“True, the new Malibu performs, has perceived quality, and attention to detail of its industry stalwart Accord and Camry. But, beyond that, the Malibu is stylish, almost dynamic, taking the family sedan away from boring while not forgetting its purpose. While the entire car shows a flare not seen in Chevrolet sedans since the 1960s it is the interior of the new Malibu, its artistic flow, and tiny seams, that most impresses the eye and the operator”, says John Davis of MotorWeek – PBS Network & SpeedCHANNEL regarding the Chevrolet Malibu, a mid-size car produced in the United States by General Motor.

The 2008 Malibu sedan is marketed in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Israel and it still uses GM’s front-wheel-drive Epsilon platform. But the new model uses the long-wheelbase (112.3-inch) version which was formerly used for the Malibu Maxx quasi-station-wagon/five-door-hatch thing. The Aura and G6 share this long version. So the Malibu (along with the Aura and G6) now has a longer wheelbase than all other competitors. The vehicle is between 3 and 5 inches longer than the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, etc.

There surely is more power to this sedan. Its powertrain has improved and has obviously ditched the 224-horsepower pushrod 3.5-liter V6 in favor of a 252-hp double-overhead-cam 3.6-liter V6. The company also replaced its four-speed automatic with a six-speed auto, with optional steering-wheel-mounted shifting.252 is more than adequate output for a family car.

The Malibu’s new base motor, a 2.4-liter Ecotec double-overhead four-cylinder, makes 20 more hp than the outgoing 2.2-liter Ecotec. It is rated at 164 hp. The new motor has indeed so much to offer. A six-speed automatic transmission is also available with the Ecotec, although it comes only on Malibus with the upmarket LTZ treatment.

But the outgoing Malibu was not regarded to as something too small compared to its competitors. The old 3.5-liter for sure also made decent power. With the old Malibu, what is considered not very desirable are its budget-basement interior and rental-fleet looks.

The new design is better-looking than the old car. The 2008 Malibu looks significantly wider than the old model. The new front end, with its two vertically stacked grille openings and dual round headlights per side, is, as the designers like to say, the new face of Chevrolet cars. It looks more upscale than the outgoing car and the bulging hood has a resemblance to the new Camry.

The first sneak-peek image that Chevrolet released of the 2008 Malibu was an interior rendering. The company had truly spent an unusual amount of time and energy on the interior for this new model.

Gary Witzenburg, Car & Automotive freelance writer sums up what The 2008 Malibu sedan is all about in his review, “this fine, affordable beauty brings Chevrolet — and General Motors — back big- time into the volume mid-size sedan game. It’s easily as good as anything near its price, and better than most.”