Minutes later, I found myself happily ensconced inside the cockpit of the family-sized rocket as it whisked me through town, thundered down a country road and squirted bravely between traffic. And inside the understated hood and sheetmetal of the 1999 Chevrolet Malibu LS is a tiger waiting to roar. The V6-powered Malibu became our stablemate for a week early this December, but even as the week wore on and the temperatures dropped, the Malibu's performance did not waver. Powered by a hearty 3.1-liter V6 engine that comes standard with LS trim, the Malibu is mated to an automatic transmission that shifts smoothly at 5,000 feet and mildly when climbing to higher elevations. It's also spacious enough to cart the kids, the groceries and the luggage for the trip, with seating for five and a commodious trunk complete with cargo net.
Seats are comfortable and the driving position affords plenty of visibility in all directions.
On our test loop we noticed a minimal amount of road and wind noise, though one driver thought the engine was too loud. Body roll was apparent, but not severe enough to alter our favorable opinion of the vehicle. Steering through the twisties was difficult because of the too-large wheel and an imprecise feel, but we found it easy to maneuver through the city. Entering the vehicle is usually no problem, but we were occasionally unhappy with the spring hinge in the driver's side door. When opening the door to put dry cleaning or a purse inside, the door tends to swing back in too far, leaving only a small opening for the driver to squeeze through.