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2004 - 2007 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx Pre-Owned

Chevy's Malibu goes way back. Even further back than my teenage years when, driving a 1976 Malibu coupe I experienced my first MVA, having been sideswiped by a yellow cab as I turned left throughan intersection at the age of 17. No, the first Malibu debuted a few months later than I did (literally) in 1963 as a matter of fact; as a 1964 model. But it was the '76 that I knew so intimately as a youth. The rear-drive, V8-powered midsize model was little more than a tarted up Chevelle, and a very different animal than anything Chevy has produced in recent years. Opportunities for power oversteer are now null and void, replaced by gentle, predictable understeer and, well, a lot less high-speed floating and end-to-end bobbing.

Yes, where the 1997 through 1999 Malibu, and then the 2000 through 2003 update was, well, about as stylistically inspired as any then-current Toyota or Nissan, its suspension managed highway speeds and tight corners better than the original, and it was certainly a great deal more efficient with Mother Nature's crude. The Malibu that followed in 2003 as a 2004 model year car, however, was even lighter on its feet, albeit Chevy had traded the outgoing car's bland Asian-influenced styling in for an almost truck-like, chunky design, a good thing for those wanting an SUV but not willing to pay the penalty of poor fuel economy and atrocious inner city maneuverability, but hard to accept by those merely wanting to move

The 2004 Malibu came in four-door and five-door variants, the latter, dubbed the Maxx, shown here. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

up from their inconspicuous four-door to a fresher, newer model.

Personally, I didn't like the sedan very much at first, although the five-door model that debuted the same year, dubbed Malibu Maxx, was quite brilliant. Somehow its truckish demeanor suited the wagon-cum-hatchback design better thana three-box four-door, although Malibu buyers didn't agree and therefore it sold rather poorly over the years and seemingly won't be part of Malibu's immediate future.

I remember climbing inside the four-door when it first debuted at one of the major auto shows (can't remember which) and being thoroughly disappointed with an interior that I had been promised was a solid step up for a GM product. I suppose, in retrospect, that it was an improvement, but I had had my hopes set much higher than the resultant product had delivered; not the first time for such disillusionment. Bowtie buyers hardly seemed to care, however, as the new Malibu quickly replaced the less dramatic variant as one of Chevy's best-selling cars, although it wasn't enough to pull buyers away

The sedan featured a unique chrome strip that visually bled into the lens design of the taillights. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

from the imports and thusly hedge up the outward flow of once-faithful customers leaving the General. And can you really blame them. After all, put the 2004 Malibu beside an equivalent Toyota Camry or Honda Accord of the same year and even a GM executive will find it hard to give you reason to save your country's economy and buy American.

But as much as I personally bashed its overhead-valve V6 for sounding about as adrenaline-inducing as an industrial sewing machine (and I'm not talking about a Pfaff), or its four-speed automatic for being as technologically sophisticated as, well, a four-speed automatic, it proved pretty reliable overall, garnering more than its share of industry kudos and awards for dependability.Adding to the Malibu's salability were problems with the Camry's more modern V6, the now-dreaded sludge issue that caused more of a stir than it probably should have because the effected car was a Toyota, infallible as the Camry seemed before this incident.

The Malibu was also surprisingly roomy inside. Rear legroom was superb, and headroom was about as good as this segment offered. What's more, its trunk was gargantuan compared to most of its rivals,

Want cargo room? Get a Maxx. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

at 17.3 cubic feet. It beat the 2004 Accord's 14.0 cu ft trunk volume by an impressive 3.3 cu ft, although the Camry's 16.7 cu ft of cargo volume drew closer to the Malibu. Chrysler's Sebring still lagged behind, mind you, at 16.0 cu ft. Of course, if you want to increase the Malibu's load-carrying capability you can look for a used Maxx that offers 22.8 cu-ft of space with the rear seats up and 41.0 cu-ft with them folded flat; not to mention a really cool rear glass sunroof.

As can be imagined, the Malibu's interior roominess came at the expense of exterior growth. Compared to the almost full-size Impala it was a shrimp, and the Ford Taurus was obviously larger as well. But Chrysler's previous-generation Sebring, closest to its size, was only slightly larger by 0.3 inches in length, 1.2 inches in width and 157 lbs in curb weight. If you're starting to think that the Malibu might have been nudging into the compact category, hold the thought as the class leading 2004 Accord was 0.9 inches shorter than the Chevy while the next in line Camry was larger than the Accord, but only slightly. That left the Malibu slotting neatly into the middle of the midsize sedan pack.

Despite its many attributes, Chevy's midsize model suffered from the usual domestic dive in resale value. This is a great thing for pre-owned

The interior design is interesting although materials aren't the most opulent. Features, however, are plentiful. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

buyers, mind you, as a very good, well-cared-for example can be purchased for much less thanan equivalent Accord or Camry, plus later models offered some seriously upscale features. For instance, try to start your Asian import from 100 feet away, allowing it to warm up on a cold winter day while you're still sipping your hot beverage of choice inside the comforts of your home. You can't, but you can in a Malibu with the remote start option. Another unorthodox option in this class was a rear entertainment system with a flip-up screen mounted on the center console.

Initially the Malibu was offered at under $20K, which was hard to beat before Hyundai and Kia beat it, that is. Standard features included a 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine with 145 horsepower and 155 lb-ft of torque, that aforementioned 4-speed automatic transmission, plus air-conditioning, tilt steering, power locks with remote keyless entry, and a power remote trunk, split-folding rear seatbacks and an AM/FM/CD audio system.

You could also move up to the LS and the list grew to include fog lamps, dual reading lights on the inside rearview mirror, illuminated vanity mirrors, premium cloth upholstery and a six-way power driver's seat. Other items that came standard on the LS model but optional on base Malibus included power mirrors, alloy wheels, cruise control, power windows and anti-lock brakes.

