I'm thinking about upgrading cars in a couple of years from our '00 Impala LS to "maybe" the 2013 Malibu? My concern is the problems associated with a new engine design and direct injection. Our Impala has the 3800 series II which is known to be a great engine, but has 212,000 miles on it now and really no other issues, not even rust. The 2014 Impala looks like a Buick LaCrosse with a Camaro front end. I'm really not diggin' that car much right now or it's projected price, but the new Malibu looks promising in the near future. I hear rear seating is tight and MPG's are not that exceptional. Our car still regularly gets 24-27mpg for a large car in mostly highway driving so I'm hoping for much more in a newer 4 cyl. model. Any feedback would be welcomed. Thankyou
owner reviews on the 2013 Malibu 2.5
- Thread starter Tzu
- Start date
- Status
Buy a Toyota Camry the most American car you can buy. Or Honda Accord both get well over 30 mpg highway.
Originally Posted By: rshaw125
Buy a Toyota Camry the most American car you can buy. Or Honda Accord both get well over 30 mpg highway.
Well that was an enlightening review of the Malibu. those 2 cars have the styling of a used bar of soap.
Buy a Toyota Camry the most American car you can buy. Or Honda Accord both get well over 30 mpg highway.
Well that was an enlightening review of the Malibu. those 2 cars have the styling of a used bar of soap.
Not that much difference in rear leg room but it is tighter. You lose 1.6" in the Malibu.
http://autos.aol.com/cars-Chevrolet-Impala-2000-LS__4dr_Sedan/specs/
http://autos.aol.com/cars-Chevrolet-Malibu-2013/spec
http://autos.aol.com/cars-Chevrolet-Impala-2000-LS__4dr_Sedan/specs/
http://autos.aol.com/cars-Chevrolet-Malibu-2013/spec
Originally Posted By: pbm
I like the new Ford Fusion better....
Yep and the rear leg room is about identical...
http://autos.aol.com/cars-Ford-Fusion-2013/specs/
I like the new Ford Fusion better....
Yep and the rear leg room is about identical...
http://autos.aol.com/cars-Ford-Fusion-2013/specs/
Originally Posted By: johnachak
Originally Posted By: rshaw125
Buy a Toyota Camry the most American car you can buy. Or Honda Accord both get well over 30 mpg highway.
those 2 cars have the styling of a used bar of soap.
Agreed but this coming from a "Freestyle owner" tisk tisk
Originally Posted By: rshaw125
Buy a Toyota Camry the most American car you can buy. Or Honda Accord both get well over 30 mpg highway.
those 2 cars have the styling of a used bar of soap.
Agreed but this coming from a "Freestyle owner" tisk tisk
Originally Posted By: zloveraz
Originally Posted By: johnachak
Originally Posted By: rshaw125
Buy a Toyota Camry the most American car you can buy. Or Honda Accord both get well over 30 mpg highway.
those 2 cars have the styling of a used bar of soap.
Agreed but this coming from a "Freestyle owner" tisk tisk
Yes, that is my station wagon that I use to move people and things. It was the biggest vehicle I could find at the price point and all the seats fold down for moving lumber, fishing rods / gear etc. I certainly didn't buy it for it's looks. It is rather comfortable though... (And paid off) The Caddy is the family car. I DO like the way that one looks.
Originally Posted By: johnachak
Originally Posted By: rshaw125
Buy a Toyota Camry the most American car you can buy. Or Honda Accord both get well over 30 mpg highway.
those 2 cars have the styling of a used bar of soap.
Agreed but this coming from a "Freestyle owner" tisk tisk
Yes, that is my station wagon that I use to move people and things. It was the biggest vehicle I could find at the price point and all the seats fold down for moving lumber, fishing rods / gear etc. I certainly didn't buy it for it's looks. It is rather comfortable though... (And paid off) The Caddy is the family car. I DO like the way that one looks.
I'd keep the Impala. The Series II/4T65 is a solid drivetrain, even with 212k miles on it. The engine will easily last 300k+ miles. The highest-mileage 3800 I know of had 342k miles on it before it got totaled by a red-light runner.
If you're wanting a Malibu-sized car that gets better fuel economy, look at a Cruze. Mine has a larger trunk than a Malibu Eco, and the interior dimensions are quite close. Even with an automatic transmission, the LT's can average low=mid 30's fuel economy. Mine with a manual transmission and mostly 55 mph 2-lane highway driving averages 44 mpg. As of right now, they're port-injected and turbocharged. GM knows small turbo engines like the back of their hand thanks to the Cobalt SS and all the Saab turbo knowledge.
