Celebrating Pokemon Day and Where the Franchise Will Go Next

Happy Pokémon Day everybody!  To help celebrate Pokémon's 20th anniversary, Nintendo released a minute long advertisement during the Super Bowl earlier this month.  Unfortunately, the commercial didn't reveal much about upcoming products, but it does leave viewers with something to think about regarding how the Pokémon franchise might evolve over the next 20 years. 

The commercial begins with a young boy approaching a crowd who is apparently watching a Pokémon battle.  We see the glimpse of a wing and a flamethrower attack through the surrounding audience.  The boy, clearly inspired, whispers out loud, "I can do that," and begins training.  Footage of the boy running along a mountain is seen on television by a girl who afterwards says to herself, "I can do that."  She then goes on to win a series of chess games.  An internet video of the girl is seen by a football player.  He later gives an inspirational speech to his team, ending with a battle cry of, "We can do this!"  A news reel of the football player is seen by a young Japanese man who also says, "I can do that."  He then enters an arena that is shown to be a Pokémon battle field.  After seeing his opponent's Charizard, Gyarados, Magneton, and Mega Lucario, he throws out a Poké Ball of his own.  Before we can see what Pokémon he chooses, the image cuts to a father and son watching the match from home with their Pikachu.  The father whispers to his son, "You can do that," and the final shot lingers on the son's wide eyes before transitioning to the Pokémon 20th anniversary logo. 

It is the end of the commercial that raises the most interesting possibilities.  I think the idea of live action Pokémon is fantastic.  It would be a great direction for the franchise that would really shake things up.  Does Pokémon have the courage to do something like that?  Probably not, but they have taken small steps outside of their comfort zone before. 

I'll close by giving my thoughts about the final scene of the commercial, that being the father and son watching the Pokémon battle on TV.  I know I am not the only one who thinks that the father is meant to be Ash Ketchum.  For one thing, the man has dark hair, like Ash.  He is also wearing a blue shirt.  Blue has been a traditional color of Ash's outfits every season.  The boy sitting next to him looks almost exactly how I would imagine a real Ash Ketchum to look, especially with his dark, messy hair.  The Pikachu next to them is pretty much the final confirmation of this theory.  I know that the Pokémon anime is really pushing Ash and Serena's relationship.  This commercial would appear to be a look into the future of their family, with Ash getting their son ready to be a Pokémon trainer someday.

That being said, this is my challenge for Pokémon moving forward: After Generation Six concludes with Ash winning the Kalos league, he will start a serious relationship with Serena.  Several years later, they will have one or more children who are interested in becoming Pokémon trainers.  I would like Pokémon to make a movie or TV series following those children on their journey, while their parents provide wisdom and encouragement to help them along. 

The Pokémon franchise is now twenty years old.  An entire generation grew up with Pokémon, and is now of the age where they would be looking to have children of their own.  What better way to keep Pokémon in the family than to have a series that shows an older generation help a new one feel the rush that Pokémon brought to them many years ago.

Remembering Scion

A selection of Scions at the 2009 Boston Auto Show

I remember when I saw my first Scion on the road.  The model in question was an xB, and my initial reaction was something along the lines of, "What on earth is that?"  A boxy car was not a complete revelation at the time.  In 2003, Honda was also selling its Element small SUV; but this car took the straight edged two-box concept to a new level.  My first close look at one revealed this new mystery car to be a Scion, a name I had never heard before.  Some research on my part revealed that this was an entirely new brand created by Toyota in an effort to appeal to a younger demographic.


Today I learned that as of August 2016, the Scion brand will cease to operate.  All existing and upcoming products will be folded into the Toyota lineup.  Scion's demise was predicted by many pundits in the automotive industry, citing slumping sales and middling products, but the official announcement still comes as a shock.


The business plan for Scion was shrewd.  Scion dealers promised a haggle-free buying process for budget minded young car purchasers.  Many models were offered in one specification with a wide variety of aftermarket accessories available for those looking to personalize their car.  At first, the brand was successful.  Scion customers were indeed younger than average.  Even today, the average age of a Scion buyer is 36.  The tC coupe average buyer age is 29, and half of iA sedan and iM hatchback buyers are under 35. 


Toyota North America CEO Jim Lentz looks at the whole situation positively.  "This isn't a step backward for Scion, it's a leap forward for Toyota.  I was there when we established Scion and our goal was to make Toyota and our dealers stronger by learning how to better attract and engage young customers.  I'm very proud because that's exactly what we have accomplished."


