An attractive new GM that's not a Cadillac?!

[MinisterofDOOM]

Cliff notes at the bottom for you lazy folk.

Volkswagen makes ugly cars. It's a fact. To some, it's part of their charm. To the rest of us, it's yet another reason not to buy one.Still, the Passat has always squeezed by just this side of tolerable. It's a decent looking car with some blemishes. The Phaeton, VW's paradoxical Little Engine that Shouldn't, looks like a Passat in a nice tux and wearing a bit of makeup to hide it's acne. And one of the most attractive features of that tuxedo is the roofline.

So it comes as little surprise that someone would eventually copy this work of art. And considering VW's track record, it is equally unsurprising that the copycat would do VW one better by using it to make a great looking car. There is a bit of surprise in there, though: in this case the copycat was General Motors. And the car is a mid size family front-driver -- the Camry-fighting Malibu.

Chevy's fifth-generation Malibu (which debuted in 2004) was an awkward looking beast. With bulging headlights, odd lines, and a strange combination of soft curves and sharp creases, it looked about like a mental disorder might if it were forced to take on a physical form.Even if the car had been a spectacular machine, it offered such an uncompelling blend of boring and unattractive that no one would have bought one anyway. What would the neighbors think, after all, when they parked their gold-package Camry next to it?So the Malibu's battle with Camry and Accord wasn't so much fought as forfeited. The ugly duckling soldiered on for 4 years.

Apparently, someone at GM recently found a brain rolling around under their bed, because the new Malibu couldn't have taken a bigger step away from it's predecessor. The '08 model is clean, elegant, tasteful, and yes, it incorporates that wonderful Phaeton roofline. And oh, the things that roof does for the car. When you see it drive past, you don't see another box on wheels. There are no coldly efficient door and window shapes haphazardly bringing together one of the most inherently awkward areas of a car. Intead, you see an attractive, thoughtful design that makes you wonder if this is really a Chevy or if someone is about to reveal a hidden camera and scream "gotcha!"

What exactly is it that makes the stolen roofline so special? It's the C-pillar, and the deck lid. Rather than the usual cacophony of lines, arcs, and glass that most cars wear in this area, the Malibu has artfully drawn rear door lines and a distinctive triangular C-pillar.But unlike Honda's failed attempts (The Accord bore the same scar for 9 years and two generations), the Malibu's roof doesn't cut sharply down at the rear. Instead, it continues the graceful arc back to the decklid, where barely noticeable buttresses help transition into the trunk lid without a hint of a crease. The pillar behind the rear doors bears no glass, and adds a tremendous amount of character to the car for such a small amount of space. The car's uniform, singular beltline helps bring the ensemble together. There's no clashing, no single point to snatch the eyes' attention away from the whole.

The front fascia is another area that finds all it's elements working together. There are no pointlessly scalloped headlights to be found on this Malibu. A horizontally split grille showcases the Bowtie badge proudly and is flanked by headlights that still manage to look modern and demonstrate the car's Chevy DNA without looking contrived or cliché--something the rest of the automotive world might take notes on.Doors are sleek and blemish-free, with no econocar moulding or senseless bulging to be found. There's a tasteful blending of the subtle wheel arches with the lower door and rocker panels, and the minimalism is bliss in today's world of attention-desperate bumps, bulges, and creases.The sides do bear one of the car's stylistic sins, though: fender-mounted side-repeaters. Another play stolen from the VW/Audi handbook, except this one has the distinct disadvantage of being a horrible idea from the start. Still, GM's interpretation is at least rectangular and stylized rather than a generic oval found in a hardware store clearance bin.

The Japanese and Koreans might want to take note of what GM has done here: they've taken successful cues from successful cars and combined them in their own work. But the difference is that the Malibu is no impersonator. It doesn't come across as a gaudy charicature. Instead, it may very well be the most successful melding of "the right stuff" in it's corner of the family hauler segment in years.

Pics:



Cliff notes:GM steals styling cues from VW's best looking, worst-selling car and makes an Accord/Camry fighter that's not just better looking than both Accord and Camry combined, but actually genuinely attractive.

[Jesda]

The big greenhouse, shape of the rear deck, and broad shoulders remind me very much of the 90-96 Q45, in a very good way.

The tasteful wheel arches are a nice touch. Not obscene like the 2007 S-class, but still big enough to give a somewhat muscular look.

The tail lights could use some life, but otherwise its a sharp car that casts a nice shadow. From what I've read, the only gripe is the absence of navigation.

I heard it drives nicely too. I'm starting to not recognize GM -- thats a very good thing.

