WR Fleet: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid

Rex May 9th, 2008 4:24 PM Link

Great Half-Ass attempt by GM! I like the Malibu styling except for the taillights, but why bother if its not doing to save fuel the only purpose someone would want to buy a hybrid.

Dean May 9th, 2008 5:02 PM Link

Just curious, did your staff rely on the trip computer for calculating your MPG, or did you calculate between fill-ups? There’s a well-known bug in the Malibu Hybrid that causes the trip computer to read well below the actual MPG. IIRC, it can’t account for the auto-stop feature.

Also, I have to disagree with Steven Ewing. The Malibus I have been in have been noticeably better as far as build quality and comfort than the Camry. THe Camry interior seems much cheaper to me and I’ve seen more than a few with misaligned body panels. Toyota is relentless about taking cost out of their cars, and I think they may be going a little too far.

Since my commute is mostly highway with only occasional traffic, I’d happily pay $2K less for the Malibu. Yes, it’s not as sophisticated as the Camry, and I do wish they had the 6-speed auto with BAS, but I think the Malibu is fine for the price.

dieselhead May 9th, 2008 6:31 PM Link

Isn’t the Malibu’s hybrid system optimized for full-on urban driving? If you want better hwy mileage, look to diesel. Oh, sorry, you have to wait.

Steven J. Ewing May 9th, 2008 8:24 PM Link

Dean,

I spent a weekend in a Malibu (non-hybrid) back in January and was really, really impressed. To be honest, I’d probably rather drive a V-6 Malibu over the comparable Camry. But when it comes to the hybrid, I just wasn’t as impressed.

The thing that I didn’t mention in my notes about the Malibu Hybrid was how the price compares to smaller hybrids. The Honda Civic Hybrid will ring in for roughly the same price as our Malibu test car. Yes, the Civic gets better fuel economy, but the Malibu looks better and has a lot more space.

Thanks for the comment!

Cicero May 9th, 2008 11:47 PM Link

I would rather they do a diesel Malibu, but for some reason Americans prefer hybrids, while Europeans get all the excellent diesels

Ducati Minor May 9th, 2008 11:49 PM Link

The thing about the Camry Hybrid, which averages around the mid-thirties, is that the real-world price would be around $27,000–well above what the Chevy is going for. But the Camry Hybrid does have a much higher combined driving average. The Malibu Hybrid isn’t a wonder, but it doesn’t diminish the overall quality Chevrolet has achieved with this family sedan.

Ducati Minor May 9th, 2008 11:52 PM Link

Cic,

Americans prefer hybrids because they don’t like spending the same premium on a car running on a fuel with limited availability, slower acceleration, and much higher cost per gallon. Diesel is now at $4.75 per gal. in my area–more than 60¢ over premium gasoline.

Cicero May 10th, 2008 3:19 AM Link

Slower acceleration? Try again Ducati, I saw a diesel 5 series out accelerate an M5 at a stop light in Europe, the availability of diesel is much wider then people think and yes the price is higher in SOME places, but in others it is not, not to mention if your getting great fuel economy and not filling up as much, it pays off in the long run

Mena May 10th, 2008 3:26 PM Link

Cicero,
If you at the numbers, diesel cars are ALWAYS slower than their gas equivalents. There’s too many factors involved to say whether or not your observation of the M5 being out accelerated by a diesel was actually the case. Was the M5 owner even “racing”? Compare the numbers of both cars and the M5 stomps ALL other models of the 5 series in acceleration.

You guys keep ignoring this but I’ll say it again, PEAK NUMBERS don’t tell the whole story. Area under the curve tells everything you need to know and diesels DO NOT have much area under the curve compared to a gas motor. That’s why a Mercedes BLUETEC with its 400 lb-ft of torque is STILL slower than a E350 with its 258 lb-ft. Being able to make more power AND torque over a wide rpm range is what determines, all else being equal, who is the better performer.

Car and Driver
E350: 0-60 mph of 5.9 seconds
Bluetec: 0-60 mph of 6.8 seconds

Cicero May 10th, 2008 4:23 PM Link

Does not matter if you have great milage to your gas counterpart and yes, they were racing, that is why I made the comment, I knew the 2 people in each car and the diesel 5 series out accelerated the M5 because of its torque, yes, the M5 over took it to 60, but off the line, the diesel had the edge

mo May 10th, 2008 6:23 PM Link

a diesel faster than the M5… hahahahaa
I am not a fan of diesel engines. they sound like a tractor, and THEY ARE SLOWER.
i remember seeing a jetta TDi and i was thinking, poor lady, she suffers from all that engine sound all the time.

