GM Previews 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Exterior

[ND4SPD]

The front looks like a Saturn and the back makes it look like a supercar (the tail lights) or a remix of the Cobalt. I hate the grill(s)

The new model looks 100% better than the outgoing model, but this older sketch looks awesome! Its the 1st time I've seen it and if you try hard enough it kinda reminds me of a 4 door C6 vette!

 

[GT4_Rule]

I like the above sketch too, it defintely look sporty.

 

[niky]

I've seen it in person and I still don't like it. Not as bad as the Yaris, but not much better.

I actually like the new Camry. A fresh departure for Toyota, a bit more adventurous than they've ever been. Very tight sheetmetal, and they've managed to latch on to the "big grille" bandwagon without looking slavishly "Audi" like everyone else.

Oh... wait... we get a different Camry.

My bad... yours looks a little too... derived... like bits and pieces of trim stuck haphazardly into a somewhat well-shaped piece of clay.

The new Chevy is a little... "traditional" for my tastes... but that staid look applies to much of Chevy's "Global" line-up.

 

[Omnis]

I actually like the new Camry. A fresh departure for Toyota, a bit more adventurous than they've ever been. Very tight sheetmetal, and they've managed to latch on to the "big grille" bandwagon without looking slavishly "Audi" like everyone else.

Oh... wait... we get a different Camry.

My bad... yours looks a little too... derived... like bits and pieces of trim stuck haphazardly into a somewhat well-shaped piece of clay.

The new Chevy is a little... "traditional" for my tastes... but that staid look applies to much of Chevy's "Global" line-up.

Holy crap, your Camry is sexy.

 

[Omnis]

Damn, that Malibu has a sexy face. I'd hit it.

 

[Jay]

...I think it is pretty fair to say that Chevrolet certainly wins the beauty contest here...

Except for those extremely tacky chrome rims, Ive seen tacky cheap chrome aftermarket hubcaps look better than that. The Sebring rims are not much better either.

Oh... wait... we get a different Camry.

Heh, we get both, our Camry is mostly the same as the US Camry and your Camry is our Toyota Aurion, made in Australia.

 

[L8 Apex]

Wow, the Aurion is teh sex! Earth to Toyota USA: Why can't our Camry be this hot?!?

 

[a6m5]

Back of this Aurion looks like our Lexus ES. Which IMO is the best looking, Camry-based Lexus, ever. I think it's gorgeous. Even better than Aurion.

I looked into the Camrys a little more and turns out that only one I like is the "SE" model, which costs around $21,000, starting. That's the one with the cool aero kit.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

OT-> The Asian-spec Camry is far better than the USDM in any angle:

OT-> And also we can't finalize anything on the styling dept. without the next-gen Accord coming into the party:

(coupe version displayed, will be in NAIAS)

BT-> What I think about the new Malibu is not that much special, sure it looks good on the pics but when you see in on person, its just so-so, like the Saturn's new Aura sedan. GM's cars are always photogenic.

 

[a6m5]

Good looking car, but to me personally, that face screams "Altima".

 

[niky]

RE: US-spec versus Asian/Aussie spec:

Some guys on our local boards are asking why we don't get the US version... because it's supposedly "sportier"... but I think they're suffering from "the grass is greener..." syndrome. The majority opinion is that the Asian version is "teh hotness".

While it's more evolutionary than revolutionary... the current Asian spec Camry completely dumps the "poor man's Mercedes" look for something that is uniquely (shocking!) Toyota. It accelerates well, rides well, and is bank-vault solid. Still drives like a Toyota, sadly, but hey, nobody's perfect.

 

[YSSMAN]

But here is where Chevrolet manages to one-up the Toyota in America: The car looks unquestionably better, IMO. Now if Toyota managed to sell the Aussie version in America, it may be a different case, as that is rather attractive for a Toyota.

...We'll see what "average" folks think about the car after NAIAS 2007, but my guess is that it could become an easy success for GM in the very near future...

 

[L8 Apex]

Maybe we'll get the Aurion/Asian Camry as the U.S. Camry's "mid-cycle facelift"? *crosses fingers*

 

[YSSMAN]

Well that is a bit of a stretch. Unless Toyota realizes that there aren't too many people who care a whole lot for the design (outside of the SE), they probably won't change anything. However, I wouldn't count the aftermarket out on Aurion conversion kits, that is, if there is even a demand for it...

