regfootball

i think they should move to a hybrid solution for Europe. It's fine to put a diesel in something but I think cutting edge hybrids would be the way to gain a niche. The other thing i would not have them do it proclaim to go toe to toe with Mercedes etc. To have a niche and build stability for a few years is the way to go.

nice!

two weeks in, first fill. low fuel warning goes off EARLY. Probably at about the 10.5 gallon mark. Tank is 13.0 gallons. You can fill this up CHEAP. 336 miles, 11.2 gallons. Exactly 30.00 mpg. I'd say 40% of the tank was 65 mph cruising with little stop. The rest was a lot of stoplights and stopped / slow traffic and stop and frustrating stop and go. I got pretty p'oed the last couple days with all the traffic clusterfs and such. It's becoming unbearable at times. The autostop which does work fine went off about a dozen times today just on a short 7 mile jaunt. The combined EPA is 31, so the 30 looks to be just spot on. And the 30 was exactly what i am expecting over the life of the vehicle. We'll see how it goes moving ahead. I filled the tank with half non oxygenated / non ethanol 91 octane and the other half with 91 octane premium. I hope to see what that does with the mpg. The flat footedness at times of the engine power is not too frustrating, it really is a thing that becomes an issue in traffic more than anything. I do still think the engine power is on the border of not enough, however as a commuter rig it does the job. And its smooth. Not at all unsatisfied, I really have some second thoughts about missing out on and not getting a hybrid or a 2.0 though. I love the ride and the chassis and really believe this would be the ideal car for say a 1.8t with about 240hp and a six speed manual. I don't think the market wants it, but just driving this car the chassis would be brilliant for it.

^^^^^^^ read that, I do believe MT's result was much better than C/D. I am fine with them giving the Civic the #1 rating because the Civic can lay claim to being the better car in a lot of ways. For me where it loses it is road noise, feels cheaper, and the fact that the Cruze is a much better road car. So for most more mature drivers and those that value quiet, the Cruze wins. Civic has the larger space, style points, and such. Both are great cars. I could drive a Civic. I could drive a Cruze. I am really glad MT didn't fawn on the Mazda.....Mazda's stuff is overrated.

http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/volt/2016/long-term-road-test/2016-chevrolet-volt-vs-2016-chevrolet-malibu-hybrid.html?SID=iqlhzsggdq000b1p001ol&kw=flexibletexttool&PID=3193616&AID=10364102&mktid=cj260233&mktcat=affiliates by the way, this is a great take on the whole Volt vs. Malibu hybrid thing. It's dead spot on, and I agreed so much that is why my wife and I attempted to get the hybrid Malibu first (but settled on the 1.5, hybrid was just a bit out of reach and I imagine i will be kicking myself for a long time on that). Malibu hybrid is that good! The one thing I think the 1.5t might have over the hybrid is no engine drone at 70-75 mph, like interstate driving.....the 1.5t is smooth and quiet settled into a cruise at that speed, the hybrid would have some gas engine drone.

No place to put the batteries for that kind of range really. batteries keep getting smaller with more range...speed up the process with that a vehicle like the envision with a voltec would have lots more room plan wise and vertically for battery arrangments. Honda Fit i believe has gas tank under front seat. Move gas tank to under front seat and there you go, even more room for batteries. Bolt ultimately leaves most flexibility for battery pack. Thing is, can we mesh the battery friendly packaging of the Bolt with the gas range extender of the Volt. In any case, Volt is fantastic but like the guy said to me at the auto show when we were both sitting in the Volt, "i want this car, but i can't justify buying it its too small to use for my family". If it were midsize, the price / value relationship would align for more people.

right, $h! like that keeps it a niche product. on purpose, no doubt.

it's been fine actually since that initial incidents the first few months. Some lube and just break in I think and it's been working fine. Coincidentally had some friends with a new Odyssey posted some trip mpg the other day. They are seeing great highway mpg too....28/29. The vans without the AWD and not SUV are getting nice mpg.

i loved how the 17 I drove, drove. I'd like to see the electric only range get to 100 miles one of these days. 200 would be nice for long trips but maybe that's a lot to ask in the next few years. At this point though, the flaw here is that the Volt is still small and that makes it a hard sell for anyone who wants space for people and stuff. If the Volt were a midsize, i guarantee you there would be a whole lot more interest in this car, even during the time of cheap gas. Maybe Chevy needs this Volt and then to plug the Voltec into the Malibu and new Equinox.

been loving the new rig, have been keeping it parked in the garage mostly while i get things in order to sell the cobalt. was in the town today where i had been dealing on the other leading candidate, the hybrid. it was white and had the light / gray interior. Now that i saw that combo in the flesh it makes me like the black interior so much more. I think the color combo choice was a good one. So glad we moved up to midsize and the Malibu. This new one is so roomy and comfy for the four of us. The kids love it in the back and plenty of room to spread your arms out wide in the front. Super comfy arm rest and just overall the space and packaging was done well for the midsize class.

pulled 31 mpg for a 40+ mile stretch today, at 70-75 mph. Great road vehicle.

I read one review somewhere that said the new Malibu was quieter inside and had nicer ride and steering than a new Maxima. I have to say I could believe that as quite possible.

My take on that question is that the Mazda6 and Fusion are probably the nicest inside when optioned up. The Ford has the best for plastics I think. The Mazda has sort of a BMW feel with the right color and trim choice. Really love the interior on my new Malibu. So much that I left it in the garage the last couple days. Don't want to put too many miles on it....want it to stay nice. Saturday we loaded it with 4 people and that to us is a lot of extra mass to haul around. Still in near 90 heat with a/c I pulled two separate 40+ mpg runs of over 20 miles at I would say at least 60+ mph average. Stop and go of course kills the mpg like all small turbos. But this will pull 40+ mpg highway if you keep the rpm s under 2000-2500 at all times. It's cruises silently like a little baby sleeps. Concrete vs asphalt some tire noise creeps in but it's minimal. Far quieter than Hondas. With a lightweight single person on board and mild climate this car should deliver big quiet mpg Ina comfortable way. All the points I touch in the car are soft. Plastics look ok to me when I consider what my lease payment is. Kids love the spacious back with tons of room (gm finally gets it) and the USB ports and cup holders in armrest. My son enjoyed using the iPad with the built in 4g hotspot. The storage below the center armrest will hold the iPad mini. Wife thinks CarPlay is cool. Send and receive texts while driving. Maps via phone a big hit. Some CarPlay bugs but those will get figured out. Plenty of room for four. No complainers. Could drive all day. Car is nice enough for its class and Impala gives you whatever else you are missing. When you examine every component closely on the Malibu you see how they pared away all the excess weight and thickness. It actually is a bit unnerving to look at pieces of the car and how seemingly insubstantial they look compared to what you are used to seeing in a GM car. Carpet feels thinner. Brackets plates suspension pieces are thinner, not as wide and have more holes in them. Trunk lid feels the weight of tin foil compared to older gm cars. If that worries you then just get an Impala. Problem solved.

I did my part to add to the Chevy sales tally in June! Wouldn't it be nice to have like 15 vehicles?