It doesn’t seem like a typical “car” front end, but it’s ok. At least it doesn’t look like the current Malibu.

Looks good so far…

yawn. this looks awful…”F-”, go back to design school. Oh wait, I’m sorry, that is a very safe design.

Looks like GM’s truck designers took a crack at a sedan… Two thumbs way down.

This new design path being taken, Honda (Acura) included, seems like barrel-bottom scraping. It’s a sad day in design land when this overly busy, partitioned grill is deemed acceptable.

looks ok I guess..

zZzZzZzZ that gotta do better then that if they want ppl to pay attention to it

to expand…its ugly. just plain ugly. not even interesting, attention getting, a special kinda person, ugly. those kinda cars still sell…this is just plain ugly

Doesn’t matter. The Malibu has been rental fodder since 1997. I don’t expect anything different this time around.

They need to lose the stigma that has haunted (more like drug it throught the mud) the Malibu name and go with something a bit more progressive like “Citation” or “Corsica” you know, GM’s finer offerings over the years…

It’s a crappy version of the Audi ‘shield grill’, that being said, it looks better than previous versions of the Malibu, so…

Jon.

Is it me, or does this car seems “happy”?

Wow…let me just say, that looks tight. If this is on the market to compete against Camry and Accord, and it has this front end, and that interior, this will CRUSH the competition. It’s about time GM got serious, and this shows it.

This really is awesome. The design teams at GM have definately been shaken up. I can’t wait to see the rest of the car.

turds is all I got to say…

If you think this is a turd, then you must think the Accord and Camry are steaming piles of crap?

Come on guys, it’s a step up and away from the current boring design. You have to admit that. I wouldn’t want to service that engine much, look how tiny that hood is!

I don’t know if I like it or not. It has the potential to actually be a very nice front end as long as it flows with the rest of the cars lines. On the flip side though, that could be one of the worst front ends in the business (not as bad as say the CR-V, but worse than any VW).

Looks like Chevy found a place to recycle the noses from the failed Uplander minivan.

Odd that it looks nothing like the uplander van. Looks like you need some new glasses

It’s hard to tell from the shot just what the car will look like. It could either be a brilliant piece of automotive styling, or it could be an Aztec. More importantly is whether or not GM has learned the Camry and Accord lesson. Are they brilliant pieces of automotive styling? um… no. But they are extremely well engineered, with well-thought out ergonomics, and most importantly, they are well-built. That’s the target that chevy needs to hit with the Malibu.

YourNameHere—you’re quite the wordsmith, aren’t you?

Having said that, I like what I’ve seen of the new Malibu so far. I’ll say what I’ve heard a couple of other people on LLN say about the interior: it looks really nice in the photo; if it comes across with a nice, sturdy, well-crafted feel (like the ‘06 Impala does), I think it’ll be a winner.

Another horrible GM press photo, that hideous gray background and retarted angle are not helping. Supposedly this car will “look like it belongs in an Audi dealership”.

I will hold off on judgement until the Detroit show next month.

For the record: the reception on GM fan sites hasn’t been that good for this shot.

Another rental car from the General… Yay.

“Wow…let me just say, that looks tight. If this is on the market to compete against Camry and Accord, and it has this front end, and that interior, this will CRUSH the competition. It’s about time GM got serious, and this shows it.”

lol. That’s some funny **** man. The only thing this is going to “crush” is your GM “faithfuls” hearts when this thing comes to market and it’s biggest customer is Avis Rental Car.

Volvo meets Silverado…overly “today” and not very “the future”.

“Supposedly this car will “look like it belongs in an Audi dealership”.

No offense to you Oldsmobile but I really have got to laugh at the ridiculous claims that Putz and his crew spew about their offerings. This goes down in the “Yeah right” history books with the X5 beating Saturn Vue the Chevy commercials comparing the Cheapuinox to a Lexus RX.

LOL at GarbageMotors. Clueless you are. Poor guy. Still wet behind the ears I see. Funny thing, the rentals at my airport are 2006 Accords and 2007 Camry’s. ROFL

A Plexus RS? That is the ultimate garbage mobile. I would be embarrassed to compare anything to that.

GarbageMotors, GM is really making a solid effort at a comeback. If you must make yourself feel better about your shortcomings, Ford and DCX are going to become easier targets.

im taking quite a liking to this new front end
it may look like a scaled down tahoe or something of the sort but it beats the piss out of anything they have right now. my only complaint is that it needs to look a little more sinister and mean.

