Consumer Reports (mostly) hearts new Malibu

click above to view high-res gallery of the 2008 Chevy Malibu

They're not quite done putting it through the paces, but Consumer Reports for the most part is liking Chevy's new Malibu. They've opened up the car's logbook on the magazine's blog, and here are a few of the positive quotes they shared:

"Wow. Impressive to drive, even in the four-cylinder version."
"Best normally-aspirated Ecotec (four-cylinder engine) application out there."
"Distinctive dashboard - definitely not a 'me-too' design."
This is a heavy hitter that competes head-on with Camry, Accord, and Altima."

Luckily for Chevrolet, the positive comments so far are in the lead, and most of the negatives are for relatively minor things like:

"hard to reach seat levers"
"I do not like the interior trim. The dash has a pink tone to it, whereas the other browns are more orange."
"I'm disappointed with the low shoulder belt anchor, poorly placed seat heater switch, and lack of a shifter indicator in the dash."

They promise to have a full review of the car in the magazine's March issue, which we're sure Chevy can't wait to read.

[Source: Consumer Reports]