Thoughts on the Chevy Malibu?

[nerp]

There's a reason why I never bothered to test drive or even consider the Chrysler 300.


And you are exaggerating big time. I'm 5'11" and have never felt like I was hitting the windshield in my Camry. Oh, and show me one other car in this segment that doesn't have a plastic molded dash and has real stitching in the dash.

It's a top selling car because it is reliable and fuel efficient and people want cars like this especially if they are driving long distances on a daily basis.

I was tempted by the Ford Fusion Hybrid but didn't test drive one because they were fairly new to the marketplace (the new ones, not the older body style-I had no interest in that car) and finding one let alone getting a good price on one was impossible. Besides, you have to deal with Ford dealership sales goons and I've had bad experiences with this in the not so distant past.

The 2012 I drove wasn't a hyrbid. It was a 4 cylinder that got worse mileage than my 300 HP Charger, which I average an easy 25 with normal driving. On the highway I average 30 to 34 and it's very comfy for long distance hauls. I'm willing to give up some mpg for power and comfort as many people are.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Not to discount your opinion, but the Malibu from 2004 is a completely different animal than one from the past 2-3 years.

Yes, I have heard that. And I hope it is. But, the name still inspires a very strong loathing from me, so I had to rant about it.

 

[Jimzz]

Wait, you mean the malibu that has basically looked the same for a long time? To me it looks like the same boring chevy design they have had for ages. Unlike the Impala which I think looks fantastic. I actually feel bad for car makers. If they go out and design a beautiful car people will complain that its not boring enough. I just bought a Fusion because i think its the best looking car on the road today(at least ones that i can afford). I want to reward Ford for actually completely blowing up a design and starting from scratch. The old and the new so completely different and i feel that car manufacturers usually have to play it safe to much and just do small changes to their current design.

The current Malibu they have the "stylish", off looking IMO, tail lights and they made it a little smaller than the last Malibu, lot of complaints over that.

So it does not have to be a lot to turn off a buyer.
Look how many complained about the C7 rear end. Mind you sales will not be really hurt but that's more to do with it being a new Gen Corvette.


I like the new fusion. Its very unique though, so its either going to be a hit or scare off buyers. So far the sales have been flat compared to the last model so not a dud and sales are holding steady. So still a win for Ford.

 

[bguile]

My wife's 2005 Malibu... Well, lets not go there.

I've now driven around ten or so of the new Malibu's as rentals. I haven't been impressed with the ride, or the comfort. View rearward is horrible, and at 6'2" I found getting in and out of the thing somewhat cumbersome.

Funny thing is, I've rented a lot of Cruzes and I prefer them over the Malibu and if you are concerned about mpg then maybe you should look at the Cruze. I'm not impressed with the fit and finish on them either, but for a mid-size economy sedan, it is about right and I have been very impressed with the mpg on them... Gas will get expensive again you know.

I know it comes down to personal taste, but for me the Malibu is a no sale... There are far better cars for the same coin from other brands. I know you didn't like the Fords, but to me they feel better put together. Is Mazda and Subaru out?

I do agree that rear visibility on the Malibu isn't ideal. I am 6'0 and didn't really notice any problems getting in and out.

Subaru most likely is out. I haven't driven one, but the legacy seems expensive, and while having AWD would be nice, I have been getting around just fine with FWD for years in Michigan weather.

Mazda I want to test drive, just haven't gotten around to it. I really like the look of the newer 6's. That Kodo design or whatever its called. I was interested in the diesel version, but that won't be out till spring and I don't think I can wait that long. I need to be in a new car by March at the latest.

As for Fords, I don't hate them. I have driven Fords for a long time, since my Dad worked for them. My recent experience with Fords is that they run fine till about 100-120k then they all fall apart. This happened to 3 late 90's early 2000 model Fords cars in my family. After a certain point, they were just endlessly in the shop getting something fixed. I suppose that's true for all cars but since I have been around Fords almost exclusively (with the exception of my wife) growing up my perspective could be bias. The only standout is my 95 Ford Ranger which refuses to stop running, despite how bad I have treated it over the years. It did have some electronic issues, but mechanically it has been pretty stout. I still drive it from time to time, and will probably keep it for a while longer.

