Of the 3, my pic would be the MALIBU.
While(as you know), the Elantra & Jetta are in the compact sedan category along with the Civic, Corolla, Sentry, the Malibu is a size segment above and in the midsize family sedan along with the Accord/Altima/Camry. Depending on your driving style and preferences is what you should buy. Do you want sporty or nice to drive in comfort and quiet every single day on the crappy NewOrleans roads?
Don't measure a vehicle cost by MSRP, go by how much can you knock down the price of the car? Typically, the Chevy will be less costly to buy & own.
Here's what I mean. Chevrolet usually piles lots of money on the hood of the car just for walking in the dealership. And if you negotiate strongly, I've seen as much as $5K-$7K knocked of the sticker and maybe(MAYBE) and extra $1000 if your already a GM owner(loyalty $$$) for buying another GM vehicle. This may not be the case right now but the deals are there.
Then there is the cost of insurance. When I was at an AARP Driver Safety Course, a representative from Liberty Mutual came into the meeting at the end of the course to answer questions. So I asked a question that no one was asking!
Me: "If we were to buy a vehicle based on the lowest insurance cost, which vehicles should we consider?"
Ins.Agent: "Buy domestic! Domestic cars, especially Chevrolet, typically cost le$$ on insurance while Hyundai/KIA and VOLVO cost more" according to Liberty Mutual.