It reminds me of a Fed Ex Drop Off Box. Top slot for Express, middle for Ground and bottom for Home.

“meanpants”, that’s my view. Who can top this primary school art class exercise?

I think it looks pretty good, but I’ll wait until more pictures to make my final judgment.

I hope the hood is longer than what appear to be in the dreadful photo above. The grill might be okay depending upon how well it meshes with the rest of the design. I think the previously released picture of the interior gives reason for hope. I do appreciate the proprietary design language GM is apparently creating for Chevrolet as evidenced by the influence of the new Tahoe grill on this one. The picture leaves much to be desired as far as ascertaining anything useful about how the car will look, but I expect it to be a pretty handsome car. The recently updated Impala, while not the most striking car out there, certainly gives hope that Chevrolet will continue to improve its styling, making it more cohesive and taut without the incorporation of ridiculously hideous design elements coupled with a promulgation of amorphous blandness.

meanpants did make me laugh, I’ll admit.

I like it, although it is not as edgy as I was hoping for…..I can’t wait to see the rear end of it. Im gessing the 3.6 version will be using the new “Sport” badge also..

Another unspiring front end?? Oh great. Have we had enough of these boring sedans on the roads and parking lots??
I was expecting a little more. Just a lame Uplander front grille slapped on it.

Only thing that looks great is the Fusion/Milan. Always look great everywhere on the road in any direction!!

This looks ugly to me, I don’t like the grille one bit.

Oldsmobile: Put aside your obvious biases, and be realistic, this won’t make a dent in Camry/Accord sales , and it won’t even compare to either of those two, not even close. The realiy of this is that GM is a far, far inferior car company to both Toyota and Honda, and doesn’t know jack**** about making cars these days, they clone, they badge engineer, they cost cut, and they make cheap, poorly performing vehicles compared to the competition. This is no secret, lets get out of denial

S-60-Drive: It’s not necessary to throw out a little bull**** FoMoCo praise comment on every thread, Ford basically sucks, the Fusion/Milan aren’t really that great, so chill out

plain and simple its a butt ugly g6. as always, chevy is late to the party and steals from a sibling, yet somehow keeps making its version worse. amen to all the complaints above me…..

LamborghiniZ: I can say the same thing about the anti fanboy sh!t you pump out on every post.

You could, but it wouldn’t matter, because I’m right, and that’s all there is to it. GM does make inferior products, thats why the Malibu and G6 are PATHETIC competitors to the Accord, Camry, Altima, Mazda 6, etc. This isn’t “anti-fanboy” anything, I’m a realist, and I’m being realistic here when I say the Malibu hasn’t ever been, and I doubt will be, any competition for the best in the segment. You can hate on me for “anti-fanboyism” but really you’re just hating on an objective viewpoint.

Also, you can say “****” on this site, no need to pull out your cutesy little !’s.

anyone who thinks the Aura and G6 are “pathetic” competitors to the Accord and Mazda6 is in fanstasy land. Both outpower the Accord and 6 by a decent margin and both are larger and better looking. No sane person can sit there and make such a statement and then call themselves a “realist”. You are “really” biased though. People like that never have any logic or reasoning behind their statements, but they keep on typing. I thought import buyers were supposed to be better educated than domestic buyers. Seems that notion is being challenged here everyday.

The front end pic looks fine and is infinitely better than any Honda or Nissan front end. Honda hasnt figured out how to design an interesting front end yet. You cant be a Honda/Nissan/Toyota fan and than criticize GM’s designs. GM may not be ahead at much, but they are definitely capably of designing more attractive vehicles than the Asians.

LambZ, im not only a fan to Ford. Im also a fan of Chrysler 300C, Dodge Charger, Infiniti G35 Coupe, etc etc. Im kinda of open-minded with other brands. Expect those lame boring Japanese sedans.
Nissan Alitma and Mazada 6 are lot better with their non-boring style.

Don’t deny that u stare at the oncoming Fusion or Milan on the road. They have attractive grilles. Non-generic headlights and tallights.

