Women could make up as much as 60 percent of the buyers of the newly redesigned and re-engineered Chevrolet Malibu.

Why shouldn't they?

The 2004 Malibu impresses with its comfortable ride, pleasant appearance, solid platform, more powerful V6 - not to mention its many features and clever new hatchback model.

Would you believe the hatchback Malibu, also known as the Maxx, can provide an unheard-of 41 inches of rear legroom? Some cars don't have that much room for legs in the front seats!

Yes, the 2004 Malibu is like no other Malibu before it.

Lots of features
I describe it this way: Japanese family car styling with largesse of amenities and a bit of European chassis added in. For example, the new Malibu is the only auto in the midsize sedan market offered with a factory-option remote vehicle starter, allowing a driver to start the car and, most importantly, the car's heater without climbing inside a frigid interior.

In fact, a Malibu driver can be snug inside the house, as much as 200 feet away, and activate the remote vehicle starter, all with the vehicle's doors remaining locked to prevent theft. This remote starting feature, which works for cooling a car's interior with the air conditioning, too, is an option that's normally available only as an aftermarket purchase.

How about rear-ceiling skylights? They're standard in the back seat of the Malibu Maxx. Indeed, the five-passenger interior of every Malibu comes with standard driver-seat power height adjustment, too, just the thing to help petite drivers get easily positioned behind the steering wheel.

And optional features include such diverse items as power-adjustable brake and accelerator pedals, OnStar emergency notification system and XM satellite radio. A rear, DVD-based entertainment system is available, too.

Mainstream appeal
If you prefer showy, powerful cars, the Malibu isn't for you.

This new midsize vehicle, available in four- and five-door models, has pleasing but rather plain styling that would be expected from the popular Japanese family cars such as Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

Even the Maxx hatchback, the roomiest hatchback on the market, isn't odd in its styling.

The Malibu isn't the power leader in the midsize segment. But the new V6 is way ahead of the 170-horse V6 with 190 lb.-ft. of torque that was in the 2003 Malibu.

Today's Malibu V6, a 3.5-liter power plant whose design uses overhead valves rather than dual overhead cam technology of the Accord and Camry V6s produces 200 horses and maximum 220 lb. ft. of torque at 3,200 rpm.

The test Malibus, one an upscale sedan, the other a Maxx, used a smooth-running, four-speed automatic transmission as satisfying engine sounds from the V6 were easily heard inside the vehicle. The sounds were accompanied by good power that got me merged into traffic without a hiccup. (CONTINUE...)