2013 Holden Malibu: all-new medium sedan makes Australian debut

By James Stanford | October 18th, 2012

FIND DEALS

A gaping hole in the Holden range will be plugged in the middle of next year when it introduces the new mid-sized Holden Malibu sedan.

Until now, Holden relied on the sub-standard Epica sedan which was based on the Daewoo Leganza that was introduced all the way back in 1997.

Holden talked up the South Korean-sourced Epica as a ‘Camry fighter’ when it was launched in 2007, but bland styling and the fact it was only available with in-line six-cylinder engines (which were mounted transversely), meant it fell dramatically short of challenge the mighty Toyota.

Holden is much more hopeful for the Malibu, which also comes from South Korea and is already on sale in the US, China and Europe, although it is not about to make any volume predictions.

The company presented the Malibu at today’s Australian international motor show and announced it will be available with both petrol and diesel engines.

Customers can choose from a 2.4-litre petrol four-cylinder and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel.

It will only be available with a six-speed automatic transmission and no manual will be offered.

Holden president Mike Devereux said Holden engineers were involved in the development of the Malibu.

“Our team has created a unique suspension tune for Australia and developed Malibu’s transmission calibrations for multiple GM markets like Australia, Europe and North America,” he said.

The Malibu is not that much smaller than the Commodore, but Devereux said there was no concern that it would take sales away from the locally made model.

“It is a completely different car to Commodore,” he said.

“It is a bigger car and is a front-drive four-cylinder and Commodore is a rear-drive performance sedan so they can live in very different places. They are chalk and cheese.”

When asked by CarAdvice whether the Malibu could outsell the Commodore, Devereux said: “No idea.”

He also refused to indicate how many Malibus the company could sell.

“I’m not going to share our internal targets,” he said.

Sponsored Ads

Uninspired_inspiration

No manual, OUT!
- Kampfer
  
  Funny that every time a new car selling without manual we got comments like this. Yet fact still show that Australian are buying automatics.
  - John
    
    Well, it may be a chicken/egg thing – which came first? People opting for autos (with manufacturers responding by dropping manual option) or manufacturers dropping manual option (either in response to drop in demand OR to make more profit off auto-only models OR any number of other reasons) leaving buyers with no option but to buy autos?
    
    Probably a bit of both, causing a vicious circle effect. But I can’t help but think that some manufacturers are increasing their profit margins by supplying auto only (freely admit I may be wrong!)
    - Noel
      
      Many moons ago I use to sell Fords and getting a manual Falcon was special order (along with no air con), I think over time this just became the norm and of course there is a cost saving in producing the most bought model.
- Zaccy16
  
  anyone who would consider buying this would be camry buyers that would only ever want a auto
- Schah7
  
  WHO CARES not about no manual BUT the CAR itself. YAWN !!!
- Aussie and proud
  
  another idiot, were you every considering buying the car?………No I didn’t think so………Idoit
  - Trevor
    
    idiot??
    
    check your grammar before throwing stones!
  - Huwtm
    
    You can have an opinion about something with wanting to buy it.
    - Huwtm
      
      OOOPS – with OUT – excuse me
nik

Only thing this will fight is the dust that will pile on from sitting in the car yard
- Zaccy16
  
  Exactly, it looks hideous! hopefully the commodore won’t have a rear end like this!
  - Browneye69
    
    You think the outside is bad, wait til you see the dash. It’s the hideous part, the outside is only fugly.
    - Huwtm
      
      Unfortunately as mentioned else where, the yanks can’t design cars any more. What people are missing is despite what is said, it’s still based around daewoo bits and pieces which admitted were based around Vectra cast offs. I haven’t heard of any innovations in engines from GM lately which will make this any better than what went before. (other than have 2 cylinders less.)
      
