Chevrolet breaks out with new Malibu Maxx *pic*

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Chevrolet breaks out with new Malibu Maxx

Heather Hewins drove her 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx to a Saturday night bingo game.

Darrell Oliver headed to the pet store to load his Malibu Maxx with 80 pounds of kibble for his dogs Dillinger, Sebastian and Jay.

Mya Dolan organized a day trip to Frankenmuth for an all-you-can-eat chicken dinner with her parents and her husband Patrick after jumping into her Malibu Maxx.

Hewins, Oliver and Dolan are part of the 10-member 2004 Detroit News Automotive Consumer Panel that recently tested Chevy?s newest offering ? the Malibu Maxx, a non-traditional mid-size four-door hatchback spun off of the mainstream Malibu family sedan.

The five-passenger, front-wheel-drive Malibu Maxx is on sale now at a base price of $22,225, including a $625 destination charge.

Panelists shuttled among five Malibu Maxxes over four days, racking up a cumulative 1,972 miles on the test cars as they determined not only whether the Maxx is a worthwhile vehicle, but how far it will go in changing the image of the utilitarian ? if not boring ? Chevrolet brand.

As panelists were given keys to the test vehicles, Gene Stefanyshyn, General Motors Corp.?s vehicle line executive for mid-size cars, fretted about their reaction to the new boxy-looking Chevy, which was designed to cross the boundaries between sedans, station wagons and sport utility vehicles.

?It?s a bit of a risk,? Stefanyshyn said. ?It?s not a traditional product. Will they understand it? Will they get it??


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AvesPKS

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Apr 21, 2000
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I saw one of these from behind, and I wanted to barf. Pictures cannot describe the horror adequately. :disgust:
 

brtspears2

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Nov 16, 2000
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I think all the new Malibu's are much better than previous generations. That V6 is pretty good on gas compared to others, heck according to fueleconomy.gov, the V6 in the Malibu LS/LT does better than the Camry's 4-cyl engine for yearly fuel cost.

But the Maxx, hard to say what it is. The features and utility is there, but the shape goes strange in the rear.