And how is their longevity compared to a Camry or Malibu? Oil burning? Engine repairs? How are they holding up at 200,000 miles? What do the engines look like if opened up? Just curious ... I certainly don't know the answer, but you seem to have some experience in these matters.
Depends on which generation. I’ll stick with the FWD variants for this comparison.
1997-2003 (2004-2005 Classic Fleet) was a reliable car if it had the 3.1V6, intake gaskets were the only major weakness of these (most GM’s of this era). The quad four 4 banger was a mess, a few years later GM dumped the quad four and you could only get the 3.1V6. The 2004-2005 Classic came with the 2.2 Ecotec and those are very reliable.
2004-2007 (2008 Fleet) generation came with the 2.2 4cylinder Ecotec or the 3.5 V6. Both reliable, 3.5 V6 engines had some intake gasket issues but wasn’t widespread. Some 2.2 Ecotecs had timing chain tensioners fail, mainly in neglected engines. Overall general “cheapness” became evident with this generation, especially in the suspension. Very reliable cars however.
2008-2012 generation is hit or miss on reliability. Equipped with either the 2.4 Ecotec or 3.6 V6 (port injected version), both engines have known issues. There was a hybrid version for 2 model years that used a modified version of the 2.4. The 2.4 Ecotec is notorious for chain wear. The 3.6 is susceptible to chain wear too but mainly if oil change intervals were too long. The 3.6 benefited from short changes. There are a lot of 3.6 port injection engines over 200k miles. Both the 4cylinder and V6 suffer from 6 speed auto problems. Neither engine is tolerant of extended oil changes. Build quality of this generation was much improved over the previous generation.
2013-2015 (2016 Malibu Fleet) was not a well respected car. They came equipped with 2.5 DI Ecotec, 2.0T DI Ecotec or the 2.4 Ecotec in the Hybrid. First of all this platform was smaller and they introduced start/stop on the 2014 2.5 4 cylinder. Timing chain wear is no longer an issue, however they both have a history of oil consumption. The start/stop system requires an auxiliary battery to function and there is no button to disable it. Transmissions are less problematic than the previous generation. For whatever reason this generation has a lot of computer module issues.
2016-Current generation should really be split into two categories IMO. The 2016-2018 came with the 1.5T or 2.0T, both with 6 speed autos. Both engines suffer from LSPI and GM did a number of enhancements to rectify the issue. There was a Hybrid version that used a totally different power train. Not many other widespread issues. **2019+ models** Went thru a mid cycle refresh and were extensively reworked. The 1.5T is now mated to a CVT and it’s a good unit. LSPI is virtually nonexistent on the 1.5T now, the 2.0T still has LSPI reports but GM “highly recommends” 93 octane. Assumably many of the 2.0T’s are getting regular 87 octane. The 2019+ models are solidly reliable. Overall build quality of the 2016+ is good.
I understand you weren’t looking for an in depth comparison of the Malibu, but they are reliable, just as the Camry is. I’m not sure of all the issues the Camry has but I know it has its issues as well. Repairs on any car are inevitable. Regarding the Malibu, if there is one generation I would avoid its the 2013-2015 (2016 Fleet). It was short lived for a reason.
