If you're thinking that this soft suspension has no bones to support
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| Sans (rear) Seats, 1161 litres of cargo can be carried on board Maxx SS. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, Canadian Auto Press) |
any sporting antics, hold on, because the Bu's suspension makes extensive use of aluminum, reducing weight, increasing component rigidity and delivering superior control. Meanwhile SS tuners (I cringe) tightened up the nuts and bolts and played with the geometry until the front MacPherson strut and four-link rear suspension was more to their liking, which suited me pretty well. I should also mention that this same architecture is used for the Saab 9-3, Pontiac G6 and a couple of European applications, and it's no accident that it delivers a very stiff platform on which to mount the suspension, greatly aiding the impressive sporting and comfort balance achieved with the Maxx. On most days I would gladly trade for the stiffer ride of a single-purpose sport suspension, but the Maxx showed me there is a time and a place for friendly compromise. Sporting moms and dads will be happy pushing g-forces on their own, but they will still have a cushy ride for junior strapped into his baby seat in the back seat at the end of the day.
Sporting
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| Seriously Spacious. With comfy cloth and leather-trimmed setas and class-leading rear legroom, could this be the SS' true meaning?(Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, Canadian Auto Press) |
moms and dads will also be happy to know that the Malibu is cleaning up on build quality awards in the form of a top 3 in class in JD Power's IQS (Initial Quality Survey) - though they still have a long way to go as far as interior design appeal goes, if you ask me. On the
safety front, the Malibu won a big silver medal from the IIHS (U.S. Insurance Institute of Highway Safety) as one of the best overall safety choices for midsize sedans, beating out many more expensively priced and supposedly safer vehicles (if you go by brand reputation, that is), a category sure to interest parents.
In order to wrap up this review in a nice pink bow, I thought I'd bring up one of the Maxx SS's natural competitors: the Magnum R/T (how many other homegrown hotwagons can you name?). Granted, the Magnum is practically hearse-sized when compared to the Maxx's compact to midsize footprint, but they're within a thick wad of C-notes of each other (just over $6K), and notably, both make the claim of supposedly being sizzlin' rod-wagons. To cut to the chase, and I mean the real classic car chase, where the Magnum R/T delivers the sizzle, the SS sputters
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| Sucky Score is something you wouldn't have if you managed to spell outMaxx SS in a game of Scrabble. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, Canadian AutoPress) |
and fizzles. If you want the bacon, you have to buck up for the Magnum because it is the fastest way to move band equipment, sheets of plywood and eight-foot ladders.
However, if your daily considerations involve downtown traffic, navigating into a cramped parking stall or hunting for a spot on the street and getting your kids safely to and fro, not to mention filling up the tank at a buck-plus per litre, the Malibu Maxx SS delivers just enough zing to keep it interesting while excelling at all the mundane and tedious tasks that the Magnum stumbles over (parking lots are a nightmare, trust me).
As much as I would want to pick the R/T, the SS is just more practical, and that is perhaps the saddest thing you can say about something wearing the SS badge.