      Side note, if it sells at all, it will be taking sales from Commodore. Ford have tried to make the Falcon relevant with Ecotech, but if this thing takes off it will cannibalise it’s sister car.
Pauly

The Front and Rear styling doesn’t seem to join together very well… Doesn’t look right…

Ill wait to see it in the flesh tomorrow
- Lox
  
  The rear is alright. The front not so much.
- Joker
  
  Sooo Holden/GM… at what stage in the design process did the designers of the front and the designers of the rear decide to meet up? Did you keep them locked in different rooms or something? Keep the Camaro rear on the Camaro.
Monk

Malipoo
Another piece of Korean sourced Holden crud.
- mattyman
  
  Fascinating. So your what… 12 years old?
  - Paul
    
    I’d say he’s 2 years old….anyone got a different number ?
    - Buntz
      
      I would say he is spot on.
- James Cortez
  
  Where do you source them from otherwise? USA / Canada: Shipment cost is higher plus having to modify it to right hand drive. Source it from Euro: Tehy rip you off. Homeproduct: Labor is way to expensive. Doomed!!!
  - Huwtm
    
    James you do realise that Korea is left hand drive. It’s not really an issue of where they come from as in country, but the quality of design and the factory which puts them together. Hyundai and Kia don’t seem to have the same issues as GM.
- Zaccy16
  
  Exactly, just like the epica, cruze, captiva and the list goes on of all the holden badged sub par korean cars
  - Gtr-xu1
    
    Zaccy you talk of sub par Korean cars.You drive a VW Polo??? Talk of sub par cars.Do you deny that 75% of the Polos required a service recall..kaboom…
    - Zaccy16
      
      Nothing wrong with my polo, fantastic car to drive, great fuel economy, comfortable high quality interior and bags of torque! world car of the year wheels car of the year and the list goes on
      - Popper
        
        True, but it is too small—or rather, too small for me, being smaller than my minimum acceptable car size.
      - Golfmother
        
        Lay off the saturated fats and you will fit in a polo , great car , this is what we will all be driving in 10 years as the world downsizes , less oil to go round , hahah .
      - Zaccy16
        
        i recommend a gold tsi then!
      - Popper
        
        Golfmother,
        
        Quite amusing, that. Made me chuckle.
        
        However, I get 80-90% of my calories from animal fats and have a BMI of about 22.
        
        The issue for me is that I don’t feel comfortable or safe in a “light” segment car.
      - Golfmother
        
        Love the pig fat .
      - Popper
        
        Yes, even though Jewish, bacon (and eggs) for breakfast most days. You should try it. Might be the first diet that works for you
      - Popper
        
        Zaccy,
        
        Yes, I’ll have a look at the new Audi A3, or perhaps the next Golf.
      - Mr Irony
        
        How long is the warranty?
        
        Just wondering.
      - Zaccy16
        
        3 years
    - Huwtm
      
      Zaccy has a point, of all the Korean manufacturers, GM/Daewoo, seem to be having a long line of rubbish. The others are with out doubt on par with what’s out there but GM just continues to stuff it up.
  - Aussie and proud
    
    I agree the original Daewoo cars badged as Holdens were not up to the standard set by the Opel sourced cars but the Captiva sells quite well as did the Cruz prior to the Aussie built examples. and these cars have global input including Australia.
    Sub par compared to what……… A Polo, right and you can fit 4 Aduts in comfort in one……….not
    - Zaccy16
      
      have you seen the captiva? its hideous, cheap crappy interior, rubbish engines, lack of handling and the list goes on, they may sell well but that doesn’t mean that they are good, aussies think they are made here, the territory is a much much better car in every way! and yes you can fit 4 around 6 foot adults in comfort in my polo!
      - Leesyd
        
        Hideous??? That like most other comments here are subjective in the extreme. I personally like the Captiva for size, style and interior design. And having done quite a few kms on the new LX diesel both long and city trips find it to be a very pleasing SUV. Sales numbers show that so do many other Australians
- Golfmother
  
  Monks got the 15 thumbs, hes right , i prefer malabore , ryhmes with crummerdore .
- Aussie and proud
  
  So Hyundai’s and Kia’s are good cars according to the punters and Hyundai is the fastest growing car company in the world………. are they crud or have they improved over the years???????????? Well how about giving the GM Korea factory a chance…….. And Crud compared to what? Have you driven it Have you had a look at the car in the flesh?..No and NO……Wake up
Monk

Here’s a little hint Holden: Torana!!!