Lentz has a point.  Scion, for its part, made Toyota relevant again.  Over 70 percent of Scion customers were new to the Toyota family.  At the time of the Scion's introduction, Toyota was a dowdy purveyor of soulless appliances.  The Supra was a distant memory, and the Celica and MR2 Spyder were on their way out.  In recent years, however, Toyota has given its cars sportier appearances with the J-Playful design language, and invested heavily in marketing cars like the Yaris and Corolla to younger audiences.  Bob Carter, senior vice president of operations for Toyota Motor Sales told Automotive News today that the time was right to close Scion.  "Today, youth buyers are in a completely different position than they were 13 years ago."  He acknowledges that Toyota has now become an aspirational brand for many, meaning that the reason for Scion to exist doesn't apply anymore.


The consolidation of Scion will have little impact from a consumer standpoint.  The iA, iM, and FR-S will wear Toyota badges for the 2017 model year, and the tC was on the chopping block after 2016 anyway.  The upcoming C-HR compact crossover will be sold as a Toyota, too.  What will be interesting to see is whether the model names themselves will change as well.  The iM is badged as a Toyota Auris in overseas markets, and the FR-S is also known as the Toyota GT86.  People could probably care less about the Auris, but I'm sure the prospect of the return of the legendary 86 name will have a good number of fanboys squealing.

Takeaways from the Boston Auto Show

The 2016 New England International Auto Show has wrapped up.  It was a big year for new cars and the display stands in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center did not disappoint.  What follows is a selection of noteworthy cars from a variety of manufacturers.

First up is the Porsche Cayman GT4.  Porsche's junior track day car uses the 3.8 liter flat six engine straight from the Carrera S tuned to make 385 horsepower.  It's an increase of 45 horsepower over the Cayman GTS and 35 more than the base 911.  With a price of $85,595, it is by far the most expensive Cayman available.  If you needed any further conviction of this car's desire to be carving up race circuits, the GT4 is only offered with a manual transmission.

 
On the topic of high performance variants, here is a prototype of the 2017 Ford Focus RS.  This is the first RS model ever sold in the United States.  Like the GT4, the Focus RS is manual only.  It is also the only Focus to offer all wheel drive.  It's going to need it to get all 350 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque from its 2.3 liter turbocharged engine.  With a price around $35,000, it competes directly with formidable cars such as the Volkswagen Golf R and the Subaru WRX STI.

I've already covered the Lexus GS F here in my analysis of Lexus's hoverboard commercial, but this is my first time seeing the car in person.  I have to say it looks fantastic, and if you've seen the gorgeous Lexus LC500 recently unveiled in Detroit, you'll understand why I believe Lexus is a force to be reckoned with. 

It's a new Civic, which is a big deal considering Honda sold over 275,000 of them in 2015.  It also addresses the criticisms of the previous ninth generation Civic, especially regarding the dowdy exterior and the cheap interior trim.  The new model has a wheelbase 1.2 inches longer than before and rides on a platform shared with the next Accord.  New this year is a turbocharged 1.5 liter engine in upper level trims.  So far things are off to a good start.  The 2016 Civic was awarded North American Car of the Year. 

Call me surprised when I wandered by the Chrysler show stand and saw this on display.  The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica was just unveiled to the entire world at Detroit earlier in the week.  I never dreamed it would be at Boston for another year.  The Pacifica is the replacement for the outgoing Town and Country.  The Pacifica name last appeared on a crossover that died in 2008, about when Chrysler itself faced the grim reaper.  New sheetmetal is only the beginning of the improvements.  Chrysler promises class leading aerodynamics, ride and handling, and NVH levels.  Most interesting is a plug in hybrid model with an estimated 80 mpg-e city rating and up to 30 miles on pure electric power.  In total the Pacifica Hybrid should have a gasoline plus electric range of 530 miles.

Chevrolet has a lot to be proud about with the all new 2016 Malibu.  It puts its predecessor to shame in nearly every way.  I was excited to see what three generations of evolution had done to my car.  As you know, I love my Malibu Maxx SS.  Unfortunately, no high performance variant of this Malibu is in the cards, although there is a hybrid model with an estimated 48 mpg city and 45 mpg highway.  After sitting in one, I can comfortable say that I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to place this new one in my garage.

