Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid
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Sounds like a good idea. But it’s only rated 24 City and 32 Hwy.
Comparing this to :
-Camry Hybrid: 33/34 (new 2008 figures)
-Camry 2.4: 21/30 (new 2008 figures)
-Altima 2.5: 23/31 (new 2008 figures)
-Altima Hybrid: 35/33 (new 2008 figures)
Not really sure what the point is to spend that extra money (around $2000) to get pretty much the same mileage as most non hybrid mid sized sedans…
Makes no sense to spend more money for that hybrid because the mileage isn’t all that great.
My 3200 pound ’04 Accord EX-L gets an actual 22 mpg in the city and 33.2 mpg on the highway–overall average has been about 24.5 mpg. The 4 cylinder is fast enough and relatively uncomplicated compared with any hybrid.
Silly to buy all that complexity for so little fuel saved. Then you’ll have to worry about batteries when the car is older if kept that long.
What will resale value be for all these hybrids as they approach the point where they’ll need costly new battery packs? Expect the value of these things to fall like bags of rocks when they’re 6 or 7 years old–maybe sooner.
Hybrids are brilliant engineering, but the bottom line is that except for the Prius and a couple of other hybrids that really do get an honest 45 mpg, they’re pablum for Greenies and Al Gore acolytes and little more.
People will buy the Malibu hybrid for the same reason most people buy hybrids — the “hybrid” nameplate on the car.
they’re pablum for Greenies and Al Gore acolytes and little more.
We greenies need our pablum, too. Just like truck lovers need towing capacity to brag about, pony car fans need horsepower to boast about, and, like any car, hybrids say something about the owner. Ad agencies figured it out long ago.
That said, this new Malibu hybrid doesn’t make much sense. Neither did the Accord hybrid. If costs can come down on the technology, and improvements can be made on real fuel savings, this is an intelligent way to go. I’m glad people are buying hybrids otherwise the technology would die altogether.
chevy malibu, what’s that? yuck!
doesn
t matter what engine you get
this is one great car and it looks better than the next ygly accord
more reliable too
and usa made
it should be iportant!!!
It probably has the same set up as the Aura. And if it does then it has the same crappy old 4 spd auto. I’ll bet the 4cyl with the 6spd auto would do better than this…and cost less too. Come on GM! Don’t just hype us up just to let us down. I wonder if the numbers are wrong though. Usually the city mileage is higher than the hwy mileage on hybrids.
JM
Vince,
Do you have the 4 cyl sae mpg numbers available? Maybe even with the 6spd auto if available? Thanks.
JM
The Texas Rangers logo in the background…they play in Arlington, TX, the very town I’ve lived in all my life and am typing this from.
Anyway, forget the uselessness of the Malibu hybrid. The actual car is just as much the problem. Ever seen the back of this thing? Ugly…it looks like the Mitsubishi Diamante (you all remember that thing?) And as for the rest of the car, typical GM rental car fodder. Some people like the inside, I don’t. But the outside is really what makes it look at home on the Enterprise Rent-a-Car parking lot.
Edmunds Test Drive of the current Kia Optima I-4 did yield the 2007 EPA of 34MPG hwy.
It is the least costly mid-sized sedan (and not bad, either)in America.
Forget this nonsense.
Liek the Aura hybrid… bragging abotu 35 MPG Hwy? Are they kidding?
Go check out edmunds current commentary/blog…Karl’s(on cars) blog?… Anyhow, they don’t sound impressed, either.
Yep, only GM can brag about technology, that is current… for 1997!
NEXT!
Oh, and it only comes with a 4-speed automatic. It’s 2007…earth to GM!
d jones said…
doesn
t matter what engine you get
this is one great car and it looks better than the next ygly accord
more reliable too
and usa made
it should be iportant!!!
It’s funny that from 1973 to 1983 the Malibu was made in Canada.
I just read on autoblog.com about a Civic hybrid owner suing Honda because his gas mileage is’nt ANYWHERE near what the EPA says it could be. The guy does all highway driving and it sounds to me like he is’nt taking advantage of the regerative braking feature of his car. Also he totes around a bunch of musical equipment which adds weight. Sorry if this is unrelated but I thought it was interesting.
