So, I was on vacation recently, and the rental was a Malibu. Because VB is a Malibu man, I feel compelled to offer my comments.

The rental had a 3.5l V6. Two surprises out of this. One, highway mileage was between 29 and 30 mpg, better than I expectedgiven theV6. Two, the car was not really that powerful, a couple times I struggled to pass on the highway. Considering the engine is 75% larger than what I have in my M3, this was disappointing.

Positive points, comfortable highway cruiser, nice and quiet with a very decent ride. Was in high winds a couple times, no major problems. Nice big trunk, lots of space for the luggage. Spacious feeling interior, stereo did the job.

Negative point, the center console computer system wasdifficult to use. The size of the letters/numbers were very small, hard to read while driving. The trip odometers were built into the center console computer system, as opposed to being separate and displayed somewhere near the odo, speedo, or tach,which I found odd. They had a single button for the center console computer which you had to press to scroll throughat least8 different lines of info, with only one line at a time displaying(instant mpg, average mpg, trip odo1, trip odo2, front tire pressure, rear tire pressure, average speed, miles to empty, and maybe a couple of other pieces of data I can't recall). Yes, you have to scroll on the Mazda 3 trip comp, but its not 8 items. Overall, I guess you'd get used to it, but it seems to be not very well thought out.

 

Welcome back, Uber!! I was wondering what happened to you.

It sounds like Chevy has taken a page from the worst of the BMW features (so I've read, and read, and read) the iLink?

On a less similar Chevy note, we just got back (2 weeks ago) from returning my MIL, and her 2003 Chevy Cavalier who had been staying w/us for the last 6 months, to PA from TX.
The car has some power, much to my surprise, but what a POS!! And we didn't do much better than you did in the mileage department! Considering it's a 2.4L Auto, we averaged only 32.3mpg for the entire 1600+ mile trip. I did better than that when we took my car on that same trip a few years ago.
I was so sore, being packed into that thing for 2.5 days. Trying to unfold myself out of the back seat, or even get some sleep back there was a new lesson in contorting. I couldn't wait to get out of it and never see the damned thing again. And it's road manners, or lack there of,are unnerving too, imo.

 

hmmm im sure he will be happy to know that. but who knows he may have a different outlook on the car.

 

This is actually great timing, Urban - I took a trip to Six Flags in Jacksonville yesterday. Going to the park (2 people), I averaged 31MPG...coming back (4 people), I average 30MPG. I have to say, I was very pleasantly surprised with the mileage - the car was advertised at 18/27.

Now, for the engine. Yours had the same 3.5L as mine, correct? I'm not surprised the power on the highway is less than you expected - it's only 200HP. It's not a rocket after 4000RPM, much like most American engines. It's much better accelerating from low speeds, because all its torque is, again, low-end as well. It was a better choice though, because I drove a 2.2L version on the highway with 3 people in the car...good God, I could barely pass a Cavalier with my foot down.

Interior: Yes, it's definitely spacious...one of my favorite points of the car (I'm 6'1). The stereo, as you said, does its job...it lacks bass performance. That's alright though, most of my music is not heavy on bass.

Oh man, the center console...I hate that thing. Intuitive, it ain't. I actually had to read the manual for a few things ("What the hell is sace?...CD player?!"), and it's definitely annoying to scroll through everything. I've had the car close to a year though, so I'm used to it.

Good points: Good MPG on the highway, very comfortable, large interior space for people/stuff, city passing.
Negative: Well, you pretty much covered it.

You probably had an '08 Classic or '07 though...I don't have a reading for tire pressures.

 

It's American, no thought process is put into the car.They only make the cars for profit (if they can make any)not for the driver. My brother once rented an 06 impala and it was exactly what i expected because my dad use to have a trailblazer. The inside was big and comfy but the seats weren't too supportive. The displayhad the cheap teal colored numbers (radio station,trip computer, etc.)that have been in GM cars since the 70's. My dad had a 78 buick and a, pardon my french, ****ty *** eighty something oldsmobile, a 93 chevy s10 blazer, and a 2003 trailblazer that all had theteal numbers.The engine was nice. It provided decent power and had a nice tone. The steering wasn't bad, but nothing compared to the mazda.You get what you pay for. It's a big car with a good amount of features for it's price. The new malibu's that came out look really nice. The inside has beenwell updated except for those god damn teal numbers! Someone who's been working at GM since the 70's must have some kind of obsession over them.

 

Sounds like just another person who hates American cars simply because they're American.

Only making cars for profit? Sure, but so does Mazda. You can't have a company with profit...oh and Ford (an AMERICAN company) still owns controlling interest of Mazda.

Yes, the numbers/letters are still teal in the computer...but so what? Every manufacturer has a trademark of sorts...personally I'm too busy watching the road to care about the color of the number in my trip computer.

The interior isn't flashy, true, but my bucket seats are rather supportive....and the feedback I've received from passengers says that the rear seat is comfortable as well.

Not to be rude, but you've never driven my car. You tend to be easily inflamed anyway, from what I've seen...but don't take offense to what I said, I'm merely stating the car's case.

 

you cant really argue that domestic cars like this give you a lot of car for the money.

the newer Fords and Chevys (although i've never come near them personally) SEEM to be going in the right direction. they can only take a beating so long from the japanese and other foreign car makers.

that new Cobalt SS looks like its going to pack a serious punch and have some interesting technology in it btw - altering the level of boost to maintain peak HP / TQ and stuff like that....its pretty friggin ugly and old fashioned looking but i'll give em some credit.

 

Aesthetics are always subjective. [:-]

 

indeed haha