2009 Chevrolet Malibu

This is an interesting story about the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu, which is the seventh generation of the venerable name. The fifth and sixth generation of the The Malibu were really unimpressive vehicles.....basically reduced to rental fleets. The Malibu was redesigned for the 2008 model year.....at the direction of then GM Vice Chairman Robert Lutz.

Lutz was determined to manufacture an American automobile that was competitive with the Japanese mid size cars Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Under his direction, GM finally decided that to be competitive the Malibu needed extensive engineering and re-design.

The Malibu is built on a revised version of the long-wheelbase front-wheel drive platform shared with the Saturn Aura, Pontiac G6, Opel Signum. The only available transmission is a six-speed automatic. It is built at the Kansas City Plant, along with the Saturn Aura.

The interior design has been completely redone.....the selection of the two-tone color combination is very attractive. Higher quality interior pieces also accompany the redesign which has also been completely reworked, with a selection of two-tone color combinations(brick and tan two tone), telescoping steering wheel, higher-quality materials and a twin-cowl dash design.

The Malibu offers a 2.4 liter 169 hp. VVT in line 4-cylinder as the base engine. and a 252 hp, and a 3.6 liter V6 as an option. A hybrid option is available, which increased fuel economy of 26 mpg city/34 mpg highway.

The Malibu has received critical praise from the automotive press, with MotorTrend magazine rating the Malibu higher than the Honda Accord and Nissan Altima in the magazine's 2008 Car of The Year competition.

The 2008 Malibu received the North American Car of the Year Award at the North American International Auto show in Detroit. The runners up being the 2008 Cadillac CTS and the 2008 Honda Accord. The Malibu's win marks the second straight year that a car built on GM's Epsilon platform has won the North American COTY Award with the 2007 North American COTY Award having gone to the 2007 Saturn Aura. The Malibu was also named a Consumer Digest best buy for 2009.

Sales results have been positive with the Malibu joining the Cadillac CTS and Buick Enclave on a list of GM vehicles whose sales have exceeded expectations. The redesigned Malibu sold more than 50% more units in 2008 last year than in 2007, increasing GM's mid-size market share to 8.4% from 5.7%, while the Camry and Accord percentages remained flat at about 21% and 17.5%, according to GM. Sales to rental customers dropped to 27% of the total, as GM limited sales to rental fleets.

Pricing starts for the LS version at $22,325 USD plus options, the hybrid version is priced at $25,555 USD plus options.

SUMMARY:

The latest generation of the Malibu is a winner! The Malibu looks good, drives well, handles well and braking is good. The Malibu is another example of the kind of cars that GM is capable of building.

Lexus HS 250H

Toyota Motor Corporation has made a decision to increase their hybrid technology across many of their models. They view hybrids as the best method to increase fuel economy! Today's car is a new model designed specifically to be a hybrid....the 2010 Lexus HS250h (HS).

The HS is powered by a 2.4 liter Atkinson cycle four cylinder, which is rated at 147 hp. There are two electric motors that add an additional 40 hp. The continuously variable transmission varies the ratios depending on speed, rpm and load. The HS is also equipped with regenerative braking system.....which helps to recharge the batteries when braking.

The HS will run on electric only mode just like the Toyota Prius for short distances at low speeds.....but at 20 mph. the gasoline motor turns on to assist driving.

If your interested in technology, the HS comes equipped with LED lighting, front and rear parking cameras, a heads-up instrument display, Mark Levinson entertainment package.

Pricing for the HS has not been announced....but should be approximately $40,000 USD plus options. Fuel economy is 34/35 mpg city/highway.

The debate continues as to whether hybrids are a long term solution or a temporary solution to the energy crisis. My thought is that they are expensive versus the cost of the gasoline saved...also those calculations are dependant on the price of gas.

If a hybrid takes ten years to cover the additional cost of the vehicle versus a standard gasoline engine....someone would have to keep the vehicle for that time period to break even or be an environmentalist.

The size of the HS250h is very similar in size to the Lexus IS250.... so why did Lexus develop a totally new car. Perhaps it was a packaging issue....they must not have been able to get all of the hybrid drive train in the IS250.

SUMMARY:

As I have outlined in a number of my other posts....driving most hybrids you will have to sacrifice driving dynamics. The HS is nowhere near as much fun as the leaders in this class.... the Cadillac CTS and the BMW 328i.

2009 Cadillac CTS

Earlier posts have gone over General Motors (GM) financial problems....and a number of my recent posts cover some the of the best cars that GM manufacturers. Today, I would like to bring you the best production sedan that GM manufacturers for the North American market....the Cadillac CTS.

As I have outlined in a previous post the CTS has chosen by Car And Driver as one of their 10 Best for both 2008 and 2009. Cadillac has not been on the 10 Best List since the Seville won in 1992. See the complete list at Car and Driver 10 Best List.

The CTS is the first Cadillac, in recent memory, to have good driving dynamics, an upscale interior. It also offers edgy styling, a refined driving experience and offers a manual for automotive enthusiasts.

