Smooth sailing...update 10/09

UPDATE AS OF 15,500 miles and 7 months later....
I can definitely say the honeymoon is over and I am again reminded why American cars are so far behind their off shore competitors.  I have owned a mercury, chevy, BMW, ford, several VW, jeep, and once again I am reminded why I always stray from the american cars.  Frankly they are not built to last, and the customer service is terrible.  I can honestly say that I put a lot of miles. About 30K a year or a bit more.  So, I do punish the car some because it is ALL stop and go, no highways. However, none of it is sitting in traffic and none of it is hard accelleration etc.  This car already has had several leaks with many gaskets needing to be replaced under warranty (which is covered) but a rental car is not (i drive from house to house for a living and "a ride to work or a ride home" won't suffice).  The third time it happened you'd think they'd cut me a break and rent me the car, but no.  Also, the transmission is starting to slip already. This is just not aceptable on an automatic. The car looks fine inside and out, no major rattles nothing feeling cheap etc.  I still like the looks. The ride is not quite as cushy already and there are just a lot of little problems, but I am not eager to go back and drop it at the dealer every 5 days because I am sick of renting a car over and over.  So, if you are leasing it, and only put 10K a year, then read on. But if you are going to buy this and put a lot of miles on, consider something else, and I am now a big believer also in "ttoal cost of ownership" not just base msrp.
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I have owned a VW for the last several years, first the Touareg then the Passat.  I was very used to driving the German engineered cars and accostumed to getting nailed for $100+ oil changes and maintenance fees.  When I saw all the money being thrown at consumers from American Car companies, I began to search around to see fi there was a great deal out there.  My 2008 Passat had 25K miles already, but I was merely just seeing what was out there. 

One of the very first cars I test drove was the Chevy Malibu.  From the outside the car looks similar to the Passat and similar to most mid to larger sized sedans out there.  Nothing too special nothing too bland.  Typical of a 5 series BMW, VW Passat, Camry, etc.  The color choices were typical and the rims were pretty typical, all around, typical. 

My first impressions...(I am not a car junky, so if you want to read about torque and HP, just look at the mfg page, but for real life driving impressions here you go. I am reviewing a newly purchased Malibu 2009 LT 1 4 cyl 6 speed with a couple options that seem pretty standard like electric remote starter.)

Inside the car is rather nice.  Sure the parts seem plasticy and low end of some sort, but not bad looking or bad ergonomics either.  The seats I have are cloth, but nice, and firm, and hold me (I am 6'1 and over 200 pounds) just fine.  With the seat all the way back an adult would not love a 4 hour trip in the back seat, but not from lack of head room, just crushed knees, but for a shorter driver or a shorter trip, there is plenty of room in the back. Tons of little storage compartments help hide all the things you keep in the car.  The glovebox is tiny though.  The dash I have on the LT 1 is a beige and moca brown with wood grain and chrome.  The intrument panels are easy to read, lit up, and there is an info center that tells you tire pressure, mileage etc.  The radio is decent, cool functions, XM, but speaker system is just average when compared to VW or infiniti or some higher end cars. On Star is standard and free for a year, and I will probably never use it, but it is cool to have for the in case of emergency features or turn by turn navi or gps locator, or unlock features if keys locked in car etc.  I have power lock, power windows, port to plug in my navi in the dash and port for my cell phone charger behind the center counsel. The steering wheel adjusts both up down and telescopically, and over all the power adjustable seat seems to adjust nicely.  Plent yof cup holders and little storage units for glasses etc as I had mentioned, and very solid feel to everything inside.

Driving. I mentioned I drove VW for the past several years and I can now definitively tell you the difference from a layperson's point of view between stiff sport type engineering typical of german engineering (bmw, Vw, audi, etc) and from typical american luxury makers (cadillac, lincoln, etc). From what I hear the malibu is on a cadillac chassis, but I have no idea.  There are definitely some big blind spots and small rear window and a high hood that obstructs some in front views, but nothing too serious.  But to describe the difference between this and the passat in driving may better give one an idea of if you'd appreciate this car.

The passat responds to everything.  For better or worse.  It has amazing acelleration, amazing breaking, tight cornering, and feels every minute bump in the road.  The road noise is very very loud, and the driving is slightly rough and loud as well.  It averages about 19 around town with the 2.0T engine and almost 35 on the flat florida highways.  It has plenty of oomph from the line and at highway speeds it can dig deeper and easilly pass other cars when cruising at 80 MPH.  But I have to say, for the amount o driving I do, a quiet and smooth ride was an amazing change for the better. 

The Malibu is a bit sluggish off the line, a bit delayed in getting into a better gear to get moving when you punch it, sluggish around corners, harder to pull into parking spots, and you need to go much slower around curves and much softer feeling breaks.  All that being said, the car is QUIET!! VERY QUIET! Driving at any speed seems to have been calibrated in the 6 speed 4 cyl version to keep the RPMs below 2000.  This should keep the fuel economy around the advertised 23 around town and 30+ on highway once the car is broken in some.  The car absorbs every bump and turn and it feels really smooth and quiet at all times.  I feel like I am gliding on a couch compared to the VWs and BMWs I drove in the past.

Overall, the styling anc comfort are very nice.  The outside is a bit so so, but I don't mind an understated car.  The wheels are nice, the rims are very shiny (for lack of a better term) and this combined with a dark blue exterior makes the car have a little pazzazz.  I saw it in a gold with a blah rim and it looked like a amuch older person's car, or a rental fleet.  I did test drive the hybrid, but the fuel economy is not mcuh better because chevy basically only has the hybrid kicking in when the car is at a complete stop.  For the extra 3 or 4K not worth in unless you are very green conscious. 

So, after a day or two I am VERY happy with my choice to leave the VW brand behind, and with the driving I do I will not miss it.  But the malibu is what I said it was, and if you are looking for more of a sports car feel than stay away but if you want a soft smooth sailing cushy ride with nice stylings inside and convenient features for an amazing price (just under 20K after rebates) than I cannot see any other american car coming close to the value and features of the malibu.  Two thumbs up.