2.4 liter Ecotech engine in a new Malibu.

[mrsilv04]

I'll admit up front, that I'm not a 4 cylinder kind of guy.

However, the Chevy dealer gave me a bare bones Malibu LS as a loaner, with the 2.4 liter Ecotech engine in it, and I could easily learn to like this car and engine. They had run out of "service loaner" cars, so I scored this demo unit. They did have a Caddy SRX loaner (which I would have easily taken), but it is reserved exclusively for Caddy owners.

Sure, the 2.4 has to work at it pretty hard with my right foot, but it is claiming 35.6 mpg on about 150 miles of driving today. A good portion of that was interstate driving today, and while drafting some semis at 62 mph (using cruise control and the A/C off), it was reporting a solid 40 mpg. The rest of it was at 55, with the A/C off as well. The engine is peppy, has good pull going up through the gears, and the car has excellent road manners. It appears that the only two options that this car has is the body side moldings and floor mats.

I'll be taking it to Indy tomorrow (that'll be another 250 miles on it), and I'll have a really good idea if I like this car this time tomorrow. I'll be running the A/C tomorrow, and will see what kind of penalty that is as well.

I'm skeptical about these mpg numbers, that they are too good to be true, but I'll find out for sure when I have to fill it up before returning it on Friday.

 

[MrCritical]

It's about 5 mpg better than my daughter averages in her '06 G6 with the same engine.

Of course we have to run the a/c here 9 months a year.

 

[Pablo]

The 2.4 liter Ecotec is turning out to be a nice little engine.

I believe the wear numbers are low so far.

 

[JohnBrowning]

I do not see why it would not do well. It is a decent I4. I think it is a bit too northstar-ish in some ways but it is a good engine. My Toytoa Carmy has a 2.4 I4 and I had two suit case's,two steamer chest's, a back pack, a duffle bag, about 10 Walmart bags, two small coolers, some weights and finess gear and plenty of food and my laptop. I drove with the AC going almost non-stop from Michigan to Florida. My average for the trip was 38Mpg and that was setting the cruise for 3-5MPH over the posted speed limit.

Now my normal composite average wich is about 50/50 city/highway is about 29 because i take my car to readline all the time around town and on back roads! So if a modern 2.4 can get 29 with me lead fotting it and running AC with a 50/50 composite and 38 on the HWY in steady state driveng I can belive 35 no problem!

My wifes Buick with a 3.8V6 gets 32 ont he HWY all day long it is when you hit the back roads and city streets that the gas milages drops like a lead ballon!

 

[The Critic]

Wow, that's pretty good mileage for a car that's only rated 22/30. Is the engine quiet when you rev it? Does it sound smooth and refined at high RPMs?

Also, GM is going to pair the 2.4L Ecotec engine with a 6-speed automatic (6T40) for the 2009 model year. The EPA highway rating is going to increase by 2 mpg to a class leading 22/32.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Wow, that's pretty good mileage for a car that's only rated 22/30. Is the engine quiet when you rev it? Does it sound smooth and refined at high RPMs?

Also, GM is going to pair the 2.4L Ecotec engine with a 6-speed automatic (6T40) for the 2009 model year. The EPA highway rating is going to increase by 2 mpg to a class leading 22/32.

Is that the 6spd they were co-developing with Ford?

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Wow, that's pretty good mileage for a car that's only rated 22/30. Is the engine quiet when you rev it? Does it sound smooth and refined at high RPMs?

Also, GM is going to pair the 2.4L Ecotec engine with a 6-speed automatic (6T40) for the 2009 model year. The EPA highway rating is going to increase by 2 mpg to a class leading 22/32.

Is that the 6spd they were co-developing with Ford?

I'm not sure. The 6-speed they developed with Ford was the 6T70 automatic that went into the Aura 3.6L V6 and the Malibu 3.6L V6. They are using the 6T40 with the 4-cylinder applications.

Here's more info about the joint venture between GM and Ford regarding the development of the 6T70:

http://wardsauto.com/ar/ford_gm_automatic/

 

[OVERKILL]

Wikipedia says:

Quote:
The Hydra-Matic 6T40 (and similar 6T45) is a transversely-mounted six speed automatic transmission produced by General Motors. It made its debut in the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, available with the 2.4L LE5 Ecotec making 164 hp, and will also be made available on the Daewoo Tosca and Chinese-market Buick LaCrosse. The 6T45 differs from the 6T40 in its use of heavier-duty components, allowing it to handle engines with greater torque. The 6T40 will be available in front-wheel drive configuration only (MH8), but the 6T45 will be adaptable to both FWD (MH7) and all-wheel drive (MHC).[1] The transmission is based on the larger 6T70/75, and will be produced at Ypsilanti, Michigan, as well as by GM Daewoo and Shanghai GM at undisclosed locations.