   Finally, here is the New England debut of the all new Lincoln Continental.  It is important to understand that Lincoln is desperately trying to reinvent itself.  Slowly but surely, it is shedding its decades old reputation as a purveyor of tinseled-up Fords.  The MKC and MKX were positive steps in the right direction, but things kick up to another level with the Continental.  In addition to a return to real names, the Continental is the only Lincoln without a direct counterpart in the Ford stable.  The car rides on a stretched Fusion platform and comes with an exclusive 3.0 liter twin turbo V6.  Lincoln places comfort as a higher priority than outright sportiness.  All seats feature heating, cooling, reclining, and massage functions.  A full suite of connectivity features including Ford's latest Sync 3, Apple Carplay, and Android Auto. It's a good showing, and the Continental is a worthy flagship for the Lincoln brand.   

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Review

One little word makes a lot of difference.  In this case it is the simple word "the" which separates the Star Wars cartoon series I reviewed last month with the one I will review today.  Although they take place at the same time in the Star Wars universe, they could not be more different.  As I will delve into during this review, this series has many things to applaud as well as some shortcomings.  Choosing which Clone Wars series is better becomes a matter of personal taste.  For today, I will focus on the 2008 CGI series created in house by Lucasfilm.


To introduce audiences to the new Clone Wars project, Lucasfilm released a theatrical movie in August 2008.  The film centered on Anakin Skywalker and his new Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, leading a mission to rescue Jabba the Hutt's son from the clutches of the Separatists.  Along the way, other characters such as Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padme Amidala, Count Dooku, and Asajj Ventress play supporting roles in helping or hindering the mission.  The film received negative reviews from critics, with common complaints centering on the bland dialogue and the bizarre, wooden animation style.  It probably wasn't the best introduction to a new era in Star Wars, and put a lot of fans on their guard during the debut of the television series.  I watched the first episode of the TV show with an open mind and came away satisfied.  I was excited to see how the series would continue to develop.


As I mentioned in my last post, one of the things I liked about the 2003 Clone Wars series is how it shed some light on events that take place between the movies.  The newer series does the same thing in even greater detail.  With a full half hour to play with, characters, locations, and events can be developed thoroughly every episode.  Unlike the first Clone Wars series, battles are shown in their entirety.  Viewers see characters strategize and fulfill mission objectives to gain an edge in the conflict.  New planets are introduced in several episodes with great physical and cultural geography established so that viewers can build a complete picture of the world in their minds. 


We also get to see a new side of several classic characters which helps supplement existing material.  Obi-Wan is given a love interest in the form of Duchess Satine of Mandalore.  The big takeaway from this is that even though Obi-Wan can be tempted by love, he is able to keep his feelings under control and understand that his duties as a Jedi come first.  That being said, if Anakin had confided knowledge of his marriage to Padme with Obi-Wan instead of Palpatine, Obi-Wan might have been able to help Anakin sort through his conflicted emotions.  Asajj Ventress is given a more complete backstory and is better developed as a character in this series.  Anakin's dark side is explored in several intriguing story arcs, further foreshadowing his transformation into Darth Vader.  Boba Fett begins his career as a bounty hunter.  Even Jar Jar gets some chances to show his surprising competence.   


One thing I liked in this series was the level of character development given to the clone troopers.  Although the movies portray the clones not much differently than the droids they battle against, there are several episodes in The Clone Wars where the main focus is on the clones themselves.  We see clones who choose to betray the Republic, desert from the fighting, and make selfless sacrifices for their comrades.  These make for interesting plot points, but I think a greater message is trying to peek through here.  The clones were grown in laboratories, but they are still living beings.  Each episode that focuses on the clones brings out the personal struggle each one has about coming to terms with what it means to be human.  They are not programmed.  They are not droids.  They can make their own decisions and think on their own.  Humanizing the clones makes it fun to root for them, and viewers grow to care for the clones in ways that are simply impossible from just watching the movies. 


Aspects of galactic life outside the battlefield are given a look, helping better explain how the Galactic Republic crumbled from within.  One story arc follows Padme as she fights legislation to funnel more money to the military efforts at the detriment of Republic citizens.  Another deals with criticism of the Jedi, and how they have betrayed their ideals by fighting in the Clone Wars.  All of these storylines help explain how Palpatine successfully manipulated the galaxy to create an environment where the Empire can be born.


