not a malibu story, but at least a GM rental story: my family once rented a Pontiac Grand Prix (probably a 99). Now you'd think given this car's weight and size and V6 that it could handle a family of four and some luggage. nope, suspension was bottoming out like there was no tomorrow, and it was slower than my 4 cylinder accord WAGON with the same people and luggage. we made a trip with even more luggage the next summer in our old Civic, which handled the load just fine, and pulled us up the grapevine on I5 pretty well, too. seats were more comfotable, too.
old 4 cylinder civics and accords > new V6 pontiac
one nice thing about the pontiac was the cigarette lighters worked when the car was off, which was good for cd players and things.