Rental Car Review: 2013 Chevy Malibu eco

Kinja'd!!! "mkbruin, Atlas VP" (mkbruin)
01/31/2014 at 19:18 • Filed to: None

Kinja'd!!!0 Kinja'd!!! 1
Kinja'd!!!

At least I think it was the eco... It had the craptastic stop-start.

The Malibu went from near best in class looks to near worst in class looks on the outside. Ita not going to win a beauty contest. On the inside, its quiet, comfortable, and laid out perfectly. The materials are good quality, the lighting is spectacular, the wood grain is pleasing. All in all, a great place to spend time.

the engine sounds like a pack of angry bees. And doesn't do much to move the car forward at anything even remotely close to a brisk pace. The transmission is lethargic, and choppy. The start stop is the second most annoying feature on any vehicle I've driven (right behind the Altimas cvt). My god is it terrible.

the ride is fantastic. The handling did not get tested due to co-worker. The steering feels like your mouth after getting some dental work done.... You know that feeling when you think you might be drooling but would never be able to tell. Numb. Removed.

All in all, I can absolutely see how this is a great choice for someone who wants to go from a to b in quiet comfort and not be bothered by things such as feedback and involvement. In a comparison between this and the Camry, I would choose the Malibu all day long. But up against the fusion, optima, 6, and even the potential of the new 200 there is no contest that the Bu is at the bottom of the list.


DISCUSSION (1)


Kinja'd!!! Slave2anMG > mkbruin, Atlas VP
01/31/2014 at 19:57

Kinja'd!!!0

I had one back in November. Handled decent, agree it's underpowered, and that infernal stop-start crap is more annoying than a piece of popcorn stuck in your gums. It's infuriating. I figured out over the space of a couple of days how to game the thing...never coming to a full dead stop was one way. The other was as soon as I did a full stop I'd pop my foot off the brake to make the engine restart...