Build it and they will come!
- Nasal Explorer
  
  “Here’s a little hint Holden: Torana!!!
  Build it and they will come!”
  Sure . . . 60-year old Bathurst wannabes living in the past. Torana means nothing to the current car-buying generation.
  - Monk
    
    Just because you are an A to B man doesn’t mean we all have to be mate.
    - JooberJCW
      
      But the fact is the profits and success come from the majority A to B ers’
  - Golfmother
    
    Yep , dreamers , just assemblers of daewoo’s .
    - Buntz
      
      Holden don’t assemble these… these are shipped in ready to sell.
      - Aussie and proud
        
        Right and you work there do you? No I didn’t think so. A hint… Engage brain before speaking and get your facts straight. The cars from Korea are not globally developed
  - gfys
    
    I just turned 21 – I know what the Torana is, and don’t fail to understand the influence of parents on our car buying generation.
    
    Besides the Torana concept from a few years back is a beaut
    - nickdl
      
      That’s exactly what the Commodore needs to be. It’s become way too big and heavy.
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Karl-Sass/100000921334936 Karl Sass
    
    He’s not talking about the old school Torana you fool, he’s talking about downsizing to a mid size RWD like the TT36 concept vehicle.
  - Aussie and proud
    
    Well it should mean something we are supposed to embrace our heritage, not make a joke of it. I agree with Monk
- Tom
  
  If they did build a car called the Torana, I can assure you that people like you would come out and complain that it wasn’t a ‘real Torana’ and refuse to buy it. If there was a market for it, it would have been built rather than the Cruze.
  - Monk
    
    I was hanging out for the TT36 to be built – though I wouldn’t have picked the pink paint/white leather combo they showed it in.
MM

A few to Avis and Hertz and Budget etc – Government fleet sales etc - wondering what the sales stats for these markets will be…
Iggy

now put that car against Mazda 6 and Accord Euro and tell me which one you’d prefer?
- Golfmother
  
  You nailed it Iggy , still some loons bought the epica , put a holden badge on it and some fool will line up .
  - save it for the track
    
    Just like how ‘some loons’ blindly buy Camry’s and Corollas. Some ‘Holden people’ went and bought Epicas in the belief they were buying an Australian vehicle (i’ve spoken to a few of the old fellas over the years, downsizing from Commodores, statesmans and the like). Much the same as those that kept buying Barinas after the inferior Korean sourced model took over from the better Opel sourced model. Blind brand loyalty, less than honest salespeople, and basic ignorance of where and how cars are made.
    - Golfmother
      
      Yes so true and the holden apollo was definately not a camry , and the lexan was not a commodore .
  - Captain Nemo®™
    
    But Bungle i thought you would have loved the Epica. It has a Porsche that’s PORSCHE P-O-R-S-C-H-E designed inline 6. Any car with just the slightest hint of a connection to VeeDud would be awesome in your books.Yes??
    - Golfmother
      
      Take some more drugs zero , this would make a good replacement for you mums magna you commute in .
      - Zaccy16
        
        Exactly, the new camry is even more exiting and better than this heap of s**t
      - Kobnz
        
        this car reminds me of your mums bum. nothing but lard.
      - Golfmother
        
        My mothers in the big car yard in the sky , probably setting fire to a crummerdore .
      - Phil
        
        Wow, with behaviour like that, it’s no surprise you turned out like you did, Golfmother. You are your mother’s daughter.
      - Golfmother
        
        Lighten up phil , dads with her too in the Valiant 318 fireball chasing down clunky falcoons .
      - Phil
        