 

[GT4_Rule]

I agree, the Asian Camry is a million time better than the North American one.

 

[Sage]

Here’s the full scoop, including lots of images.

Me likes! 👍 Edmunds is spot on by saying “Chevrolet saves a vast amount of money in building the new Malibu by installing old Mitsubishi Diamante rear ends”, but otherwise both the exterior and interior are very tastefully done. Bravo!

 

[a6m5]

Here’s the full scoop, including lots of images.

I think the interior is just OK from the only angle they are showing them from. Front, I really really don't like the grille(s), not too crazy about the whole front-end in general. Rest of the car to me is a class leader. Especially the tricky tail lights, I think they really work. If Chevy actually put traditional single grille on this thing(and maybe sexier head lamps), it would be the best looking sedan in its' class, I think.

 

[YSSMAN]

That is a pretty good story with some interesting new details that even I hadn't heard about. They make a very good point when they say that it is "as good as the Camry or Accord," but even C/D pointed out that the Aura is better than the Camry.

The four cylinder model should be a winner IMO, with competitive power levels, an available 6-speed automatic, it should be interesting seeing the car stacked up against an Accord LX or Camry LE.

But as always, the V6 is the bread-and-butter version, and given just how damn good the Aura is, I'm hoping for all the best with the Malibu...

 

[L8 Apex]

Aside from the rear fascia which, in my opinion, looks like it was designed in 5 minutes on a McDonald's napkin (and for all we know, it was!), the new 'bu looks like a winner. And the powertrain lineup (especially the availabe six-speed auto for the four-cylinder) is decidedly un-GM like (i.e. no corners cut). I never thouht I'd say this, but I'd almost consider an '08 Malibu for my first new car.

 

[GT4_Rule]

The front is kinda lame, but everywhere else its spectacular.

 

[eg6_dude]

At this point I think ANYTHING is better than the current Malibu. xD

Ditto, the current car is garbage, at least this one looks better. I'm sure the build quality will still be just as cheap though.

(not that I would ever buy one anyways)

 

[YSSMAN]

Lets get a collection of photos, shale we?

I think one thing I do pick up on is a slight bit of Acura in the look of the car. The rear kinda gets me thinking TL, and so does the front just a bit... But only a bit.

...I do have high hopes for the car. I did mention the C/D story in an earlier posting, and it does have me assuming that the Malibu could become a class leader if GM does have all their apples in one basket. Simply put, the Sebring and the Camry sucks (hear that Motor Trend!?!?), the Kia Optima is better than we thought, and the Accord is still the best, but is showing its age.

If GM keeps the quality on the Malibu high, prices low, GM could get a surprise hit with the car (given the performance of the Aura).

 

[Vonie]

Definitely not a bad car, I want to like it. As long quality is up, I will.

 

[harrytuttle]

I think one thing I do pick up on is a slight bit of Acura in the look of the car. The rear kinda gets me thinking TL, and so does the front just a bit... But only a bit.

I'd say Acura details, with a very VW Passat shape overall. A delirious improvement over the old Malibu. Was GM just waiting until things were desperate, when Toyota was about to overtake them in sales, before they started actually trying with their products? What's next? Cars that actually drive well?

 

[YSSMAN]

It will be interesting to see how this car does drive, as the Aura is apparently a pleasant surprise over its predecessors. My guess is that this will be a bit more Camry-esque in dynamics overall (read boring), but should be quite stable and handle well enough to make most people appreciate the European-designed suspension.

Probably, much of the overall feeling of the car may end up coming from two major decisions that must be made by GM:

1) Will they continue with the rather disappointing electric steering?
2) Will they use a high-grade tire setup?

Hopefully they are going with more natural rack-and-pinion steering, and choose to go with some all-season H-rated tires.

 

[GT4_Rule]

Now that I see a bigger photo, I can say more about the car.

The front is too Cobalt-ish. Seems like all they did was slap on a new grille to an enlarged Cobalt front. Not a bad thing, but not good either.

The rear is unique, but from the photos it looks definitely like the TL with the lamps taking on the shape of the Infiniti G/M, just slightly.

The best exterior shots are from the side in my opinion. Pretty good looking profile 👍

The interior is what amazes me the most. Its evident the designing team put a lot of hours into this. Especially the little details and enhancements, like the silver strip from the center console extending to both sides. I definitely like that. 👍

 

[TopHat]

Yummy, that car looks absolutley fantastic! Oh My God.