High Content Level and European Flair
How do you improve upon a 2002 and 2003 JD Power "Best in Segment" rating and a Consumer Guide "Best Buy" rating for an entry level, midsize car? According to Chevy you start all over again, precisely what they did with the Malibu.
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| After winning JD Power's "Best in segment" award in 2002 and 2003, Chevy took a bold move and decided to completely redesign the Malibu for 2004. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
For 2004 the Malibu is completely new. It shares "nada", except nameplate, with the previous generation Malibu. According to GM Marketing rep. Mark Alger, "every nut, bolt and piece of plastic is new." Did he really say "plastic"? I'm sure he meant composite material! Whatever the wording, the point Mark is making is that the Malibu is a completely new automobile.
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| The goal of the new Malibu was to "promote European ride and handling while delivering more features than any other car in the marketplace." (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
When manufacturers start with a blank sheet they have the advantage of setting a new vision for their product. A goal to strive for if you will. In the case of Malibu that goal, according to Alger, was to "promote European ride and handling while delivering more features than any other car in the marketplace", and do it at a price that would eclipse the competition. The question is; have they done it?
In order to answer that question, I recently attended GM's launch of several new Chevy products, including the Malibu in question. At this event automotive journalists were given the opportunity to drive the vehicles in urban and rural settings and in a track setting, where we were encouraged to test the vehicles' handling limits.
During the day of judgement I focused heavily on the Malibu. I scoured it's every joint, seam and surface in an effort to objectively evaluate its design and build quality. Am I impressed? Well, yes and no. The exterior design is inoffensive and fairly conservative, which I guess is what you would expect from Chevrolet. It's too bad that the designers couldn't have met the design benchmarks set by the likes of the Volkswagen's Passat and Nissan's Altima, because to my eyes, the Malibu exhibits a bit of a 1980s look and fails to distinguish itself from the rest of the midsize herd.
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| The build quality of the Malibu is top notch, but the exterior design feels somewhat dated. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
When it comes to build quality, however, the Malibu stands tall and proud. I was especially impressed with its slim, precise gapping between body panels.