I test drove a Fusion and it was fine. I like the styling alot on it, but I sorta miss the 3 bar grill. The only problem was, when I got a quote for the insurance it came in at the highest for some reason, plus the average gas mileage isn't as great as others.

I think the Malibu pricing comes in a little lower for about the same features. That and the longer warranty have me skewing towards the Malibu currently.

I hadn't considered a Cruze, but it might be worth a test drive. I am going back to the Chevy dealer anyway for a second test drive on the Malibu, so I will try it. Just concerned about the size.

Camry is definitely out though. From what I understand, the passenger seat doesn't move up or down, just back and forth? When I sat in one I was hitting my head on the ceiling.

 

[JulesMaximus]

The 2012 I drove wasn't a hyrbid. It was a 4 cylinder that got worse mileage than my 300 HP Charger, which I average an easy 25 with normal driving. On the highway I average 30 to 34 and it's very comfy for long distance hauls. I'm willing to give up some mpg for power and comfort as many people are.

You would never get anywhere near that average here in the type of driving I do. It is very hilly here, lots of traffic, lots of stop lights. Even when I'm on the freeway I may be in stop and go traffic for half of it. My last car, a Nissan Maxima with 3.5l V6 engine, was rated at 18mpg city and 25 highway and I averaged a hair over 20mpg on my commute. The Camry Hybrid XLE I have now (which is actually quicker than the 4 cylinder Camry) averages 38-39mpg in the exact same type of driving.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Camry is definitely out though. From what I understand, the passenger seat doesn't move up or down, just back and forth? When I sat in one I was hitting my head on the ceiling.

I'm 5'11" and haven't had that problem and I've sat in the passenger's seat many times. It does recline by the way.

 

[Ketchup]

I have always had a soft spot for Malibu's. Probably because my first car was a 1980 Malibu, with probably the weakest V-8 ever made. But a few additions made it a great car for me.

I really don't think you would be disappointed with a new one.

 

[phucheneh]

My 09 has essentially the same 3.6 they use in today's GM cars.
Again, you're a long winded blowhard.

Pardon me; I stand corrected. After checking, it does appear that the top tier Malibu that no one bought came with a modern engine design. I would comment on its quality, but I've never encountered one...just the multitude of shitheap pushrod V6's.

I'd wager you're better off with an Ecotec, either way. Though in looking into that 3.6L, I did find one highly impressive number. 17mpg city in a midsize V6 sedan. A true achievement.

Figures that on one of the few occasions where I actually have kind words for GM, there is still some rabid fanboy ready to go on the attack.

 

[WackyDan]

Pardon me; I stand corrected. After checking, it does appear that the top tier Malibu that no one bought came with a modern engine design. I would comment on its quality, but I've never encountered one...just the multitude of shitheap pushrod V6's.

I'd wager you're better off with an Ecotec, either way. Though in looking into that 3.6L, I did find one highly impressive number. 17mpg city in a midsize V6 sedan. A true achievement.

Figures that on one of the few occasions where I actually have kind words for GM, there is still some rabid fanboy ready to go on the attack.

The pushrod 3.5 in my wife's 05 Malibu has been a great motor. Plenty of power, no timing belt to worry about (has timing chain of course) and we get 36 hwy... Which I'm pretty happy with.

The rest of the car is shit... utter GM shit.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Nothing wrong with a pushrod engine.

I have both a pushrod engine in one car and a DOHC in the other. Both are fine. The DOHC is a monstrosity under the hood though. Thankfully it has a chain and not a retarded belt.

 

[nerp]

You would never get anywhere near that average here in the type of driving I do. It is very hilly here, lots of traffic, lots of stop lights. Even when I'm on the freeway I may be in stop and go traffic for half of it. My last car, a Nissan Maxima with 3.5l V6 engine, was rated at 18mpg city and 25 highway and I averaged a hair over 20mpg on my commute. The Camry Hybrid XLE I have now (which is actually quicker than the 4 cylinder Camry) averages 38-39mpg in the exact same type of driving.

