Sunday Sun ~ February 15th, 2009 by Wade Ozeroff

When it debuted back in 2007 (as an ‘08 model) the restyled and redesigned Chevy Malibu became, arguably the best car in the company’s line-up.

The body style cloaked an array of state-of-the-art technology and a new interior that echoed the cabin of a higher end product from GM, and brought two engine choices (three, if you count the hybrid) and transmissions into the market at a very reasonable sticker price.

The tester I drove for Autonet stood up well to anything in the class, be it Japanese comptetitors like Mazda’s newest 6 or the decidedly pricier Passat CC from Volkswagen; or on the North American front, Ford’s Fusion.

Indeed, if GM keeps building them like this (and if you want to see a slightly different treatment of the same platform, check out Saturn’s Aura), the turnaround is well under way.

The car I drove was a second-from-the-top tier 2LT model, with GM’s 2.4 litre four cylinder engine (the Malibu also offers a V6) and six-speed automatic transmission.

the four banger is no slouch in the Malibu, and while its numbers (169 horses and 160 lb.-ft. of torque) are similar to most everything in the field, the powerplant delivers the goods in the midsize sedan.

Quick, ready acceleration is available on demand from the 2.4, keeping it a capable highway car or easy-merging city dweller that doesn’t let anyone down.

In the tester’s case, Chevy’s six speed  gearbox managed the Malibu’s engine power with smooth shifts applied at the right times for the situation it encountered.

The car also upped the ante in its price-class with steering mounted paddle shifters.

Positioned foor easy thumbing, the shifters (ambidextrous, by the way, with the left one performing the same functions as the right) are simple-to-use rig with a forward thumb-push for upshifting and an index-finger pull to drop the gears.

The paddles completed the adornment of the steering wheel in the 2LT, which boasted a full complement of buttons fr its cruise control, stereo, multi-mode infor display and Bluetooth handsfree functions, and heleped set the tone for the entire interior experience in the car.

Malibu’s interior is second to none in the entry-level midsize sedan niche - it’s the equal of an Accord or Camry in build quality and design, with a cascading dash flowing into the centre console that clusters all necessary onboard controls into an easy to use, intuitive set up that requires little thought to get used to.

Speaking of the interior, the ambiance inside the cabin is very good. Chevrolet has dampened exterior noise to near non-existence and laid out comfortable seating ( in the front rows particularly) in a decent ergonomic layout.

Like any midsize sedan, space is at a premium, and Chev has overcome the limited area by mounting the controls where they take up the lease footprint.

The company has resisted the temptaion to go nuts on the cabin trim, with a single (and tastefully used) woodprint strip framing the door sills and dash, and backlit the guage cluster and door-pulls in dim blue lighting that honestly looks terrific at night.

Now, to get a leather trimmed interior one needs to be up-sold to the LTZ trim, but the leatherette and distressed suede upholstery in 2LT felt and looked fine.

the outward appearance of the 2009 Malibu is a presentation of tapered angles and just enough faux-chrome surrounds (like the treatment of the rear license plate frame or horizontal triple-split grille) to make this sedan suitable for business or family needs.

Not overly large at the curb side, the Malibu’s styled five-spoke 17-in. wheels keep the proportions decent, if not sporty; tri-grille and subtle repeating of Chevy’s bowtie logo in unexpected places (like inside the headlamps) give the Malibu enough polish to its finish that it looks more expensive than it is.

I couldn’t find a lot to detract from the experience in my week in the car - the is that my complaints are few.

The rear seats suffer a bit from the lack of headroom, but so do the back benches of any similar sedan, whether Euro, Korean or Japenese. The fat C-pillars at the rear seat cut into shoulder-check visibility, but not that much.

Even my good old fallback plan, where I complain about the price, doesn’t work here.

My tester didn’t seem overly expensive and there is room to shave it down more, by foregoing options like the moon roof ($1,195) or the premium sound package ($895) and still end up with a very nice combination of style and function.

In its four-cylinder form (which, incidentally, yields competitive mileage, with my car getting 10.1 litres per hundred kn in mostly city-based, winter driving use), the Malibu keeps its basic promise of a competent handling, capable performer that is a joy to drive and look at.

¼/p>