        Lighten up or what? Your mother will light me up? ;P
- Zaccy16
  
  Exactly! this is worse than the current 6 and its about to be updated! the koreans holden are using to design these cars are very behind the koreans that make new hyundais and kias
  - Jober As A Sudge
    
    Have you driven this Zaccy?
MisterZed

Unlikely to sell much better than Epica – i.e. probably around 3000-3500 a year.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Karl-Sass/100000921334936 Karl Sass
  
  Yep, I just can’t see this hitting the target market, or any market for that matter.
bruzzer

this car is basically the Opel insignia but made in korea and different engine options.
in other markets this car comes with same engines as insignia too.
Mike

I agree with Monk – where is the Torana? Compact RWD sedans will sell. Just look how many C-Class Mercedes sell and they aren’t even cheap.
- AJS
  
  I agree, is RWD that much more exxy than FWD to engineer? As a younger fella, there isn’t much choice when it comes to RWD cars in the 20-30k price range. I’d love a medium RWD sedan with a small V6/I6/Turbo 4. These only exist from Merc and BMW. I like the Toyota 86, but it lacks the ability to take 4 people on medium to long trips.
  - Modern Man
    
    RWD is more expensive to produce. (Probably around 2-3k more)
    
    Two main reason apart from price they dont do it.
    
    Packaging, need a smaller boot less rear seat room and smaller front footwells.
    Fuel efficiency, uses more fuel due to losses in drivetrain and heavier due to driveshaft and diff housing, stronger rear linkages etc.
    - Monk
      
      Spot on.
      A pity that the current trend is against the very elements we love.
    - http://www.facebook.com/people/Karl-Sass/100000921334936 Karl Sass
      
      True, although is has many attributes too. Much better weight distribution, better for towing, puts power down better and the engine bays are much easier to work on. Those loses you mentioned are only minimal, it’s a good compromise between FWD and the much heavier AWD. Horses for courses. Holden would virtually have the market to themselves with an affordable, mid size RWD.
PIZZA

I really like the design of it~ Looks good to me~
Berlin05

no manual no sale
- Nasal Explorer
  
  I think this car has a lot more problems than just no manual available.
  - Shak
    
    Such as?
    - Monk
      
      Did you look at the pictures?
      - Shak
        
        Yes, and i assume you mean styling, and as that is subjective i dont see it as a problem. Please do elaborate on the ‘problems’ that this yet to be released or driven car has.
- Golfschwein
  
  Why on earth would anyone WANT this car as a manual? Would you buy one, with GM’s history of stiff, graunchy, rubbery gearshifts?
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Karl-Sass/100000921334936 Karl Sass
    
    Agree Golfy. I’m usually a big advocate of the manual box, but no one who even slightly enjoys driving is going to buy this thing.
Doctor

CA, I think you’ll find that the Epica was the Daewoo Tosca (anyone seen George?).
Eric V

Not sure what is meant by “a gaping hole in the Holden range”.
I thought between the Commodore and the Cruze they have the large and medium sectors covered.
I really think the Malibu is not required. Like the Epica it is just not needed.
- Browneye69
  
  I wondered the same thing about the “gaping hole” and I agree the Malibu will not be needed nor will it sell in great quantities.
Cobber

This will be terrible.
Aus_poppa

Contributors here can say what they like, but in our market manual transmission brings hardly any sales – not enough to justify the extra brochure,stock holding and selling costs and the holding of a whole bunch of spares for manual transmissions. Espcially with imported cars profitable sales come from the simplest least complicated model range.