Whatever you do, test-drive the cars thoroughly since they all feel/act differently. The Cruze is a midsize car, the Malibu is a larger-exterior midsize car, and the Impala is a large car.
Be warned, a smaller turbo engine almost demands full synthetic oil, and at least the Cruzes demonstrate fuel economy/drivability benefits from premium fuel.
If you're wanting a Malibu-sized car that gets better fuel economy, look at a Cruze. Mine has a larger trunk than a Malibu Eco, and the interior dimensions are quite close. Even with an automatic transmission, the LT's can average low=mid 30's fuel economy. Mine with a manual transmission and mostly 55 mph 2-lane highway driving averages 44 mpg. As of right now, they're port-injected and turbocharged. GM knows small turbo engines like the back of their hand thanks to the Cobalt SS and all the Saab turbo knowledge.
Whatever you do, test-drive the cars thoroughly since they all feel/act differently. The Cruze is a midsize car, the Malibu is a larger-exterior midsize car, and the Impala is a large car.
Be warned, a smaller turbo engine almost demands full synthetic oil, and at least the Cruzes demonstrate fuel economy/drivability benefits from premium fuel.
My friend neil and his wife just got a new Malibu. Seems like quite a car, not exciting or anything but good basic transportation with a smooth and quiet interior.
I like the Cruze better myself for the styling, but the Malibu will feed most people's needs just fine IMO.
I like the Cruze better myself for the styling, but the Malibu will feed most people's needs just fine IMO.
I sure hope the trunk opening on the new design is bigger than the previous generation. The sales reps at a local company had these for company cars and the reps hated them since they had a hard fitting all their stuff in there. Esp coming from Impalas. The Taurus is now used which they like much better.
For the next couple of years, I might just do that. I noticed too that the Cruze has almost the same size interior as the new Malibu (??), plus gets better MPG's and is cheaper. I've seen TONS of Cruzes around where I live, but only a couple of the new Malibus? The Cruzes are really nice looking cars. Thanks for the advice....
I see lots of Cruze LS, LT, and LTZ's running around the Rochester area. Only a few Eco's, though. I've only seen a handful of the new Malibu's, which isn't surprising since they had only the Eco trim level available for sale. Now that the 2.5 version is on sale, there should be more.
For stuff, my Cruze sees a pretty fully loaded hockey goalie bag 5 days a week with my work stuff (itinerant teacher), and it fits in and out of the trunk just fine with room for 5-6 bags of groceries left over.
Definitely check out each car, as they're all quite different on the inside, despite having similar interior dimensions.
For stuff, my Cruze sees a pretty fully loaded hockey goalie bag 5 days a week with my work stuff (itinerant teacher), and it fits in and out of the trunk just fine with room for 5-6 bags of groceries left over.
Definitely check out each car, as they're all quite different on the inside, despite having similar interior dimensions.
I have rented the '12 Malibu with 4cyl a number of times now. I can't imagine a worse new car. The 2013 simply has to be better!
GM dropped the ball on this one. Mid-size sedans are the bread and butter of these companies and they sell a LOT of them. Competition in this segment is stiff and the stakes are high considering the sales. Contenders include the new Ford Fusion, Nissan Altima, Honda Accord, Kia Optima, Volkswagen Passat, Chevrolet Malibu and (heavily refreshed) Toyota Camry. Unfortunately, GM decided to shorten the wheelbase on the new Malibu which reduced the rear seat room. Space in "the back" is critical for people anticipating actually putting bodies in them (think families) and many of these new offerings have longer wheelbases and MORE rear seat and leg room...not less. The new Malibu seems to be ranking toward the bottom against its current competitors and this is bad news for GM. It's a decent car...but not good enough to pull ahead of the leaders in this hot segment. I was hoping for more from GM considering their successful new car launches over the last couple of years.
Agreed, I don't know where the Malibu is slotting into the lineup. For basic subcompact/compact transportation, GM has the Spark and Sonic. For a smaller midsize car, they have the Cruze. Then comes the bigger on the outside while same space inside as the Cruze yet heavier and thirstier Malibu. Then comes the large-car Impala.
I guess they figure folks who want something larger than a Cruze but smaller than an Impala will buy one. I predict that folks will either look at the fuel economy numbers and price tag on the Cruze while telling the back-seat passengers to shut up, or pony up for an Impala if they want something larger and more upscale than a Cruze LTZ with leather/nav.