As for this Malibu…I’m guessing it’s a pretty UNsophisticated hybrid system. A shame too. It could have been a contender. Hybrid wise that is. As for the looks…I think the interior is freakin’ awesome. I think the exterior is really nice looking also. I would seriously consider buying this car. Not the hybrid though. I’d buy the 4cyl if it came with the 6spd auto or the high feature v6.
JM
I think it would be best if GM didn’t do these ridiculous, half-way things and bring technologies that really make a difference to the market.
The upcoming ’08 Malibu will be a huge improvement over the current Malibu, and stronger competition against the Camry and Accord. But a half-hearted hybrid won’t help matters because it’ll be compared with competing hybrid cars that are far superior.
Note to GM: Do it right, or not at all!
Since when where hybrids just about fuel economy? I thought they were also about lower emissions, which is so important to the well-being of dear old Mother Earth, something the enviromentalists never get tired of reminding us. No doubt the Mailbu hybrid (as well as the Aura) get lower emissions than gas-only versions. And since so many more sophisticated hybrids get less than their claimed mileage numbers, the Malibu’s MPG isn’t that bad, either. If the Malibu is to be trashed because it’s MPG isn’t real hybrid “phenomenal”, than the Lexus LS600h should be trashed, too. It’s performance and mileage are worse than its gas-only LS460 stablemate, but it costs some $30,000 more. And if people were really concerned about fuel economy, they’d buy one of the many efficient 4-cyl cars available. Sorry, but hybrids aren’t about the car, it’s about the hybrid name. You could slap a hybrid nameplate on a Yugo and people would buy it.
This proves that GM makes vehicles for idiots only!
GM would do better for itself if it just incorporated this technology into every GM model made, I know the tech isn’t that great but it does improve mileage slightly and better trans as some of the other commenters have said this could be better.
Also isn’t this kind of tech less expensive as a full hybrid. Should be easier to be made throughtout the GM line.
Careful here. The 2008 Malibu uses the new EPA fuel economy ratings which are much more realistic. The others may still be using the older EPA test procedure which is riduclously unrealistic. This needs to be confirmed before shooting this down. Also note that this is a very mild hybrid that only shuts the motor down at stops and give a minor boost during acceleration, vs the other full hybrids. I do agree that they need to get the 6spd auto on all the 4cyl including hybrids. We will have to wait another year or 2 for that as well as the full 2 mode hybrid from GM.
Just read the post.
These are ALL new 2008 numbers.
None of these are the “old unrealistic EPA numbers”
Why would I write “new 2008 figures” ????
I wonder if the reason why GM is’nt going full speed on the hybrids( other than the accountants running the company) is because they’re going to go full speed into hydrogen fuel cell cars. These weak hybrids might be just something to fill in the gap until the new fuel cell cars go into production. Myself…I’m not into hybrids or E85. E85 is a joke to me as all it’s good for is increasing the prices of groceries. I’m waiting for hydrogen fuel cells to come out. I believe that’s where it’s at. They’ll even be great for the environment too except for one little item. Water exhaust + freezing temperatures = slick icy roads.
JM
I wonder if the reason why GM is’nt going full speed on the hybrids( other than the accountants running the company) is because they’re going to go full speed into hydrogen fuel cell cars. These weak hybrids might be just something to fill in the gap until the new fuel cell cars go into production. Myself…I’m not into hybrids or E85. E85 is a joke to me as all it’s good for is increasing the prices of groceries. I’m waiting for hydrogen fuel cells to come out. I believe that’s where it’s at. They’ll even be great for the environment too except for one little item. Water exhaust + freezing temperatures = slick icy roads.
Be careful what you wish for. The simplest source of hydrogen is from fossil fuels. The energy accountants will find this worthwhile, and Big Oil will benefit the most. Why else would the Bush administration being touting it as the next big thing?
To 7:30,
Good point. Maybe by then there will be another source of hydrogen. Maybe not. Anyone know anything about biobutanol. I heard that may be something promising. I read a while ago that it’s at least as easy as e 85 to make while packing more specific energy. I think it’s also better on the environment emmissions wise. We’ll see I guess.
JM
JM
I’m also hoping something good comes out of algea bio diesel and cellulose ethanol(better than corn only based ethanol).
JM