What may not be apparent here is this car is enormously important in world sales terms because what GM is offering is a medium size car – yes, the Cruze, and a large car – the Malibu in dozens of markets – the GM equivalent of the One Ford plan and matching Ford’s Focus and Moneo/Fusion strategy. In both cases, GM and Ford, they are world cars, regardless of where they are produced – does anyone seriously think that the Malibu wasn’t designed to a US specification and probably originated in a GM US design studio.
- Zaccy16
  
  exactly, especially the target market of this car would never buy a manual!
Kruddemon

Do you think the people working on the Holden stand at the motor show are looking across at the Opel stand and thinking that somebody at GM has made a massive judgement error by allowing Holden to align with the cheapness of the Chevwoos when it is crystal clear the old approach when they were basically the local equivalent of Vauxhall (Opel badged vehicles in the UK) and producing (at times) and selling good volumes of a rebadged euro product gave them market credibility, performance variants and quality mid-tier vehicles that ACTUALLY appealed to Australians. I appreciate that the high Aus dollar (at the time) made it hard for them but the damage done to the Holden brand in recent years by cars just like this will be irrepairable. As a brand I have always loved it breaks my heart to see them release a vehicle this dull, bland and uninspired. The design is a trainwreck. Seriously. Go across the floor and look at the new OPC Astra and take some notes while you are there (or, alternatively, wake up and chuck a lion badge on it again.
- Tom
  
  I’ve heard from many mechanics that the older Opel products badged as Barinas, Astras and Vectras are awful and have countless problems.
  - Popper
    
    This is largely a myth. Just like the myth that it is by eating too much that you get fat. Or the myth that eating fatty foods causes heart disease. These beliefs are myths, widely held though they may be.
    - Golfmother
      
      YES you keep scoffing maccas its a myth , have a happy heart attack .
      - Popper
        
        Actually, I said above that fats are okay, that they are in fact healthy (e.g., reduce coronary risk), and they are. It’s the carb content of maccas that makes it unhealthy (e.g., buns, chips), so if that’s your point I agree with you. But it’s likely I suppose that you are making some other kind of (false) claim.
      - Golfmother
        
        So the saturated fats wont harm your heart , think again . and the chips are swimming in saturated fats , yummy , good heart attack coming on .
      - Popper
        
        I’ll be blunt. You’re a fool. Mark this day in your mind. One day, when you understand that dietary saturated fats are health-enhancing, and that carbs cause obesity, strokes, and heart disease, then think back to this day and recall your foolish words.
        
        Anyway, I wouldn’t buy a Malibu. I don’t like the Holden company. I don’t like the way they operate. I find them, actually, strangely creepy, a la The Manchurian Candidate.
      - Golfmother
        
        HAHAH , the joker .
  - ryan
    
    i bought a new xc barina .the opel based one. Sure it was nice to drive and handled well.but it needed new brakes and rotors at 32000k and it had many other problems.It wasn’t reliable at all.traded it in a getz sxi which felt very lumbering compared to the barina but its been extremely reliable and the brakes are still in good working orde rat 115.000k.Best car i’ve ever owned
- nickdl
  
  Exactly right. Made perfect sense for Holden to stop importing Opels when the dollar was US $0.50 and they weren’t making any money. Now they should really be going back to what made them so successful years ago with the dollar above parity.
  
  Only problem is Opel wants to increase their presence on the global market and be seen by GM as still viable. This means that they insisted on launching from scratch in their own right, rather than rebadging their cars as Holdens. Stupid move IMO as it will be difficult to make a profit in Aus in the next few years, being such a new brand in a tough market.
  
  What’s more, in order to find a niche and not cannibalise Holden sales, Opel have had to try and price their vehicles upmarket, at a much higher price that what they are worth. Don’t be fooled, Opel is in no way a premium manufacturer, and yet the pricing would indicate so.
  