Top-line Malibus feature wood grain trim and lots of goodies. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

Various options were available, adding leather seats, a power sunroof, an AM/FM/CD/cassette audio system and a rear spoiler to either the base or LS model, while a not quite so fashionable standalone gold accent package could also be slapped on.

Both models came standard with power rack-and-pinion steering and that fully independent suspension I mentioned a few minutes ago. The front design incorporated MacPherson struts, aluminum knuckles and a stabilizer bar while the rear suspension used a tri-link configuration and stabilizer bar.

The upgraded V6 engine's 200-hp and 220 lb-ft of torque was adequate to spin the standard P215/60R15 all-season tires at will, but a lighter touch on the throttle will remedy this problem if attracting negative attention is something you'd rather not do. While reasonably powerful for the era, the 3.5-liter OHV V6 achieved fairly decent fuel economy at 24 mpg combined city/highway, and was rated as a Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) when new. The V6 came standard with LS and LT trim, although in 2006 the LS model became the base car and therefore came with the four-cylinder. Interestingly, the 2.2-liter engine was also standard in the LT model, with the V6 optional, although the all-new LTZ received the V6 as standard. Finally, this year's 2007 model gets a boost in V6 output to 217 horsepower and an equal 217 lb-ft of torque, making the SS seem all the more needy as a sport model.

While the four-cylinder Malibu is more sophisticated

The shifter has a DIY mode in a handy thumb operated setup. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

on paper, offering dual-overhead cams and four-valves per cylinder, it lacks the V6engine's low-end torque and therefore needs to work harder to get the big car up and running. Resultantly any fuel savings are minimal if you live in a hilly area, making the 3.5-liter V6 the smarter buy on the pre-owned market. Incidentally, the four-cylinder's city rating was initially 24 mpg while it managed a very impressive 36 mpg on the highway (although in real world driving it's darn-well impossible to reproduce such utopian numbers). The six, on the other hand, was good for 22 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway. See what I mean? Any difference between the two models is negligible, and in reality the six might even fair better if fully laden. And by the way, the top-line SS model still faired well at the pump in comparison to its DOHC, multi-valve rivals thanks to 18 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. SS model?

Yup! For model year 2006 Chevy updated the Malibu's styling, most noticeable up front with a redesigned grille, and to lure more buyers an SS model was added to the options list that pushed output up to 240 horsepower and 241 lb-ft of torque thanks to an increase in displacement to 3.9 liters. While impressive compared to the 3.5-liter V6 model, which now put out a slightly more respectful 201 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque, the SS still didn't offer much more than a regular old Camry or Hyundai Sonata, hardly the stuff of Super Sport legend. Still, it looks good with its racy 18-inch five-spoke wheels, rear deck lid spoiler and additional go-fast add-ons, such as its

Not quite the Super Sport of legend. (Photo: General Motors)

manual shift control, sport-tuned suspension, black crosshatch grille with platinum-look grillesurround, projector beam fog lights, dual chrome exhaust tips, sport seats, ebony interior with gunmetal trim, and three-spoke, leather-wrapped sport steering wheel. As already mentioned, a new for 2006 LTZ model became available too, adding premium equipment such as automatic climate control, heated mirrors, chrome-clad 17-inch wheels, UltraLux and leather seating, a rear deck lid spoiler and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

At the time of this writing the Malibu is still for sale as a 2007 model, hardly changed from the 2006 model other than now incorporating standard dual-stage frontal airbags with GM's Passenger Sensing System, standard head curtain front and rear side-impact airbags on the LS and LT, and most important, a new 3.5-liter V6 with variable valve timing. Now, the 2008 model has just debuted at the Detroit auto show, ballooning the Malibu's size and upping its performance capabilities, and the OHV V6 is totally gone from the lineup. But that in mind it begs the question as to whether the new model will be as reliable as the '04 through '07 model has been? Before we start speculating, it's best to take a hard look at just how reliable the current model was, and therefore how dependable it might be to a pre-owned buyer.

The 3.5-liter has been a pretty strong runner for the most part, so don't worry too much about one with more than average miles on the odometer. Still, the electric power steering system is not without fault and known to fail, except on SS models that made due with a hydraulic system. Owners have also complained about premature wear of suspension components

Dual sunroof option is cool, but rear sunshade was problematic. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

and brake parts. Of particular note are a number of electrical glitches, the foremost being troublesome turn signal/hazard light relays. Also, some Maxx owners found that their rear sunroof sunshade wouldn't stay closed. These are hardly major issues, but nevertheless things to watch out for when giving a potential pre-owned Malibu a thorough once over.

One thing that shouldn't give concern is the car's safety record. The Malibu earned five stars in every National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) frontal crash test it entered, while it won the same status after enduring side-impact tests for front passengers, at least when side airbags were part of the package, and four stars for rear passengers. Oddly, side impact results are the opposite for cars without side airbags, with rear passengers fairing better than those up front. Of note, side airbags were optional in LS trim and standard with the LT in 2004, while in 2005 they became available as optional equipment in base models. They were only optional with LS cars in 2006 and standard with the LT, LTZ and SS. Incidentally, traction control and ABS weren't available at all in bottom rung cars, while top-tier versions got the full safety treatment at no extra charge.

For the time being, the current generation Malibu is a great used car buy, and one you should consider if dependability, roominess and luxury features are on your shopping list, not to mention an entertaining chassis setup and very reasonable window sticker. And a little bit more will net you video screen in back, not to mention the ability to shock people standing by your car at shopping mall parking lots, when from fifty feet away you start it up with no one inside. What's that worth? The looks on their faces are priceless.

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