If I were to knock The Clone Wars for anything, it would be for the complications it introduced to the overall story of Star Wars.  Ahsoka Tano is a well developed character, and a great role model for young female fans of Star Wars.  Unfortunately, the writers had little choice but to get rid of her somehow before the series concludes.  Otherwise there would be a lot of explaining why someone who has been established as being so close to Anakin is not present during his final fall to the dark side.  I do not fault Ahsoka as a character, but I feel that making her Anakin's Padawan was not without its risks.  Other material from the Clone War era firmly establishes Anakin and Obi-Wan as the driving force behind the narrative.  They are, for all intensive purposes, the dynamic duo.  As I said in my last post, the movies don't elaborate too much on why or how Anakin sees Obi-Wan as a father, brother, and friend.  That relationship is explained in far greater detail in both Clone Wars TV series as well as the Expanded Universe novels.  However, with the movies as constraints, no other material placed another character front and center with those two.  Lucasfilm took a big gamble by giving Anakin a Padawan in this series, and it worked, for the most part.  I think the writers handled Ahsoka's departure from the series with as much respect for the fans as possible, but I also feel that it was a solution for a problem that didn't need to exist in the first place.


I may come off as a hater in that last paragraph, so I would like to stress that there is more to like about Ahsoka than there is to dislike.  In a way, Ahsoka's growth and development as a character is symbolic of the improvements made to the entire series over the years.  The early seasons had some goofy episodes that while fun to watch, didn't really feel like Star Wars.  Around the third season, the series really hit its stride, producing thoughtful and compelling story arcs that brought out the best in the animators, the actors, and the writers.  After five seasons, I thought The Clone Wars had got it all right.  When the sixth season of The Clone Wars was announced, I was excited to see how it would tie up remaining loose ends before the events of Revenge of the Sith.


It's therefore very sad that the series came to such an ignoble end.  The buyout of Lucasfilm by Disney resulted in the sixth season being the final season of the series.  In addition, many story arcs were cut out and the remaining episodes were released on Netflix.  The end of The Clone Wars was precipitated by Disney's desire for the team to direct its focus on a new series called Star Wars: Rebels.  On a positive note, arcs that did not get finished were released as story reels or print publications as part of The Clone Wars Legacy project.


If you are a fan of Star Wars, I highly recommend you watch this series if you haven't already.  It might seem a little silly at times, but the overall product is one of the most complete and engaging Star Wars projects ever created. 

Star Wars: Clone Wars Review

What if I told you to picture a Star Wars cartoon that is shown in three minute segments and was created by the same people who brought us Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, and Samurai Jack.  You might come away thinking how can this possibly be any good, but you will be surprised to find out that it is an immensely pleasurable series to watch and adds some great material to the Star Wars universe, a universe that has just been expanded with the highly anticipated release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. 


Clone Wars was created in 2003 by Genndy Tartakovsky, and is set a few months after Star Wars Episode II.  The Jedi are leading the new Grand Army of the Republic against the Separatist droid army on multiple worlds.  The primary focus is on Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi, although a few other characters receive feature episodes of their own.  Along the way, Anakin becomes a Jedi knight and experiences tests of character that foreshadow his eventual fall to the dark side.


For each episode's short length it is incredible how much Tartakovsky was able to fit into each episode.  Viewers are given just enough material to be left satisfied while eagerly anticipating the next installment.  One of the biggest shortcomings of the theatrical movies is how much the Clone Wars is overlooked.  The first battle of the Clone Wars take place near the end of Attack of the Clones, while only a few final battles are given attention in Revenge of the Sith.  There is a three year gap that leaves viewers wondering what happened in between, and how exactly the Clone Wars became the stuff of legend that Luke Skywalker asks Obi Wan about in A New Hope. 


Star Wars: Clone Wars is great in that it successfully bridges the gap between Episode II and Episode III.  Episode III starts with Obi Wan and Anakin leading a mission to rescue Chancellor Palpatine from the clutches of the Separatists over Coruscant.  If you only watch the movies, you might be wondering how Palpatine managed to get captured.  In Clone Wars, we see the entire battle of Coruscant unfold and watch the evil General Grievous fight off the Jedi and escape with Palpatine.


Speaking of Grievous, he was first introduced to the Star Wars universe about halfway through this series, and was easily one of the coolest characters of the show.  Viewers see him in his debut episode fighting six Jedi at once and handily defeating them without breaking a sweat.  Grievous does things with lightsabers that I had never seen before, tossing them from his hands to his feet in a deadly breakdance to gain an edge in the fight.  After watching Clone Wars, I fully understand why Grievous' name is spoken in fear, if this portrayal is anything to go by. 


