2009 Chevrolet Malibu

I was ready to not like this car; nothing personal, but mid-size, automatic four-cylinder sedans aren't my first choice of car. Boy was I wrong, this car blew me away.

Let me preface this by saying, if you read EVO or Grassroots Motorsports, you won't have a favourable opinion of this car no matter what. If you want an honest family car that won't bore you to tears, read on.

On my hour long drive back from GM Headquarters, the Malibu was more than enough to hold my attention. The surprisingly well-weighted steering and above average chassis was a joy on highway ramps. The car was silent while cruising, and the base four-cylinder was torquey and responsive. Yes, the V6 has been lauded as excellent, but I couldn't possibly see a need for it. The 6-speed transmission was similarly smooth when left in Drive. I tried using the paddle shifters, but gave up after getting the paddle directions wrong, and finding the downshifts unnecessarily harsh. No matter, if you're the target buyer, you'll never use them more than twice. GM managed to avoid the spongy, lifeless brake feel that plagued the last Camry I drove.

The interior on my car was high quality for a GM vehicle, and certainly on par with the Accords. I can't honestly say it's as good as a Camry, since I try and avoid them when possible, but there's no evidence that GM cheaped out; the controls are nicely weighted, the plastics are all high quality (but will surely disappoint VW/Audi dashboard fetishists) and the seats are comfortable. I'm not entirely sold on the suede-like fabric covering the seats; standard cloth would have sufficed. There are a few minor ergonomic things I don't like (the placement of the mirror controls is awkward), but at this point I'm just nit-picking.

The backseat easily held my 6'2 friends in comfort, and the trunk was big enough to hold a few cases of beer as well as a completely packed duffel bag. On the other hand, the design of the the trunk opening might prevent some truly large bags from getting in there.

I'm prone to using superlatives, but if you're in the market for a car like this, I can't see why you wouldn't buy it unless you had some irrational bias against American cars. At just under $30,000, it is tremendous value.

Think of the Accord as the BMW of the group; designed by engineers, focused more on performance and a bit pricer than the competition. The Camry is the Mercedes-Benz; the last word in luxury and comfort, but a little dull, a little too common. If you don't like to feel connected to the car, that's your best bet. The Malibu is closest to an Audi. Trying it's hardest to fight with the big boys, and doing a pretty good job at it, even if it's not as highly regarded by the masses. It might give up a bit of pure driving passion in exchange for everyday comfort, but for 99% of people out there, that's just fine.

You'd be doing a disservice to yourself not to consider this car.

Pros: Suprisingly good driving dynamics, well-built, great value.

Cons: Some minor ergonomic annoyances, trunk opening not conducive to hauling large items....I'm really reaching here.

Verdict: Just as good as any Japanese car, better than second-tier European sedans. This car is a grand slam for GM.