Well I average 25 in the city so I'd be close to that in your area. All I can say is it's a good thing there's a car for everybody.

Someday I expect to have a full electric vehicle for in-town driving but nothing on the market today appeals to me but I know the time is coming.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Well I average 25 in the city so I'd be close to that in your area. All I can say is it's a good thing there's a car for everybody.

Someday I expect to have a full electric vehicle for in-town driving but nothing on the market today appeals to me but I know the time is coming.

The Tesla is pretty sweet. I see a bunch of them around here and the range is pretty good but they are very expensive.

See, your car is rated at 19mpg city so I find 25mpg city extremely difficult to believe. I could reasonably expect fuel economy exactly the same as the Fuelly pic I posted earlier out of that car. You would not be close to 25mpg and you definitely wouldn't be anywhere near 38-39mpg.

I was tracking mine regularly up until a couple months ago. Mileage dropped recently because I've been carrying a 29er mountain bike on the back of it on a hitch mounted rack. I have over 16,600 miles on it right now and my last fuel up I averaged over 39mpg again.

 

[NutBucket]

Nothing wrong with a pushrod engine.

I have both a pushrod engine in one car and a DOHC in the other. Both are fine. The DOHC is a monstrosity under the hood though. Thankfully it has a chain and not a retarded belt.

Only problem is the 3.6 is known to have timing chain issues.

 

[foghorn67]

Pardon me; I stand corrected. After checking, it does appear that the top tier Malibu that no one bought came with a modern engine design. I would comment on its quality, but I've never encountered one...just the multitude of shitheap pushrod V6's.

I'd wager you're better off with an Ecotec, either way. Though in looking into that 3.6L, I did find one highly impressive number. 17mpg city in a midsize V6 sedan. A true achievement.

Figures that on one of the few occasions where I actually have kind words for GM, there is still some rabid fanboy ready to go on the attack.

Wow, you looked into it. Makes you quite the expert.
You wheeze a lot. I do fine with mileage. If I bought a car for mileage I would by a smaller car.

Go paper spec race some cars, fanboy.

 

[BUTCH1]

Pardon me; I stand corrected. After checking, it does appear that the top tier Malibu that no one bought came with a modern engine design. I would comment on its quality, but I've never encountered one...just the multitude of shitheap pushrod V6's.

I'd wager you're better off with an Ecotec, either way. Though in looking into that 3.6L, I did find one highly impressive number. 17mpg city in a midsize V6 sedan. A true achievement.

Figures that on one of the few occasions where I actually have kind words for GM, there is still some rabid fanboy ready to go on the attack.

most V6 mid-sized sedans get around that MPG, when you start making 250+HP MPG is gonna suffer, HP sells though and GM couldn't continue using the older style 3.5 pushrod, I have one in my /05 Malibu and it dos get great MPG and the ecotech offered on the same car only got 2-3 MPG better with 55 less HP. I will agree the interior quality has been for crap but the engine runs just fine @90K, BTY GM renamed "pusrod" to "cam in block" engine.. :biggrin:

 

[Meghan54]

Wow, you looked into it. Makes you quite the expert.
You wheeze a lot. I do fine with mileage. If I bought a car for mileage I would by a smaller car.

Go paper spec race some cars, fanboy.

Damn, dude, kinda harsh, don't you think? After all, he's a mechanic and that automatically makes him an expert, just like my brother, who has been wrenching for over 30 years and has his own shop.

But you gotta remember, he's one of the most anti-GM fanbois on the board, so his commentary is inevitably biased, like with his comments on GM's 4.3L V-6---POS is the gist of what he considers about the engine. One of GM's stoutest V-6 engines and it's a POS. Guess we got lucky when we got 10 years and 250k miles out of ours.

 

[dbk]

The mid size family sedan field is so competitive these days i dont think u can go wrong with any of them. Most of things people argue about all comes down to personal preference like feel, noise, comfort, etc. Only thing that isnt is prob mpg, and warranty.. Just go test drive them all and pick the one u like. Make sure u do your due diligence and get the best possible deal so u have no regrets..

