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The Impala is just an old technology full sized work horse that GM has kept, because it sells.
Sounds like you should just wait for the 2013 Malibu when it comes out with the new 2.0 or 2.5 L motors this fall.
You made my point! ----- "IF" the Verano is an "up-scale version of the Cruze" it should have all the power accessories! ---- After all, it is a "Buick" not a Chevrolet!
The last four days, I have had the opportunity to drive a 2012 Hyundai Sonata while my 2007 Camry was being serviced and detailed. ---- (I am getting ready to trade this vehicle!) ----- The Hyundai was a rented vehicle. --- I was very surprised as to the quality and performance of the Sonata. The four cylinder engine was very powerful, and the automatic transmission was very smooth. --- Compared to my 2010 four cylinder LTZ Malibu, the Sonata was a race car! It drives like my old 2003 four cylinder Honda Accord! ------ I would love to consider purchasing a "top of the line Sonata," but the dealers in my area of New Jersey leave a lot to be desired in terms of customer relations and service. They are the "bottom feeders" of the automotive sales business!
Best regards. ----------- Dwayne :shades:
Dwayne -you keep comparing the Malibu to a Camry. The Camry is more dependable, has a less attractive interior but unlike any GM car will give you 200,000 miles or more without problems. Your refrigerator, freezer, and desk lamp will also be trouble free for years. Toyotas are appliances with wheels. They appeal to millions of people a year and all in all are a better choice than a Malibu.
is a potential problem for some. Can anyone comment on this
Thanks
The Regal is a much better-looking car inside and out. The Malibu looks blocky and rather unattractive in front. But where it seems to really fall down is inside. I could only peer though the windows but I was unimpressed with what I could see. This car was black inside and did not have the woodgrain everywhere that I saw in some of the photo galleries on the net. Instead it had what looked like silver-gray plastic pieces with a clearcoat-type finish that I did not find appealing. Add to that the ribbed section across the passenger side of the dash that looks like nothing more than a dust-catcher and it failed to impress. There also appeared to be very little rear seat legroom.
I left feeling disappointed. I remember when I saw the 2008 Malibu upon introduction I was really impressed, and in fact almost bought one. No chance I would buy this car based on the one I saw.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
My driving experience back from DE to northern VA today was quiet and comfortable, getting used to the car. I've got some reading to do on some of the car's features. Amazing...
I averaged 35.7 mpg for the 135 mile trip according to the DIC. I did use the cruise control a few times, as it is a little different from my '10 Malibu.
How long until delivery?
I have a set of WeatherTech mats. They ran me about $80 but are very heavy duty and really hold the snow/ice in the winter. Of course you'll need to dump them when melting finishes. I bet mine could hold a liter of water without spilling!
WeatherTech Website
As you can easily see for yourself, Edmunds rated the '13 Malibu significantly better than Motor Trend did,
It'll be interesting to see how consumers rate each of these family cars, and how well they sell.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
The Buick Lacrosse is a very quiet mid-size sedan too. Then there's the VW Passat that is pretty quiet and the Altima is not bad at all.
You get the idea.....
I've read the new Camry isn't as quiet as previous generations and the new Altima suffers CVT whine.
Not sure about the Passat.
Honda did a similar thing with the latest Civic. However, despite being panned by Consumers Reports and some auto publications, the '12 Civic has sold very well. Nevertheless, Honda has tried to address the criticisms of the Civic for '13.
One of the main criticisms of the '13 Malibu is that it has insufficient rear seat legroom for its class. It'll be interesting to see whether and how Chevy will address this shortcoming.
The new Impala will be bigger and have a 4 cylinder version.
Not sure what they can do to fix the rear legroom but they need to replace the upright, blocky front end, maybe the taillights also, and do something about that interior and dashboard, especially the fake wood.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
The 2013 turbo Malibu was just released in November. Problem with it is the mileage ratings; they are worse than most every V6 in the class excepting the Avenger/200. What's the advantage of a turbo 4 that's rated 21 mpg City?
I hope Chevrolet can add a bit of rear seat legroom, freshen the front end, and find a few much needed mpgs. That and lower the price 10%. Then they'll sell.
That's a very tall order. Adding significant rear seat legroom while using the same platform is nearly impossible without increasing the wheelbase.
