What I learned from the 2008 Malibu

by Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady

One of the joys of being an automotive writer is not just getting a sneak preview at new cars--but also being in a group of opinionated people who have strong feelings about cars.

When I read Joann Holt's story about the Malibu  http://www.carladynews.com/articles/Jan08/2008Malibu.html, I thought to myself --that sounds like a fun car to drive. And it was.

This car just seemed to fit me and my lifestyle. It was easy to drive and park, got good gas mileage and had a spacious trunk. And as a confirmed shopaholic and bargain hunter, I thought it was value-priced with a sticker of just over $20,000 for the model I drove. The mileage was so good, I did not feel guilty driving all over town to get bargains.The city mileage is estimated at 22 mpg and on highways it does up to 30 mpg. Obviously the mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.

Safe and Secure

The 2008 Malibu has air bags, dual frontal passenger sensing system, heade curtain side air bas, front/outboard rear; side impact air bags, driver and front passenger.

Cleanliness

The smog index on this car is about a third cleaner than average. I wish my housekeeping could score that well.

Why this Car made me feel like a Dinosaur

I am a big NPR fan. It is my station of choice when driving. But I have to confess I had been enjoying driving the car for five days without figuring out how to get NPR. I listened to all kinds of wonderful music and kept clicking and pushing buttons and dials in my search for NPR. It was almost like taking a music appreciation class. But I still wanted to hear

Garrison Keilor and Diane Rehms.

I drove my friend Jane over to a yoga class and she really admired the Malibu. I told her I loved it but could not figure out how to get the news on the radio. She looked at me like I was an idiot (actually, I felt like I was an idiot). So as I drove, she pushed buttons. After a few minutes, pushing almost every button, she said, "well, it certainly is not intuitive."

Eventually she pushed a button that said BAND. I thought that would be rock music or some trendy band instead of easy listening. So I was as surpized as she was to find out that it was the radio. That was the new word I learned.

When I got my next car, a Honda Civic, the radio button said AM/FM. I knew what that was. But where was the "band" button?  I realize that if I ever ran for an office in the automotive industry, my platform would be for univeral button signs. I mean like the bathrooms or non-smoking. You do not need to learn a new language for those items as you enter new countries. You should not have to push all the buttons to figure out what each one means. Maybe guys are born knowing these things. But I sometimes have a little trouble figuring it out.  I am, however, an expert at driving a microwave oven. I can popcorn, make coffee , heat up Lean Cuisine and melt ice-cream without any help.

 From now on, whenever I see the word BAND on the dashboard, I will fondly remember how I learned what that means on the 2008 Malibu.  

One feature I especially Liked

I never really thought about how a trunk closes until I drove this car. In the olden days, you pushed the trunk down. It was often a little strain on your shoulders. Many cars today have power trunklatches that go down by themselves--but at their own speed. The Malibu had a power trunk release and a hanging strap that made it very easy to pull down the trunk.

Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer and proud member of the Texas Automotive Writers Association. Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, www.yogayaya.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.coffeeatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com