I drive a i4 Accord Sport manual and its been very enjoyable 4 months. I know u havent driven an Accord yet but make sure to consider all the trim options. Same applies to Ford Fusions. While i didnt consider Fusions, the other day a black hybrid one parked right next to my car and I was stunned how sweet it looked. GL

 

[Jimzz]

Only problem is the 3.6 is known to have timing chain issues.

Its not the chain itself but the oil. The oil level warning will protect the engine except for the timing chain. For some reason when the oil gets a little low the timing chain gets starved a little. If the oil is old that only makes it worse.

The "fix" was to change the oil change reminder to a lower number. That way people will get the oil changed sooner and hopefully not drive with low oil much or at all. That and also recommend synthetic.

I have 2 BiLs with the 3.6 in the larger STS with over 130k each and not issues. But I also stay on them to change and check the oil.

 

[nerp]

The Tesla is pretty sweet. I see a bunch of them around here and the range is pretty good but they are very expensive.

See, your car is rated at 19mpg city so I find 25mpg city extremely difficult to believe. I could reasonably expect fuel economy exactly the same as the Fuelly pic I posted earlier out of that car. You would not be close to 25mpg and you definitely wouldn't be anywhere near 38-39mpg.

I was tracking mine regularly up until a couple months ago. Mileage dropped recently because I've been carrying a 29er mountain bike on the back of it on a hitch mounted rack. I have over 16,600 miles on it right now and my last fuel up I averaged over 39mpg again.

The lie-o-meter says 26 after a month of being reset. The 8-speed transmission really boosts mileage. I was tracking it for a while by hand and it was right at 25. I'll be around 20 if I'm in stop and go traffic all day long but I'm not - there's plenty of areas where I can cruise at about 40 mph and that makes a big difference. I actually don't hit the highway all that much, but when I do it's easily above 30mpg except when I gun it to pass someone or whatnot. But I tend to drive pretty conservatively so I'm on the high end of the mileage spectrum for the car. I'm sure my average would be a lot lower if I was in more traffic more often. But I swear I'm not making the numbers up.

 

[NutBucket]

Its not the chain itself but the oil. The oil level warning will protect the engine except for the timing chain. For some reason when the oil gets a little low the timing chain gets starved a little. If the oil is old that only makes it worse.

The "fix" was to change the oil change reminder to a lower number. That way people will get the oil changed sooner and hopefully not drive with low oil much or at all. That and also recommend synthetic.

I have 2 BiLs with the 3.6 in the larger STS with over 130k each and not issues. But I also stay on them to change and check the oil.

Unfortunately its not even just a matter of keeping the oil in the thing...at least from what I can tell on the forums. I've got that motor in my Acadia.

Point being, I still prefer belts.

 

[BlitzPuppet]

A coworker of mine has a 2011 or 2012 Malibu and likes it, he definitely drives it a lot. Plenty of room in it for a tall guy like me (6'5") riding shotgun, but I can't say I've ever driven one.

I'm happy with my 2013 V6 Altima. Plenty of power.

Don't get a Chrysler 300, you have to be a certain "demographic" in order to drive one of those around where I live

 

[JulesMaximus]

The lie-o-meter says 26 after a month of being reset. The 8-speed transmission really boosts mileage. I was tracking it for a while by hand and it was right at 25. I'll be around 20 if I'm in stop and go traffic all day long but I'm not - there's plenty of areas where I can cruise at about 40 mph and that makes a big difference. I actually don't hit the highway all that much, but when I do it's easily above 30mpg except when I gun it to pass someone or whatnot. But I tend to drive pretty conservatively so I'm on the high end of the mileage spectrum for the car. I'm sure my average would be a lot lower if I was in more traffic more often. But I swear I'm not making the numbers up.

I don't drive conservatively at all. I could probably get even better mileage than what I do if I was more conservative but I'm constantly running the heater or the A/C, I'm blasting the stereo, I'm going 75-80 mph on the freeway when I can. When I baby it or when I am stuck in stop and go traffic I get low to mid 40 mpg range.

BTW-The fuelly link I posted for the 300 has the 8 speed transmission. He is in Austin Texas which has pretty bad traffic from what I understand so his driving would probably be very similar to mine. I'd be lucky to get 22 mpg out of your car with the type of driving I do.