  Like I said, it would have been far more profitable for both brands to import Opels as Holdens.
Aussie

The USA gets it with a V6. We get a lazy 2.4L or 2L-TD
- MisterZed
  
  US model does not get a V6. They get a 2.5L four.
  - Darryl
    
    They get it with the new 2.5L four with around about 147kw, and we get a 2.4L? That would be the same engine as the (resist temptation to put an “r” in) Captiva then. And a 2.0L diesel – same as Cruze, not even the 2.2L from the Captiva. Oh dear. Looks like a worthy competitor for another renamed Korean, the Samsung SM5 aka Renault Latitude. At best it might take up the slack for falling Cruze sales. At best.
http://www.facebook.com/antmindel Anthony Mindel

Give me anything else from this caregory…Accord Euro,Mazda 6,Jetta,Mondeo,Insignia,or even a plain Jane Camry
Looks shocking,expecially from the rear end..
- Aus_poppa
  
  Sorry to say Aussie – there is no V6 version in the USA. That went out with the old model Malibu. Like the Ford Fusion there are Only 4s, with the first Malibu production being hybrid 4s.
Martin

What is the great fascination with Holden? I can never understand why they sell so many cars since they purport to be all about Australia when only recently that more than one of their name plates were actually being built here. It’s not as if Holden is an Australian owned company or anything anymore.
1. They are slow to react to market trends (only just introducing smaller and larger SUVs, hybrid vehicle, proper midsize entrant, and small wagon and still no transit/commercial or 7-seater vans), availability of sat nav in pre-update Cruze, no LED DRL’s (HSV excepted) 2. The korean sourced products never come in number one in any comparisons among their peers (nothing to do with origin – simply a common identifier) 3. Dubious resale value
Someone please explain this to me but without the derogatory comments – I want facts not personal attacks because I don’t understand.
- Tom
  
  I don’t understand where the myth about Holden’s ownership comes from. Holden has been owned by GM since before it built the 48-215, basically its first car, although it built bodies for other companies before this. It’s an Australian company that employs thousands of people. Thankfully many Australians appreciate local products and thus support them. You should also note that the majority of their sales have almost always come from locally built cars.
- Golfmother
  
  Back in the 50′s they conned the public into believing they were the only car tough enough for OZ roads , pure myth , but the loons believed the hype and a legend was born , move forward 60 years and educated well travelled youngsters saw through the lie and woke up , hence the decline .
  
  Their cars are nothing special in todays world , all this carry on about special need for our tough road conditions , bla , try china, africa south america and eastern europe .
  - John
    
    for god’s sake, it’s not just about the road conditions mate.
    - Horsie
      
      well brock did win the redex trial in a commodore , against all sorts of imported cars ?
      - Nasal Explorer
        
        Do they even do Redex trials anymore? This nation was conquered by men on horses. Let’s all get horses!
      - Golfmother
        
        HAH good one .
      - Golfmother
        
        And the first redex was won by a peugeot , funny that , the french have crappy roads just like us .
    - Golfmother
      
      What are these special conditions above roads ?
      
      Off road , well i would not be using anything but serious 4wd , certainly not a crummerdore or falcoon .
  - Frosty
    
    Sounds to me Golfmother that the one who is a loon is you yourself Golfmother. What right have ypu got to classify others who are loyal to a brand a loon? I buy Holden and I am proud of it. I have driven non Holden badged cars including a brand spanking new Camry (complete with foot release handbrake just like I believe Ford still have in some models, something I had in my 70′s model Torana’s) and the Holdens always last longer. You Golfmother are a wannabe snob, someone who believes they are better than everyone else just like Tony Abbottsbad. You must have a alternative motive to post this crap as you really have no idea about cars. For one,this car is also sold as a Opel with only small changes and nothing that would warrant a large price difference for basically the same car. The only thing Korean about this car is the fact that it is built in Koea for our region, that is it.
    - Golfmother
      
      Rather the opel than this piece of junk , lots of recalls in the US already .
      
      A loon is a large diving bird , you get it dont you .
      
      Holdens last longer !, depends on how its serviced driven etc , plenty kark it early in life no different to any other car .
      