Ducati Minor May 10th, 2008 8:48 PM Link

Much of Europe has the fuels taxed in a way to make petrol more expensive than diesel. Diesel premiums are also significantly smaller than they are here in the US. Mena hit it on the nail: equivalent diesel engines, in spite of the impressive low-end torque, pull out weaker acceleration numbers. Audi, Mercedes, and BMW sell a large number of diesels, but keep their performance lines in petrol form.

Diesel engines may have excellent mileage, but their mixed output and higher weight limit their segment beyond economy. The R8 V-12 TDI in this month’s issue is fast–but below the typical line of petrol supercars we’ve become accustomed to. The high-end R8 V-12, meant to be priced alongside the Ferrari Enzo and Porsche Carrera GT, the numbers are behind “lesser exotics.”

Some things are changing. I’ll be fair about that. The Porsche 997 Turbo and Chevy Corvette ZR-1 offer massive performance even compared to half-million-dollar supercars. Mercedes is apparently considering an AMG diesel. Even Audi seems to be changing its tune, though. The R8 V-12 has apparently been cancelled in favor of a low-volume V-8. But given the present state of things, I see diesels failing to make a big dent.

But the bigger availability of diesel offerings could cause real change. That did happen in the early 1980s when GM, Mercedes, and Volvo were selling hundreds of thousands of diesels in the United States. As history shows, however, a boom can go bust in a matter of years.

AES May 11th, 2008 3:26 AM Link

I’m not sure I agree about the smoothness issue brought up:

“could get used to switching between engine and motor, though the transition was sometimes a little abrupt”

I test drove the Malibu hybrid a few months back at a trade show, and the car stop-started far smoother than any Toyota hybrid I’d ever been in. No shuddering or anything.

On the nitty gritty, the car doesn’t really “transition” between engine and motor at all. That’s contradictory to the entire “mybrid” technology - it’s a (weak) assist. It doesn’t sound like the reviewer even drove the car. Perhaps they were just referring to the motor assisting at wide open throttle?

That said, the car averaged about 20-something mpg during all the test drives during the day, which sounds like it matches up with the urban EPA estimates.

Also, I think this system is more of a placeholder until they bring in lithium power, which will bring the power assist levels on par with the Honda system, and potentially with a much smaller battery footprint and price tag.

Cicero May 11th, 2008 12:16 PM Link

mo, modern diesels are very quiet and smooth, ask anyone in Europe

Cicero May 11th, 2008 12:22 PM Link

Here is a good example of what I would like “With plans for similar emissions-based taxation schemes like London’s congestion charge as well as tough new low CO2 emissions regulations planned for Europe from 2012 onwards, carmakers are focused on cleaning up tailpipe emissions as well as offering more models with lower CO2 levels than currently provided. One of the most active is BMW, which has already shown a 119g/km of CO2 1-series and is now reportedly set to release a sub-120g/km 3-series saloon.

According to latest reports, BMW is prepping a version of the 318d that will have a sub-120g/km CO2 level. The current 318d produces 123g/km but with some minor revisions, such as improving the aerodynamics and gearing as well as adding lower rolling resistance tires, BMW will be able to reduce the emissions, reports AutoExpress.

Such a vehicle would receive a 100% refund on London’s congestion charge as well as lower registration tax also in the UK as it would qualify for the Band B taxation category. A BMW spokesman also revealed that any revisions made to the 3-series would flow-on to the 1-series, making the compact hatch even cleaner, and could potentially feature on other models within the line-up.”

bobblack May 12th, 2008 1:24 PM Link

The 08MY FWD Escape Hybrid gets 34/30. Eat that GM.

brian May 12th, 2008 2:17 PM Link

hahahah that design looks like they spent all their time and money copying european designs but stopped when they got to the backend. “we cant copy totally, let come up with our design for the back”

Oollyoumn May 12th, 2008 4:22 PM Link

Last I checked the Sonata is a full size larger, gets about the same mileage, and 2008s with current incentives can be purchased for about $8,000 less that the price as tested above. There is a payback that will be beyond my life time. And best of all, a manual transmission is available on the Sonata.

Austin May 12th, 2008 11:24 PM Link

I thought I read (perhaps some place besides WR.com) that this car would ultimately come in two hybrid flavors — mild (belt driven motor) and extra spicy (dual mode hybrid)…

So really the issue would be the ROI on either ($1800 for the mild) vs. the Camry Hybrid ROI ($2200).

Without doing the math…it does seem like you’ve make you money back a lot faster on the Camry…even at $5/gal. And yet it shouldn’t be hard to get a return on your mild Malibu Hybrid either. (It’s still a 10% improvement in mileage without penalizing the driving experience.)

[And I agree that at the first possible moment, they should “fix” the unfinished/bland rear end on the Malibu.]

Mena May 13th, 2008 12:59 AM Link

hahahah…Brian…GM sells cars all over the world. I wouldn’t be surprised if they spread out their designs in multiple markets….hahahah