Chevrolet Malibu:

Year: 2008

Details: The new Malibu continues to be a five-seat front-wheel-drive midsize sedan but is designed to give buyers “more bang for the buck.” With upgrades to horsepower, fuel economy and equipment, the 2008 Malibu is also three inches longer and head-curtain airbags will come standard. Another example is the optional sunroof, which is 70 percent larger than the one offered for the current Malibu. The base Malibu will be powered by 164-horsepower 2.4-liter Ecotec 4 cylinder that is expected to deliver better fuel economy than the 144-horsepower 2.2-liter Ecotec 4 cylinder in the 2007 Malibu. The new optional engine for the 2008 Malibu is a 252-horsepower 3.6-liter dual overhead cam V6 that compares with the current 217-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 and 240-horsepower 3.9-liter V6 in the current Malibu. The 2007 Malibu uses a 4-speed automatic transmission, but a 6-speed automatic will be offered in the 2008 Malibu. A gasoline-electric hybrid Malibu will be available in the fourth quarter of 2007. It will use a single-mode hybrid system similar to the current Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid which saves gasoline by shutting off the engine at stoplights.