And if they're working right, they shouldn't do any better on the highway. The BAS mild hybrid system doesn't do anything at cruising speeds, so it's all down to the normal engine / tranny for efficiency (and GM generally has tall overdrives). The mild hybrids benefit most where most cars suck the most juice- at stops and right on initial takeoff. That's when the electric 'generator' / 'motor' / 'alternator' provides a short boost, or when the engine is completely cut off.I have not seen a Malibu Hybrid and have been wondering if they went into production.
I wonder how well they will sell when you can get the same 32 MPG on the highway with the 4 cyl. 6 spd.
I may be wrong, but I thought the city mileage was only one MPG better than the 4 cyl. 6 speed.And if they're working right, they shouldn't do any better on the highway. The BAS mild hybrid system doesn't do anything at cruising speeds, so it's all down to the normal engine / tranny for efficiency (and GM generally has tall overdrives). The mild hybrids benefit most where most cars suck the most juice- at stops and right on initial takeoff. That's when the electric 'generator' / 'motor' / 'alternator' provides a short boost, or when the engine is completely cut off.
For as inexpensive as it is, I wish all models of GM cars had it. The highway numbers wouldn't change, but the city and combined EPA fuel economy estimates would go up quite a bit.
Actually, I just looked it up on fueleconomy.gov, and it's only 2 mpg better than the 4 cyl 6AT. The two real-world hybrids that owners have reported on have had a low of 32 mpg though (high of 34). Not that two cars are statistically significant.I may be wrong, but I thought the city mileage was only one MPG better than the 4 cyl. 6 speed.
I'm not really up on Hybrid, I thought the term mild Hybrid meant the car could not run only on batteries like a Toyota Prius.