So it's apparently based on the 6T70.

 

[addyguy]

I realy like the look of the new Malibu. If I were in the market for a new car, it would be high on my list, and I'd be looking at the 4-cylinder. The Ecotec is an awesome engine!

 

[ALS]

I've seriously been looking at the four cylinder Malibu as a replacement for my 87 Volvo (362K). I like the looks and the fuel mileage people are reporting. I need a reasonably priced daily driver and the used ones are looking very tempting.
If I could get a low mileage one for $2K or $3K less than what they'er asking right now I'd snag one tomorrow.

 

[wavinwayne]

The only reason I wouldn't want a new Malibu is because several years down the road, half the ones you see on the road will look like garbage, because people who couldn't afford them in the first place bought one, and didn't/couldn't/wouldn't take care of it.

Other than that, they are fine looking cars, that will last a BITOGer as long as they want to keep it.

 

[Drew99GT]

Get one with the 3.5L V-6 - almost the same fuel mileage as the Malibu with the 2.4L I-4. You can squeeze 32-33 highway with the 3.5L VVT V-6 and 22-24 in town.

The new 3.6L DOHC High Feature V-6 gets 4 mpg less than the 3.5L High Value engine.

We just got an 07 Impala with the 3.5L with 20,000 miles for only $14.5

 

[JohnBrowning]

My engine is quite at idle and always smooth but it can get a little noisey by Toyota standards when you rev it. Now it is though quiter then the generation of engines it replaced but it is not Lexus V8 smooth or quite. I am running VP vaceing 5W30 all ester based oil. It has been sweetened with 60cc's of Vanlubes boron additive and 60cc's of automotive SM oil additive concentrate. This oil tends to fall on it's face in terms of TBN and longterm wear protection so I am giveing it some help. I chose this oil from my stash just for fuel economy since it is a very light oil and has very low drag.

I have never gotten less then 29Mpg out of it and like I said I drove it hard always have! I am not the fuel effecient easy go lucky type of driver! I like to get up to speed right now! IF I had my way I would have a steam catapult built into all intersections with stop lights and when it turned green the first two cars in each lane would be catapualted up to the legal speed limit!

Most people I know with Buick 3.8's get in the low 30's on the HWY it is just around town they drink the fuel!

 

[JohnBrowning]

I do not think I would ever buy a new GM vechile. Even if I wanted a GM vechile I would get one off lease that is about 2 years old for 1/2 the price of a new one! GM vechiles do not hold their value so used is the way to go. I know a kid right out of H.S. bougt a 3 year old Cadilac Seville with 120,000 miles for less then $4000.00 of a Cadilac lot! Now I am not a mathmatician but that is some easy math to do right their! The kid was kind of family. One of my unckles dated his Mom for around 8 years before he died so I knew him and he is always invited to family get together and treated like family!

 

[JohnBrowning]

My Mom has a 2007 Camry but her's has the 5 speed automatic but the same engine as mine 2AZ-FE. She drives super easy never accelerates hard and always does the posted speedlimit etc... She always gets inthe 30's often around 32MPG. She does not drive onthe HWY either she works about 12 miles from home and they are country back roads but with freq. stop signs. I do not think she hardly ever runs the air though since she is third shift and it is usualy cool at nights and early int he morning on her way home!

 

[mrsilv04]

I was able to squeeze 451 miles out of a tank of gas on the Malibu. It was $53.00 to fill it back up. Come to find out, the mpg display on the dash is about 5 percent optimistic. The dash states 34.5 mpg, the fill up with gas calculates to 33 mpg. The vast majority of this tank was highway miles.

I ran the A/C all day today, and didn't draft any semis. Ran it mostly right at 70 mph. Did do quite a bit of city driving within Indianapolis. From what the DIC was displaying (correcting for the 5% error), it is getting a solid 35 mpg on the interstate @ 70 mpg with the A/C on. I can't complain about that, considering this car is not a tiny little car.

