What was pre-bankruptcy GM thinking, right? Well, the road to hell has always been paved with good intentions and nothing bespeaks of that more than the 2004-2007 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. I stumbled across this pristine copy of what's either a 2006 or 2007 "Maxx SS" recently outside the gym my wife and I belong to on Cleveland's west side.
Oh, but let's not kid ourselves. The Malibu Maxx was a station wagon and an ugly one too but "five doors" they were and damn good ones too if you ask me. The best part about them was their rear seating and cargo areas. The rear seats were on tracks that had seven inches of travel fore and aft that opened up the rear cargo area large enough to hold 41 cubic feet of stuff. That's not full-size SUV big but compared to a typical sedan trunk's 15 cubic foot capacity it was cavernous. What's more, with the seats all the way forward, you still had enough rear seat leg room to be somewhat comfortable. At least enough to give the kids enough space. Move the seats all the way back and you had the best rear seat leg room this side of a limo. Brilliant stuff. So, what happened?
Unfortunately, GM wrapped the trick engineering in the dorkiest sheet metal of the Bob Lutz era. That's saying a lot too considering Lutz' Chevrolet SSR, the HHR, Pontiac GTO, G6..et al. Just look at this thing. Actually, the hatchback design, yes, that's a hatch not a trunk lid, is not the worst thing about this stubby little porker...
It's the stretched wheelbase with the tiny and tall rear overhang and funky long rear doors that butcher any semblance of design cohesion. Sorry, this is a horrible design and my picture here makes the car look less awful than it actually is.
The Maxx "SS", which was available only on 2006 and 2007 Maxx', got horsepower starved owners a then prolific 240 horsepower, 60 degree, 3.9 liter OHV V-6 with cam phasing. That's pretty neat technology for a "cam in block" engine - Corvette didn't even have that yet back then. I'd spent a weekend back in New York years ago and a Maxx with a 217 horsepower, 3.5 liter V-6 was my steed; they must have been out of just about everything else at the rental counter at Laguardia That thing could really move although I do remember an inordinate amount of wheel spin and torque steer so I have to imagine this more powerful Maxx SS torque steers and dances in place more than my rental did.
The Maxx with its wonderful rear seats went into the dumpster of automobile history following the 2007 model year as Chevrolet ushered in a new, ahem, world-beating Malibu for 2008. Just as the economy crashed and burned taking GM as we used to know it with it too. A much better GM rose from the ashes of "The Great Recession" and with it said explosion in popularity of crossovers. Are these events somehow related? Good question and history will answer that one for us.
To understand the Maxx we have to remember the times it was produced in. Chevrolet introduced the Maxx in that now long-ago time before the explosion in popularity in crossover sport utility vehicles. You know, those visual blights on our roads today that are making sedans as relevant as Buick Electra convertibles. Honestly, some of them are the best and most interesting designs out there today. Anyway, the Maxx combined all the practicality of a small SUV with all sensibility of a car. In many ways it was a crossover but instead of emulating a truck, it emulated a car. Wait, wouldn't that make the Maxx a station wagon? Well, yeah. But don't call the Malibu Maxx a station wagon. For that matter, don't call it a hatchback or crossover either. You may recall, back then, "wagon" and "hatchback" were four letter words and calling something a "station wagon" was really sacrilegious.
Unfortunately, GM wrapped the trick engineering in the dorkiest sheet metal of the Bob Lutz era. That's saying a lot too considering Lutz' Chevrolet SSR, the HHR, Pontiac GTO, G6..et al. Just look at this thing. Actually, the hatchback design, yes, that's a hatch not a trunk lid, is not the worst thing about this stubby little porker...
It's the stretched wheelbase with the tiny and tall rear overhang and funky long rear doors that butcher any semblance of design cohesion. Sorry, this is a horrible design and my picture here makes the car look less awful than it actually is.
The Maxx "SS", which was available only on 2006 and 2007 Maxx', got horsepower starved owners a then prolific 240 horsepower, 60 degree, 3.9 liter OHV V-6 with cam phasing. That's pretty neat technology for a "cam in block" engine - Corvette didn't even have that yet back then. I'd spent a weekend back in New York years ago and a Maxx with a 217 horsepower, 3.5 liter V-6 was my steed; they must have been out of just about everything else at the rental counter at Laguardia That thing could really move although I do remember an inordinate amount of wheel spin and torque steer so I have to imagine this more powerful Maxx SS torque steers and dances in place more than my rental did.
The Maxx with its wonderful rear seats went into the dumpster of automobile history following the 2007 model year as Chevrolet ushered in a new, ahem, world-beating Malibu for 2008. Just as the economy crashed and burned taking GM as we used to know it with it too. A much better GM rose from the ashes of "The Great Recession" and with it said explosion in popularity of crossovers. Are these events somehow related? Good question and history will answer that one for us.
I own a 2007 Malibu Maxx SS...Still driving it with 306.000 miles.
ReplyDeleteEngine still runs great...Had it up to 115 mph not long ago and it still had plenty of HP to spare. My late father helped me buy the car (top of the line Chevy outside of a Corvette at the time)...and I'm running her till she runs no more.