turbo200

LX cars offer a lot. but the malibu is deserving. i have seen a black LTZ with the black on red interior. it is the best of the midsize sedan lot. the colors are great in person, and the quality feel is overshadowed by the quality looks. it looks fantastic. [i'll have a complete report on this experience in the coming days, GM chose an excellent place and season for exposure, in the heart of a posh mall where people dress to look upscale, in the heart of Beverly Hills, the Malibu seriously was attracting attention.] the best midsize/fullsize sedan in the 20-30k price range, to me. Only the Passat and Jetta are close or equals to my eyes. the malibu has a case of the first generation Altima condition, the quality isn't the best but the excitement and style are there and are epidemic. I believe Accord and Camry are the next step below style-wise, along with Altima, these are the four most sophisticated looking cars in the midsize sedan arena. Fusion rounds it out in this arena for its expressiveness and stylish interior, but I think its styling trends are not of this decade, so it stays behind for me. of course, the majority of buyers will go for the 4 cylinder, and that's why GM can't come out with the 6-speed fast enough. And the quality is somewhat of a detractor, no doubt. but like the mustang when it originally came out in 65, the malibu is a breath of fresh air in its segment, and it shows GM is trying really hard to impress with design taste. I think a fair amount of GM buyers who have migrated to a cheap Sonata, Kia, or Camry in the last four or five years will be drawn by buzz and good design sense. the malibu is eye catching enough to draw them in, a great V6, a great ride, and a great price will seal the deal. I sincerely hope they don't incentivise this too much or at all, for a long time, to preserve the integrity of the product.

really, so you think Civic and CR-V went from boy to girl? I can see that with those more than I can see it with Accord. After thinking about it though I guess Accord is a big curvaceous woman, she's a bit heavy though [from the styling not the specs].

the G8 interior is outstanding and full of taste and high quality. anyone with a discerning sense for quality and impressive build, the kind that makes friends and family go wow, that's nice, when you're driving in it, would pick the G8. the gran prix is a relic from the past with trash interior quality and a completely undersirable exterior and interior design. other than that it's a bargain for the price, but the awful exterior and interior design are what hold it back completely.

the malibu isn't really considered in the same class as Passat. Pricing wise Passat starts at the mid of Malibu pricing. Passat is like VW's Impala, if the Impala weren't built to straddle two classes.

the B-series needs to offer everything the CTS does, offer another fresh take on the Cadillac styling theme that will again make people notice [even moreso than CTS does], and most importantly weigh much less and PERFORM. Offer a ride/handling balance that hasn't been hit by another automaker, while still managing to have a great road feel. think 3-series as a target for this. This will be one of the hardest targets to define since you really don't know where BMW is going next gen, except possibly the obvious which is more handling prowess with an improved balance of road feel and ride. Can a sedan get much better performing than the current 335i?

it's something the competition doesn't offer, except for VW, that could seperate GM from the rest. Just like the classy two tone interiors of the Malibu.

whoa. it must feel good not to make excuses for GM for once.

NS, I know you're point is to show GM has solutions for all these product gaps. However, the CTS wagon really is not a good replacement for a crossover SUV, the likes of which are competing against best sellers like the X5, Cayenne, ML-Class, FX45, etc etc. Cadillac needs a luxury sport crossover, and to me the BRX is looking more and more weak-kneed and unsubstantial-looking, in another words not a great design to field against the above class of SUVs, more of a competitor for the light SUV set.

i'm sure it's very well engineered. it's not as good looking as the first generation, and that one in turn is not nearly as charming and chiseled as the current GMT 900s. it'll continue to be a second tier player in the sales race, but it might pick up quite a few buyers based on interior space/functionality.

the colors work a lot better in person, overall the colors match well and definitely add interest. however the style is outmoded. if you're talking about the lines present in this interior i would say we've seen this interior done and done again, and attempted by GM more than a few times. the color presentation still works and overall this still looks classy but most of the design elements like the gearshift, most of the dash panels, and the door panels are out of date.

yes, it's a stretch to compare Cadillac to Lincoln, a blatant fallacy based on real world product releases and image. Yes, Cadillac has made inroads into the world luxury market. But they still have a ways to go. The CTS worries me for the same reason it worries others here. If you followed CZ28 discussions over the last year, you'd know that Chaz has been predicting these massive weight gains in all the GM cars....and it hasn't been an understatement. Combine that with the CTS' increased bent towards luxury, something that is being confirmed by user reviews and mags....leading me to believe Cadillac and GM are striving for 8/10ths engineering instead of all the way. Thier cars need to be leaders in the class, and to get this weight is a factor. However, this could all be premeditated.....the cars that so far have been released that are on the heavy side, well it can suit them. But the reality is, if you get me to agree to that, I'm just being a yes man and making excuses for engineering that should have gone further, easpecially with regard to CTS, that should be a no compromise sports sedan. I would rather have a Camaro that weighs around 3400 lbs with 400 hp, than one that has had to have a structure designed to be capable of absorbing 500 hp reliably, but weighing 3700 lbs. Heck, 3400 lbs is heavy to me.