Three engines are offered in the CTS....the base engine is a 3.6 liter DOHC V-6 with 263 hp and 253 lb-ft of torque. An optional direct-fuel-injection version of the 3.6-liter V-6 that generates 304 hp. All engines have h V-6s come with a six-speed automatic or a six-speed manual. The base 3.6 liter engine was only 0.4 second slower in 0-60 mpg acceleration....something most buyers will never notice.

On the tech side, the CTS has a voice activated infotainment package featuring intelligent iPod® integration, 40 GB hard drive and an advanced hard-disk navigation system.

The pick of the liter is the CTS-V. This is a SUPER SEDAN! This car is a very refined and extremely capable sedan, handles extremely well, and brakes well.

The CTS-V’s supercharged 6.2-litre V8 engine delivers a heart pounding zero to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and on to 191 mph where legal and 175 mph for the automatic transmission. These outstanding performance figures enabled the CTS-V to claim the unofficial lap record for a production car (7 mins 59.32 secs) around the Nürburgring’s legendary Nordschleife circuit in October 2008. Click here to see a video of a CTS-V in action, also note the exhaust note - it is even better in person.

The Cadillac CTS-V is fitted with the latest generation of the world’s fastest-reacting suspension technology, Magnetic Ride Control (MRC), which uses shock absorbers controlled by electro-magnets, rather than mechanical valves, accelerating response time. The CTS-V is also equipped with powerful Brembo brakes which account for the excellent stopping distances. These features, along with four-channel ABS, hydraulic brake assist and dynamic rear brake proportioning, ensure that the immense power is kept safely under control.

It’s not all about performance however, as the Cadillac boasts a range of luxury features fitted as standard including new, 14-way adjustable Recaro® performance driving seats, ‘hand cut-and-sewn’ double stitched leather and sueded material, and a high-gloss black Obsidian surface finish. The CTS-V is currently available in left-hand drive only and priced from at $59,995 in the US and in England £56,495 on-the-road (£58,995 for the automatic transmission model).

Summary:

These are the kind of cars that GM should have been building for years. Actually, I could not believe I was driving a Cadillac! I had to take a look at the crest on the steering wheel a couple of times. The standard CTS is well composed, quiet and sophisticated. The CTS-V is a beast that can only be described as an incredible machine.

It appears that GM has transferred its engineers from any of the advanced vehicles like the CTS-V to other duties. It is highly probably that they will quit manufacturing the CTS-V after this production run.

Car and Driver 10 Best Awards 2009

As I have mentioned in previous posts, it is a good idea to use various guides in purchasing a car. Here is one of my favorites Car and Drivers 10 Best Cars. The staff at Car and Driver are serious car enthusiasts, so if they pick a car for this list then that should be a serious consideration on your list.

"The cars are judged on three points. The first is how each car performs their intended duties. Second, they consider how engaging a car is on an emotional level. Lastly, they look at how competitive a car’s pricing is for the levels of versatility, practicality, and fun it offers. They are looking for value in their selections and highlight those cars that possess it. Check out these Car and Driver videos!

• BMW 3-Series/M3 Video
• Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Video
• Chevrolte Corvette Video
• Honda Accord Video
• Honda Fit Video
• Infinity G37 Video
• Jaguar XF Video
• Mazda MX-5 Miata Video
• Porsche Boxter & Cayman Video
• Volkswagon GTI Video

Eligibility for 10Best is determined based on newness and past 10Best success. All cars either new or significantly redesigned are allowed. Additionally, cars that made the list in 2008 are automatically invited back for 2009, providing they still clear the price cap—2.5 times the average newcar transaction price for all light-duty vehicles sold through August of the previous year, or $71,000 this time around.

If a car fails to make the list its first year on the market, it’s out of contention until a significant redesign renews its eligibility. Conversely, if a car consistently impresses Car and Driver enough to be voted to the list year after year, it can remain on the list indefinitely, even if it receives no updates. But all eligible cars must be available for sale no later than January 2009.

Lutz To Leave GM

I thought that today was an incredibly sad day for General Motors. They submitted their recovery plan to the government. From a management perspective, that day was embarrassing considering that GM a few years back was the largest business in the world ranked by sales and market capitalization. They are also loosing a very important component of what was going right at GM.

Here is a salute to a real car guy Bob Lutz! He is the chief product czar at General Motors. He is the person that is directly responsible for bring on some of GM's best new products. He made the announcement that he will be leaving GM last week. The products that he as brought to life are the Chevrolet Malibu, Cadillac CTS, Pontiac G-8 and the Chevrolet Volt.

I personally think he saw the writing on the wall. Under government supervision, he would not have a free reign to implement his visions of what an automobile should be. So, he would not be comfortable operating in that kind of restricted environment.

Bob Lutz has had a substantial automotive career working at Ford, Chrysler and BMW prior starting work at GM in 2001. Hopefully, he will continue working his magic at some other manufacturer. But, if not we will miss his automotive genius!