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Show Thursday, November 23, 2006 SPRINGVILLE HERALD 17 Sixth Gear; 2007 Chevy Malibu SS Daniel Souza STAFF WRITER There's chips and salsa and then there's chips, salsa sal-sa and habanero sauce. If you are not familiar with the last item on this recipe, you should try the potent habanero sauce next time you go by a Latin store. It has a kick to it; or better, a kick, a punch and a few jabs. By now you may be wondering how that relates re-lates with the '07 Mailbu SS at all. Well, unlike the regular (and weakest) 2.2L fourylinder Malibu available, avail-able, this week's test drive made me remember of the first time I tried habanero sauce. Considering that I don't handle spicy food very well now that I look back, it wasn't a very wise decision this is not the culinary cu-linary section of the paper. As for the spiced up SS, I can take a 3.9L V-6 with variable valve timing rated at 240 horsepower and 240 lb.-ft. of torque any day. According to Chevrolet, the SS models' 3.9L V-6 is the first production variant of GM Powertrain's sophisticated sophis-ticated 60-degree V-6 OHV engine family, which is designed de-signed to deliver smoothness smooth-ness and quality while balancing strong perior al - mance and economy. The problem with the last statement state-ment hangs around the word economy. The Malibu Mal-ibu SS didn't prove to follow fol-low its EPA guide recommendation recom-mendation of 19 mpg for city. It stayed around 16.5 mpg. Sure I had to use up the spice available in its engine en-gine for that rocket-launch feel off the line which is definitely not the most eco-nomical eco-nomical approach for in city driving but let's also keep in mind that Chevy Tahoe also hovers around 17 mpg for in city driving. . Power from the 3.9L V-6 V-6 is channeled to the front wheels through the Hy-dra-Matic 4T65 electronically electroni-cally controlled four-speed automatic transmission. Power from the 3.9L V-6 is channeled to the front wheels through the Hydra-Matic Hydra-Matic 4T65 electronically controlled four-speed automatic au-tomatic transmission. It is . designed for high torque loads and consistent performance per-formance and durability. It also features a manual shift . mode and an aggressive 3.69 final drive ratio that enhances the performance driving characteristics of the Malibu SS and Malibu Maxx SS. Firmer," more responsive respon-sive suspension systems elevate the driver's feeling feel-ing of control and feedback. feed-back. New springs in the front and rear are stiffer and work with specially valved struts and shocks to increase damping and response. The diameter of the front and rear stabilizer stabiliz-er bars has been increased, as well, to help reduce body lean while cornering. Also, a variable-ratio, hy-draulically hy-draulically assisted rack-and-pinion steering system provides precise steering feel to create an "on rails" driving experience. While has accomplished a "great job" rating in the powerplant of the SS, its interior still lacks refinement. refine-ment. Our test drive came equipped with leather seats, but a disappointing plastic-filled interior dash and components. As for the outside, the new front fascias incorporate the large and low grille open ing, with a black cross-! hatch grille pattern with gold center Chevy bowtie emblem, projector beam fog lamps, and a prominent promi-nent "chin" spoiler. The, grille surround comes in a , platinum finish rather than ' the chrome surround of ' other Malibu models. The ' rear fascias provide a taut-" er overall look to the ve- hides, accenting their per-( formance stance, as well; as incorporating cut-outs for the dual chrome-tipped . 3.5-inch exhaust outlets, all of course topped with a set of 18-inch flangeless aluminum alumi-num wheels. If you like to enjoy an edgier lifestyle than this vehicle is for you. Other wise, get some bread and ; water, because it just may be a little too spicy. ' Base Price -$17,805 Price as tested -$23,410 Daniel Souza can be" reached at sixth.gear heraldgmail.com or leave ' at comment on his blog' at http:sixthgearherald. blogspot.com l3i L3VJ mmwmm mix The Spring Herald OFFERS A DAILY MTC Dpi h,fpi' ,nir,i ICLIWfcKW 2IEK WILeE mat hh W mm wm m tW mm mwk W m wSi m w Drop packages off by 4:00 p.m. for same day service! $1.50 per package. 269 E. 400 S. or call 489-5651 for INFO D Johnson Tire 489-5621 610 N. Main - Springville We accept all competitors coupons on service work! I 1 WE DO: i NOW I .Alignments -Mufflers , I OPEN ' -Brakes 'Emissions b ati i nt avcI -Tune-Ups 'Inspections pATUKLlATS .starters -Custom Wheels ( j -Radiators -Alternators mm 224 South Main Street Springville, UT 84663 M-F 9 to 7 Sat. 9 to 5 801.491.9744 store4759theupsstore.com www.theupsstore.com "Full Service Copies at Self Service Prices!" 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