2006 Malibu Maxx SS Road Test

Six straight questions: 2006 Malibu Maxx SS

Didn't a mad Mel Gibson drive one of these?

2006 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx SS (Photo: John LeBlanc, straight-six.com)

Very funny. As you probably know, the Maxx has been around for a few years now. It means five-door in Malibu-speak and is the closest thing Chevrolet has to a sports wagon and utilizes General Motors' mid-size Epsilon platform that can also be found underpinning the likes of the Pontiac G6, Saab 9-3, Opel/Vauxhall Vectra and upcoming Saturn Aura. In Europe the Maxx is pitched as an upscale executive limousine above the Vectra in the form of the Opel Signum.

Doesn't seem very "hot dogs and apple-pie" to me?
True, hatchbacks as limos are a rare concept, and, admittedly, a harder sell over here than on the streets of Frankfurt. But the front-drive Maxx's European influences means extraordinarily efficient packaging, a relatively stiff chassis and a modern multilink rear suspension. The limousine tag

2006 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx SS (Photo: John LeBlanc, straight-six.com)

isn't all hype. The back seat offers a very generous 101.6 millimetres of legroom, and when you need more cargo than passenger space, fold the Maxx's seats flat and the capacity jumps from 651 to 1,161 litres. Other unique touches for rear occupants are bottom cushions that slide back and forth and seatbacks that tilt to three positions. Plus, its all bright and airy back there with the standard rear skylights. All new Malibus have dropped the original's chromed Chevy bowtie 'stache in favour of a more conventional closed frame grille. The SS package, which is also available on the less-utilitarian Malibu four-door sedan, adds a body kit with a hatch spoiler and a front spoiler incorporating fog lights and touches of exterior aluminum-like trim that contrasted nicely with the Laser Blue Metallic paint of my test car. The big 225/50 rubber on blocky, AMG-like 18-inch alloy wheels helps to fill out the wheel wells and gives the car a sporty, hunkered down stance. No doubt, the Maxx SS is the best looking Malibu to date, but if this Chevy's styling gets your heart beating fast, you might want to see your physician. And of course, those SS badges are hard to miss.

Right! All those legendary vee-eight Chevy Super Sport Novas, Camaros and Chevelles from the '60s, including what some consider the first muscle-car, the "She's really fine, my 409" '61 Impala. Does this Malibu Maxx SS live up to all of that SS heritage?
Um, that was like over 40 years ago. But if that's your standard, the $31,495 Malibu Maxx SS is missing two cylinders under its hood with its 240 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque 3.9-litre vee-six that also

2006 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx SS (Photo: John LeBlanc, straight-six.com)

powers Pontiac's G6 GTP. These figures are up 39 and 19 respectively over the sixes in lesser Malibus and tech-heads may sniff at the SS's mill being only of the pushrod fashion, but its does come with a variable-length intake plenum and a new variable-valve-timing system which Chevrolet claims is a first for "cam in block" type engines. What all this extra breathing apparatus does allow is the 3.9 to rev to its 6,200 r.p.m. limit without complaint and 0-100 kilometres per hour takes about seven seconds, about a second quicker than a Mazda6 Sport GS-V6 ($29,195). The rumbly exhaust note that's been heard on GM's sixes since the '83 Pontiac 6000 STE is here as well. Where most competitors come with additional gears to play with, the SS's engine strictly comes with a four-speed automatic. There's an awkward attempt to provide a manumatic function via buttons on the left side of the console gear shift handle, but after a couple tries you'll leave the shifting to your right foot as the tranny likes to shift down promptly. Enthusiasts may wish for a manual transmission, but the one I drove in the Pontiac G6 GTP would have me recommending the slushbox.