I wish I was able to drive the new Ford Fusion. I like that car and probably would have been happy with it as well but I'm pretty happy with the Camry. 95% of the time it is just hauling me to and from work; it is quiet and comfortable, it has all the bells and whistles, and the mileage is fantastic. Is it as sporty or fast as I would like? No, it is not. But cars are a compromise and this one fits my needs quite well. Your car would be better in some respects but worse in the ones that matter most to me.

 

[foghorn67]

Unfortunately its not even just a matter of keeping the oil in the thing...at least from what I can tell on the forums. I've got that motor in my Acadia.

Point being, I still prefer belts.

I still prefer chains. Although from what I know, the timing chain issue seems to come on waaayyy early if wants to grenade. So hopefully I got passed that point.
I'm not too worried, the engine can grenade itself and I'm good until 125,000 miles.

 

[vi edit]

I wish I was able to drive the new Ford Fusion. I like that car and probably would have been happy with it as well but I'm pretty happy with the Camry. 95% of the time it is just hauling me to and from work; it is quiet and comfortable, it has all the bells and whistles, and the mileage is fantastic. Is it as sporty or fast as I would like? No, it is not. But cars are a compromise and this one fits my needs quite well. Your car would be better in some respects but worse in the ones that matter most to me.

My wife has a 2012 Camry SE and for the 21k or so we gave for it, it's a really nice vehicle. The front seats in it are great. Plenty of room in the back seat and truck. Suspension is decent for a family sedan..very little body roll. Steering is overboosted and numb, but pretty much every modern car suffers from that any more. The center console also is the widest i've seen in a car and both driver and passenger can make use of the arm rest without fighting for space

It's also great cup holders in the center console

On straight highway driving it call pull 38MPG. Her lifetime average is 32MPG with an 80/20 split of highway/city...and she has a lead foot. I've been very happy with the car.

I'm curious to know how tall the OP is and how his head is hitting the roof in the passenger seat. I'm 6' and have a ton of room.

 

[JulesMaximus]

My wife has a 2012 Camry SE and for the 21k or so we gave for it, it's a really nice vehicle. The front seats in it are great. Plenty of room in the back seat and truck. Suspension is decent for a family sedan..very little body roll. Steering is overboosted and numb, but pretty much every modern car suffers from that any more. The center console also is the widest i've seen in a car and both driver and passenger can make use of the arm rest without fighting for space

It's also great cup holders in the center console

On straight highway driving it call pull 38MPG. Her lifetime average is 32MPG with an 80/20 split of highway/city...and she has a lead foot. I've been very happy with the car.

I'm curious to know how tall the OP is and how his head is hitting the roof in the passenger seat. I'm 6' and have a ton of room.

I agree, I've had guys well over 6' tall in the front passenger seat and they weren't even close to touching the ceiling and I have the power moonroof in my car too.

The back seat has tons of room. I've sat back there and marveled at how much legroom and headroom I have back there.

I don't get all the complaining about the Camry. Sounds like nitpicking to me by people who had one as a rental car once. The steering is numb but otherwise there really isn't anything I hate about it. It handles reasonably well, it doesn't wallow in the corners like the previous generation did. It does have a bit more front end dive under braking but you can be smooth and counter that a bit by leaving a little extra room and adjusting your driving style.

Regarding my commute, I just take a guess at what percentage of my driving is freeway and put 50/50 down. It really is a crap shoot, I might get on the freeway and get up to 80 for a couple miles, then it slows to 40, then it's stop and go, then back up to 40 and back down to the teens and half of my commute is on surface streets so in reality my driving is probably way less than 50% highway. Plus, it is very hilly here. With the 4 cylinder Camry I might expect 27-28 mpg for my average fuel economy.

I was averaging about 20 mpg with my V6 Maxima SE and that was very consistent. I looked at a bunch of different cars, some more luxurious and more expensive, I even looked at a 2012 Mercedes C350 Coupe (which I really liked) but it was $10k more than the Camry and I'm sure it would have been comparable the Maxima in fuel economy... but what a car. I loved it. Just not practical for the amount of mileage I put on a car in a year.