[sbird1]

NEED CLIFF NOTES!!!

Looks good, but it's still lacking style.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Looks good, but it's still lacking style.

Valid point (although I personally disagree that it's lacking style) but I would much rather have a car that looks good and lacks style than one that tries to hard or one that's so afraid of offending anyone that it's entirely anonymous and dull.

[Bubba1]

Valid point (although I personally disagree that it's lacking style) but I would much rather have a car that looks good and lacks style than one that tries to hard or one that's so afraid of offending anyone that it's entirely anonymous and dull.

The big grill look with a dark horizontal stripe reminds me of the current Audi styling. That and the taillights don't excite me. But overall not a bad looking car IMHO. The new 'Bu is getting a lot of hype from the automags where GM invests a lot of advertising dollars, so I'm going to reserve judgement until I test drive one. I do think it's very encouraging to see positive discussion about a GM model for a change.

[blindsnyper]

look like it got rear-ended

[NSR_s30]

I think it looks ugly...

[Dittoz7]

Yup Back Need A Little Bit More Shape...

[thoroughbred3.0]

ugly. and it reminds me of a camry which makes it that much worse.

[HashiriyaS14]

I absolutely love this car....and the high/short rear decklid looks sweet, IMO.

I think that the new Malibu will make a real marked impact on Accord/Camry.

For awhile, I honestly entertained buying one, but now I'm no longer really looking for any new car.

[DevilMB3017]

This is offical, I'm jumping on the GM bandwagon.

I test drove my Saturn Ion and bought it on the spot. If it's drivability is anything like other GMs, I'm truly going to like these cars...

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I might like it if GM didn't bombard me with gay advertisements all the time.

But alas, they did, and I hate the car.

[Jesda]

I might like it if GM didn't bombard me with gay advertisements all the time.

But alas, they did, and I hate the car.

BUT ITS THE CAR YOU CANT IGNORE!!!

[MinisterofDOOM]

I think it's awesome that they make fun of their own car in the new Malibu ads (it's usually a late-90's Malibu or Cutlass being "ignored")

[JustinStrife]

I think it looks ugly...

If somebody else wasn't going to say it, I was. I wouldn't buy one.

[gniknave]

That picture doesn't do the new Malibu justice. In person [especially in white] it's gorgeous. But even though I'm not a Passat fan, I still think the Passat looks better [in sport trim] and has more potential in the aftermarket world, especially if you do something about that awful chrome grille.

sport:

[Mr1der]

it looks like a Fusion and a new Accord got down with each other.

I do like it that Chevy's making strides in improving their product.

[chitownguy]

The only thing that bothers me about the new Malibu is the massive front fascia and the plain flat taillights. Other than that it's a lot more bearable to look at than the new Camry's or the new Accords which try to look to much as the luxury car it isn't.

[Urabus GodofTraction]

A recent car without a super-high beltline? FINALLY.

Note to soccer moms: Just because it's got the windows from a tank doesn't mean it's safe.

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Yeah it's not the most attractive car out there but it certainly looks better than it did before.

[otterman]

I didn't read the long post but I looked at the pics. I'm not a big fan.

Passat's look good though.

[blindsnyper]

lolmudkipslol

[otterman]

lolmudkipslol

[blindsnyper]

your mom should have swollowed you

[otterman]

your mom should have swollowed you

Sorry, I'm not going to have a 1990's joke off with you.

[blindsnyper]

Sorry, I'm not going to have a 1990's joke off with you.

go f*** yourself you little b itch.

[otterman]

go f*** yourself you little b itch.

Damn dog, I didn't know you're so hardcore. I'm gonna back off you before you trip.

(...that's sarcasm for: I can't believe i just got e-thugged...)

[blindsnyper]

Damn dog, I didn't know you're so hardcore. I'm gonna back off you before you trip.

(...that's sarcasm for: I can't believe i just got e-thugged...)

rrriiiggghhhttt

stick to your fvckin 240 forums

[notslow]

Huge step up for chevy for sure. As previously mentioned there are some adjustments that could be made but I still see this being a big seller.

[otterman]

rrriiiggghhhttt

stick to your fvckin 240 forums

How was that not being an e-thug? Whatever, General forums is a lot funner then the 240 forums cause I gotta be half way serious in there. Usually General doesn't have noobs trying to play forum nazi like you.

Anyways, I'm done with this thread, I didn't mean to get it off topic (I actually don't even see how it got off topic other then douchey mcgee came in with an attitude).

I actually like MinisterofDOOM so I'll leave his thread alone.