Once upon a time, the global General Motor giant called its German Opel division and ask for a favor. The German engineers had created a mid sized, front wheel drive car that could be adapted to the American market with minimal changes. The range of body styles was reduced to just a four door sedan and a five door hatchback (but they didn't call it that, of course). The sheet metal was left almost as is, the grill was changed to look like a Chevy. And the range of under 2.0 Liter four cylinder gas and diesel engines that Europeans liked became a larger four and a choice of two V-6s. The choice of transmissions shrank to one, and even the base model was equipped with automatic, power options, stereo, and a/c. The fold down rear seat made even the compact car flexible to carry loads. The larger V-6 engine in the relatively small and package made for surprising performance. It may be an oxymoron, but it's possible to drive a German engineered sporty four door made by Chevrolet.

The Chevy Malibu is a somewhat reliable car. There is a real issue with the design of the vehicle itself, but its reliability makes up for some of these concerns. It's a decent vehicle for the price, but its technical flaws outweigh a lot of its benefits.