Hey, everyone! I've been looking to get something to replace my aging '99 Cavalier. After doing a lot of research and comparisons, the new Chevy Malibu and the Saturn Aura came out as the top two contenders. I figured they both offer a great value compared to the imports, sound dampening comes installed (I'm big on silence), and they both offer great safety features. It doesn't hurt that they look a whole lot better, too
The Aura seemed like a good buy since it was cheaper than the Malibu...but then I read all of the negative feedback about the Aura and Saturn itself. I decided to see for myself if they were right, so I set aside time last night to do a test drive comparison. I drove a 4-banger 2008 LT2, the 6-cylinder 2008 LTZ, and a "2008" Aura XE.
The Malibu LTZ was the first one I drove. The first thing I noticed, surprisingly, was how stiff and uncomfortable the leather seats were. I've found that a lot of recent cars with leather seats are like that. The 3.6L engine was so powerful that I could hardly believe it. I was racing up hills like they were nothing and zooming through traffic like a madman...and yet it was so quiet that I almost forgot about it when I was cruising along some back roads. The steering felt kind of stiff, like I wouldn't be able to turn the wheel with 1 hand like I do with my Cavalier so frequently. The exterior looked sharp and the interior's fit and finish was top notch. Overall, an excellent vehicle.
Next up was the Malibu LT2. The "leatherette" and suede seats were better than the LTZ's stiff leather seats. Not as cushy as my Cavalier's cloth seats, but good enough. The 2.4 was noisier than the 3.6 and it showed about the level of performance I'd expect for average, day to day driving. The steering felt looser and I was able to coax the engine into putting out 30+ MPG just cruising along some back roads. Very nice! The exterior looked great even without the LTZ touches and the interior was still superb. Aside from a few nagging engine complaints, not bad.
Last up was the "2008" Aura XE. Its leather seats were between the LT2 and LTZ in comfort. The 3.5 offered very good pickup compared to the 2.4 but wasn't as meaty as the 3.6. It was about as noisy as the 2.4 and the steering felt like the 2.4's. One thing that really let me down was the MPG. In the same back roads that I coaxed 30+ MPG out of the Malibu, I could barely scrape above 20 with the 3.5. The exterior dazzled me, but the interior in some places it felt...cheap. The DIC didn't display tire inflation information like the Malibu's and that was a huge letdown. On the plus side, the amber lights made me feel pretty relaxed while driving it.
The salesman at the Saturn place was an ass. He was aggressive and made several hard pitches throughout. I later learned after looking online that the "2008" XE I had driven was actually a 2007. He exaggerated the EPA gas ratings for the available engines. He tried to get me over and over to buy the car on the spot despite the fact that I told him I wasn't overly pleased with it. Before he would let me go, he demanded my contact information...so I gave him a bogus phone number. He can have fun calling that.
So yeah, I think I'm settled on the Malibu. The two Bus I test drove are way too expensive for my taste, so I looked around online and came across three contenders. Keep in mind that I'm a gas miser...I like power but hate filling up my tank constantly. I usually drive my Cavalier until I'm in danger of running out of fuel.
The first is an '09 fleet LS weighing in at 10,695 miles and $15,998. The Carfax isn't free, but it only has 3 records so it's probably clean. It has the 3.5L engine, which would be a nice balance between the 4-banger and the monster 3.6L V6. I've seen that many Aura XE 3.5 owners have reported exceeding the EPA ratings. The downside, obviously, is that it's an LS and it doesn't come with a lot unless fleet LSs come with additional gear that I'm not familiar with. I would have to pay extra to install goodies like remote start and heated seats on my own, but at least I'd be able to do it.
There's also a heavily-discounted '08 demo Hybrid (it has giant decals of GM's "hybrid" sign on the doors) weighing in at a mere 250 miles and $16,900. It's at a different dealership than the other two Bus and the guy I talked to seemed really desperate to sell it, so I may be able to negotiate something even lower. It's basically a new car (always a plus) and I'm a gas miser, so you'd think that would be a perfect match. The killer here is that those same heated seat and remote starter kits I see for the Malibu say that they're not compatible with the Hybrid. The only thing that's still up in the air, thus far, is whether or not it would accept an auto-dimming rear mirror like the upper level trims.
And last, but certainly not least, there's an '08 LTZ at the same place as the LS weighing in at 15,759 miles and $16,998. It doesn't come with a free Carfax, but it says that it has 3 records so it's probably a clean fleet vehicle like the LS. It's beige...and I hate beige. I realize that that's probably a good price for an LTZ, but keep in mind that I'm a gas miser. I don't like the idea of getting 17 city/26 highway. I also didn't like the stiff leather seats in the LTZ I test drove. It does come with a LOT of goodies, but paying up the nose for gas isn't something I'd look forward to. I'm guessing gas prices will go up before too long and I'd hate to be stuck in a gas guzzler.
