quality and durability have (or have not) turned the corner and met or exceeded that of the competition in Asia, I’ll consider buying GM again.
I think that Chevrolet is looking in its past for taillight inspiration, it has had this style for many years, a reverse lamp surrounded by red stop/tail lamp. Even the last-gen Imp-ala used this, though not many noticed I think. For example, my 68 Caprice has 6 lamps in the bumper, and the reverse is surrounded by red. Corvette also used this design for years, though with a pair of lamps for each side, and still does to an extent, but with reverse relocated.
This latest design is an homage to the past, though again I wonder how many will notice for that reason. Lighting is certainly becoming a major design element. Perhaps Chevy wants you to recognize one theirs at night from behind. Fun game to play that, ID the car by its lights at night.
I think that Chevrolet is looking in its past for taillight inspiration
You’re right, but it’s more “whoring out the Corvette” than “looking to the past”. The penultimate Impala did this, and even offered a “Corvette-inspired” treatment that amounted to, well, putting body-colour paint over the lenses. It looked awful.
The Cobalt SS coupe did a better job, as does the current Malibu and (stacked) in the HHR. I’m not sure about this: it looks tacked-on.
I’ll raise the same complaint I’ve done in the past few threads about this car: it looks like GM was stuck for ideas when it came to updating the current car (which is very good) and what they did do add ended up looking fussy and contrived.
@Psar:
“…even offered a “Corvette-inspired” treatment that amounted to, well, putting body-colour paint over the lenses. It looked awful.”
I liked the look, but never got over putting a mask over something that was already there. Why didn’t they do that in the first place? That’s why I never did that to my Imp. I’d have preferred an “Impala-inspired” Impala, you know, like THREE tail lights each side, Impala logo with Impala script on the sides – stuff like that…wishing, hoping…someday.
It seems the simplest things are the most difficult.
It sort of works, but it looks like Chevy can’t make up its mind about its collective design language.
The current Malibu is rather smooth-looking; these lights really break up the smoothness.
Brown and black with turquoise stitching?
Herb Tarlek over at WKRP called, he wants his jacket back.
Well, I’m not going to trash anything until I see one in person. Like it or not, the styling trends with lumpy front ends for safety reasons and other various styling cues are here until someone else makes some sort of breakthrough that will satisfy the federal standards while standing out from the crowded midsize bread-and-butter market. In other words, we aren’t, I’m afraid, going to see the likes of mid-1960’s GM full- and mid-size styling, or Ford or Chrysler for that matter anytime soon. The tail lights? Yes. I like them. Finally, no malformed, non-sensical blobs!
I’m with you Zackman. I want to see them on the dealership lot or at Enterprise first before passing judgement. Two dimensional images and photos can be misleading. And in a few years when my wife and I need to replace our vehicles, maybe I’ll actually consider GM for the first time ever since driving and buying cars back in the 80s. As I stated in an earlier post, I rented the Saturn Aura (Malibu) two years ago for about three weeks after my wife crashed our RAV4. I was impressed with the car (4 cyl) and received many compliments on it from coworkers. As much as GMs inept management with subsequent bailout has pissed me off over the years, I still want to see GM succeed. Perhaps GM will earn my business someday.
@Zackman, +1. It looks fine to me on screen, but the real test will be in sheetmetal (and plastic).
The exterior looks bland and generic, the tail lights look like last minute add-ons.
It’s not exactly GM Styling’s biggest recent home run, but it looks fine, up-to-date and reasonably distinctive, and continues the premium-ish look of recent Chevys. The taillights are a little oversized but the design is kind of cool. If the car drives well and the production interior is as good as it looks to be (and if rushing it to market doesn’t result in quality issues) it’ll be a success.
It makes the Impala look even more ancient and ridiculous.
they still make the Malibu???
Tough crowd. I think it looks pretty good, though I don’t know if a Malibu deserves to wear one of the Camaro’s most unique styling cues. Rather than see a Bu and think “Camaro”, it could backfire and work the opposite way.
I own a 2010 LTZ Malibu, which I think is the sharpest looking car in it’s class. Obviously, I carry a bit of bias on the design, but that is one of my favorite things about the car.
The taillights look fine to me. To me they are a bit reminiscent of the Passat, which is no bad thing, as the last generation also seemed to borrow heavily from a VW-type clean Germanic design (Lutz’s influence, I took it to be). Otherwise the car looks clean and slightly aggressive, that means it should age well and be seen as attractive by the masses. To many fans of the current design, me included, it is only a bit disappointing because the new design isn’t anywhere near the quantum leap over the last generation as was prior. So we’re all looking for a new class leader and this Malibu won’t do it strictly on style, it will have to drive very well and deliver good fuel economy and reliability to prove that.
I wouldn’t call this a “mid-cycle upgrade” when it’s on a new platform and has new powertrains and a complete restyle. If that is a mid-cycle upgrade, then what is an all new car? The Fusion had a mid-cycle upgrade last year when they basically changed the grille. This is way more than that.
