Looks like a major improvement. Hopefully it will have good tactile response, with close panel gap fittings.

My girlfriend’s glovebox in her Cavalier just fell off while she was driving. No warning.

What a POS in the interior dept.

I recall when GM unveiled the concept vehicle for the Saturn Aura. It had a stunning interior, that wasn’t too unlike this picture for the Malibu. But typical GM bean-counting demoted that interior to the POS that is currently being sold at the dealers. I won’t deny GM some credit, as the production Aura is a big step in the right direction, but I wouldn’t get too excited about this picture of the interior to come for the Malibu, as it most likely will not look like that under the showroom ceiling.

The problem with GM is that when they get one aspect right, another suffers. They just can’t seem to bring all right the pieces together at one time.

Jeff in Canada: The Malibu in Detroit will not be a concept. It’s the actual car. The Aura was a concept.

They can use dualtones and sleek curves ’till the cows come home, but it won’t mean a thing if everything rattles after 10k miles. I had a 98 Malibu that after 20k miles started whistling when you went over 60mph. But time will tell and I wish them the best of luck getting their act together : )

I like this one…

but I really like the Moroccan leather in the Aura, and that’s not what is going into most of their cars. I hope this translates well into a base model and that their black plastic feels good when it happens, because I’m feelin that more people are going to but entry-level Malibus than the fully-loaded ones.

But great job! I like this interior…it looks sweet!

damn that looks good! i agree with all the Aura comments though… they all need to look like the ones they showed

It’s nice to have GM recognize how important interiors are but comon, is anyone going to believe these photos until someone has sat in the car? Pictures also do no service to the tactile function of the interior. It’s a nice gesture, but this is just silly. I’m being cynical, I just have no faith

Yup. Looks great. The question is will people be willing to gamble their hard earned money on the “new” GM when they’ve been burned in the past?

Interior looks good from the picture…

I just hope that it will have a soft, quality feel and not a thin, hollow, cheap one.

And that none of the parts break off.

This is not a concept picture. For all of you complaining about how the Aura concept’s interior was much better I ask that you check the pics again. The concept interior was VERY close to the production version. The stitching was larger, the gauges were fancier, there was more metal on the steering wheel, etc. but overall it was very similar.

The bottom line is that this car looks good but it wont matter to many of the close minded import buyers here or elsewhere. People are on here talking about the Cavalier and that car went out of production over 2 years ago. That was old school GM while this Malibu is representative of what they are doing today. As for rattles, I have a 5 year old Alero that is till solid. My parent’s car is 8 years old and is still rattle free.

Looking good so far! I’m guessing the 08 ‘Bu will also get the panoramic sunroof as an option like its G6 and Aura siblings. The only thing that strikes me about the interior is the breadbox-like storage compartment on the center console. Hopefully it will open and close smoother than my grandmother’s breadbox!

Nice interior. Light years ahead of what they are offering in the current Malibu.

well written sj79 however the problem is that some people on here are too closed minded to judge a vehicle apart from the geographical origins of its badge. and to those who regard imports as being carved from solid granite my ‘03 RSX rattles like a baby’s toy and it drives me nuts. i rarely have to use the ventilation system because im treated to forced air blowing in from outside through the door pockets at highway speeds. if you only knew how many times ive cursed this vehicle. i wish i had my tahoe back

Nicer than most Cadillacs…

century24… since when has it been hot to call it the “‘Bu”

Toyota is making all their center stacks look the same, GM is just doing it while including a removable radio. This can be looked at as a feature for someone who would rather an aftermarket radio for entertainment purposes. Good luck putting an aftermarket stereo in a late model toyota.

A4- sorry, I was too lazy to type out Malibu. But it does have a nice ring to it, right?

Judging from the prototype pics of the “Bu” and the actual Saturn Aura it is based on, Chevy will finally have a competitor in the mid-size segment that will soundly trump the MilusionZ and give the Accord and Camry a run for their money.

