Malibu Hybrid... WHY???

Jonnycat26 · Feb 28, 2008

Black2006 said: ↑

Overall it's a bit too garish, and the two-tone hues are what they used to do in the early '80s (and I don't mean it as a compliment.) And the gold decal is just the touch one would expect

IMO, the Prius' interior is far from perfect, but it is certainly cleaner than the Malibu (mine has softer material on much of the dash.) And soft doesn't mean good design: compare a La-Z-Boy to a Barcelona chair.
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Sssh... don't tell anyone at Toyota it's garish, I think they use the two-tone in some of the 'sporting' Lexuses. An oxymoron, yes, but still...

And funny you mention chairs... the Malibu has a telescoping steering wheel, 8 way adjustable seat, optional heated seats, a center console that doesn't wiggle and waggle when you lean on it.. seems like Chevy nailed the details that Toyota whiffed on.

john1701a · Feb 28, 2008

Jonnycat26 said: ↑

Sssh... don't tell anyone at Toyota it's garish....... seems like Chevy nailed the details that Toyota whiffed on.
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With all the cheerleading you had done in the past for BAS, it intrigued me how you would finally chime in here.

I'm not surprised that you ignored Camry-Hybrid. Toyota certainly made it competitive. Check out the details.

.

Jonnycat26 · Feb 28, 2008

john1701a said: ↑

I'm not surprised that you ignored Camry-Hybrid. Toyota certainly made it competitive. Check out the details.
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I cheerlead for good cars, and good media formats, period.

It's too bad Toyota can't seem to nail the whole 'fun to drive' bit tho... otherwise the Camry would be compelling.

JimN · Feb 29, 2008

jhinton said: ↑

I'm talking about the NEW Malibu not the OLD Malibu that you have probably had as a rental.

<IMG style="MAX-WIDTH: 800px; ; WIDTH: expression(this.width > 800 ? 800: true)" alt="" src="http://www.chevrolet.com/malibu/images/wallpapers/interior/800/_0_0.jpg" border=0>

I'm also talking about the materials, fit and finish, and integrity. Things like bumps, dents, color consistency (both on a single panel and from panel to panel), airbag read-though, etc. The new Malibu has soft touch materials throughout and a great instrument panel. The panel gaps are tiny, very similar to the Mercedes cockpits that I was responsible for. (I know because I took my feeler gages with me and checked panel gaps and measured V-gaps.) On my test drive through some very rough downtown streets the dash had no rattles, squeaks, or other unpleasant sounds.

The same cannot be said for my '05 Prius or the '08 Prius I looked at during the Birmingham Auto Show. My Prius has poor panel gaps and hard plastic panels throughout. Some of these hard panels are painted and the paint is easily nicked and flaking off. The instrument panel shows VERY obvious airbag read-though. I can see every airbag seam. (Invisible airbags are laser cut from underside causing a perforated seam that tears open when the airbag is deployed. You should not be able to see this seam.) The seat material is very cheap and showing obvious wear after only 42k miles. The cockpit squeaks and rattles when going over bumps or down a gravel road.

None of this has changed on the '08 Prius except that the painted panels like the glove box now have a textured paint.
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How long before you'll be pushing that airbag cover back into place? I'm up to 3 times per day on the Intrigue's.

Rae Vynn · Feb 29, 2008

abq sfr said: ↑

I quit trying to impress chics (or anybody else) with my car 20(?) years ago.
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I'm impressed with your car ...

Malibu Hybrid... WHY???

Jonnycat26 New Member

john1701a Prius Guru

Jonnycat26 New Member

JimN Let the games begin!

Rae Vynn Artist In Residence

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Malibu Hybrid... WHY???

Jonnycat26 New Member

john1701a Prius Guru

Jonnycat26 New Member

JimN Let the games begin!

Rae Vynn Artist In Residence