06 Chevy Malibu SS sedan review

[intrigued]

Hi all, I am writing a review of my Malibu SS sedan. I got this car about 6 weeks ago and I love it more and more every time I drive it.

Lets do this by categories like Dsuupr did…

Exterior- In my opinion the normal Malibu, while very solid reliable transportation is about as boring a bread and butter sedan can get. The SS looks like a completely different car. The high polish 18 inch wheels really fill up the wheel wells, and look really nice when they are clean and shinny against my car’s black paint job. The new front clip looks very aggressive with a hint of Subaru styling. The rear end looks nicer with the absence of the chrome bar, a new rear bumper and huge stainless steel dual exhaust outlets (the car actually has dual mufflers unlike the “dual” G6 but I doubt it has true dual exhaust being a FWD transverse mounted car.) Overall the car looks pretty mean in black.

Interior- The interior graphite colors with faux metal trim looks really nice. Dash material is nice, way better than any G6 model. Overall assembly of the interior is top notch with many cool standards like power adjustable pedals and tilt/telescoping steering wheel. The 3 spoke steering wheel is awesome, especially because of the steering wheel controls. My car has the sunroof which I enjoy though it didn’t come with the 6 CD changer which I wish it had. The stereo isn’t half bad though I feel that a higher end option should be offered, there isn’t one. My other interior gripe is I wish the car had a self dimming rearview mirror. The Sport seats are very comfortable and the leather bolstering is amazingly soft. The car is roomy for a midsize and with the back seats down I once transported 24 8 foot 2x4 beams quite easily.

Driving impressions- This car is fast!! The 3900 absolutely hauls in this baby. I drove a G6 GTP auto the same day and the Malibu was noticeably faster, though it also had more torque steer probably because of the shorter wheel base. The 3900 is smooth and honestly has comparable NVH to many OHC v6 engines. With traction control off you can do an honest burn out, literally smoking the tires for 10 or more seconds while not going anywhere. The tranny is geared close, and never leaves you wanting for power. This comes at the price of highway mileage since its only a 4 speed. At 75 mph it turns over 2500 rpm and highway mileage can’t be much better than the estimated 26 mpg though its never been worse than that for me. City mileage is good, never turning over worse than the 19 rated and often more like 21. Handling is well above average for this class, though the car strikes a balance between no compromise handling and ride quality. The Malibu could benefit from a LSD to compensate for torque steer in the corners but it’s manageable, you just need both hands on the wheel. Steering feel is excellent in this car, better than an Accord in my opinion. Brakes are very crisp with linear brake feel though the car does nose dive a bit because of the size of the front rotors compared with the back, ABS pulsing is very swift and non obtrusive compared with late 90’s GM products. 0-60 Must be in the low 6 range and the dual exhaust sounds awesome at wide open throttle.

Pro’s: Powerful engine, sleeper styling, quality assembly and feel.

Con’s: Needs limited slip option, no heated seat option or auto dim mirror, so so mileage

Verdict: A truly great car for the 24k price tag that could be absolutely awesome with a few more options, bring it on ’08 Malibu

Weeks owned: 6

Miles driven: 4357

Edited July 17, 2006 by intrigued

[Flybrian]

Pics!

[intrigued]

pics tommorow!!!, though I wont be showing the right rear fender, land lords girlfriend backed into it and it wont be fixed till next week....