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Well, I finally replaced the Tahoe with a new 09 Malibu for my daily 50 mile round trip commute. I'm loving the car thus far.

Didn't measure the FE on the first tank that came from the dealer with who knows how much idle time for the first 5 miles.

The standard in dash computer has the immediate MPG display available, so I worked with that a bit on the 2nd tank trying to get reasonable FE and was pleased to see the 28.9 result. I know I can do better if I work at it and coast more.

On the next tank I ignored FE and enjoyed some of the performance aspects of my new Malibu. The 2LT trim level comes with the manual mode on the 6 speed automatic transmission and has the paddle shifters on the steering wheel. I'm sure I could use this to my advantage to boost FE, but quite honestly I was doing the opposite this past week. Still squeeked out 26mpg...11 better than my Tahoe at it's best.

The poor Tahoe will sit in the driveway ready to roll over 200,000 miles when it's needed to pick up a load of pine straw or haul some stuff to the dump.

There were many detractors here on CleanMPG and elsewhere when I mentioned I was looking at the Malibu, but after a month in the car I am completely satisfied with the ride, features, styling and fuel economy.

Yeah man, the new Malibus are pretty cool, I had to look twice a couple of times when I saw the hatchback version....I don't know if your paddle shifters are the same as the VW DSG? but if so I've heard it can be really good for FE / hpyermiling techniques. Enjoy!

Well, I finally replaced the Tahoe with a new 09 Malibu for my daily 50 mile round trip commute. I'm loving the car thus far.

Didn't measure the FE on the first tank that came from the dealer with who knows how much idle time for the first 5 miles.

The standard in dash computer has the immediate MPG display available, so I worked with that a bit on the 2nd tank trying to get reasonable FE and was pleased to see the 28.9 result. I know I can do better if I work at it and coast more.

On the next tank I ignored FE and enjoyed some of the performance aspects of my new Malibu. The 2LT trim level comes with the manual mode on the 6 speed automatic transmission and has the paddle shifters on the steering wheel. I'm sure I could use this to my advantage to boost FE, but quite honestly I was doing the opposite this past week. Still squeeked out 26mpg...11 better than my Tahoe at it's best.

The poor Tahoe will sit in the driveway ready to roll over 200,000 miles when it's needed to pick up a load of pine straw or haul some stuff to the dump.

There were many detractors here on CleanMPG and elsewhere when I mentioned I was looking at the Malibu, but after a month in the car I am completely satisfied with the ride, features, styling and fuel economy.


I have a pair of '06 Malibu Maxx hatchbacks. Same chassis with different body, and older pushrod V6 and 4sp auto. My wife and I average low 30s MPG in them, with low to mid 20s around town, and up to low 40s on the highway. Not sure if you have the Ecotec or the V6. If you have the Ecotec, give it a few thousand miles to loosen up and you should be in the mid 30's - well over EPA. Wayne test drove an Aura (same car as yours) with the Ecotec and 6sp auto and he was in the 40s - very respectable MPGs for a large heavy car. The V6 in the new Malibu is the HFV6 - a fairly heavy drinker compared to the older "High Value" pushrod motors, but you can still average high 20s to 30MPG with them. Just takes more work.

Overall it's a great car. Owned mine for almost three years now and never had even a slight hiccup with them. (Now that I said that, they will both spontaneously combust...)

Do you have the 4 cyl 6spd auto Malibu?

Yeah, I think the new Malibu looks way better and is better than the Camry and Accord. But the hybrid model sucks, not good enough hybrid advantage with the hassle of a hybrid powertrain.

Just gotta wonder about GM reliability, longevity, resale, and cheap plastic interiors.

This is the big ? for many of us -

"Just gotta wonder about GM reliability, longevity, resale, and cheap plastic interiors. "

They'll be reliable and live long, as long as you can live with the interior. Just don't plan on re-selling.

They'll be reliable and live long, as long as you can live with the interior. Just don't plan on re-selling.

My GM cars have always lasted and the reliability has been excellent. The interiors of GM cars has improved in the Post-Lutz era, and they continue to improve. Frankly, I don't care what the auto-press thinks about interior plastics. The car should start and go and not cost a fortune to maintain.

I drove a '95 Grand Am for 165k miles without any repairs other than routine maintenance. Traded it in for a new car because the dealer had a deal I couldn't refuse. And based on the carfax, it ran with a new owner for another three years after I traded it before it disappeared somewhere in Newark. The GrandAm was, according to Communist Reports, so horribly unreliable that their printing presses would run out of black ink after printing that page of their auto issue. Well, it never gave me any trouble, nor have I heard of friends/relatives having a problem with the old N-body cars. Cheap interior? Yes. Gravelly engine at higher revs? Yes. Indestructable and 35mpg+ highway? Yes. Served me well and was so cheap it was 2/3 the price of any import. So why should I be surprised when its trade value was only 2/3 of the similar import? It's all relative.

GM has really put its reliability problems behind it. My 1998 Suburbban has 207,000 miles on it and still get 21.3 mpg on long-3000 mile-interstate trips. Everything- power seats/mirrors and all the other electrical BS still works fine.

By the mid 90's GM had greatly improved their QC. They did still have some QC problems, but they were mainly just trim elements(plastic crap breaking, handles falling off). Their drivetrains etc were pretty reliable, and their important options-AC- were at least average in reliability.

GM finally makes some desirable cars in the USA with more on the way(Volt, Cruze(sic); hope this downturn doesn't kill them.
Charlie

Has anyone done a Malibu vs Sonata review?

To answer earlier questions, I have the Ecotec 4cyl and the 6spd trans. I waited for the 2009 model year so that I could get the 6spd paired with the small motor. I pleased that I did, it has better performance than the 4spd and I like the FE so far. I just had another tank at 28.9 mpg driving mostly on surface streets.

I drove a new Sonata for a 4 day rental this summer. I found the seats terribly uncomfortable. Of course I'm 6'8" and nobody builds cars for people of my height. Didn't care much for the controls, and the performance lags compared to my Malibu. Hyundai didn't even make my top 5.

As to the "don't plan on re-selling"...I don't. I bought this to drive as my commuter for the long haul. I've had my Tahoe since '96, and I'll still be driving that for a while too.

For anyone who is not opposed to buying American, I recommend looking at the Malibu.

I've heard nothing but good things from the actual Malibu drivers I know. Some posters are fanboys for (or against) particular nameplates, so sometimes you have to take what you read here with a grain of salt (and lots of Honda and Yota hybrid guys hang out here). The GM cars in that market segment have been solid if sometimes unexciting. The off-rental and off-lease returns kill the resale value of 3-5 year old American brand cars, but if you drive it longer than that a car's maintenance is usually more important to resale than its make.