Malibu's North American Car of the Year honour is deserved

Malibu's North American Car of the Year honour is deserved

Wheels

2008 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ
By: Jim Robinson

North American Car of the Year! It's been quite a while since Chevrolet could boast that honour, but that's just what happened in January when the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu was named North American Car of the Year at the international auto show in Detroit.

To do that, Malibu had to not just match but surpass its deadly rivals, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

When Chevy brought back the mid-size Malibu in 1997 it did everything Camry and Accord did by offering solid dependability, good fuel mileage and contemporary, but not standout, styling.

But while the Malibu had few vices, it didn't have much that made it jump to top of the consideration ladder of those looking for a family sedan.

At the same time Camry/Accord realized that style sells. You can see it in the new Camry that looks good from any angle not to mention the luscious lines of the new Accord Coupe. But back in Detroit, GM that once was the world leader in terms of car styling, had rediscovered its design roots starting with the Cadillac CTS not to mention the Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky, two of the most handsome cars from any manufacturer.

Taking a platform engineered by its German subsidiary, Opel, it ladled in the looks, didn't mess with the European-generated ride and handling and then came up with not one but four Malibus aimed at four different audiences.

The base Malibu LS has a starting price of $22,995. The LT package begins at $24,895 and the top of the line LTZ comes in at $33,610. In addition, the Malibu Hybrid model at $26,995 is the most affordable hybrid system on the market.  

Malibu offers two punchy yet fuel-efficient dual overhead cam engines, including a standard 169 hp (160 lb/ft of torque) 2.4-litre Ecotec DOHC four-cylinder engine that delivers 9.6L/100 km in the city and 6.5L/100 km on the highway. The topline engine is a 252 hp (251 lb/ft)) 3.6-litre DOHC V6 with variable valve timing that delivers 12.2L/100 km in the city and 7.8 L/100 on the highway. The Malibu Hybrid model is powered by a 2.4-litre Ecotec engine/electric motor (164 hp, 159 lb/ft) and achieves 8.5L/100km in the city and 6.2L/100 on the highway.

Right now the four-cylinder engines have a four-speed automatic and the V6 has a six-speed automatic. Later this year, the topline LTZ will be available with a four-cylinder engine in addition to the six-speed automatic making that a first in the mid-size segment and something long-distance commuters should love because it combines all the amenities of a luxury car with frugal gas consumption.

The style story starts with the exterior. Visually, the new Malibu looks more substantial than the previous model with the Chevy bowtie logo integrated nicely into the new "family" one-bar grille. Interestingly, there are no less than 12 "bowtie" badges on the exterior, some obvious, others small and discreet like on the headlight bulb reflectors.

All Malibus come equipped with ABS, traction control, tire pressure monitor, six standard airbags and StabiliTrac (GM's version of pitch and yaw control) on all but the base version.

Malibu also comes with OnStar with the Directions and Connections feature. Directions provides turn-by-turn voice and monitor screen directions to anywhere. Instead of having to punch in directions (assuming you can figure out how) into an onboard or aftermarket GPS device, you just press the OnStar button and a live person comes on the car's speakerphone. All you do is give the address and the directions are fed into the car. You don't have to worry about out of date DVD maps, OnStar is always up to the minute.

The LTZ tested here is as good as most of the vaunted European sports sedans and not surprisingly so as it is based on the Opel Vectra that is no slouch on the autobahns. Its engine and six-speed automatic with Tapshift sequential manual shift mode is the same as the Cadillac CTS. Drivers can select manual mode which features paddles mounted on the steering wheel.

I never use sequential shifters, that is until the big snowstorm we had recently. Being able to select second for starting out through snowdrifts and being able to toggle up and down between second and third made trying to move before the plows got around possible.

On the highway, the six-speed goes through the gears so smoothly, you don't feel it. I've noticed before on other GM products with this engine/transmission that on cruise especially, you don't have the sensation of the gearbox dropping down a gear while the engine roars away to maintain whatever speed you have chosen in cruise.

This was the case once again, as I drove my son up north for March Break to visit a friend.

Going up, I took some back roads and two-lane highways. Most of the time I just rolled along under the limit with the only sound being heard was Soul Street on the XM satellite radio.

The odd time I has to pass, the 3.6-litre responded not unlike the way I remember small V8s. There was a surge of power, and zap, you were by the car in front.

Part of the smooth ride is due to the longer wheelbase and wider track than the previous Malibu, but that engine is exceptional not only in its punch but in its frugal (especially on cruise) consumption of fuel.

The LTZ lists at $33,610 and is loaded with standard features like the two-tone leather, XM free for three months; OnStar for a year, 18-inch alloy wheels and the list really does go on. The only options on the car as tested were the power sunroof ($1,195), premium paint ($380) and rear 110-volt power point and rear retractable sunshade ($325) for a total of $38,860 including a $1,250 shipping fee.

This is one car readers will have to see in the flesh and drive to get a better picture.

Once they do, I'll bet they agree the Malibu deserves to be voted the North American Car of the Year.

CHEVROLET MALIBU 2008 LTZ AT A GLANCE

• BODY STYLE: Mid-size sedan.
• DRIVE METHOD: front-engine, front-wheel-drive
• ENGINE: 3.6-litre DOHC V6 (252 hp, 251 lb/ft)
• FUEL ECONOMY: 12.2/7.8/10.2L/100 km city/highway/combined
• PRICE: $33,610, as tested, $36,860 including $1,250 shipping charge.
• WEBSITE: www.gmcanada.ca

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