Monday, April 19, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
2010 Malibu
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The Malibu is one of Chevrolet’s success stories, and the 2010 has been tweaked to keep it on par with the top sedans in its segment such as the Ford Taurus, Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.
The front-wheel-drive Malibu, built in GM’s Fairfax plant in Kansas City, Kan., comes in three trim levels, and the standard engine is a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder with 169 horsepower. A 3.6-liter V-6 with 252 horsepower is optional. Prices begin at $21,825 for the LS and top out at $26,955 for the LTZ. The test car was a V-6-powered LTZ with a sticker price of $29,370.
Standard equipment for 2010 includes side-curtain air bags and front-seat thorax air bags, along with anti-lock brakes, traction control and tire-pressure monitoring. Remote starting is an option that is very handy in cold weather.
The Malibu’s grille reflects the global face of Chevrolet, while the rest of the body’s styling is clean and uncluttered, with elegantly simple lines and tight panel gaps. The profile is especially nice with the LTZ’s 18-inch alloy wheels.
The 112.3-inch wheelbase results in a large cabin and room for five people.
The standard engine is a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder with 169 horsepower. A 3.6-liter V-6 with 252 horsepower is optional. Each has a six-speed automatic transmission.
The 3.6-liter is the best choice for power and smoothness. The four-cylinder is best for ultimate fuel economy because it is rated at 32 mpg on the highway.
The Malibu looks, feels and drives solidly. The overall ride quality is smooth and tight without being harsh. The lack of noise can be attributed to the use of spray-on sound deadener, laminated steel, composite wheel liners and laminated “quiet glass.”
The LTZ also has buttons on the steering wheel for operating the cruise control and audio system. Sound quality is nice, and the radio has a jack for an MP3 player.
The Malibu’s interior reflects attention to detail and upgraded materials. The front seats were covered in a handsome combination of two-tone leather.
The instrument panel has a dual-cockpit design. Three gauges, trimmed with chrome, sit in a large pod. Blue backlighting is easy on the eyes at night, and tiny blue LEDs shine on the center console and light up the door handles at night.
A storage compartment atop the dash is good for sunglasses or maps, while the center console is deep enough to hold large items.
The LTZ test car had a strip of thin wood-grain trim that ran across the doors, onto the dash and around the top of the center stack. While it didn’t look like real wood, it was a handsome accent that was cleverly executed.
An available rear power center provides a household-style 110-volt AC power outlet.
The back of the split-folding seat is covered with a hard surface for wear protection. The opening between the trunk and cabin is not overly generous, but it is still wide enough for many large objects. The trunk has a lot of space.
Engine: 3.6-liter, 252-hp V-6
Transmission: Automatic
Front-wheel drive
Wheelbase: 112.3
Curb weight: 3,649 lbs.
Base price: $26,955
As driven: $29,370
MPG rating: 17 city, 26 hwy.
Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/03/12/1808199/2010-malibu.html#ixzz0kRsVkvvy
Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Returns
These are strange times at post-bailout GM. Having taken taxpayer money, the company is no longer master of its own destiny. It was bad enough when, late last year, new-model programs were halted to conserve dwindling cash reserves. Now, though, there's another thread running through GM's product planning process: not, should we build this vehicle, but is this a vehicle we should be seen to be building?
The Camaro Z/28 is one of those vehicles.
Sources inside GM say the new Z/28 is basically done. The image you see on these pages is very close to the final signed-off design, based on photos of a scale clay model we've seen. Key details to note are the deeper front bumper fascia, with larger front aperture under the grille and the spotlights mounted in deep vents on either side. The Z/28 also gets a different grille mesh compared with the standard Camaro's.
At the rear is a taller lip spoiler that runs the full width of the car. A new rear-bumper fascia features a deeper section with integrated exhaust outlets. The wheels are 20-inchers with an aggressive "tuning-fork" five-spoke pattern.
A new hood features a large, forward-facing scoop. Underneath is the 6.2-liter supercharged LSA V-8 that also powers the Cadillac CTS-V. As we have already confirmed, this is quite a powerplant, delivering 556 horsepower at 6100 rpm and 551 pound-feet of torque at 3800 rpm. The Z/28 will also share the CTS-Vs six speed manual and automatic transmissions.
The near-4300-pound CTS-V thunders from 0 to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds and nails the quarter mile in 12.3 seconds (automatic) or 12.4 seconds (manual). Top speed is limited to 175 mph in the auto (to preserve the tranny), but the manual will storm to an autobahn-melting 193 mph. As the Z/28 will weigh 200 to 300 pounds less than the CTS-V, it may nail 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and run the quarter in the very low 12s. This Z/28 could be the fastest Chevy ponycar since the legendary ZL-1-powered COPO 9560 Camaros built 40 years ago.
Only problem is the Z/28 is on hold. First, GM ran out of money to finish and launch the car. Now, some inside the company are wondering whether selling a super-fast, super-powerful two-door Chevy coupe that will likely get no better than 13-19 mpg is the right thing to do for a company that's had to beg for money from a bunch of politicians who seem to think it really ought to be building gas-sipping Prius clones.
"In the current environment, it would be very difficult to get any traction on a large rear-drive program," says one insider. But a hard core of performance enthusiasts inside GM are hopeful they can get the Z/28 back on track. "If we leave it too long, the car will become irrelevant," frets one source. One idea reportedly under study calls for a strictly limited production run, with each car individually numbered, to attract collectors and enthusiasts, and priced to ensure a solid profit margin.
According to sources, GM product chief Bob Lutz has said that, while he would love to do the car, "We need to make the world right first." However, that could take cash-crunched GM a long, long time.
Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2009/112_0904_chevrolet_camaro_z28_returns/index.html#ixzz0dByPndga