Back about 5 years ago when the the Cobalt was a penalty box and the Impala was even then a dinosaur that was on life support from fleet sales, the Malibu was a compelling upscale alternative to both. Now that Cruze is similar sized on the inside and the Impala is moving upscale, the Malibu doesn't really have a niche to fill. It's a nameplate that exists to get current owners to trade in on another one. I see the new 'Bu being a bit of a flop sales-wise since its kid brother grew up, and the older sibling underwent a complete makeover.
That being said, it just might fill some needs out there that a Cruze can't.
I guess they figure folks who want something larger than a Cruze but smaller than an Impala will buy one. I predict that folks will either look at the fuel economy numbers and price tag on the Cruze while telling the back-seat passengers to shut up, or pony up for an Impala if they want something larger and more upscale than a Cruze LTZ with leather/nav.
Back about 5 years ago when the the Cobalt was a penalty box and the Impala was even then a dinosaur that was on life support from fleet sales, the Malibu was a compelling upscale alternative to both. Now that Cruze is similar sized on the inside and the Impala is moving upscale, the Malibu doesn't really have a niche to fill. It's a nameplate that exists to get current owners to trade in on another one. I see the new 'Bu being a bit of a flop sales-wise since its kid brother grew up, and the older sibling underwent a complete makeover.
That being said, it just might fill some needs out there that a Cruze can't.
I don't see much size difference between the Malibu and the Impala(maybe dimentionaly on the spec sheet). I think it's more along the lines of marketing to two different groups of buyers:
Impala...Those who still like the typical domestic sedan with a choice of V6's and maybe even a V8. A nice cruiser!
Malibu...Those who have purchace imports for many years and enjoyed a bit better driving dynamics and fuel economy(4 cyl) but, still want a bit larger car.
The CRUZE is a decent size car today as well. It's typicaly the size car that I usually like without being too big!
Impala...Those who still like the typical domestic sedan with a choice of V6's and maybe even a V8. A nice cruiser!
Malibu...Those who have purchace imports for many years and enjoyed a bit better driving dynamics and fuel economy(4 cyl) but, still want a bit larger car.
The CRUZE is a decent size car today as well. It's typicaly the size car that I usually like without being too big!
Originally Posted By: Cujet
I have rented the '12 Malibu with 4cyl a number of times now. I can't imagine a worse new car. The 2013 simply has to be better!
I agree on the 2012 Malibu. We have a new one at work. It's a pretty poor-driving car. I shared your enthusiasm that a 2013 model would be better, but it's universally getting panned in comparison tests. They actually say the old model was a better car. I can't believe that the '13 is really that bad, but I haven't driven one either.
I have rented the '12 Malibu with 4cyl a number of times now. I can't imagine a worse new car. The 2013 simply has to be better!
I agree on the 2012 Malibu. We have a new one at work. It's a pretty poor-driving car. I shared your enthusiasm that a 2013 model would be better, but it's universally getting panned in comparison tests. They actually say the old model was a better car. I can't believe that the '13 is really that bad, but I haven't driven one either.
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: Cujet
I have rented the '12 Malibu with 4cyl a number of times now. I can't imagine a worse new car. The 2013 simply has to be better!
I agree on the 2012 Malibu. We have a new one at work. It's a pretty poor-driving car. I shared your enthusiasm that a 2013 model would be better, but it's universally getting panned in comparison tests. They actually say the old model was a better car. I can't believe that the '13 is really that bad, but I haven't driven one either.
Well, that settles it. If the 2012 malibu is a better car than the 2013 version, steer clear. I could not imagine a worse new car. Besides the fact that it's utterly boring and annoying to drive, the real world MPG was not good.
Originally Posted By: Cujet
I have rented the '12 Malibu with 4cyl a number of times now. I can't imagine a worse new car. The 2013 simply has to be better!
I agree on the 2012 Malibu. We have a new one at work. It's a pretty poor-driving car. I shared your enthusiasm that a 2013 model would be better, but it's universally getting panned in comparison tests. They actually say the old model was a better car. I can't believe that the '13 is really that bad, but I haven't driven one either.
Well, that settles it. If the 2012 malibu is a better car than the 2013 version, steer clear. I could not imagine a worse new car. Besides the fact that it's utterly boring and annoying to drive, the real world MPG was not good.
- Status
Similar threads
