Topic: 2010 Chevrolet Malibu LT; Day 1

[Guy]

I'm on business travel in Florida and renting a Malibu with the 4. It's a nice car, nice interior and drives nice but I had to floor it once to get out of trouble and it was as if I hit neutral. Loud vacuum cleaner noise and not much forward thrust. If I would look to buy one it would be the V6 for sure.

[kardood69]

Sounds like the Equinox we had rented.  Very tight, solid and quiet... but I4 little too small....

[Mozeby]

Regarding resale values, a 2009 Malibu 1LT with six speed and I4 can be had around here for $16k while a 2009 Camry LE list at $22k. 2004 Camrys run about $14k while a 2004 Malibu are $4k.

Seems a used Malibu is a good deal indeed. Very tempting to buy a low mileage 2009.

Wow! That is some savage depreciation for the GM car.  No wonder so many end up with upside down loans.  

A lot of fleets buy Malibu's, and a lot of the lowest priced Malibu's are indeed ex-rentals - that's why the price is so low. Non-rentals are at least $19-21K from a reputable dealer, which isn't far off from the Camry. Besides, with Toyota's faultless quality losing credibility in the media, the prices will probably be even closer.

  Most Malibus are bought by rental car companies.

Go by any enterprise lot, and you'll see Civics, Corollas, Altimas and Camry's.  You have any numbers to back up your claims?

I just checked the Enterprise website and didn't find any Toyotas or Hondas listed.  Perhaps the cars you saw were driven there by the employess.

I see Altimas all the time with the little green E sticker on the back bumper.  Plus I know a girl who works at the Niagara Falls location and she told me that they carried Sentras and other Nissans.  Times have changed and you can find a wide variety at most lots.

[Spec5]

I see Altimas all the time with the little green E sticker on the back bumper.  Plus I know a girl who works at the Niagara Falls location and she told me that they carried Sentras and other Nissans.  Times have changed and you can find a wide variety at most lots.

+1 on that - they have just about everything these days on rental lots. Favorite of our local E is the Caliber and Impala -although they have a few Altys and Sentras as well. Co-worker just got a PT Cruiser for his trip to the big smoke - it wasn't even the turbo....

[John]

I'm on business travel in Florida and renting a Malibu with the 4. It's a nice car, nice interior and drives nice but I had to floor it once to get out of trouble and it was as if I hit neutral. Loud vacuum cleaner noise and not much forward thrust. If I would look to buy one it would be the V6 for sure.

Wow! I can see why Motor Trend rated it second to the last in their recent review.  Seems like it's the same old GM.  The self-proclaimed "car enthusiast" don't seem to get the long term and complete car ownership experience concept.  Put lipstick on a pig, and in the end of the day, it is still a savagely depreciated pig. Pity.

[John]

Sounds like the Equinox we had rented.  Very tight, solid and quiet... but I4 little too small....

By now, we are pretty much convinced the 4 cyl versions make the GM cars pigs.  Why would GM offers such pigs?  My only guess, is to make inflated MPG claims.  Anyone who bought a 4 cyl version, must be pretty disappointed.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Consumer Reports gives it their recommendation. Their summary is:

The Malibu is very competitive in its class. Two engines are offered: a 169-hp four-cylinder and a 252-hp V6. The car is quiet, rides well, and has responsive and secure handling. We found the LTZ tauter, but without any compromise in ride comfort. The V6 is quick and refined. With the optional six-speed automatic, the four-cylinder gets 25 mpg. A mild-hybrid version of the four-cylinder engine is only available in fleet sales. ESC is standard across the line. The interior is roomy and mostly well put together. IIHS crash-test results are good. Reliability of the four-cylinder has been average and the V6 above average.

On the 4 cylinder they say:

Both engines feel smooth and refined. The four-cylinder is especially well-isolated from noise and vibration, a big improvement over the Pontiac G6, which uses the same engine.

John (or John Doe or HondaOwner) keeps signing the same old delusional monotone.

[Vmango]

 

[Erik]

Right you are, Sir.

Is it about time to stop allowing Guests from posting?

[John]

Consumer Reports gives it their recommendation. Their summary is:

The Malibu is very competitive in its class. Two engines are offered: a 169-hp four-cylinder and a 252-hp V6. The car is quiet, rides well, and has responsive and secure handling. We found the LTZ tauter, but without any compromise in ride comfort. The V6 is quick and refined. With the optional six-speed automatic, the four-cylinder gets 25 mpg. A mild-hybrid version of the four-cylinder engine is only available in fleet sales. ESC is standard across the line. The interior is roomy and mostly well put together. IIHS crash-test results are good. Reliability of the four-cylinder has been average and the V6 above average.

On the 4 cylinder they say:

Both engines feel smooth and refined. The four-cylinder is especially well-isolated from noise and vibration, a big improvement over the Pontiac G6, which uses the same engine.

John (or John Doe or HondaOwner) keeps signing the same old delusional monotone.

Motor Trend's ratings 2010 Malibu
March 2010 edition

Relative to our last 2.4-liter Malibu test car, a top-shelf LTZ model, this LT wears Firestone tires and the final-drive ratio of its six-speed transmission was made taller to coax out three more precious highway mpg (now 33, though our test mileage matched the LTZ's 22.5 mpg). These changes blunted the Malibu's straight-line performance a bit and it’s handling a lot. Acceleration times barely eked ahead of the porky AWD Subaru's.
Width is especially tight, which makes the back seat tightest of the group for three sets of shoulders. It also sits low, lacks a center armrest, and presents the hapless hump-rider with a particularly uncomfortable perch. The hard-grained plastic below the attractive swathe of blonde "would-grain" and the unrefined engine note cast a rental-grade pall over the driving experience that was hard to get past in the voting, even when crediting such family-friendly features as standard OnStar and the group's best overall crash-survivability rating of 47 (tied with Subaru), from Informedforlife.org. The Chevy ranks sixth (second to last).

So I guess, Motor Trend, and the Guy and Kardood69 are delusional also? 
"The V6 is quick and refined" CR did not say that about the 4 cyl. 

Oink! oink!