The interior is conservatively styled. Controls on the center dash are conveniently backlit for night driving. The heating and air conditioning controls were a little confusing, however. Likewise, the stereo seemed designed more for style than function, though it worked well. We thought the wipers were a little loud. And the triangularly shaped outside mirrors are small, limiting rearward vision more than we liked.

Otherwise, it's a convenient interior. Lots of nooks and crannies are available for storage, including a center console with a roomy bin, four cupholders, a storage tray and a clip pad. Two 12-volt outlets provide power for whatever needs powering.

Malibu Maxx offers slightly more total passenger space than the sedan, at 106 cubic feet. But more than that, Maxx offers increased versatility. Its rear seat is split 60/40 not only in the back, but in the cushion; and each unit slides fore and aft as much as seven inches to adjust between passenger and cargo room. Rear-seat passengers sit farther back in the Maxx and enjoy nearly identical room as the front-seat occupants, and as much as the rear-seat riders in a full-size domestic sedan. Maxx's rear seatbacks also recline for improved comfort. In short, the back seats of the Maxx are a comfortable place for adults.

Standard in the Maxx is a fixed skylight over the rear seating area, so rear-seat passengers can see clouds by day and stars by night. Or they can close their individual sunshades.

Back in the cargo bay, Maxx provides 22.8 cubic feet of space, vs. 15.4 for the trunk of the sedan. Fold down Maxx's back seats and the available space expands to 41 cubic feet. There's a 12-volt power outlet way in the back in addition to the two up front that it shares with the sedan. A four-position shelf in back can be configured for two-tier loading or as a table for roadside picnics. And of course the one-piece liftgate with remote power release allows you to load objects like appliances that would never squeeze through the sedan's conventional trunk opening.

The biggest problem with the Malibu's interior, whether sedan or Maxx, is its inconsistency. Some interior parts are made from very high quality materials, such as the soft rubber door handles, which reminded us of Volkswagen, the benchmark for interiors. Yet, other parts, such as the plastic surrounding the audio and climate controls, appear hard and cheap. The ceiling area above the visors was lumpy, and the edges of the ceiling fabric where it was supposed to tuck into the trim was ragged; the handle for the lumbar support felt flimsy, and the seat fabric puckered. Our test cars were pre-production models and some of the finer points may be worked out in production. Still, we didn't feel the interior materials and workmanship, in general, measured up to the craftsmanship of a Honda or Toyota.

The Malibu is designed well for safety. Dual-stage frontal airbags and three-point safety belts are provided for all occupants, of course, with safety belt pretensioners for front-seat passengers that cinch the belts tighter in a crash. The universal child-seat attachment is located in all rear seating positions. Anti-lock brakes and traction control are optional on the base model and standard on the LS and LT. Power adjustable pedals are standard on the up-level models. For 2005, Chevrolet has added seat-mounted side-impact airbags for front-seat passengers in addition to side-curtain airbags for the front and rear seats; this setup is standard on LT and optional ($690) on other models.

A neat option is the remote starter, useful for starting the car from inside the house when it's very cold or very hot outside. To start the Malibu, press the lock button on the remote key fob, then press and hold the remote start button for one and one-half seconds. This two-step process is designed to prevent accidental starting, and is a technique that needs to be understood to start the car without fumbling. It also ensures the vehicle is locked (it can be unlocked by pushing the lock button again on the key fob) and that the anti-theft system engaged; you wouldn't want someone driving off in your car. The remote starter receives an ever-changing radio frequency code, intended to thwart thieves, from the key fob. The vehicle turn signals flash once and the parking lights turn on when the engine begins running, so you'll know.

To drive away after a remote start, the Malibu's ignition key must be placed in the switch and rotated to the Run position. Once the anti-theft device identifies the key, the Malibu will run normally. If the driver doesn't drive off after 10 minutes, the engine shuts off. The car can be re-started with the push of the buttons again. The engine can be stopped by pressing the remote start button on the key fob, by pressing the hazard switch on the Malibu's dashboard, or by turning the ignition key to the off position. GM claims this is the industry's first factory-installed remote start system covered by a car manufacturer's warranty and tied into the vehicle's anti-theft system.