Finally, we still need to see real pictures, not these renderings. The previous blue Malibu pics looked horrendous…way too much Daewoo Epica left in the profile. These for some reason look way better. Maybe it was the image angle?
I’m not digging that center stack. The tombstone shape of the center vents looks cheap and outdated.
But…I love the current Malibu’s exterior styling, so I don’t see this as an improvement. It looks OK, but less distinctive.
Oh, god, I just noticed: they added “hips” on the rear fenders.
Personally, I hate this styling cue. Partially because cars that looked like this were, when I was growing up, rolling self-parodies, and two because it makes no sense to bulk out the ass-end of a front-drive sedan as if it’ll be used for ad-hoc drag racing.
The interior is nice. The rest of the car is looking worse every time I see it.
Tailights? I couldn’t see them. Was blinded by the horrendous fake wood and two tone interior. Ugh. Exterior styling is fine but I could not buy a car with that cabin set up.
Personally, I don’t think the Camaro butt works on the Camaro.
Needs fins and curb feelers.
Don’t give them any ideas!
I secretly think that fins on a new Cadillac would be the Coolest Thing Ever.
No one sees Avenger in this car? It looks like an Avenger that’s been used to bathe exactly 3 times. Not 4. Not 2– but 3.
Actually, yes, you’re right. There’s a lot of Avenger in this design, both in details and spirit: the same tacked-on hips, the aping of a different car’s design cues, the truck-like grille.
is that one of those black plastic triangles on the rear side doors?
No one has yet commented on the under funded future pension obligations or paying back the government loans. You guys are slipping.
The interior reminds me of Pontiac in the ’90s with all the rounded edges between the dash parts and binacle around the instruments. That is not a good thing. What is with the cheap looking volume dials on the steering wheel? The color scheme on the pictured model doesn’t bother me but the plood needs to go.
“The bottom line is that the Malibu is uninspired when compared to its immediate competitors in the US,”
Yes, and we all read accounts of how thrilled and excited drivers recall sporty jaunts in their Camrys. LOL
“It worked for Toyota in 2007 when they put all the best features of America’s pickup trucks in their new Tundra.”
More stupidity. Tundra is a joke.
“I get the feeling that some of you guys are hating just for the sake of hating.” ?? The so called best & brightest? How can you even suggest that…lol
I don’t like the Camaro’s butt on the Camaro, much less the Malibu
My guess is GM will do well with this redesign given the large owner base of current model Malibus. I don’t really see anything polarizing about it. IMO the backend looks a hell of a lot more stylish than the current Accord.
I think most if not all of the negative comments on this thread are from people that wouldn’t consider buying one anyway so those opinions carry zero weight in the marketplace.
It has cues of the new Taurus (front/rear) and Accord (profile) , only with a Chevy grill.
When pictures of the front end were floating around, I thought, “Hey great work GM”, but now that the rest of the car has been unvieled I am very disappointed.
First of all GM needs to ditch the ‘one size fits all’ steering wheel, and while they are at it someone needs to deep six the plood. You would think that after all of these years someone would be able to make plastic look more like wood, or better yet ditch the whole idea altogether.
Then you have the rear end. It’s awful!
I spent yesterday at the wheel of a current generation Malibu while our car was in the body shop. Boy did I ever hate the Malibu interior. Mine was a two tone brown over tan example. It hurt my eyes just being inside the thing. Also, visibility is very much compromised by the massive mirror (thanks to Onstar), high seating position (SUV wannabe) and swooping low pillars at all corners. I felt like I was trying to see out of a submarine. Of course, everything since the Volvo 240 has been a study in ever worse visibility.
On the other hand, the Ecotec four cylinder impressed me for its power and smooth operation. GM managed to make it feel like a V-6 under normal driving circumstances.
Visibility negatively impacted by a high seating position? Not sure I get that quip.
If it’s what I think John’s getting at, the seat is mounted so high (and the roofline is so low) that taller people are forced to stare directly at the windshield header — which makes visibility almost impossible with the visors down. I have a similar problem in my 6 with the seat dialed up.
I’m guessing we’re not getting a full-on side shot for a reason. Not a big fan of the Camaro’s lights, but the shape actually works better on the Malibu IMO. The interior needs a little “Honda-ization”, ie tone it down a bit. But not the cheaper materials Honda has gone to.
Still going to be a tough sell to all but GM-philes, unfortunately. If the Buick is within range on price, it is way more distinctive style-wise. When you’re spending $25k, is $2k more that much of a reach? Probably not.
I’ll actually give GM the benefit of the doubt here regarding the photograph angles. It’s unlikely the Malibu looks as horrid as the Sebring/200 in profile; more likely GM simply chose to spotlight the car in more “dynamic” staging. A side profile shot is visually dull; ditto a straight-on shot of the nose or trunk.
