Yikes. Malibu finishes last in MT midsize comparison - Chevy Malibu Forum: Chevrolet Malibu Forums

GolfTango · 10-03-2012, 12:49 PM

Not good. Tested was the 2.5L:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...all.html?rec=1

Quote:

Originally Posted by MT

Talk about a comedown. What had previously been a sedan we'd regularly praised -- and GM's best-selling car -- finished dead last. How could the likable Malibu have fallen so far? Mostly this: a retrograde interior, a nearly useless rear seat, and the thirstiest powertrain in our group.

"The back seat is too small for passengers with legs," logs associate online editor Christian Seabaugh. Says associate online editor Nate Martinez, "At 5 foot 9, I had about an inch of clearance for my knees if I sat up like a crash dummy." Such is the penalty served by Chevy slicing 4.5 inches out of the new Malibu's wheelbase. (The roomy sedan in the lineup will be the 2014 Impala.) Also drawing jabs was the general look of the interior, a curious, quasi-steampunk mix of football pigskin leather, cheesy faux wood, and glitzy chrome accents. "Getting into the driver's seat felt like stepping into a 19th century study," notes associate online editor Benson Kong. Associate editor Mike Febbo adds, "Already looks dated -- and this is a brand-new car." The LTZ's standard leather seats also took a beating for being "rock hard" and "flat"--with "no support at all." Most of our team praised the MyLink touch screen, however, noting its ease of use and general cool factor.

Gone is the previous six-cylinder option -- the Malibu is now a four-cylinder only. The Ecotec 2.5-liter delivers a healthy 197 hp and mates only with a six-speed automatic. It's not a stellar mill. "Good power, but gets thrashy at high rpm" (associate editor Scott Evans); "Sounds like a box of bees" (Seabaugh). The transmission tends to shift up at the earliest opportunity (i.e., fifth gear at 30 mph) to maximize economy, but in the real world such behavior actually works against maximum mpg. Notes Seabaugh, "You have to be heavy on the throttle to get anywhere." Indeed, given the Malibu's lazy-horse character, all of us found ourselves constantly spurring the right pedal. The result: Though the Malibu boasts respectable EPA numbers of 22/34 city/highway mpg, during our back-to-back comparo driving we averaged just 21.3 mpg -- worst of the group by far.

The chassis rides well, but after that the praise ends. Steering feel is simply lousy -- zero feedback, and you'll find yourself working the wheel even on arrow-straight highways. The soft suspension, writes Evans, means "seesaw action over bumps." Febbo is less charitable: "No confidence in the chassis." The new Malibu offers nothing to the enthusiastic driver.

It's a shame, because this remains a clean-looking, competitively priced machine (base price for the well-outfitted LTZ is $28,590). But its limited room and poor real-world efficiency doom it in this capable field. Seabaugh sums it up bluntly: "Unusable at its most basic function -- family sedan."

nutcrunch · 10-03-2012, 01:45 PM

I do agree the backseat is cramped. Luckily me and my wife usually only haul the grand kids in the backseat so not a big issue for us.
We love the interior.

The ride and handling are really nice in my opinion. The engine noise in our Eco is also really quiet but when you do hear it it has a nice tone from the exhaust. We don't drive this family car like a race car and rev it to red line so I have no idea how the engine sounds in those conditions.... well I don't anyways, the wife better not either.

The 2 cons I have would be the backseat area being small and the black trim seems to get scratched pretty easily.

GolfTango · 10-03-2012, 02:03 PM

I agree, the Malibu is quiet and rides nicely. I just feel that GM was three steps ahead with the previous gen Malibu, they took two steps back on this one. Especially knowing what was coming from Honda and Nissan.

08chevymalibultz · 10-03-2012, 02:38 PM

The new Malibu is rated the most disliked car in it's class! Hopefully GM does better this round on the Chevy Impala! Most if not all other car manufactures are making good cars today! I can understand that GM had some financial problems in the past, it happens to even some of the best but their cars are starting to show some of the after affects. IMHO!

They are not the outstanding GM that I once knew in the past and are slowly loosing dedicated / repeated buyers! Don't take me wrong, GM still makes some nice vehicles but they are for sure having some issues! My Malibu has been a pure / good example!

**EnvoyBu** · 10-03-2012, 04:12 PM

For anyone that follows internet memes:

How disappointing. It's a shame GM screwed the pooch so badly on this new Malibu.

nutcrunch · 10-03-2012, 04:29 PM

Yep if you mainly want a car that gets better gas mileage there are better choices.
We didn't pick the car for the gas mileage but it is a plus that it is better than the 06 Malibu we had and the engine is even more powerful too.

Some people may not like the new Malibu but in this household, Taylor sums it up for us...