So what do you think? Sorry for the long post, but hopefully I've set the stage for some good answers
The Aura seemed like a good buy since it was cheaper than the Malibu...but then I read all of the negative feedback about the Aura and Saturn itself. I decided to see for myself if they were right, so I set aside time last night to do a test drive comparison. I drove a 4-banger 2008 LT2, the 6-cylinder 2008 LTZ, and a "2008" Aura XE.
The Malibu LTZ was the first one I drove. The first thing I noticed, surprisingly, was how stiff and uncomfortable the leather seats were. I've found that a lot of recent cars with leather seats are like that. The 3.6L engine was so powerful that I could hardly believe it. I was racing up hills like they were nothing and zooming through traffic like a madman...and yet it was so quiet that I almost forgot about it when I was cruising along some back roads. The steering felt kind of stiff, like I wouldn't be able to turn the wheel with 1 hand like I do with my Cavalier so frequently. The exterior looked sharp and the interior's fit and finish was top notch. Overall, an excellent vehicle.
Next up was the Malibu LT2. The "leatherette" and suede seats were better than the LTZ's stiff leather seats. Not as cushy as my Cavalier's cloth seats, but good enough. The 2.4 was noisier than the 3.6 and it showed about the level of performance I'd expect for average, day to day driving. The steering felt looser and I was able to coax the engine into putting out 30+ MPG just cruising along some back roads. Very nice! The exterior looked great even without the LTZ touches and the interior was still superb. Aside from a few nagging engine complaints, not bad.
Last up was the "2008" Aura XE. Its leather seats were between the LT2 and LTZ in comfort. The 3.5 offered very good pickup compared to the 2.4 but wasn't as meaty as the 3.6. It was about as noisy as the 2.4 and the steering felt like the 2.4's. One thing that really let me down was the MPG. In the same back roads that I coaxed 30+ MPG out of the Malibu, I could barely scrape above 20 with the 3.5. The exterior dazzled me, but the interior in some places it felt...cheap. The DIC didn't display tire inflation information like the Malibu's and that was a huge letdown. On the plus side, the amber lights made me feel pretty relaxed while driving it.
The salesman at the Saturn place was an ass. He was aggressive and made several hard pitches throughout. I later learned after looking online that the "2008" XE I had driven was actually a 2007. He exaggerated the EPA gas ratings for the available engines. He tried to get me over and over to buy the car on the spot despite the fact that I told him I wasn't overly pleased with it. Before he would let me go, he demanded my contact information...so I gave him a bogus phone number. He can have fun calling that.
So yeah, I think I'm settled on the Malibu. The two Bus I test drove are way too expensive for my taste, so I looked around online and came across three contenders. Keep in mind that I'm a gas miser...I like power but hate filling up my tank constantly. I usually drive my Cavalier until I'm in danger of running out of fuel.
The first is an '09 fleet LS weighing in at 10,695 miles and $15,998. The Carfax isn't free, but it only has 3 records so it's probably clean. It has the 3.5L engine, which would be a nice balance between the 4-banger and the monster 3.6L V6. I've seen that many Aura XE 3.5 owners have reported exceeding the EPA ratings. The downside, obviously, is that it's an LS and it doesn't come with a lot unless fleet LSs come with additional gear that I'm not familiar with. I would have to pay extra to install goodies like remote start and heated seats on my own, but at least I'd be able to do it.
There's also a heavily-discounted '08 demo Hybrid (it has giant decals of GM's "hybrid" sign on the doors) weighing in at a mere 250 miles and $16,900. It's at a different dealership than the other two Bus and the guy I talked to seemed really desperate to sell it, so I may be able to negotiate something even lower. It's basically a new car (always a plus) and I'm a gas miser, so you'd think that would be a perfect match. The killer here is that those same heated seat and remote starter kits I see for the Malibu say that they're not compatible with the Hybrid. The only thing that's still up in the air, thus far, is whether or not it would accept an auto-dimming rear mirror like the upper level trims.
And last, but certainly not least, there's an '08 LTZ at the same place as the LS weighing in at 15,759 miles and $16,998. It doesn't come with a free Carfax, but it says that it has 3 records so it's probably a clean fleet vehicle like the LS. It's beige...and I hate beige. I realize that that's probably a good price for an LTZ, but keep in mind that I'm a gas miser. I don't like the idea of getting 17 city/26 highway. I also didn't like the stiff leather seats in the LTZ I test drove. It does come with a LOT of goodies, but paying up the nose for gas isn't something I'd look forward to. I'm guessing gas prices will go up before too long and I'd hate to be stuck in a gas guzzler.
So what do you think? Sorry for the long post, but hopefully I've set the stage for some good answers