tarabell
02-21-2008, 12:36 PM
http://reviews.cnet.com/sedan/2008-chevrolet-malibu-hybrid/4505-10865_7-32693755.html
Mentioning this only because I drove this stretch myself in the HCH-II just last Sunday.
To try and get the Malibu Hybrid into its EPA fuel economy range, we took it on a road trip. And, as our car was a hybrid and we were in California, we couldn't think of a better test than a run to wine country. Of course, most of California is wine country, so we opted for a region on the Central Coast, around Paso Robles, about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
We set out in the morning, driving in minimal traffic down Interstate 280 then on to Highway 101 after San Jose. Our entire roundtrip would be about 450 miles, with most of it multilane highway driving. The I-280 section involved speeds closing on 75 mph with lots of hills, while 101 was a little more sedate, with speeds ranging between 60 and 70 mph.
This stretch of 101 alternates between hills and flatland. We watched the average fuel economy slowly climb throughout this entire run. When we got to San Jose, it was clear of any heavy traffic, so we continued at a good pace, crossing the 25 mpg mark. We were well into the EPA range. And all along the rest of the journey, into San Francisco, the mileage rose, maxing out at 25.9 mpg. But in the city, it began to dip rapidly back down. We never got close to the 32 mpg highway number promised by the EPA, and figured a more realistic range for the Malibu Hybrid might be 19 mpg city and 27 mpg highway. :ccry: :ccry:
Mentioning this only because I drove this stretch myself in the HCH-II just last Sunday.
To try and get the Malibu Hybrid into its EPA fuel economy range, we took it on a road trip. And, as our car was a hybrid and we were in California, we couldn't think of a better test than a run to wine country. Of course, most of California is wine country, so we opted for a region on the Central Coast, around Paso Robles, about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
We set out in the morning, driving in minimal traffic down Interstate 280 then on to Highway 101 after San Jose. Our entire roundtrip would be about 450 miles, with most of it multilane highway driving. The I-280 section involved speeds closing on 75 mph with lots of hills, while 101 was a little more sedate, with speeds ranging between 60 and 70 mph.
This stretch of 101 alternates between hills and flatland. We watched the average fuel economy slowly climb throughout this entire run. When we got to San Jose, it was clear of any heavy traffic, so we continued at a good pace, crossing the 25 mpg mark. We were well into the EPA range. And all along the rest of the journey, into San Francisco, the mileage rose, maxing out at 25.9 mpg. But in the city, it began to dip rapidly back down. We never got close to the 32 mpg highway number promised by the EPA, and figured a more realistic range for the Malibu Hybrid might be 19 mpg city and 27 mpg highway. :ccry: :ccry: