This is the kind of car Detroit specializes in these days: full of content, inexpensive, and mostly bought by rental car companies. Mine was from Dollar.

I am generally puzzled by those who criticize American cars as funny-looking and/or boring. Have they really looked at Japanese cars? The last generation Accord had a unique look to it, but not the one before it or the current one, which are both plain as they can be. Ditto the Camry, though the current one steps out a little, if not in a particularly pleasing direction. And how about the new Lexus ES 300? If a Detroit company was selling that car, it would be subject to endless barbs from late night comedians followed by the general public. It makes the 1996 Taurus look well proportioned and edgy. As it is, it’s a Lexus so everyone, including the press, talks about how elegant the new styling is.

Well, with the Malibu GM decided that if you cannot beat them, join them. They reduced tumblehome (the curvature of the side glass) to create more interior space. And they made the styling as bland as possible, basically dropping the sheetmetal over a very boxy unibody. As far as I can tell, many people find the resulting design inoffensive. Some even find it sporty. I find the appliance-like styling a bit ugly, especially the area around the C-pillar and rear quarters, but it seems that’s largely just me.

The payoff of the boxy exterior is a roomy interior and commodious trunk. (The latter may be further expanded with a folding rear seat, optional on the base car and standard on the LS). Generously sized windows make the interior feel even roomier than it is, while also providing excellent visibility. I like a lot of glass, so this feature is the one I personally like best about the car. A fairly high seating position further aids visibility.

Other plusses? Unlike the foreign competition, the Malibu comes standard with a six cylinder engine. While fairly unrefined for a six, with the familiar GM grumbly exhaust note, in my book a mediocre six still trumps a very good four. Power if fairly good, with 170 horses at a fairly low 5200 RPM, and the generous amount of low-end torque gives the car a good amount of punch off the line. Highway passing, though accompanied by a healthy dose of engine and exhaust noise, it strong enough to avoid white knuckle experiences (I had to do a good bit of passing, since much of my route was two-lane highway). A smooth transmission that kicks down without undue hesitation helps here.

The big plus is the price. The car I rented would sticker for $19.325, and with the current rebate and dealer discounting the actual transaction price would probably fall around $16,000. For this price you get a roomy sedan with V6, power windows and locks, cruise control, a CD player, and remote keyless entry. This is thousands less than an Accord or Camry.

If I were buying this car—not happening, but let’s just suppose—I’d go for the LS model. My father rented one of these recently when he visited. It had nicer cloth, seemed to be quieter, and comes with far more standard features, including alloy wheels which substantially improve the car’s appearance ($375 on the base car) and a power drivers seat that isn’t even optional on the base car.

That last feature is important, because the driver’s seat cushion in the base car was not angled to my taste—I felt like I was sliding forward in it. I would have liked to tilt it back a bit, and with the power seat you can do this. The LS sticker runs $20,325. For the full zoot Malibu interior, leather is available on the LS for a paltry $595. I haven’t seen this leather interior recently, but suspect it’s much like the leather in other similarly priced cars, closer in character to vinyl than the hides in a Jag or Lexus. For a sunroof, add another $695. I don’t see this as a sunroof kind of car somehow, but perspectives on such matters are known to differ. As for the optional rear spoiler on this car…please.

So, what’s not to love? I mentioned the engine’s lack of refinement. This is to some extent a matter of taste, since I’m sure some people like a louder engine with a throaty, very American voice. It sounds more potent that way. More troubling are the fairly cheap materials used in the interior, especially in the base car. With the more nicely outfitted LS, the materials are about on par with those used by Ford and Chrysler, but still fall well short of VW or even Honda standards. Again, it depends on whether you even notice these things. If you don’t notice these things, then all you might see is a pleasantly styled interior.

Where I really start drawing the line is on comfort. The front seats, especially in the base car, feel a bit low on padding, and could be more supportive overall. Very rental car in feel, here. (I cannot recall if the LS seats felt better. I don’t recall thinking they were low on padding, but didn’t drive that car as far.) The rear seat falls short on one of my major personal criteria: it’s mounted far too low to the floor, such that it fails to provide thigh supports for adults. This is a shame, since there is enough space inside this car for a proper rear seat. Why does GM so often mount the rear seats in its cars so low?

I was most disappointed by the car's fuel economy. In mostly highway driving, it averaged 24 MPG. My wife's Olds Intrigue, a larger, more powerful car, averages 27 on trips. I would expect the Malibu, especially with overdrive gearing that keeps RPM low at highway speeds, to get quite a bit closer to 30. Go figure.

Ride and handling are neither good nor bad. The steering has a pleasing firmness to it so lacking in many American cars in the past, yet lacks road feel. Words like “stable” and “secure” come first to mind when reflecting on the tuning of the Malibu’s suspension. The steering feels responsive, but the chassis tuning makes for a car that feels neither eager nor nimble. I suppose Chevy wants it to be clear that this is a family car, not a driver’s car. The ride, neither harsh nor luxurious, similarly suggests this is a basic, competent family sedan.

Bottom line: There’s a lot of car here for the dollar. Little to hate, but also little to love.

Chevrolet Malibu Reliability

Want better reliability information? Want to more clearly know what difference it will make if you buy a Chevrolet Malibu rather than something else? My website, truedelta.com, will be providing this information in the form of "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats.

From these stats you might learn that your first choice, compared to your second choice, is likely to make 2.3 extra trips to the shop in its first five years. You might decide its advantages compensate for this, or you might not. Either way, you'll be able to make a much better informed decision than you can today.

I aim to provide the highest quality information to as many people as possible. Unfortunately, these goals conflict. If I simply give the information away, few will help provide it. So I'm doing the next best thing: those who have been active participants for at least six months will receive free access to this site's reliability information; otherwise this access will cost $24.95. The average time commitment for someone reporting on two cars will be (at most) 15 minutes a year, so you'll essentially receive $100 an hour for doing your share to help everyone make better decisions.

To learn more about my reliability research and sign up to participate in it, or to perform thorough, up-to-date new car price comparisons, visit www.truedelta.com. A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

Amount Paid (US$): 21000
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: Base with equipment group