Just when you’re about to give up entirely on domestics’ ability to compete in the midsize class, along comes the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. A car that debuts at the top of its class, the Malibu has the looks, equipment, power and refinement to take the Japanese leaders head-on, and even take some of them to the cleaners. The only hard part for GM will be convincing skeptical buyers, burned for decades by Chevy’s lousy midsizers, that the Malibu is really worth a test drive. But once customers get behind the wheel, the Malibu is good enough that it sells itself.