Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You We've recently discovered what that leads to... "Car bailouts necessary says Bob Lutz" /and around and around we go..
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You Hi All: It was just 6-weeks ago when I visited a Kia dealership in Carlsbad, CA that they had a brand new 2011 Optima Hybrid on the lot for just $23,100 USD. That is what the entire mid-size category has to compete with. A fuel economy world record setting car with UVO, a backup camera, proximity key with push button start, dual-zone A/C, rear A/C, 8-way power driver seat w/ Lumbar support (the seats are extremely comfortable for the long haul), leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob and for 2012, you get power folding outside mirrors to name but a few of the standard options. I do not know of anything that can compete with that kind of content for the price in the midsize class let alone the class-leading interior/exterior design attributes. And we are talking about the hybrid, not the non-hybrid! Wayne
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You Yes, Hyundai/Kia has really stepped up their game. I was still against them, remembering the Hyundai Excel. Several of my friends had them, none of them lasted to 100,000 miles. Last summer a friend of mine purchased a certified used 05 Sonata with 12,000 miles, and I was impressed with not only the roominess and build quality, but the fact that the dealer included lifetime free oil changes on a $13,000 used car. EDIT: I forgot, the dealer also had an 05 Sonata on the showroom floor that was traded in with over 400,000 miles!
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You Nice looking car, lots of features ... but, mortals are not reporting great real world mileage (well below epa). http://www.insideline.com/kia/optima/2011/2011-kia-optima-hybrid-full-test-and-video.html ... check the forums, everybody seems to be saying the same thing: mpg not living up to claimed (by a large margin)
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You This guy has got jokes . I guess this wont make Psyshack's future car list
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You Looking at mileage reported by owners to FuelEconomy.gov, there are 2 2011 Optima Hybrids listed, with both one user reporting 32.2 MPG and one user reporting 33.2 MPG. I didn't see any Optima Hybrids registered @ Fuelly. It would seem that the average user is not doing as well as one of us would. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=mpgData&vehicleID=32005&browser=true&details=on
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You Hi Carcus: Everybody? The Optima's EPA is 35/40/37 just like the EPA of the Malibu ECO is 25/37/29. These are not made up numbers. If asked to break a world record or drive around the block, which would you choose to save the most money at the pump? The answer is pretty clear just like the city results between the Malibu ECO, HSH and TCH when driven back to back on the same exact RT loop. The KOH uses the same drivetrain as the HSH. Wayne
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You Hi Carcus: Yet another back to back on the same city/country loop with just the basics between the CT200h, Optima Hybrid, Mazda2 with the 5-speed stick, Elantra GLS with the 6-speed stick, Infiniti M35h, Cruze ECO with the 6-speed stick, Civic with the 5-speed auto and Buick LaCrosse with eAssist... The LaCrosse and the Malibu use the same eAssist drivetrain. Midwest Automobile Media Association - 2011 Spring Rally Wayne
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You The Malibu will carry lots of cash on the hood also, you dont pay MSRP for those.. the one thing the Eco is missing to be a full hybrid is an atkinson mode on the engine.. it may need a bigger motor for that.
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You Hi Wayne, I'm not doubting the KOH EPA numbers. I DO wonder if this is a car who's mpg falls apart under even slightly adverse conditions (ie. Cold, or windy, or slightly agressive driving). The majority of reviews or owner's comments I have read report mpg's in the low to mid 30's. I see from your review the steady state mpg at 65 mph, no winds and 80 deg was below EPA highway -- I'd consider that a clue to the mystery.
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You KOH a contender for a car essentially "playing the epa system"? I haven't gotten bad mileage in my eclipse Granted I don't have many stops on my commute. within 5 minutes in the coldest of weather, I'm well above 20mpg...I've never ever gotten less than 20mpg in that car. Lowest was about 28mpg. (rated 19/30 on the '08 epa) That 28mpg included like 70% city...cold weather. The KOH has reported terrible numbers from a lot of people...I think Kia has some tough times ahead...I'd like to see the sales curves of that thing from release to the end of 2012..
