Filling a Tall Order
It would be a rather scary situation to be launching an all-new midsize car into today's incredibly competitive environment. Some of the entrants are so good that the intimidation factor must be almost overwhelming. But GM, with decades of domestic market domination behind them, shouldn't be too concerned. Or should they?
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| The 2004 Chevrolet Malibu, shown here being introduced by Chevrolet General Manager Kurt Ritter, was part of an impressive new product initiative unveiled by General Motors at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 7, 2003. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
It has been a while since word on the street referred to a GM midsize sedan as a particular performance, quality or styling benchmark. The current titleholders are from Japan, with names like Accord and Camry followed by performance and quality, often in that order. Does the current Chevy Malibu even register in the top ten?
Well yes it does. Actually, in the J. D. Power and Associates 2003 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) the Malibu ranked number one in the entry-level midsize category. What's more interesting is that out of the top three, none are from Japan. The Plymouth Breeze (now discontinued) comes in second while the Chrysler Cirrus (since replaced by the Sebring) is third.
So while the Malibu is obviously a good car, there's no denying it is ready for an update. Gearing up to debut at dealerships very soon, the 2004 model delivers radically different styling, what should be a noticeable improvement in handling dynamics, upgraded acceleration and braking, plus heightened perceived quality. Does that sound like a tall order? Well yes, but it's more or less the same for every brand that introduces a new car.
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| The Malibu shares the same architecture as the Saab 9-3, itself one of the best handling sport sedans in its segment. (Photo: General Motors) |
The new Malibu has a good head start though, as it is created on General Motor's already respected Epsilon platform. It's the same architecture that carries the recently upgraded Saab 9-3, itself one of the best handling sport sedans in its segment.
With stiff structural rigidity overall, at 27 Hz, the Malibu should deliver decent road behavior. It also gets a fully isolated 4-point powertrain cradle with tuned bushings joined to a fully independent suspension system front and back, comprised of a MacPherson strut front and 4-link rear setup, resulting in what should be a smooth ride and improved at-the-edge cornering.