Auto Trends

Well, another Christmas has come and gone and it is time to prepare for what will hopefully be a great New Year. But before we close the curtain on 2008, we would like to go over some of the highlights and low points of this past years vehicle selection. This year has been a tough year for all manufacturers, but a few of them managed to rise to the top, while others were scrapping the barrel just hoping to find a few customer scraps thrown their way. We will continue our review with the best and worst of the affordable passenger sedans.

BEST: Chevrolet Malibu

2008 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ, originally uploaded by JDPower.com Photography

The Malibu name has been around awhile, and it looks like it will remain that way as long as Chevrolet continues to listen to its customers. The Malibu features attractive styling, roomy interior, excellent fit and finish, decent handling and performance characteristics (especially in the 3.6 liter), and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to get in on some of this action. It is not often the greatest consumer gripe in a vehicle is something as simple as the lack of a rear center armrest, but this is among the greatest disappointments of the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu.

Okay, it’s not perfect by any means. It does still have a few bits of cheap interior plastics left over from the old model. The base V-6 is not quite as nimble and quick as we’d like, but for its price class, the Malibu has a much more dignified, professional aura. It whispers ‘mid-level executive’ to other drivers, rather than ‘dorky tourist on holiday in budget rental car’. It is within a tough class of award winning vehicles, such as the redesigned Honda Accord, but due to its ability to rise to the top so quickly, we felt it deserved a little more praise than a few other vehicles who have been at the top for awhile now.

Vehicle: Malibu

Base Price: $20,000 to $27,000

Available Engines:

2.4 liter V-6, 169 horsepower, 160 lb-ft torque

3.6 liter V-6, 252 horsepower, 251 lb-ft torque

Transmission: 4-speed auto/manual (6-speed optional)

Dimensions:

Wheelbase: 112 inches

Length: 191 inches

Height: 57 inches

Curb Weight: 3,415 to 3,500 pounds

EPA Fuel Economy: 17 to 22 MPG City

WORST: Chrysler Sebring (Dodge Avenger)

originally uploaded by Kevin Ward

While there is no real loser in this category this year, we present the worst family sedan award to the Chrysler Sebring for its clear lack of effort. It has been written by other reviewers that the 2008 Sebring is about as exciting as a naturally born mid-size rental car, and for once we agree! Your most fun behind the wheel of this Chrysler will be listening to the booming sound system, playing around with the nifty navigation system, or if you happen to spring for the coupe convertible, playing with the retractable hardtop while feeling the cool winter breeze in your hair. Other than these three uplifting moments, you will probably be wondering why on earth you purchased this vehicle.

Its design is relatively unmotivated, its handling characteristics are geriatric, its performance is relatively weak, and its fuel economy is down right embarrassing, especially for the 235 horsepower V-6 which achieves less MPG than the 300-plus horsepower Ford Mustang a Chevrolet Corvette. If your going to burn dollar bills at the gas pump, you should at least have a little fun doing it, and “fun” is really not a part of the Sedan version of the Sebring’s vocabulary. It does have a 5 star rating for front end collisions and features stability control and an AWD option, but this just wasn’t enough to save it from the fate of worst affordable passenger sedan for 2008.

Vehicle: Sebring

Base Price: starting at $20,000 to $33,000

Available Engines:

2.4 liter Inline 4-cylinder, 173 horsepower, 166 lb-ft torque

2.7 liter V-6, 186 horsepower, 191 lb-ft torque

3.5 liter V-6, 235 horsepower, 232 lb-ft torque

Transmission: 4-speed automatic (6-speed auto optional)

Dimensions:

Wheelbase: 109 inches

Length: 190 inches

Height: 59 inches

Curb Weight: 3,300 to 3,700 pounds

EPA Fuel Economy: 15 to 21 MPG city