I spy…steering wheel-mounted shifting paddles.

Sorry “LamborghiniZ”, I haven’t noticed they have the same console in all of their cars … I haven’t looked at a GM in a long time.

“Thomas”, BINGO.

“sj79″, do you really believe GM can turn things around on a dime? So two years ago they could produce ****, but now they’re singing a different tune?

“psiclone”, your RSX has developed this air leak recently? Or did you not notice it on your test drive?

“deantj”, A4 should be studying math but who knows what he’s really doing.

dang good catch century24 on the paddle shifters! this car is sounding better every time i read something new about it. also i too noticed the ‘bread box’ style console cover (aka dirt-trap). it was the only thing that stood out to me as a potential oversight in this otherwise inviting interior.

Impulsive, i did not notice the air current on my test drive. it became apparent when the temps dropped its first winter and has progressively worsened over the years. can i live with it, yes. does it support honda’s image of refinement in my head, no. i have owned multiple foreign and domestic vehicles and have had problems with both. the point i was trying to make.

Your point was not lost. But was your view of Honda’s refinement justified beforehand?

psiclone- Yeah, took me a second look to find the paddle shifters. The only other thing that jumps out at me is the dashboard hump for those supersized gauges. Darn thing looks huge (and it bears a striking resemblance to the Sydney Opera House). From that angle, it looks like it would obscure part of the windshield. I doubt that’s the case though.

this is my first honda product so i bought heavily on reputation as opposed to experience. i bought the rsx as a commuter. it’s comfortable for a small car but durability was a key factor in my purchase. unfortunately it seems to have aged on par with other vehicles i have owned – both foreign and domestic. however i do obviously like the high revving abilities of the type s motor.

century24, does that look like a hide-away navigation screen at the top in the center too?

psiclone- I doubt it. It looks to big…it’s probably just a storage compartment, like the one in the HHR.

why does gm always has to screw up what they did right. They brought the Opel Vectra an rebadged it as the Satur Aura good thing , so they saw that it was a succesfull car and they are going to star coping and selling the same car but with different badges, what a piece of **** is GM.

VDuv- Aside from sharing platforms, the next-gen Malibu and the Aura share very little in common. Look at the spy pics of the exterior. It looks more like the Buick Lucerne than the Aura. And if you compare interiors, there are very few design elements shared between the two cars. The Malibu a rebadged Aura? I think not.

VDuv- Also, if you want to see true rebadging, look at the Chevy Cobalt and the Pontiac G5.

Yea, it’s a storage box. However if they want to put nav in it will fit right where the radio is. I really wonder if they will make it available though. Not much market for Nav in mid size entry level cars. Walk thru a Camry or Accord store and see how many units with Nav are on the lots. Never seen one. Salesperson says no one wants to spend the money so they do not order them.

The quality of the RSX is a lot worse than the old gen Accord V6 EX. Everything from the plastic to the seats reek cost cutting. But I don’t blame them, I mean heck what do you really expect for the price. It was a pretty safe car too since I totalled mine during heavy rain and I walked out unscratched.

Nice job GM… learning from Ford are we?

http://www.forddesktops.com/image.asp?f=mondeo&i=Ford_Mondeo_2007_Wagon_10.jpg

The Malibu has a history of being nothing more than a rental fleet special. I’d expect nothing different the next time around…

The ‘Bu interior looks great. I like the two different colored air vents; it shows that it’s not all about cost cutting. But honestly, is Chevy capable of attracting the performance set? (besides the Corvette and Camaro)

Dayumn sign me up for one

BrokenCadillac- You don’t want one, don’t buy one.

‘Bu

Thank you for making my choice Century24 and you’re right, if resale value is important to buyers, the Malibu is a poor choice.

Very Very nice GM…. Looks great..