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You It probably needs a bigger battery pack and larger electric motor to make the jump to a full hybrid.
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You Hi Carcus: Another and not the only one to fall slightly short at 65 mph http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showpost.php?p=300193&postcount=122 Add 7.5% or so for a temperature compensation and it's right there. Wayne
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You I drove the regular cruze for a couple of days last week. I checked steady state highway (65, 70 mph) and combined with the car's display. Assuming the car's display was accurate -- it was very close to EPA. I got 30 combined and 37 SS at 70 mph temps in high 50's light winds. I was a little dissapointed in a city test as all I could get out of it (trying hard) was 30 mpg (but it was heavy traffic). Most any car I've played with will get the epa hwy rating at 70 mph in decent conditions (i.e. 65 deg or warmer, winds under 10 mph). The KOH ? I doubt it. /side note -- the Cruze hand checked at the pump only came up to 25 mpg. The gauge showed full when I got it but I didn't top it off before I started driving -- total of about 140 miles.
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You Also on the Cruze (new chevy in general?) Interior -- very nice, I think it's GM's strong suit. Handling -- nice steering, stable on the highway, good suspension to a point -- hit anything rough ,i.e. railroad tracks a little fast, and you're in for a jarring experience -- it got way too stiff, way too quick. Noise -- pretty quiet with one exception, seemed to be a wind leak somewhere on drivers side window. Back seat -- just not much there. Put anybody over 6' in the front and forget about an adult in the back.
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You Your noise and handling observations line up well with a heavy car. Smooth, stable and quiet. Trouble is, you need stiff springs to support the weight. When asked to do something sudden, they show the stiffness. * same thing I find in the Ody. The same dips and bumps that my Civic cruises over smoothly, it jolts and tosses you. Speed bumps in the Civic go bump-bump, in the Ody they go bump-shudder-bump-wobble.
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You Hi Carcus: Few cars get EPA at 70 mph. The only one that I know of that we have tested was the 12 Civic HF. The Cruze Eco's aFCD's over report by 9.5% (both the MT and AT) and I suspect the non-Eco's are as well. And most full hybrids will not touch their EPA at 65 mph either. They can do well but their EPA numbers are derived from the whole EPA high speed and standard FWFET tests leaving a lot of deceleration for regen and some idle time which of course they all pass with flying colors while not idling. The average speed of both the high speed with an 80 mph top speed is just 48 as is the HWFET with its 60 mph top speed. In case you have not read it yet, it is a long but good read: GM’s Most Fuel Efficient Car Coming to Chicago Wayne
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You Not sure I'm buying that. The F150 did. I'll bet any diesel you ever tested did. /my 4.6 3v f150 will beat epa at 70 mph, my old bmw will trounce it at 70 steady state. I've driven an original Honda insight that buried hwy EPA at 70 mph -- and it didn't even have a battery!
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You Hi Carcus: You can buy it. Unfortunately I do not remember performing a steady state on the Civic iCDTi, Jetta Sportwagen (trip to SC and back), 335d (Chicago to NY and back) or the F-250 (since it did not have an EPA). My old ... We are not talking about my old but the latest GM's, Ford's, Toyotas, Honda’s, Hyundai's, Kia's and Mazda’s. I have posted the Cruze steady state RT numbers with the almost 10% over report. I am not sure which side of the line that the 2013 Malibu Eco aFCD and odometer currently reside since we have only previewed it but someone will have an opportunity soon enough. IIRC, the only vehicle to break its EPA at 70 mph was the Civic HF. You can read the reviews to be sure. Wayne
Re: 2013 Malibu ECOs Making Their Way to Driveways near You Wayne, I know you would probably cringe at the very thought...but a trusted member of a certain website pertaining to chrysler was able to get well above epa in a 2011 chrysler 300 V6 with the 8 speed. We're talking 25% above epa highway est. 31mpg at 70mph. I'd love for you to look into that . Because if that holds true...I think certain cars shine well outside the epa, while others look pretty within that cycle only.
