My HHR wasn't ready as promised last night upon my arrival and I had truned in the rental, so the dealership gave me a new 2008 top of the line Malibu to go grab some dinner. Golly, I just "had" to go a few exits up the freeway to "find" a place to eat.

Now remember, I had just spent the last 8 years in Accords prior to purchasing my 2LT HHR a couple of weeks ago, so I feel I am a good reviewer of the new Malibu since Chevy is touting that the new Malibu is the "Accord Killer." Here are my Malibu observations:

Driver seat area = VERY uncomfortable. When you slide in, there is a protruding piece of plastic that "stubs" you rear-end as you slide in. The seat is VERY stiff. You sit low. Difficult to exit vehicle if you are an old guy like me (55). It was difficult to get in and out. Young folks should have no problem.

Driving experience = typical GM feel; they tried to make it like an Accord, but they missed the mark. Still a very "heavy" feel compared to an Accord. Tight cornering, but not as nimble as an Accord.

Engine = Kick butt acceleration! Took right off like a bat out of hell. FAST. When changing lanes on freeway, it down shifted two gears, and the down shift was "hard", but once in the lower gear, man it was fast!

Dash Board = since I drove it a night, it was very cool looking. VERY cool. Liked the gauges.

Vison = good, but the side mirrors are a little small. (I guess I'm now used to the large HHR mirrors.)

Placement of knobs for driver = easy to reach everything.

The exterior is very nice looking and I think GM did an excellent job on the design. I wish the steering was as nimble as an Accord; THAT would make this a very strong contender.

The Accord, Camry and Fusion are easier to get in and out of. The Accord and Camry have a larger cabin "feel." The Fusion is tighter in its turning and more nimble than the Malibu. (I rented a Fusion a couple of months ago on a business trip.)

Oh yes, the Malibu was very quiet except for the wiper blades. VERY loud.

Bottom line: If you want the Accord type sedan, stick with the Accord. The Malibu just doesn't meet it. BUT, if, on the other hand, you like the GM heavy drive "feel", then you will like this car (if you want a mid-size sedan). Believe it or not, the Impala is still a great sedan and I think it drives better than the Malibu.

One more note for sedan folks: I had a 2005 Ford 500 (now Tarus) for a short time. Talk about leg room! Wow, mucho leg room in front a rear!!! And the trunk was so large, a family of four could live in it!!! I only had it for 8 months though, and went back to Accord because I had tranny problems and the rear brakes had to be replaced after 14,000 miles. (Evidently, Ford has now overcome the two problems, or so they say.)

All-in-all, I am happy to have purchased the HHR. I'm enjoying it each and every day I drive it, especially now with the rear sway bar.

Peace,

 

Over the rental years I do for business. I can agree and prefer the Impala over the Malibu. and the Impala SS kicks rear end.. And you thought I was gonna say B u t t ...

 

The previous Malibu had the same entry-exit issues. Usually all it took was raising the driver's seat a half-inch with the power seat switch and the door sills became very easy to step over. I'm sure the same solution would work on the new car considering it's the same platform from the B-pillar forward.

I'm really not sure why GM is placing the Malibu at the forefront of the Camcord competition. The new Camcords are about as large as the "full-size" Impala and Taurus now. The Malibu and Fusion are closer in size to each other now.

 

But, wait and see the SS version if, as someone else has pointed out numerous times, the "bean counters" allow it.

I understand GM Performance Group already have different mules running.