My guess is that we'll see heavy incentives on the '13 Malibu before too long, as inventory piles up. Of course that'll hurt profits. The new Malibu is probably not a bad car, but it's competing in a segment with a very low tolerance for shortcomings. Somebody should be held accountable at GM.
The Malibu seems smaller inside than it really is. The high beltline, large console, and dark materials offer an impression of "compactness" that hurts it. That and it is near the bottom of the class in actual interior volume.
Bob Lutz is primarily responsible for this car. Ed Whitacre pushed hard to get this model into dealerships asap. Both are gone.
Despite some short-comings, this car would sell much better at a lower price point. Every 2013 Malibu I've seen appears to be 10% overpriced (to my eyes of course). That 10% can likely be negotiated down by a savvy consumer. Problem is most consumers will simply buy an Accord, Fusion, Camry, or Sonata rather than fight to get a better price.
The real test of how competitive the '13 Malibu is, in addition to its market share, is how its residual value holds up. While it will take some time to know this, I would bet it will be well below the median for its class. If I'm right, the best deal on a '13 Malibu will be a used one. That could interest me because I rather like the car.
Certainly a low mileage, used 2013 Malibu could be a good value. Resale value should be average for the class. That's taking it down 25% off sticker price after one year/12,000 miles. A 2.5L LT model that stickers for around $24,000 would be about $18,000 next year. That does sound much better to me too!
My partner and I have four Malibus now; an '07 LS, an '08 2LT, an '10 2LT. Here's my take on each one:
'07: Currently 60K miles on the clock. 4cyl with 4speed auto. Noisiest of the bunch to drive; no sunroof. Has routinely gotten the best mileage of them all, 37-38 highway. Rated at 30 IIRC. Cheapest interior, by far. Intermediate steering staff and both key fobs replaced under the extended warranty at 59K. Loosest steering feel of them all. Visually meh, inside and out.
'08: Has 42K miles; 4 cyl with 4speed auto. Quietest (is that a word?) of the bunch; no sunroof. Routinely gets 33-34 MPG highway. Rated at 30. Tighter fitting interior than the '10. Very nice interior finish; not much similarity to the '07. Just much improved with ergonomics and quality. Intermediate steering staff replaced at 39K under extended warranty. When they are parked together in the driveway, you can really see how much GM/Chevy improved the styling. Car drives like it did new. Much improved from the '07. Very attractive car.
'10: Has 23K miles; 4 cyl with 6speed auto. Almost as quiet as the '08; has a sunroof. Routinely get 34-36 mpg mighway. Rated at 33. Interior slightly tweaked from '08. Had the computer reflashed due to shifting issues. Made improvements but still hunts for gears at times. NO other issues. Car drives better than new due to computer reflash. Very attractive car.
I think the '08/'10 were vast improvements over the '07; now the '13 takes the Malibu to another level.
I had an '08 CTS for 15 months (took over a pre-paid lease). That was an absolutely awesome car to drive; it had the 3.6 6 speed auto AWD. By far the best drivetrain of any car I have owned; lousiest stereo of any car I've had in many years. Would have purchased the car but the negotiated residual was way too high at lease end.
'13: is stunning to my eyes, both inside and out. The driving dynamics are the closest to the CTS. I don't care about rear seat legroom, but do understand its importance to others.
I believe GM/Chevy made a huge mistake with the launch of this car. The ECO version completely turned me off, since the new 2.5 4 cyl is 34 highway EPA rated versus 37 for the ECO. Plus, the ECO "stuff" took up way too much of the trunk. However, once I drove the non-ECO version, I ordered one to my color/equipment specs.
I just retured from a 2400 miles road trip. I averaged almost 33 MPG at 70-74 MPH. Feels like a more expensive car; sounds like one too with the door "thunk". Controls are very different from the '08/'10, but very intuitive. I really like the MyLink touch screen; back-up camera; lane-departure warning device. Much more safety equipment. Love the hands-free phone usage. Better sound system than the CTS. Interior quality is enhanced; I like the self-rising trunk too. I would buy this car again.
We always love to hear happy owner stories - thank you for your continued enthusiasm for the Malibu! We wish you many more happy miles!
