What are thoughts on the current Malibu hybrid?

Actual Gas milege, reliability, whats a good deal. Likes dislikes?

My cousin is checking them out.

 

What's your cousin looking to spend? Depending on the year they were rated 24/32 or 26/34 city/hwy which is not very impressive. GM stopped selling them in 2009 because they were selling so poorly.

 

well no wonder, the 4-banger gets around that mileage for much less. Why bother with the hybrid?

 

2013 Malibu Eco Fuel Efficient Sedan | Chevrolet

Wow... Is the Eco different or any better? from the Chevy's site they are claiming 25 MPG city and 37 MPG on the highway. As far as price range, Im not quite sure. He works for AT&T so I suggested checking for supplier discounts through them. I think he is still comparing vehicles.

Well thats one of the reasons why Im asking. I dont know much about them.

 

It really isn't a full hybrid at all, which is why they are not using the word hybrid anywhere on the new Eco model (which is a continuation / advancement of the "mild hybrid" idea - now simply referred to as "light electrification").

A full hybrid (Prius, Fusion Hybrid, Camry Hybrid) has more powerful electric motors and more battery capability. The Malibu has a small electric motor / generator that takes the place of both thte starter and the alternator, and it is capable of providing a small amount of extra power during acceleration, through the accessory belt (which is larger than a normal acc belt). This system has also been called a "BAS" system, for "belt / alternator / starter". It allows for seamless engine start / stop at traffic lights and a bit of extra oomph when accelerating, but it is nowhere near as big an efficiency boost as a full hybrid. It is also a much simpler (and cheaper) system.

I believe the first Silverado "Hybrid" (the GMT800 platform) was also a mild system like this. The GMT900 (current) Silverado Hybrid is a true dual mode hybrid system, in the vein of the Prius and so forth. Very different systems.

 

Ahhh, I thought you were talking about used. Like 96_Camaro_B4C mentioned, there's no true Malibu hybrid.

I like the e-assist cars. He should also check out the Regal and Lacrosse.

 

The Malibu needs a turbo diesel four.

 

I would just skip over it in favor of a Fusion Hybrid.

 

Pretty cool system, I see it still retains a regular starter for cold start up and needs a small battery pack to work. Hopefully this will progress into a simpler system in the future. I like the idea of combining the alternator and starter into one unit.

 

They don't make a hybrid Malibu, they do make the Malibu Eco now that has eAssist but that is not a full hybrid.

It has start/stop tech which should be a big help with city driving. The fuel savings from that don't really show up in the EPA ratings though.

 

My thoughts?

If you love the Malibu, and fuel economy is on your mind, go with the E-assist Malibu.

If you want the best hybrid value, go with the Ford Fusion.

The New Malibu is a good car, but it's "Hybrid" version more or less simply bumps up the Feuel economy of the Malibu. Personally, I think that the added cost, weight, and reduction in luggage space isn't worth it when you look at the other cars out there.

Ford's Fusion has a system that actually IMHO is better than anything else on the market. The programming that shifts the car from conventional to electric is ahead of the pack and works extremely well. The set up is good. The price is right. And to top it off, it gets a jaw dropping 41mpg in the city (Camry gets 32, Altima gets 35, and the last Malibu got 34...2013's gets 38).

 

Initial reviews and comparisons with the 2013 Malibu Eco are luke warm at best. Supposedly the eco is getting nowhere near its EPA ratings and doing worse in 'observed fuel economy' than most of its non-hybrid competitors despite all of them having lower EPA numbers.

But what else is new.. this seems to be GM's new thing these days. Cars with good EPA numbers with mediocre, at best, real world numbers.

I'd probably just wait for the 2.5 to come out and see what its real world economy is like.

 

Similarly, Motor Trend has an ongoing long term test of the Hyunadai Elantra, and their overall average mpg is below the car's city rating (they are around 26 mpg IIRC, vs. 29/40 rated numbers).

Car and Driver did have a test recently of the Cruze Eco (vs. the Volt), and the Cruze put up some pretty damn impressive real world numbers.

 

I just got back from vacation where I had a 2012 Cruze LT for my rental car. I drove 500 miles, did about 25% of that in cities, and didn't exactly nanny it. For the trip I averaged 38.0mpg. Pretty damn goods since just the highway rating is 38mpg. Turbo 1.4L is a nice engine. Plenty of torque for a car the size of the Cruze and very fuel efficient. A turbo 1.6L or 1.8L would be perfect for the Equinox and Malibu.