Drove tons of these things working in rental cars. Everything about the sedan was... fine. Fine handling, fine features, fine power, (borderline) fine interior. The Maxx added lots of practicality, which I really liked. The styling was awkward on both, slightly less so and in a different way on the Maxx. They were never terribly unreliable as they aged, just never appreciated by anyone, and also above average rustprone, so they are pretty much all gone now. It was an idea. It was a car. The faux suede and remote start were neat gimmicks when they first came out. This was the first cheap car I can remember with heated seats. Even neater, you could get heated cloth. Later in the model cycle (06 or so), the fleet-dump rate was like 80%. And then they went fleet-only for 08, after the Maxx had passed.
That's one good thing about GM, even if they're on their second engine or transmission, the suspension components are usually good up until around 250,000 haha.
I leased a 2005 Malibu Maxx LT. I had it for 3 years and put 19,000 miles on it. It was the first of 4 Malibus that I leased. I also leased 2 Impalas and I am currently on my second Equinox lease. The Maxx was my first Chevy with remote start and a sunroof, and ever since that, all of my cars have had those 2 features. Overall, it was a good car.
I really would've liked these if they had a manual transmission available for the SS. If I remember right, you could get a six speed G6 with the 3.9, so they had the means.
GM must have paid a pretty penny for this glowing review considering that MW is literally the only so car that liked this generation Malibu. This was clearly designed to be a rental car Delete influenced by gm's bean counters
The 3500 and 3900 were pretty novel designs. They had variable valve timing and were clean-sheet, with pretty decent power and (especially) torque, if you like the low rpm oriented power of a pushrod engine. There was nothing old school about them, aside from the valvetrain arrangement (OHC engines are actually just as old as OHV but were less common for several decades). Even had pretty good fuel economy. The biggest drawbacks were the declining reputation of OHV engines, and the ruined rep of the DOD equipped 3900s. It was average or above average with competitive V6s in almost every other respect, though pushrod engines usually are bigger displacement to make the same power. It was an engine family that died an unfortunately early death, in my opinion. I would much rather have a 3500 or non-DOD 3900 powered vehicle than the early DOHC GM 3.6s, Ford 3.5/3.7, Pentastar, Honda 3.7, some years of VQ35/37, or many other more modern, higher powered, more technically complex V6s despite some having more power.
Drove tons of these things working in rental cars. Everything about the sedan was... fine. Fine handling, fine features, fine power, (borderline) fine interior. The Maxx added lots of practicality, which I really liked. The styling was awkward on both, slightly less so and in a different way on the Maxx. They were never terribly unreliable as they aged, just never appreciated by anyone, and also above average rustprone, so they are pretty much all gone now. It was an idea. It was a car. The faux suede and remote start were neat gimmicks when they first came out. This was the first cheap car I can remember with heated seats. Even neater, you could get heated cloth. Later in the model cycle (06 or so), the fleet-dump rate was like 80%. And then they went fleet-only for 08, after the Maxx had passed.
Unreal knowledge man... I'm impressed by your memory! That was a great analysis on the car 👍
After 250k miles this family’s Maxx finally needs a front end overhaul and new brakes/rotors/wheel bearings throughout lol.
That's one good thing about GM, even if they're on their second engine or transmission, the suspension components are usually good up until around 250,000 haha.
Pretty much every reliable car manufacturer requires this maintenance
IMO, cars in general were sometimes goofier-looking but so much more likable back then.
This car had a European sibling, called Opel Signum. It was the same concept, Vectra platform with long wheelbase and hatchback body
I leased a 2005 Malibu Maxx LT. I had it for 3 years and put 19,000 miles on it. It was the first of 4 Malibus that I leased. I also leased 2 Impalas and I am currently on my second Equinox lease. The Maxx was my first Chevy with remote start and a sunroof, and ever since that, all of my cars have had those 2 features. Overall, it was a good car.
How can you not love three antennas? OnStar shark fin, XM puck, and a big ol' fixed mast on the rear quarter
These are still nice cars IMO.
❤ the best Malibu,s are 1997-07 after that the rest are just so so.
My driver education car back in the day.
I really would've liked these if they had a manual transmission available for the SS. If I remember right, you could get a six speed G6 with the 3.9, so they had the means.
GM must have paid a pretty penny for this glowing review considering that MW is literally the only so car that liked this generation Malibu. This was clearly designed to be a rental car Delete influenced by gm's bean counters
I have never seen one of these videos and them not suck the car off the whole time lol
I never knew this existed
Should’ve been a Saab. I love how they kept the 5 door hatchback design for Chevy when it was a main Saab trait. 🤪
saab is trash
Saab 9-3 sportcombi
Funnily enough, this was similarly designed to the European-market Opel Signum, which was built on the same platform as this.
This platform also spawned the Cadillac BLS in Europe.
Are there any other cars that look like this? I swear there's another one that isn't so long...
That interior was designed by fisher price
Pushrod OHV engine in 2004? Oh, GM.
The 3500 and 3900 were pretty novel designs. They had variable valve timing and were clean-sheet, with pretty decent power and (especially) torque, if you like the low rpm oriented power of a pushrod engine. There was nothing old school about them, aside from the valvetrain arrangement (OHC engines are actually just as old as OHV but were less common for several decades). Even had pretty good fuel economy. The biggest drawbacks were the declining reputation of OHV engines, and the ruined rep of the DOD equipped 3900s. It was average or above average with competitive V6s in almost every other respect, though pushrod engines usually are bigger displacement to make the same power. It was an engine family that died an unfortunately early death, in my opinion. I would much rather have a 3500 or non-DOD 3900 powered vehicle than the early DOHC GM 3.6s, Ford 3.5/3.7, Pentastar, Honda 3.7, some years of VQ35/37, or many other more modern, higher powered, more technically complex V6s despite some having more power.
Hideous! One of the worst headlight treatments ever put out by GM