Another new character first introduced in this series is Asajj Ventress.  She is recruited by Count Dooku and Darth Sidious to kill Anakin Skywalker.  She lures Anakin to Yavin IV and engages him in a ferocious duel that is shown over the course of three episodes.  Anakin is finally able to defeat her after tapping into the dark side of the Force, and he angrily watches her fall into an abyss.  It is clear that Ventress was little more than a pawn in Sidious' scheme to see how willing Anakin would be to use the dark side to defeat an opponent.


The series has an epic conclusion with Anakin and Obi Wan travelling to the planet Nelvaan to find General Grievous, but instead Anakin sets out on a quest to rescue of a group of Nelvaanians who have been mutated by the Separatist-aligned Techno Union.  Obi Wan muses that this will be an important test of Anakin's character, and indeed Anakin has a vision of himself becoming Darth Vader in a cave.  Anakin is able to free the Nelvaanians, but only after once again drawing on his anger to defeat the Techno Union scientists.  Meanwhile Grievous leads a massive invasion fleet to the Republic capital of Coruscant and kidnaps Supreme Chancellor Palpatine despite the best efforts of Yoda and Mace Windu.  The ending scene shows Windu contacting Obi Wan and Anakin asking them to rescue the Chancellor, thus leading directly into Revenge of the Sith.  


Fans and critics alike praised Star Wars: Clone Wars.  Each season won an Emmy award for Outstanding Animated Program, and the final season won an Annie award for Best Animated Television Production.  Unfortunately, Clone Wars was deemed non canon in the official Star Wars universe after Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012.  The series is now classified under the Star Wars Legends banner, along with several novelizations and video games.  This is a shame since Clone Wars added so much depth to the Star Wars saga and introduced a number of great characters while performing a deeper exploration of existing ones.  The series got a reboot of sorts with the 2008 film, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the accompanying CGI animated TV series.  I will publish my review of that series sometime next month.     

Calvin and Hobbes Retrospective

It seems incredible to believe, but this Wednesday marked the thirtieth anniversary of the syndication of the first Calvin and Hobbes strip by Bill Watterson. Calvin and Hobbes is arguably one of the greatest comic strips of all time, and it was a major part of my childhood. I am extremely thankful to my dad for sharing his collection of Calvin and Hobbes books with me, because many aspects of my understanding of the world and my childhood interests were influenced by paging through those books.

Like Calvin, I am very interested in dinosaurs. Walking with Dinosaurs had just come out when my dad first showed me his Calvin and Hobbes books, and I was immediately attracted to the dinosaur fantasy sequences. It is interesting to compare Bill Watterson's early dinosaur strips to his later ones. At first, the dinosaurs appeared in a very cartoony style, but as the strip evolved, the dinosaurs were drawn with greater scientific accuracy. 

Another of my interests was outer space, and the Spaceman Spiff fantasies blended with my own fascination with space exploration. Spaceman Spiff was one factor that helped inspire me to write my own superhero adventure books. My sister and I enjoyed reading Calvin and Hobbes together, and we started a club based on Calvin's Get Rid Of Slimy girlS club. We mostly just sat around in a fort making secret codes and planning grand adventures. It was a lot of fun, and helped us bond as siblings.

I think that everyone who appreciates comics should thumb through a collection of Calvin and Hobbes. There is so much about it that puts today's comic strips to shame. For one thing, the strip is simply amazing to look at. Back when Calvin and Hobbes appeared in newspapers, cartoonists were given an entire page to work with for Sunday strips. This allowed cartoonists to write detailed stories and draw lavish illustrations. It's too bad the current format has reduced available space to such a degree that cartoonists can only put in a couple talking heads within a handful of tiny panels.

Although it was written in the eighties and nineties, there are some political and societal references that have held up the test of time. Of course there are also some exceptions. One dated gag that appears frequently is Calvin's desire to rent a VCR to watch bad movies. But overall, the strip contained some insightful critiques of consumerism, public education, and instant gratification. As a kid, I paid more attention to the pictures and the simpler storylines, but now I look back and see how many of the problems with American culture Watterson pointed out in his strips are still the norm today.

