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.

Honda Clarity FCX Concept

Here is a future technology that one day may power automobiles. Presently, Honda, GM, and BMW have hydrogen fuel cell autos in development. Today's post is on the Honda FCX Clarity, which is Honda's entry into the hydrogen fuel cell automobile race. Honda believes it could start mass producing vehicles based on the FCX concept by the year 2018.

The advantage to hydrogen powered vehicles is that they are non polluting, the only product to come out of the tailpipe is water vapor. Hydrogen would be manufactured locally, therefore concerns about the cost and availability price of imported oil are negated. Check out the cars.com video!

The vehicle is powered by a .57-litre, 100kW Honda hydrogen fuel cell stack. Electricity is stored in a 288V lithium ion battery. The electric motor has 134 horsepower and powers the front wheels of the vehicle. The Clarity goes from 0-60 mph in 9.2 seconds, which is two seconds slower than the average four cylinder mid size car. The estimated range is 240 miles with a full tank of 4.1 kg compressed hydrogen. The Clarity is also available in one color Star Garnet Metallic.

Currently consumers are not currently allowed to purchase the vehicle. The Clarity is only available for leasing in the Southern California area.....where the hydrogen refueling stations are located. The leases are only available to a select 200 people over the next three years at $600.00 USD per month for 3 years. Fuel and maintenance are included with the lease cost! Here is an Car and Driver interview
with Jim Salomon the third person to lease a Clarity.

My take on this car is that Honda appears to be the most advanced of the manufacturers working on the technology. The Clarity launch is similar to the Saturn EVI launch back in the 1980's.

This could be the type of car that we are driving in twenty years. The most likely scenario is that a number of different technologies will be available in automobiles. Due to the major improvements in battery technology... the electric car may be the largest automobile technology in twenty years.

The problem with the hydrogen technology is that the hydrogen refueling infrastructure would have to be built to support those vehicles.

For additional information go to the Honda FCX Clarity website!

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.

Consumer Reports on Top Picks for 2009

Consumer Reports magazine has just issued their Top Picks for 2009, which are outlined below.

• Pickup Truck - Chevrolet Avalanche
• Fun To Drive - Mazda MX-5 Miata
• Small SUV - Toyota Rav4
• Small Sedan - Hyundai Elantra SE
• Green Car - Toyota Prius
• Minivan - Toyota Sienna
• Best Overall Vehicle - Lexus LS 460
• Upscale Sedan - Infinity G37
• Midsized SUV - Toyota Highlander
• Family Sedan - Honda Accord

They choose these cars based on:

(1) Road Tests - the vehicles must rank at or near the top of their categories which includes more than 50 individual tests and evaluations.

(2) Reliability - each car must have an average or better reliability rating based upon more then 1.4 million vehicles reported by Consumer Reports subscribers.

(3) Safety - top picks must perform adequately in overall safety tests conducted by the government or insurance industry. In addition, each must offer electronic stability control (ESC), which is a proven lifesaving feature.

My view on Consumer Reports is that overall they do a good job of evaluating cars based upon their criteria. Anyone buying a car has to consider a number of additional items styling, driveability, fun factor, brand, warranty, resale value, discounts and affordability. The bottom line is that this is guide to use! In the end result you have to be happy with the car that you have purchased!