Would I buy one? I think I could. After 450 miles, I don't have any major complaints. The driver's seat could use a little more lumbar support, which I only noticed after about 2 1/2 hours in the seat. There are some blind spots in the rearward visibility which took a little to get used to. The brakes are spot on and are predictable. A faint bit of torque steer on hard acceleration. However, someone used to a front driver may not even notice it (I've never owned a front wheel drive car). The steering at low speeds seems a little numb to me, but improves greatly when the speed picks up. Cornering is tight, solid, and predictable (and this is the base model).

The ride is good, although it does start getting choppy and noisy on less than perfect pavement. My folks' Park Avenue does lots better, but comparing this car and a P.A. isn't a fair comparision.

That all said, being 6 foot 3, I'd be more at home in an Impala. There's plenty of well equipped 1 year old Impalas out there with less than 10,000 miles on them, that could probably be bought cheaper than this base Malibu. Mainly because one is a brand new model, and the other is a few years old. My experience with rentals, the mileage on the Impala pretty much tops out at 30, where this Malibu tops out at 35.

I'll return the Malibu tomorrow with a smile on my face, but I'll be just as glad to get my Silverado back.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: wavinwayne
The only reason I wouldn't want a new Malibu is because several years down the road, half the ones you see on the road will look like garbage, because people who couldn't afford them in the first place bought one, and didn't/couldn't/wouldn't take care of it.


And how is that different from most other makes and models?

Any vehicle, in the wrong hands, will get all tore up. How is this isolated to a model like a Malibu... but not a Taurus or an Impala?

 

[defeated]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Come to find out, the mpg display on the dash is about 5 percent optimistic. The dash states 34.5 mpg, the fill up with gas calculates to 33 mpg.


That sounds about right, in my experience with GMs MPG displays on the Monte Carlo and my old Grand Prix. The average was always about 1 mile on the higher side, give or take a fraction.

 

[ClarkB]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
I was able to squeeze 451 miles out of a tank of gas on the Malibu. It was $53.00 to fill it back up. Come to find out, the mpg display on the dash is about 5 percent optimistic. The dash states 34.5 mpg, the fill up with gas calculates to 33 mpg. The vast majority of this tank was highway miles.

I ran the A/C all day today, and didn't draft any semis. Ran it mostly right at 70 mph. Did do quite a bit of city driving within Indianapolis. From what the DIC was displaying (correcting for the 5% error), it is getting a solid 35 mpg on the interstate @ 70 mpg with the A/C on. I can't complain about that, considering this car is not a tiny little car.

Would I buy one? I think I could. After 450 miles, I don't have any major complaints. The driver's seat could use a little more lumbar support, which I only noticed after about 2 1/2 hours in the seat. There are some blind spots in the rearward visibility which took a little to get used to. The brakes are spot on and are predictable. A faint bit of torque steer on hard acceleration. However, someone used to a front driver may not even notice it (I've never owned a front wheel drive car). The steering at low speeds seems a little numb to me, but improves greatly when the speed picks up. Cornering is tight, solid, and predictable (and this is the base model).

The ride is good, although it does start getting choppy and noisy on less than perfect pavement. My folks' Park Avenue does lots better, but comparing this car and a P.A. isn't a fair comparision.

That all said, being 6 foot 3, I'd be more at home in an Impala. There's plenty of well equipped 1 year old Impalas out there with less than 10,000 miles on them, that could probably be bought cheaper than this base Malibu. Mainly because one is a brand new model, and the other is a few years old. My experience with rentals, the mileage on the Impala pretty much tops out at 30, where this Malibu tops out at 35.

I'll return the Malibu tomorrow with a smile on my face, but I'll be just as glad to get my Silverado back.


Good to hear that GM is giving the Camry and Accord some competition! The Japs have had a monopoly on the quality built 4-cylinder, 4-door sedan for about 15 years now. I've always said I'd buy American if they proved they could make vehicles as well as the Japs, maybe this is the start.

Clark

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: JohnBrowning
My Mom has a 2007 Camry but her's has the 5 speed automatic but the same engine as mine 2AZ-FE. She drives super easy never accelerates hard and always does the posted speedlimit etc... She always gets inthe 30's often around 32MPG. She does not drive onthe HWY either she works about 12 miles from home and they are country back roads but with freq. stop signs. I do not think she hardly ever runs the air though since she is third shift and it is usualy cool at nights and early int he morning on her way home!


Is it possible to drift any [censored] afield in those three consecutive posts of yours?