Rented 1 for 3 days in Maui going all over the place and racked up 500 miles. Great handling for its size, at least compare to the 01 Ford Taurus, 03 Buick Regal, and 97 Toyota Camry that I had driven before. It does feel like a much smaller car (like a civic) in the handling department and I'd definitely drive one. Navigating around parking is not bad. Few blind spot and the steering feel is just right.
Interior material is rubbery. Sure it is soft but the fit and finish is typical rubbery soft instead of a firm support with soft coating you expect from VW or Lexus. At least it is better than Camry that I tested drove 2 years ago with sharp edges on the steering wheel that can cut your finger/palm. The leather seat (or fake leather, IDK) is low quality and has a smell that can make you uncomfortable in mountain driving. I'd take a cloth seat if possible next time (the car has 7500 miles on it).
Now the bad part: fuel economy in 2009 for a car like this should not be 18-20 mpg. Even going downhill or cruse on flat land is only giving me something like a 40-50mpg without AC on and 34-36mpg with AC on, and gas pedal completely depressed. The fuel indicator on my IS250 manage about 40-80 on similar flatland cruse in a matter of 1-2 seconds. Well, to be fair it is a 2.5L V6 with direct injection compare to a 3.6L V6 from GM.
Will I buy one new? Probably not because there are better cars out there, and a big car like Malibu is not something I'm in to, and I expect better quality even if I have to pay more. If they have a slightly smaller car that looks better in the rear, and even higher quality, I'll consider it, but not as is. However I would definitely consider it if the used car price is low enough, like 1 year old with 13k miles for only $13k-14k, and I do think that it is a significant improvement compare to the domestic cars up till 2005 or so.
Interior material is rubbery. Sure it is soft but the fit and finish is typical rubbery soft instead of a firm support with soft coating you expect from VW or Lexus. At least it is better than Camry that I tested drove 2 years ago with sharp edges on the steering wheel that can cut your finger/palm. The leather seat (or fake leather, IDK) is low quality and has a smell that can make you uncomfortable in mountain driving. I'd take a cloth seat if possible next time (the car has 7500 miles on it).
Now the bad part: fuel economy in 2009 for a car like this should not be 18-20 mpg. Even going downhill or cruse on flat land is only giving me something like a 40-50mpg without AC on and 34-36mpg with AC on, and gas pedal completely depressed. The fuel indicator on my IS250 manage about 40-80 on similar flatland cruse in a matter of 1-2 seconds. Well, to be fair it is a 2.5L V6 with direct injection compare to a 3.6L V6 from GM.
Will I buy one new? Probably not because there are better cars out there, and a big car like Malibu is not something I'm in to, and I expect better quality even if I have to pay more. If they have a slightly smaller car that looks better in the rear, and even higher quality, I'll consider it, but not as is. However I would definitely consider it if the used car price is low enough, like 1 year old with 13k miles for only $13k-14k, and I do think that it is a significant improvement compare to the domestic cars up till 2005 or so.
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