BrokenCadillac

BrokenCadillac – (sorry try again) none of us has even seen the car undisguised yet much less sat in or driven it, how are you so sure? gm’s newest models are just the first-fruits of their recent efforts which have been met with much well deserved praise. and while the resale for the current malibu may not be that great (how far back does that ill-conceived design go?), the next generation will presumably be significantly improved and has been moved up a notch in size creating a lot of new factors in the ‘resale’ equation. can you show your math please?

I must say, the interior looks really good, some of the best i have seen from GM, except for the steering wheel logo. It just looks kinda cheap and doesnt really flow with the interior.

Generalkills: I think the steering wheel might be the new “corporate” wheel that GM has been talking about for a while now. I say this because if you look at the VUE, G6, HHR, Sky, current Malibu, etc., you’ll see the same wheel with only slight variations. Obviously, the logo in the center changes, but in terms of the button functionality, all of the versions are similar (usually cruise on the left side & audio on the right although the HHR & Sky have DIC buttons on the left, too).

It’s amazing how people will look at t he proof of GM’s improved efforts in design and still refuse to acknowledge what we can all see. Forget about the Cavalier or any other GM products conceived more than 5 years ago. The Malibu is a sign of what GM is doing these days. Do not act like it is unprecedented because the DTS, GMT900s, Aura, SRX, etc. all have nice interiors.

BTW, the newer GM models are being projected to have decent resale values, largely because of reduced incentives. Again, people need to catch up with current events and stop talking about old news.

sj79- Exactly. If these naysayers were the ones in charge of struggling car companies trying to turn themselves around, they wouldn’t appreciate us coming on here and saying, “They build crap, and always will build crap.” They’d want a chance. And that’s what I’m giving GM. I don’t care what you’ve done in the past. Let’s look at what you’re doing now. And BrokenCadillac, I don’t want to hear anything from you

Wow, that looks sweet! I’d definitely want an interior like that. Congrats GM!

They should just call it the Corsica. Or maybe the Lumina.

Nah, it’ll just end up being another “Classic” after GM finds their best customer is Avis…

Seems everyone forgets 1997 MT car of the year was the Olds Cutlass, the identical twin of the Malibu. Was predicted to knock the Camcord out of the top spot. Last I checked, that didn’t happen…

Malibu is synonymous with rental fodder. Get used to it. But hey, not my money…

The Malibu and cars like it have basically been relegated to fleets and rentals because they don’t have much to offer when compared to similarly priced imports, and in the current Malibu’s case, its own sister Impala! Why pay $17-18 for a Malibu when you can get the bigger Impala for a few thousand more? If GM can deliver this newer, larger Malibu at a price close to the current one, the Impala can go become the RWD Charger/300 fighter it should have been and Malibu can take over the volume spot with plenty to offer against Accord and Camry.

deantj is 100% correct, you got it right

Better…..but still not up the standard the imports have set.

I don’t like the two tone colors presented. I can see that the G6 steering wheel now has a chevy badge and the aura vent louvers and color schemes along with the Saab 9-3 door panels.

I do love the outside styling based on the spy photos. However, there are going to be two major problems when this vehicle hits the market.

(1): Every time GM introduces a new vehicle, the price goes up a grand and that forces people to look at Honda/Toyota

(2): The arrogant Chevy dealer in my town will not mark the price down for negotiability (marks an additional $500.00 second sticker (for limited avaibility) and the cars sit while the dealers 30-90 miles away sell every one they get a hold of.

Looking better…. now as long as it’s rear wheel drive…

WOW. amazing. GO GM!!! hopefully we get a white/black interior too like the aura?

“Toyota or Honda, or Nissan, now THEY know how to make interiors” -bun_a_gm

What? Toyota Honda and Nissan have the TACKIEST and CHEAPEST interiors. Look at an Accord/Camry! UGLY!!! Whats with the radio in the Accord; V shaped with a huge knob in the middle? The ugly, off center, “center console” shifter of the Camry? Or the completely actrcious interior of the Nissan Maxima, or for that matter ALL of the current Nissans? Or what about the dash of the Civic, looks like it was designed by a 1980s sci-fi movie set designer.