Holden Malibu

With all the hype surrounding the arrival of the VF Commodore, another new and equally important Holden sedan has arrived, Robert Barry drives the all-new Malibu CDX.

Under the radar

While Holden has been making noise lately about its new VF Commodore, the all- new globally developed front-wheeldrive Malibu sedan has quietly slipped into the marketplace.

It’s a pity Holden has been so quiet about it, because here is a GM car that will give the Toyota Camry some competition. I spent a 200km day in the Malibu and came away with a greater respect for the refocused GM, because the Malibu has cracked it.

The Malibu sits on a new Epsilon II platform, and will be the global replacement for the previous North American-built vehicle and the GM Korea vehicles marketed around the world as Chevrolets.

Holden hasn’t had a great deal of success with previous mid-sized sedans in the last decade. The ZC Vectra was too close in size to the Commodore and became increasingly expensive to source, and the Korean-sourced Holden Epica was dynamically challenged and the six- cylinder 2.5-litre petrol engine was thirsty, but it won the hearts of fleet operators with its high level of specification and huge boot.

The tradition of the big boot continues as Malibu offers a 545- litre capacity, and with a 4,865mm length and 2,737mm wheelbase it’s certainly large and spacious for a mid- sized car.

In comparison the VF Calais is 4,950mm long with a 2,915mm wheelbase. Not surprisingly the Malibu also offers good front legroom of 1,069mm in comparison to the 1,074mm of the VF Calais.

The Malibu seeks to right the wrongs of the past for Holden fleet customers, with a much better four- cylinder 2.4-litre engine that is responsive yet fuel efficient, and a chassis/ suspension system that’s been tuned for New Zealand and Australian driving conditions.

New Zealand customers have the option of a German- sourced two-litre turbodiesel engine or the Korean sourced Ecotec 2.4-litre motor, as tested here. Holden quotes 8L/100km for the petrol and we managed 9L/100km, which was remarkable on a car that had only covered 250km before we got it.

Both engines will be attached to a sixspeed automatic transmission with manual override, which is activated by move the gearshift lever from drive into manual mode, and then activating the + and – button on top of the shift lever. It’s an oddly fussy arrangement in an otherwise well laid out dashboard with controls that are intuitive and easily used.

Holden says that it chose tyres that were better suited to local conditions and therefore the Malibu CDX runs on the same 18-inch Bridgestone tyres as the Commodore SV6 and SS models, and that the suspension dampers were tuned for better ride quality and handling over our many road surfaces.

The liveliness of the petrol engine’s delivery on-road is explained by the unique throttle and pedal map that Holden engineers in Australia developed in conjunction with the GM factory in Korea.

While the Malibu is still not quite in the same dynamic league as the ageing Ford Mondeo and the new Mazda6, it is very close in feel and specification to the Toyota Camry, which has become the default mid-size sedan for many fleets.

I was impressed with the overall execution of the Malibu. Its exterior styling gives the car presence on the road, and while the interior design isn’t to my taste, it’s consistent and solidly built; nothing rattles or feels cheap and nasty, as US- designed car interiors sometimes do.

The CDX specification provides heated front seats, leather upholstery, the MyLink infotainment system, which works perfectly with an iPhone, well-placed cup holders, and I liked the storage area which is hidden behind the flip-up central screen. Wallets and oversized sunglasses worn by road warriors can easily be accommodated inside here.

Equally, on the road the Malibu was a pleasant companion, it’s quiet on the motorway, speedily scoots away from standstill with little fuss and drama, has positive steering, a comfortable ride, and handles nicely, with a bit of understeer as you would expect from a front-wheeldrive sedan.

It’s rather a shame that Holden’s new Camry fighter has slipped under the radar, in the shadow of the VF Commodore, because this car equally deserves as much attention and fanfare, especially in the fleet market.