What you talking about?But yes, a line of Zeta or Sigma crossovers is where Cadillac should be aiming for. Who cares if their two row Sigma crossover would be priced with the X5, as long as it eye-catching style, a fantastic interior, and a great drive, it'd be worthy of the new Cadillac. On the top end, thier should be something that can be done with Zeta to wide and lengthen it and give Cadillac a large crossover to supplant or supplement Escalade [until that one died off], something similar in size to Range Rover Sport but not as inefficient would be cool. Call it "Fleetwood". haha, jk [actually that does sound kinda cool]

even though calling BRX just another Theta is ignorant because it's Theta Epsilon, I have to agree with those that are complaining this vehicle will ultimately be based on FWD mechanicals, even if it is AWD. I wouldn't be surprised either if GM intro'd a FWD to lower the price, it's GM, they've sunk lower than that.Back to this platform. From the styling, this really doesn't make sense as a Cadillac. It doesn't look distinct, doesn't look butch....it looks altogether too much like every other little crossover ute out there. From the platform.....well let's just say a mixture of Theta and Epsilon, two somewhat mediocre platforms to begin with, doesn't sound all that inspiring, and saying the RX, a soft rider for women, is GM's target is not that far off. In my book, Cadillac may be choosing the low road and going for less brilliant handling cars, in exchange for something closer to a MB with a hint more sport. I won't write the BRX or them off though

yes

Judging by the lack of mention in GM press releases, I'm thinking this car doesn't figure in too much into GM's plan for Saturn domination. I'm sad to say it probably won't get much of a marketing push and will have to rely on solid reviews and word of mouth to let anyone know the car is out, sadly this will only cover 20% of the market, and of those maybe .001% will buy an Astra and make the ultimate advertisement, the rolling one. That being said, if it looks good on streets and stands out, then you can bet there will be people in line. Small cars are in, baby. And especially ones that look and feel premium. Saturn has a hit, we just have to get the word out.

I will have to counter you. I think you are missing some truth in your post.

yes, this is a great review. good that GM is getting all the praise it deserves. I hope what he says about the comparison to the Accord holds up.

Galant quickly receded into the background. I remember this comparison well, Accord placed first, Galant placed second, Malibu third, and Camry fourth. How is that ranking in a comparison of some second-tier cars [where was Altima, Camry wasn't considered anything special back then, where was Passat] "competing with the best in class", is all I'm saying. The point of your post was to show how a glowing reception upon intro can quickly fade. My point is to show you why in this specific comparison the Malibu placed "well". Most comparison tests done quickly after the intro of Malibu found it near last place. I remember one done by Edmunds where Malibu placed 5th of 7th or 8th, off the top of my head. My point is it wasn't all that well received. Individually the car was probably decently recieved, which the Malibu now so far has been reviewed individually, but the stakes are much much higher today, the competition is much much more fierce today, and the reviews are glowing with praise. Though, the real test will be the comparos.

the difference is in the timing. Accord and Camry are brand new and a year old. in that time both were two years old at least. the last generation Malibu had a cycle that only lasted 4 years. Altima was also released in 2002, and now it's less than a year old. I believe Mazda6 was released in 2004, and just beginning to garner praise. That competitive field in that comparison test was mostly lameduck compared to what is out there now.

How do I do this so you understand some of these complaints are completely true and valid, some of these complaints reflect my point about the lack of good cars in GM's stable, and some complaints are downright silly?The reason my statement which you bolded is so important is because I am meaning to say you have to look at each individual car and see how it does its job well or not as well. We can't hope for Lambda to be a sporty Murano competitor because it's too big for that, but in the case of the Mazda CX-9, they pulled off an SUV much like the Lambdas only with better handling and a sportier bent that ultimately is winning the media over. And usually the media likes cars that are fun to drive, you know since that is why in many cases they got into writing about cars in the first place, they like to drive. Much the same is happening with the CTS--people want this car to be something it's not. That's why it's an intermediary car for me--it sets its own rules, and focuses on its own virtues. For me, I see the CTS right in the cusp of everyone [in its class]. It's picking buyers away with a focus on peformance, style, luxury, features content, brand status. It'll be interesting to see where they take the next generation of cars, as this will ultimately determine if the Cadillac brand can become a full line of successful cars like a BMW or MB, or more of a one-hit wonder like an Acura or an Infiniti.

and it's true a lot of people are going to see the CTS as an intermediary car and compare along with base 5-series, A6's, GS, M45.....to those people it's Cadillac's luxury car, and all they're looking for is a luxury car that's not over 50k. To those people the CTS will be cross shopped amongst that elite crowd, whereas Lincoln MKZ wouldn't come close to it.

"woefully lack"? dramatic?Accord and Camry redesigns are about as muscular and taut as they've ever been. They just don't have it all going for them, including a pretty face like Malibu does. It's all in the details of the body form, the Accord and Camry do this reasonably well, but the Malibu does it extremely well.

you beat me to the punch, I was just about to post this. for all GM fans, you can see good news, they are gushing over the car. They love it for the design, say it's one of the best designed interiors in a midsize to come out of domestic car company, ever.

what do you think about Lambda and CTS reviews that do nothing but praise the cars. Each car fills a different role. For what the CTS, a luxury supercruiser with phenomonal style inside and out, and a good level of power, it does its job exceedingly well. There is such a dearth of cars that exceed the expectations at GM, that people just want to see what they can do in all classes of cars. I know I'm still waiting for the performance small car at GM. They still haven't filled what I'm looking for--RSX sized coupe to replicate that cars traits with GM style and a sedan about the same size. Where are all the great cars from GM? Right now, I count very few, and this considering they have SO MANY brands.

this is irrelevant, are you trying to say that now the media suddenly has decided to endorse GM because thier pockets are not being lined by the imports??? and now the malibu suddenly will be a star because of it? why are you even arguing about Apple? do you just have nothing better to do? let's just agree to this. GM has a great car on thier hands, another great car, and I think our collective bitching [excluding oldsmoboi] has somehow, even just a little bit, influenced GM's turnaround