I’m a Ford guy to the core but give ’em some credit. At least they’re making an effort to make the Malibu look different in each iteration – consider a ’98 vs ’04 vs ’09 vs ’13. Look at the Camry in the same intervals and while each is indeed different, it’s hardly a wholesale change.
I’m a Ford guy to the core but give ’em some credit. At least they’re making an effort to make the Malibu look different in each iteration – consider a ’98 vs ’04 vs ’09 vs ’13. Look at the Camry in the same intervals and while each is indeed different, it’s hardly a wholesale change especially to non-car people.
I think the this new Malibu looks great and the interior is handsome despite the cheesy fake wood trim. The 3.6 V6 has considerable torque steer but the car really moves!! but then again the competition has strong mills as well. My problem is—I had a 99 Malibu and hated it. POJ. Yeccch.
Those 97-03 Malibus IMO did a lot of damage the the vanted Malibu and as such stops me cold from considering getting into one.
Holy crap the youth has spoken. If the taillights look different or god forbid retro they are automatically panned. If the interior has more colors offered than an i-pod with black and silver it is panned. And if the exterior looks bland and generic they like that! How typical. Having grown up when cars had 5-6 interior color choices, exteriors were adorned with lots of nice chrome and trim and V8 engines were the norm, this new Malibu offers a little hope that someone out there gets that fact that not everybody wants a rolling yawnmobile that looks like the next sedan. Well Chevy did pretty well o nthe rear end and front treatments. Too bad they left out the side which looks plainer than the current car because bodyside moldings are gone as is the lower chrome strip which makes the 2011 Bu stand out a little from the side view. And before all the little ones have a coronary, this car shown is the top line LTZ trim with dual chrome exhaust tips and wood interior trim with two-tone colors. Your cell phone black and silver look will still be the norm on the lower trim levels.
And if the exterior looks bland and generic they like that
Yeah, yeah, grandpa, we’ll make sure the red velour furniture, orange shag carpet and leopard-print kitchen table get installed in your room at the managed care facility. :)
(I kid!)
I like it. Sure, the hips are a little silly, but they give the car some character, which is sorely lacking in this segment. Not a big fan of the Chevy grill, it works on larger vehicles but they need a different treatment for their compacts. The fake wood in the interior needs to go, along with the ice blue instrumentation. I just drove a Fusion whose instruments had a similar treatment , and after two hours I was tired of it. Note to designers: We have to look at those gauges every day, please don’t make them look like they came from the Orland Magic’s Jumbotron.
If I were looking for a sedan I’d check it out, but as Dave M said, if the Buick is only a couple grand more it would be worth it just for the grille.
I think its pretty decent looking, probably would work better if they tried harder to tie in some of the Camaro attitude. Regardless of what we think of the Camaro, the general public still thinks its a styling hit. GM would do well to take a few risks across thier lineup. If they wont sell a RWD muscle sedan, at least they can make thier car look like one.
What I dislike about the ‘Bu is the dumb bar across the grill. I know what they are trying to do, make some kind of brand statement with thier trucks, but that design just doesnt carry over to car designs well. It makes it look cheap, especially with the giant “CHEVROLET” badge on the back. The Bow Tie logo is iconic (and equally huge), they dont need both. The should copy the grill designs they used for Saturn, or for Opel.
It’s like spotting a woman with a nice behind… then seeing her face. Yikers!
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/tabbibaby/ugly-women-3.jpg
Dunno about the tail lights, and the front end has gone too chunky. The existing Malibu in my opinion is one of the more tastefully designed vehicles on the road today.
The Bangle butt and the profile resemble the current, soon-to-be-replaced Toyota Camry. Just like its great-grandfather 1997 version resembled the 1992-1996 Camry.
I think if anything, one of the things working against Chevy right now, is their insistence upon pasting that big, obnoxious gold bow tie on the front and back of their vehicles. Can someone please inform them that gold badging became passé, oh, about 1994…? They really should go back to a smaller, subtler bowtie, or at least change its appearance to either brushed silver or chrome….
The cars used to have blue bow ties, the trucks had gold and performance models were usually a red outline. After years of this they decided to go for brand unity and made all models gold across the board sometime around 2004 I think. Factor in the current trend of huge car logos and there’s your problem.
For me this looks like a bigger version of the Cruze, maybe I have Cruze brain from all the Cruzes I see in Australia.
I am surprised that no one else can see the family resemblance, which runs from the 2 Tier bonnet lines, through the side view to the rear (Hidden slightly by the tailights)
Steering wheel looks identical other than wood colour, same for wiper & indicator stalk, and headlamp switch.
Heck the more I look at the interior, I see Cruze all over it.
I can already read the TTAC review:
New Malibu out Camrys the Camry… [MK]
Still waiting on a true American mid car [Jack]
:-)
looking like the G8 – now if they would just put a similar engine in it.