GM unveils new 6.2 1/2t specs

[RollingsFarms]

The '14 Malibu isn't bad at all. Not top of class, but equal to the Camry IMO.

The Camry is the least inspiring car in the class by far. Nothing about it is great. Even the quality.

I would NEVER put and VW product near the top of any class.

I'd rate the Mazda 6 up there, but only on paper.

The Fusion is a good car, but not great. The powertrains underperform in fuel economy and power.

The Accord powertrains are top notch. The only car in the class, to my knowledge, that routinely beats it's EPA ratings.

I know the '14 Malibu supposedly made improvements but still missed the boat from what I've read. The backseat legroom has increased but is still not class competitive, their Eco is still matted with the old inefficient 2.4 and can't even come CLOSE to achieving mpg's that the Accord, Maxima, and barely beats the Camry. For $25,000 you can get the Camry hybrid in LE trim and blow it out of the water. I wanna say the Eco is $27,000? I know a big gripe about the Malibu was its pricing because it was high for a car that needed to make a name for itself and couldn't go on past reputation and command that type of pricing.

I never look at the mid-size segment and think "what is the most inspiring car?". I looked for mpg, reliability, a proven name at a price I could live with. I bought a Camry for my mother and the last thing a 62 year old woman cares about is how sporty a car drives or looks. As for the quality, true it's not on par with Camry's made in the 90's or early 2000's but it's far better then anything GM had to offer. Honda has Toyota beat in many ways, quality included but Camry is still a better built car then anything GM, the Koreans, or Mazda have to offer. This is from what I observed when I shopped around and sat and drove them. I agree that nothing about the Camry is great or mind blowing but it does everything well and that I can live with.

 

[Peacock]

The only 4 cars in the class with more rear legroom than the Malibu are the Accord, Camry, Passat and Fusion.

 

[RollingsFarms]

The only 4 cars in the class with more rear legroom than the Malibu are the Accord, Camry, Passat and Fusion.

Which is a majority of the class and are the top dogs in this segment. If Malibu was aiming for 5th place they hit the mark. However if they were going for 1st they have LOTS of work to do.

 

[Peacock]

Which is a majority of the class and are the top dogs in this segment. If Malibu was aiming for 5th place they hit the mark. However if they were going for 1st they have LOTS of work to do.

Really? How many cars do you think are in this class? I count 12. Of course the Korean twins and the Fiat twins are pretty much the same car.

I'm not saying that the '14 Malibu is class leading, far from it. But it is easily middle of the pack.

 

[fordmantpw]

Really? How many cars do you think are in this class? I count 12. Of course the Korean twins and the Fiat twins are pretty much the same car.

I'm not saying that the '14 Malibu is class leading, far from it. But it is easily middle of the pack.

But as RollingsFarms said, if they want to be 1st, the have a lot of work to do. If they want to be mid-pack, then, yeah, they've pretty much accomplished that goal, and are essentially guaranteed to sell lots to rental agencies and keep the ATP, and subsequent resale value, down. However, if they want to be near the top of the pack and make good money on the car, then yes, they have lots of work to do.

 

[Peacock]

But as RollingsFarms said, if they want to be 1st, the have a lot of work to do. If they want to be mid-pack, then, yeah, they've pretty much accomplished that goal, and are essentially guaranteed to sell lots to rental agencies and keep the ATP, and subsequent resale value, down. However, if they want to be near the top of the pack and make good money on the car, then yes, they have lots of work to do.

I agree completely that is a far from perfect car. Some pretty bone headed moves on their part on the design.

I'd be willing to bet that the Malibu has lower fleet numbers than the Camry.

 

[fordmantpw]

I'd be willing to bet that the Malibu has lower fleet numbers than the Camry.

How much you wanna wager? Decide before you read the last paragraph in my link at the end.

Fleet sales in and of themselves are not a bad thing. Several automakers (Ford in particular) has figured out how to make money selling to fleets and not bring down resale value of those vehicles. The key is to sell few to rental fleets, and the ones you do sell to rental fleets, make sure that they are well optioned vehicles representative of the retail mix.

This is key to showing that the Camry isn't the "end all, be all" of the midsize world like it used to be: Camry Sales Info It is cranking up incentives and fleet sales to prop up it's numbers in an attempt to keep the sales crown.

 

[SoGeorgia]

I got the humor, just had to set some facts straight for those that didn't. Everyone knows Ram is the best truck, even with lower sales numbers.

although that seems to be rapidly changing... does that mean that their trucks are getting worse? :laughing:

Funny.. I've owned just about everything so I'm not really biased.. I've had 2 rams.. I always thought to myself that the drivetrains were really good but the rest of the truck was crap.

Recently I read a forum post that said the very same thing even admitted to by current ram owners

 

[Peacock]

How much you wanna wager? Decide before you read the last paragraph in my link at the end.

Fleet sales in and of themselves are not a bad thing. Several automakers (Ford in particular) has figured out how to make money selling to fleets and not bring down resale value of those vehicles. The key is to sell few to rental fleets, and the ones you do sell to rental fleets, make sure that they are well optioned vehicles representative of the retail mix.

This is key to showing that the Camry isn't the "end all, be all" of the midsize world like it used to be: Camry Sales Info It is cranking up incentives and fleet sales to prop up it's numbers in an attempt to keep the sales crown.

It's lower in percentage than the old 2012 Malibu was. Be real hard to figure out the actual fleet sales numbers are for each model for 2013.

Fleet sales are usually on price. Not what a customer wants and is willing to pay for.

 

[mikehaugen]

Funny.. I've owned just about everything so I'm not really biased.. I've had 2 rams.. I always thought to myself that the drivetrains were really good but the rest of the truck was crap.

Recently I read a forum post that said the very same thing even admitted to by current ram owners

I was just pokin' fun... in reality all vehicles are crap, some get luckier than others, others just deal with the problems as they arise. I have not seen one brand that is golden, and if you averaged out the problems of the top 3 truck manufacturers over any 20 year period, I think they would come out pretty close.