The Detroit Newspapers's view

Nothing is more boring for a newspaper than a company actually doing what it said it would do.

General Motors Corp. promised the world it was going to make a fantastic midsize sedan. We scoffed.

The company said this car would have a world-class interior. The press snickered, while toying with different headlines: “Malibu busts” or “Mali-Snooze.”

We were wrong.

The 2008 Chevrolet Malibu surpasses the hype — it’s better than GM says. And that’s something in today’s hyperbolic marketing campaigns, where over-promising and under-delivering is as common as “The Simpsons” reruns. The Malibu, however, has more journalists dining on crow than any other recently launched vehicle. Allow me to be the next: If this car can’t roll Chevys off the lot, nothing can.

The all-new Malibu, built on GM’s global platform, stands up to the toughest competition in the most cutthroat car segment. It offers a better overall interior than the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord and matches them on the road with its powertrain and handling. This is the midsize car with personality.

My $23,000 2LT test vehicle offered nearly every amenity a driver could want. Only the top-of-the-line LTZ model, which starts at $26,995, offers more. Even that is $1,000 less than a top-of-the-line Accord EX-L, which starts at $28,060.

Heated, power-adjustable seats, keyless entry, 17-inch wheels and a remote start were just the first few things I noticed once I hopped into it. And a quick word on the remote start, which comes with all of the Malibu models: Every car in the world should have this.

Just warm up your car in February while still sipping coffee and watching the “Today” show a few times. It’s a feature you never knew you wanted until you started using it. Kind of like beer.

Beyond the little goodies sprinkled throughout the car, like the back seat power outlet, the interior is clean and flows well from front to rear and from side to side. The entire dash is pushed away from the driver and passenger, creating a very open and serene space. It’s calming inside the Malibu.

The seats are comfortable and provide plenty of leg room, offering 42.2 inches, on par with the Accord and Camry. However, it comes with the largest trunk of the three vehicles.

The two-tone colors make it dramatic, but not distracting. The materials feel well-planned instead of cobbled together at a Chinese resin plant as the Malibu’s predecessor felt.

At night, the Malibu shines. The ambient lighting package adds drama and style. The overhead LEDs cast just enough light to let the driver see the center console and the recessed lighted door handles create additional soft-glowing alcoves. The soft bluish-green light is relaxing on the eyes and never distracting.

‘Wow, this is nice’ Chevy opted to not offer a navigation system with the Malibu, instead providing GM’s turn-by-turn system. I find the $2,000 price tag with most navigation systems ridiculously high, when Google prints out directions for free. And if you’re really that lost, stop at a gas station.

So even without a fancy dashboard map, people will sit in this car and say, “Wow, this is nice.”

Some of that surprise will stem from the fact they have probably driven a previous-generation Malibu from Hertz, Avis or some other rental car company.

While rental fleets help carmakers feed the production beast, they can also snuff out future customers. Most rental fleet regulars are base-model, cheap cars. It’s the worst advertising campaign in the world. Sell cheap cars to companies that make people pay to test-drive them. They never walk away impressed and rarely walk into a showroom later.

But this Malibu is different. I’d rent one, though GM has wisely said it will sell fewer to rental companies.

The ride is just right While I didn’t put the Malibu through rental-car paces, such as seeing if a midsize sedan can curb hop or baja across the beach while carrying 110 percent of its gross vehicle weight, I did push it.

And it responded with vigor. After every tight turn or speedy acceleration, it panted like a cheerful puppy yapping, “Do it again, do it again.”

Much of this response is tied to the car’s rack-and-pinion steering, which felt clean and precise. The electric power steering on my model was very responsive, with a quick return to center. Models with the bigger 3.6-liter engine use rack-and-pinion hydraulic power steering.

My car had more than enough power. It cranked out 169 horsepower and had 160 pound-feet of torque. Despite the car’s hefty weight of 3,600 pounds, it moved along well. Mated to a six-speed automatic transmission — the first four-banger to come with a six-speed automatic in the segment — the car offers quick and clean acceleration, whether trying to bolt off the line to be the first at the next light or when you need a little giddy-up on the highway to get in front of that semi. Downshifts were never jarring and upshifts were well-placed. The 252-horsepower V-6 must be that much more fun.

The ride was the equivalent of Goldilocks finding baby bear’s bed: just right.

This is tied to the Malibu’s new suspension and lengthened wheelbase. The 112.2-inch wheelbase — six inches longer than the previous generation’s — stretches past all of the competitors by at least two inches. And the four-wheel independent suspension includes a MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear. It gobbles up bumps and keeps the Malibu firmly planted on the road. The car’s sturdy frame and other materials, such as spray on sound deadener, laminated steel and composite wheel liners all play a role in making the Malibu’s ride so deafening quiet.

This car is a looker But don’t let the quiet ride fool you. This car is still a looker.

Chevy pushed its wheels out to the corners of the car and extended the car’s greenhouse (that area filled by windows) to give it a lean, fast look. The new face of Chevy includes the large dual port grille and sweeping headlights that move around the corner of the car. It’s a stern expression, but still playful.

The short trunk and cleanly sloping roof add to the car’s charms, making it look more futuristic than the previous model’s sharper edges. It’s cleaned and polished, worthy of the brand’s gold bow tie.

Every piece of metal fits snuggly to the next, inside and out. Not a bad gap here or misaligned piece there — nothing but craftsmanship throughout.

It’s what GM promised when it first started talking about the new Malibu. A car people would notice. A car people would have fun driving. A car that carries forward GM’s promise to attend to the details.

The company is true to its word. The 2008 Malibu is world-class.

Report card

Overall: ****

Exterior: Excellent: Clean and sporty design. Chrome accents add to the car’s elegant looks.

Interior: Excellent: A step ahead of the competition in luxury. Ambient lighting adds to the car’s looks.

Performance: Excellent: Well-mannered on the road and optional six-speed transmission on four-cylinder engine a big bonus.

Safety: Excellent: Full compliment of air bag protection. Standard stability control on upgraded models.

Pros: All-around excellent car and good value for your money.

Cons: No navigation screen.

Scott Burgess is the auto critic for The Detroit News. He can be reached at sburgess@detnews.com.