GM needs to come up with their own design. They have a looooong way to go! In meanwhile, screw GM.

looks a bit like my butthole after I have been reamed by deantj

sj79, look in my post, not once did I mention the Aura, which is supposed to be far, far better than its G6 cousin. I’ve DRIVEN the G6, and I’ve driven the Accord, and guess which one is the more refined, more finely tuned vehicle? That’s right, the Accord. Noone in their right mind would ever dare say the G6 is as good as the Accord, that’s ludicrous, purely idiotic. Oh and if BMW has ever taught you a damn thing, “over powering” the competition isn’t always the key to success, just look at the 3-series, for years it has been underpowered compared to the competition, and for years its KILLED the compeition. So really, you’re reasoning leaves much to be desired.

S-60-Driver: I don’t stare at the oncoming Fusion or Milan, and that’s the truth, though I do admit they do have attractive/non generic head lamps/taillamps, but the thing is, their interiors aren’t quite up to par, and the reality is they don’t do much for the industry or the segment as a whole. Think about it, the new Camry for example has something for everyone, it has the base CE/normal LE, the sporty SE (check anywhere, the new SE is supposed to be pretty fun which is a surprise), it has the XLE which is a Lexus ES350 for less money, and of course for the green crowd there’s the hybrid Camry. You see how this car totally dominates the market by reinventing it and adding more to it than any car in years? That’s why its Motor Trend’s Car of the Year, and that’s why it’s smashing the Fusion/Milan.

GM is ****. FACE IT. The Japanese have this market. Period.

Looks a ****loadd better than the nose of a camry or the current accord. Plus they lost those crappy tiburon headlight lenses.

its ok s-60 let him talk that dosent take away the fact that gm is number one and personaly i hate the fusion that grill is ugly. this car is pretty nice!

LamboZ – The SE ain’t that great. I’ve driven all the Camry models, and the only truly good one is the CE, because it feels very upscale for its price. The dealership I worked at pushed more of those out than any other ones…CEs with little more than floor mats. The wood trim on the XLE is forced and ugly, the hybrid is overrated (it’s not going to post 40/38 in real world driving) and sluggish, and the LE doesn’t really offer too much. The SE does have nicer stying and the V6, but if you get a Camry you’re not getting it for performance.

As for this Malibu – I thought SSR right away. I don’t think this will look that great, but I’ll reserve judgment until I see the whole car.

The plastic parts almost eat the hood

“Both outpower the Accord and 6 by a decent margin and both are larger and better looking. No sane person can sit there and make such a statement and then call themselves a “realist”.”

sj79: you could put away your prejudice and learn some tao lessons on balance, then probably you’ll realize that the strongest and largest don’t win the hearts of the mass.

Veda you are lost.

More hype with little outcome. Sorry, but this car is being hyped by the GM folks (Sounds like just one or two guys here with multiple screen names… ) and if you step outside in to the real world you’ll find that their cars disappoint. Witness the Aura, a hyped up revolutionary car from a company that has spent the last decade and a half sleeping. Drove one.

Quite mediocre. The interior is all flash an dlittle substance. Seats are thin,the dash plastics are hard and the door panels? OMG. horrid. The drive was boring at best, bordering on unstable at highway speeds. if this car is amy bit liek the Aura, and I imagine it will be about 99%, then Gm still has a ton of work to do.

I will call out the General when it is warranted. I make choices based on emotion. My ‘92 Z-28 wasn’t a great car but it was a hell of a lot of fun. However, I will provide analysis based on reason and logic 99% of the time. That being said, the unfettered GM-bashing that takes place on LLN borders on the fanatic, as if there were some sort of perverse religion GM-hating. The hate-mongering so many participate in here freaks me out, and that comes from a guy who works in politics!

From a marketing perspective, GM is doing a lot of things right. The fact that they are on the cusp of becoming a profitable company backs this up. Are their cars first-rate? Not yet. But they’re getting there. The products is undeniably improving. To address a few points made thus far: The G6 doesn’t set my soul afire, but its a pretty well-sorted out car. The Accord is pretty darn perfect as you expect of a Honda, but honestly I didn’t find the interior to be dramatically better than that of the G6, and really, the stying is pretty bland. The new Civic is the best car value I think in existence, which is why I drive one. I chose it over GM competitors because of its resale value and efficiency. The new Camry looks like a nicer Mazda. And the Mazdas still look like cheap boy-racer wannabe sedans. Bottom line, though, is this–to say that GM is light years behind is close-minded. Why is GM so blatantly singled out? If you want to trash American cars Ford is a much better candidate. You want poorly-built interiors, look at Ford. Ford boasts not a single desirable product in its lineup save for maybe the trucks and the Mustang, despite that fact that is it really cheaply built. I simply do not understand why (until the Fusion was brought into this) Ford is generally immune from such well-deserved criticism.