Watterson was a unique individual within the comic strip industry. As opposed to giants like Garfield and Peanuts, Watterson steadfastly refused to merchandise Calvin and Hobbes. He viewed people like Charles Schultz and Jim Davis as sellouts who cheapened the integrity of the comic strip by plastering their characters on all sorts of consumer products. Watterson wrote a detailed account of his experience battling with newspaper syndicates to retain the merchandising rights to his characters in the Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book. Although I personally would love to see some official Calvin and Hobbes products and animation, I respect Watterson's desire to keep his work in the realm of comics. By not allowing Calvin and Hobbes to saturate popular culture, he has maintained the imaginative spirit the strip embodies. This way, everyone reading it takes away something different upon entering the strip's world.

Much like his creator, Calvin is quite unlike any other character in newspaper comics. A collaborative article on Progressive Boink eloquently describes what makes Calvin unique, and I will paraphrase and add my own observations to what it had to say. It is quickly established that Calvin is an intelligent boy, and far from a literal six year old. His vocabulary is very advanced, and I learned many new words from reading Calvin and Hobbes. He is also a mischievous boy, actively doing things he knows to be wrong, but does anyway because they make make him feel good.

More importantly, Calvin is very much alone in his world. He has no social life, he has a difficult relationship with his family, and everyone else he interacts with can't stand him. His one true friend exists only in his imagination. One author remarks that this is not the type of character you make the star of your show, but the strip became extremely popular regardless. I think the reason for this is that Calvin embodies individualism in a world where everyone is expected to conform to some standard. In the strip, Calvin gets pleasure from throwing snowballs at his neighbor, Susie; he fantasizes about blowing up his school with a fighter jet; and when things are too quiet, he throws a water balloon at his mom.

Stuff like this wouldn't fly in today's funny pages, but this is what being a kid is all about. Kids live for Saturday morning cartoons, exploring the wilderness, and finding adventure in ordinary situations. Not everyone is perfect, and Calvin and Hobbes, in the words of the article, "managed to truly express the idea-without being preachy, without being sappy, perhaps even without trying-that it was okay to be different."

I encourage you to read the article on Progressive Boink. It showcases 25 strips which the contributors of the website feel best represent the spirit of the strip. If you like what you see, I also recommend going to your local bookstore and picking up a Calvin and Hobbes collection for yourself. Calvin and Hobbes is unlike anything produced today. It's entertaining, insightful, and suitable for all ages. Happy birthday, Calvin and Hobbes!

My Car

Car enthusiasts are asked a lot of questions.  "What is your favorite car?" or, "what car do you recommend I buy?"  A question that is less frequently asked is, "What kind of car do you have?"  As connoisseurs of automobiles shouldn't it be expected that we own the best cars?  Not necessarily.  Sometimes fate and fortune put less than perfect cars into our possession.  My car is a 2006 Chevy Malibu Maxx SS.  I purchased it from a neighbor who was selling it before a move.  He knew I needed a car and gave me a wonderful deal on it.  I knew it was in excellent condition considering it was washed every weekend and sat on a mat inside my neighbor's garage.  The car became mine on Halloween last year.  Since then, it has become a valued travelling companion as I drive between home, work, and school.


The Malibu Maxx SS was introduced at a time when Chevrolet was proliferating its fabled Super Sport badge.  Cobalts, HHRs, Impalas, Monte Carlos, and even Trailblazers were all getting the SS treatment.  More than just a badge job, the SS transformation included an updated powertrain.  At the heart of that is a 3.9 liter V6 engine making 240 horsepower.  A three spoke leather wrapped steering wheel, sport cloth and leather seats, chrome trimmed instruments, twin exhaust pipes, 18 inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, side skirts, more aggressive front and rear clips and a honeycomb grill complete the visual differentiation from lesser models.


Performance and appearance is secondary to the best part of the Maxx body style, that being the second row seats.  The seat backs recline in three positions and twin skylights with shades are much appreciated by occupants.  Cargo capacity is a generous 23 cubic feet with the seats up and 41 cubic feet with the seats down.


The thing that I like the most about the Malibu Maxx SS is how exclusive it is.  At best guess based on searching the Internet, only 2,899 were built in 2006 and 2,636 were sold.  The car was only on sale for two years, so it can be estimated that no more than six thousand were ever built.  Indeed I only ever recall seeing one other on the road.  The driver of the other one gave me a friendly honk in acknowledgement as he drove past. 


Everyone wants a flashy sports car to drive around in, but that is not always the most practical choice for certain climates.  I am very happy with my car.  It is a rare vehicle that I enjoy driving, and I hope it will serve me well for several more years.