      Dont worry julia will save the factory by propping it up with tax payers dollars .
      - Mr Irony
        
        Perhaps you can list all of the “lots of recalls” for us. I am fascinated.
      - Golfmother
        
        Go to autoblog .
      - Dom
        
        Plenty of VW recalls in there as well!!!
    - Zaccy16
      
      its a big only thing that its made in korea! it also looks like all the other cheap korean holdens, at least tony doesn’t embarrass the country and fall over like your beloved ju-liar
      - Captain Nemo®™
        
        Why do you & Bungle always like each others comments all the time? Are you & Bungle brothers? you certainly spell as poorly as each other never seen so many spelling mistakes as you and Bungle make. “paw-est spallers” on CA.
      - Golfmother
        
        We dont have time to spell check, too busy getting out on the B roads delivering taps .
      - Golfmother
        
        I love blasting the B tunnel
Luke Brinsmead

That rear design…?
Tommo617

I forsee that the biggest problem will be Holden salespeople. They were never interested in selling the previous Vectra or the Epica – too close in price to the Commodore, which they get a much larger margin on. I at several dealers across two states to get a test drve in an a Vectra, but was told, and I kid you not, that ‘the guy who deals with those is not here today’ or was just studiously ignored. Several salesmen tried to convince me that ‘I didn’t really want a Vectra, what I really wanted was a Commodore…’

The attitude put me off ever setting foot on a Holden forecourt ever again.
TG

I can’t help but think this will be the Camira for the 21st century.
- Doctor
  
  And about just as good .
Sam

Is there really a ‘gaping hole’ between Commodore and Cruise? Really?
- Sam
  
  **Cruze
Prosl2

Whoever styled it looks like they intended for it to look at bloated as possible… it just looks wrong.

Also, this isn’t plugging any “hole”, because it’s only 3 cm shorter than the Commodore or something. It is absolutely massive.
JD

take Opel Insignia front end, add new tail lights……..ta da… new model
No fears

Taxi?
JamesB

Why the Malibu name for Australia? Holden Bondi, anyone?
545

front looks like a camry
OldBuick

Watch Holdens great marketing and attention to design detail sink this like it is sinking the Cruze. My 2011 Cruze Diesel manual (Ausi built) has the most uncomfortable seat since the mark 1 cortina I had when I was 17 in 1977 or maybe the canvas jobbies in the Mini Moke I had in the early eighties. Other than that a great car. No rattles or squeaks at 31,000km an 5.9L/100km on the drive to work, every tank. They have mostly fixed the seats in the newer Cruze.
I just wonder what GMs lack of attention to detail will do to this car. It is already evident in the disjointed styling. And what is with the GM obsession with gutless under powered cars? The 120KW 360NM 2.0L is OK but a 1.8 slug in a car that weighs as much as an HQ Kingswood?
Real world economy is bloody dreadful in the 1.8 Cruze and the petrol Epica I expect the Malibu will be the same.
R10RRK

If Holden had a brain they would export their cars to the UK ! It would light the competition between Ford and VW especially and I can see them making good money on this.

BMW dominates this segment in the UK for all the right reasons, but I like seeing the heat turn up and even better it would reduce the ugly toyotas even more !
Seriously, they are descent cars, do I need to come there and make a statement to the CEO !!
Bpeszko

I don’t think it’s all that bad. Sure the front looks bland and resembles the Opel Insignia in angles, but the back looks rather attractive. Interior looks pretty good and the engine line-up looks alright. If Holden is able to price this well, it should be able to sell in moderate amounts (300-400/Mth) as opposed to Epica which struggled to hit 100 a month.
- DD
  
  I think it is Opel Insignia…….
- MisterZed
  
  Epica sold 259/month in it’s first year on sale.
Trevor

so which 3 cars were the front middle and back taken from??

because they sure as heck dont seem to mesh together on the maleboob
- Huwtm
  
  They have said that the back was from a Camaro , the boot lid from BMW 7, can’t remember the rest.
Luke Brinsmead

Looks like the love child of the Insigmia and Camaro.
Vectra’s true successor

What about Insignia?

Car Advice

2013 Holden Malibu: all-new medium sedan makes Australian debut

Sponsored Ads

Advanced Options