Because GM is undeservingly in the top spot for sales (Lumping in fleets of course) They are like that arrogant dinkus in high school that you would just LOVE to kick the crap out of. They deserve it becasue they have gotten away with murder yet still live the high life.

In many ways, that scenario is identical to GM. 30+ years of building crap yet, suckers like myself were so gung-ho about their product that we bought anyways. Whether it was that fuzzy warm “Buy American” feeling or the “me too” mentallity that everyone was buying, so should you.

Then I found out it was because people like myself never gave anything else a chance and were quick to dismiss because it was against the grain = not a GM. I now drive an X5 which I have had for about 3 years now, never given me a lick of trouble, it’s quick, it’s nimble and it is built well. Cannot say the same about my (multiple) GM experiences.

Disgruntled owner for life. Take care GM, you’ll never win me back.

GarbageMotorsCo got it right, took the words right out of my mouth. Veda, you’re right too, precisely

GarbageMotorsCo – Can we skip right over the crap and just get down to it please? The bulk of your gripes are a matter of opinion for the most part, so you can spend your money on anything but the Aura, God bless your heart. But can’t you do that without lying on a website? Shoving aside — as much as that is possible — your questionable credibility on the count of selecting your charming screen name, just admit you haven’t driven the Aura in the first place. Your subjective and patently biased opinion mysteriously excluded that every car on the road today has hard plastics somewhere in the interior but not all have a soft-to-the-touch dash like the Saturn Aura and the Honda Accord – a feature exclusively reserved for higher-end offerings like VW and BMW until as of late. Thin seats? How much thicker do they need to be? Obviously, nearly double what was offered in the previous L-Series is not enough for you. That quip about unstable at highway speeds irrefutably proves you have no idea of what you purport to be talking about. Even the base Aura XE lines up with the Accord’s smooth handling, and it takes a 6-Speed Accord Coupe with the stiffened suspension to keep up with the upgraded Aura XR. Even then I’d have to wonder: the XR’s wide 18″ rims are matched only by the MazdaSpeed6 right now, a car costing thousands more. Not sure what it takes to make it out of your definition of “boring”, but I think “Driver Awake at the Wheel” is an ideal start.

Another boring American car, what else is new.

Front end looks like the Uplander minivan.

Kaptain75329: You’re well spoken, and I ask you to address my personal major gripe with the Aura, the interior. The wood is cheap looking, and the center console design is the exact same design found in dozens of other GM models, there really is no excuse for interiors like this, the quality is just not quite up to par. One of my major issues with it is how it is cloned in so many other models, the Honda Accord’s interior is only found in the Honda Accord, the same goes for the Camry, for the Legacy (my personal favorite in this category), etc. It’s just inexcusable, and GM does it time and time again.

1c3d0g: When you make ignorant, idiotic comments like that, they backfire and make you stupid. You don’t have to support failing, low quality domestic car companies to be American, maybe you should go back “to Asia” you dumbass, when Toyota and Honda are creating thousands of jobs everywhere for Americans that have been laid off by the Big 3. Get with it moron, you’re the one who should be moving out

1c3d0g: You clearly didn’t read my post because, well, you just did the same thing over again, you said something that belongs out on the playground, and in effect made yourself look like an asshole. Reason being, of course, that you are an asshole, and are probably of an age that should be playing on the playground (roughly 10, 11 maybe?) instead of posting on here.

Just leave this site, cancerous pig. Failed abortions like yourselves should be taken to the nearest slaughterhouse.

Idiotic Ic3d0g, you’re comments just keep getting more and more idiotic, if anyone should leave this site, it’s you calling people laughably stupid insults like “cancerous pig” and “failed abortion”, I mean hell you’re saying I should die. Why don’t you get it already? How many times do I have to say it? This is the third time: THE THINGS YOU SAY TO INSULT OTHERS, IN THIS CASE ME, MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE AN ASSHOLE. YOUR INSULTS ARE PETTY AND CHILDISH. GROW UP.

LOOK AT ME, I CAN TYPE IN CAPS LOCK TOO. ASSHOLE.