2008 Motor Trend Car of the Year Finalists

Chevrolet Malibu: Vive La Difference!

When the prosaic, previous-gen Malibu came to market in 2002, GM told us this would be the one that could take on Camry and Accord. Yeah, well it didn't quite work out that way: All it really took on was America's airport rental fleets. So we were skeptical when similar mantras were bandied about regarding Chevy's new-for-2008 midsize sedan. But wait a minute, this thing looks great. Clean lines. Tight body panel gaps. Nice detailing. And how about that interior? Maybe they've got something here.

Indeed, they do. "First impressions having just jumped out of the Accord is that this has a far nicer interior," notes one staffer. "Cool that Chevy finally put a modern, DOHC V-6 in the car," opines another.

The previous-gen Malibu was one of the first to market on GM's global Epsilon platform, shared in America with the Pontiac G6, Saab 9-3, and Saturn's hot-selling Aura. And the new car is by far the best overall execution of this global, front-drive chassis architecture to date. Granted, our tester was the top-drawer LTZ model, with the full leather cabin, lots of creature features, and the best-performing powertrain, so it was dressed to impress. But its look and basic goodness should translate well to the lower trim levels, too. The LTZ's 6.4-second 0-to-60 time is class-competitive, and the ride/handling balance feels sophisticated and spot-on for this market segment. The base powertrain is a 169-horse, I-4, and, for the first time in a Malibu, there's a hybrid model as well.

Several editors comment the steering is artificially heavy: lots of dialed-in weight, not to be confused with road feel. And a few of those interior plastic bits still aren't up to the best of the Japanese, although its controls are a lot easier to navigate than the Accord's. The Malibu is a unanimous COTY finalist, although not enough of a meter-mover to draw the big prize. But one editor sums it up best: "Now a genuine alternative to the Camry." Chevrolet should be proud.

-Matt Stone

What they did right: The combination of the 252-horsepower DOHC V-6 and six-speed automatic is one of the best power teams offered in any midsize car.

Room for improvement: Where's the navigation option?

Bet you didn't know: The 3.6-liter High Feature V-6 makes more horsepower than any of the original 1964 Malibu engines-except for the 300-horsepower L74 327 V-8.