Sarah, GM Customer Service
Bryan,
Can you expand on this? To me, both in pictures and in person, the '08-'12 interior seems more attractive than the '13. The overuse of fake woodgrain and the mishmash of different materials and textures turn me off the '13, along with the squared-off instrument binnacles and the round-top center stack. The earlier generation just seems far more integrated to my eye. But I would be interested in your perspective.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
The interior design is like the Camaro with its squared-off instrument binnacles, etc. I don't mind that at all. The woodgrain? Doesn't bother me; I've seen much worse on more expensive cars.
I really like the improved look/feel of the dash and other materials. I like the light/dark contrast with the light-colored seats. The center stack makes sense to me given all the new goodies that come with the MyLink system.
I like the feel of the new steering wheel and the shifter. The DIC is far improved and I like being able to scroll through and digitally display the speed, like the CTS did.
The MyLink is intuitive; you can do so much through that screen or use the other controls for the stereo, climate control, etc. The hands-free phone linkage works very well.
Better trunk ingress/egress. Quieter interior; improved door "thunk". I think the 08-12 is very attractive; the '13 even more so. Side profile especially.
Is the car perfect? No. A couple of minor "complaints"--why no express up on the power windows? Can't seem to find the speed control volume option like I have on the other Malibus.
I believe the '08 was such a vast improvement over the previous generation that some might be disappointed that the '13 may not seem to be such a leap compared to the outgoing model.
I would suggest people drive this car before it is summarily dismissed. I know I'm glad I did. Hope this helps.
Making the car "smaller" than the incoming new Impala makes some sense to me. Since I don't buy a car for rear seat room, that's just a non-issue to me. However, I can understand those for whom it is.
There is no comparison in how the 08 and 10 drive versus the 13. The 13 is far superior in so many areas.
Sincerely,
Crystal L. GM Customer
2013 Malibu, 7800 miles, Base Unit
I just had my car returned to me after 3 and a half weeks at the dealer for them to tell me that the issue was the battery.
They stated that every 28 minutes for the entire time they had the car is would draw 4 amps of power FROM the battery until it dies(This occurs when the car is off.), then has to be jumped. How could the battery be the issue when it dies because something else is drawing the power?!
When this first occurred, I tried to turn the key in the ignition and "check engine" light illuminated and the Windshield wipers slowly wiped across the window (They were in the OFF position). They key also became stuck in the ignition cylinder. I could only move the key to ACC, ON, and CRANK. I could not get the key to the OFF to remove it.
Today after getting the car back today I locked it with the FOB and the lights activated but the horn made no sound. I contacted the dealer back, having just left there two hours prior, and they advised me to pull the fuses. I found the fuses had popped so I had replaced them.
The horn no longer sounds the same. It only sounds the high tone and not the dual tone.
I pay $460 dollars a month for a car that is NOT in my possession. Clearly I should have bought a FORD!
I am planning to contact my lawyer to initiate the lemon law.
Anyone having similar issues/comments/concerns can contact me direct @ [email protected]
Thank you for taking the time to read!
I've reached out to you through the email you've provided.
Amber N.
GM Customer Care
Update on my vehicle purchase! ---- I decided NOT to trade my 2007 XLE Toyota Camry for a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. ----- I now have two vehicles. ---- My Camry and my 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The Malibu now has 44,000 miles, and I still service both vehicles every 2,500 miles. My Camry, (now off warranty), now has about 83,000 + miles. (It is now my "back up vehicle" for my business.) The Malibu is the primary vehicle. Both vehicles are outstanding in terms of operation & MPG. ----- I am NOT going to trade my Camry until it has at least 100,000 miles. ----- I was looking at the four cylinder Equinox, but GM is having a lot of problems with the four cylinder direct injection engine in the Equinox. (Engine Noise, Engine Stalling, Engine oil burning, Rough Idle). It is a different engine than the one in the Malibu! ---- Too bad for GM, because it is a nice vehicle, but GM dropped the ball big time on this engine! ---- The dealers do not seem to know how to solve the engine problems, and GM does not seem to care about the customer! ---- With this attitude on the part of GM, they are just giving the sales over to Toyota. ------ Just read the postings on this site! :shades: :sick: :confuse: :lemon:
I am happy to hear that you love your new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. If you ever have a question or concern about your GM vehicle, feel free to email us at [email protected].
Jennifer T.
GM Customer Care
:lemon:
'13 Malibu LS , bought new 6 months ago, 15,000 miles.
:lemon:
[email protected]
:lemon: