New 2008 Chevy Malibu revealed

[MrDisco]

Set to be announced at the upcoming Detroit Autoshow, GM released official pics of the production '08 Chevy Malibu. It uses an extended chasis found on the well received Saturn Aura, and the 'older' Pontiac G6 ("GM made certain the new Malibu is substantially longer than any of its competitors, including the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, and Honda Accord.")

Engine choices are limited to a 2.4-liter 4 cylinder (164HP) and a 3.6 V6 (252HP) mated to a 6speed transmission. The 3.6 is the same engine used in the Cadillac CTS line and after driving it (in the Aura XR trim) on the highway it sure left a grin on my face. Interior quality has also improved notably, with 8 potential colour/material combinations (depending on trim and leather selection).

Personally I can't wait to try this when it hits the dealer lots. If it can overcome the small door entry that I found in the Aura, this may be my next purchase. I dislike the rear tail light treatment, but overall i think its an attractive design.

Whole lot of pics here:
http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/12/...vrolet-malibu/

[B0000rt]

Ah, the rear is almost a deal killer to me.

Rear looks like the Epica But hopefully it'll be better price (cheaper) than the Aura XR

[cipher]

Looks a lot better than the last model...IMO.

[Andro]

still something i would not get.......but alot better then previous model that's for sure.

[SkiD]

Gotta love the 10 interior colour combinations, even the grey interior looks good.

Can't wait until Sunday to see the '08 CTS revealed, as it's probably my next car.

[sunnybono]

First impression:

Acura TL in the front

and

Cavalier from the rear

No thank you!!!!!

sk

[15-20_God]

is there a reason why they put 3 grills in the front? is it the new tailfin?

[that_staples_guy]

still something i would not get.......but alot better then previous model that's for sure.

Yeah, same, great improvements but the front screams Chevy Econo Box, mainly the grill design and logo. And as a previous poster mentioned, the back is reminiscent of the Korean made Epica.

[frogger]

They should have published shots of the LTZ model with the dual exhaust and LED tailights.

Its very competitive/looks nicer than the Sonata and awkward Camry but who knows what the 2008 Accord will look like.

[SkiD]

Ah, the rear is almost a deal killer to me.

Rear looks like the Epica But hopefully it'll be better price (cheaper) than the Aura XR

Rear is ok, not sure I like the front.

Epica


'08 Malibu


Camry


Accord


Altima


Sonata


Mazda 6


Saturn Aura

[MrDisco]

Gotta love the 10 interior colour combinations, even the grey interior looks good.

The interior has me excited (well that and the 3.6). I love the black leather with the wood trim combo.

First impression:
Cavalier from the rear
No thank you!!!!!

Yeah, same, great improvements but the front screams Chevy Econo Box, mainly the grill design and logo. And as a previous poster mentioned, the back is reminiscent of the Korean made Epica.

Cavalier:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-1/1134997/temp2.jpg
Epica:
http://autoreview.belproject.com/med...-2007-rear.jpg

They are similar but you could argue its a brand identity they are trying to establish - the white circular lights inset on the trunk. But I do agree the rear is the biggest let down overall. Personally when I saw the rear I thought it was an Acura TL in the way its cut sharply at the vertical.

They should have published shots of the LTZ model with the dual exhaust and LED tailights.

I have yet to see pics of the LTZ from the rear. This page has pics of the LTZ from the front:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2008-chevy-malibu-1/

is there a reason why they put 3 grills in the front? is it the new tailfin?

Lol they can't win. If they went with something traditional they would be accused of being boring and plain. The Camry also has a rather unique nose so maybe its the new industry trend, that or to comply with stricter euro standards on pedestrian safety they need to design these type of front ends. You can sort of picture how odd it would look to have a huge front with only the single intake.

[MrDisco]

Rear is ok, not sure I like the front.

From those I like the Aura the most followed by the Camry (rear view speaking).

[Justin]

Since the new Malibu is larger, wont it be very similar in size to the Impala? Why does Chevrolet need 2 cars that are similar in features and size?

[frogger]

Since the new Malibu is larger, wont it be very similar in size to the Impala? Why does Chevrolet need 2 cars that are similar in features and size?

New Impala due a year later will finally be a RWD vehicle again, probably to compete against the Chrysler 300 etc.

[VivienM]

Since the new Malibu is larger, wont it be very similar in size to the Impala? Why does Chevrolet need 2 cars that are similar in features and size?

Impala has way less features...

Until the rumoured RWD Impala shows up, the Impala is best seen as a "cheap big car"...