Why Did Chevy Ax the Malibu Maxx?

We bought a Chevrolet Malibu Maxx in 2005. It was a brand new car. They just came out in 2004 and ours is a 2005. We love it. It fits all of our needs and we got a great deal on it. However, Chevy has already done away with this model. The last ones being made are the 2007, leaving only four short years of this great car.

I really have a hard time understanding why Chevy is doing away with the Malibu Maxx. Every person I've talked to that has one, really likes it. The ride is comfortable, there's plenty of room, and many great features come standard.

The Maxx is almost the exact same length as the regular Malibu. The Maxx takes better advantage of its space, though. If you move the rear seats all the way back, you have a lot more leg room in the Maxx. The backseats have about seven inches that you can move them, forward or back, to create more leg room, or more storage room in the back. The backseats, along with the front passenger seat, also fold down flat. This allows you to haul something very long in the car, without leaving the back gate open. Another great thing about the backseats is that they recline. It's not a feature that we use often, but it's nice to know it's there, if we are taking an adult with us somewhere.

One of the things that I really like about the Malibu Maxx is the way it looks. So many sedans look all the same to me. The Malibu Maxx is refreshing. It has that modern hatchback look. It also makes it pretty easy to spot my car in a parking lot.

The features that come standard on the Malibu Maxx are great too. We have the Maxx LT and it includes a few more standard features than the LS model. We also ended up with a few more than just come standard on the LT, too, because the one we bought was the one they had on display as THE Malibu Maxx. Since it was a display car, it had a few more miles on it than most new cars. So we got it pretty cheap.

All the Malibu Maxx models include a V-6 car engine. They include power windows and power door locks. They all have power adjustable foot pedals. There is also a back skylight included with all models. It has shades that can be snapped into place to block the sun out, or left open to let the sun in. They all also include a car remote start.

Now my specific car also has many more features. We have heated leather seats, which my husband just loves. And while we are speaking of heated, what about those mirrors? Ours are heated. And our inside heating is easy to control with the climate control. We also have a sunroof for when it gets too hot.

The display pannel in the car includes a lot of stuff too. I think this would be a standard feature on all models, but I'm not positive, so I will just say I know it is included in mine. Since it's right there with the radio, of course it includes the XM radio and 6 CD changer display. It also includes average gas mileage, average speed, and oil life, along with two trip counters. It also includes the temperature outside with the touch of a button. It easily converts from standard to metric measures and back again.

One more thing that our car includes is a separate radio for the backseats, along with wireless headphones. Even when we had already had the car for six months we were still finding new features. The car is just loaded!

The reason that we got the Malibu Maxx was because we wanted a four door car that would be easy to get a carseat in and out of. We had a two door Chevy Cavalier but knew that wasn't going to work once we had the baby so we sold it to my sister. We decided to trade in our Dodge Ram, so we needed something that had room for my husband to haul stuff. We found the Malibu Maxx and it met all of our needs. Best of all, it was very affordable.

We have now had ours for a year and a half. We have never had any trouble at all with it. We've even racked up some miles on it with three separate 3000 mile journeys without any problems. The closest thing to a problem we've had is that the the remote start doesn't work from as far away as most. We've never had any problems with it when we get close enough, though.

Before I knew that they had axed the Maxx, I would have definitely recommended it. Now I'm not so sure. Not because it has changed my perception of my own, just because it will make it harder to work on them a few years down the road.