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Chevrolet Malibu MPG-Real World Numbers

290 messages,  Last post on Nov 30, 2009 at 6:59 PM

You are in the Chevrolet Malibu Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Malibu Maxx, Fuel Efficiency (MPG), Hatchback, Sedan


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#168 of 290
Re: 2008 [tsgrayson] by malexbu
Jun 20, 2008 (2:51 pm)
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Replying to: tsgrayson (Jun 20, 2008 1:44 pm)

2005 Base Sedan on a 2300 miles (1150 miles each way) round-trip this
May:
 
  36.6 mpg one way (empty)
  36.8 mpg back (fully loaded)
 
(by the fuel purchased).
#169 of 290
Re: Something's up with my 2005 LS [javon7065] by csandste
Jun 21, 2008 (11:19 am)
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Replying to: javon7065 (Jun 19, 2008 5:57 am)

Even with this kind of driving you shouldn't be dumping oil at under 3K. Follow your OLM, if that shows under 10% at that kind of driving you really do have a problem, no one's driving patterns can show that kind of oil abuse.
#170 of 290
Re: Something's up with my 2005 LS [csandste] by javon7065
Jun 21, 2008 (2:08 pm)
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Replying to: csandste (Jun 21, 2008 11:19 am)

I was just changing every three months due to the old "3000 or 3 months, whichever comes first rule" I was not following the OLM. The few times I looked at it when I got the oil changed, it did indicate a whole lot of life left in the oil. do most people follow the OLM system? this is my first car with any such system.
 
thanks for your reply
#171 of 290
Re: Something's up with my 2005 LS [javon7065] by malexbu
Jun 21, 2008 (6:27 pm)
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Replying to: javon7065 (Jun 21, 2008 2:08 pm)

You should really read that manual and follow it -- for oil changes and everything else.
 
How much one exceeds the oil change interval is a personal choice (some posters at forums here claim there is nothing wrong in going 12-15 K miles between *synthetic* oil changes -- and this is also what Mobil says about its MobilOne syntheitc oils), but changing oil more frequently than the manual says (and it, basically, states, "Trust the oil monitor"), is not only an unnecessary expense for you, it's polluting environment without a reason.
#172 of 290
Re: Something's up with my 2005 LS [javon7065] by csandste
Jun 21, 2008 (7:52 pm)
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Replying to: javon7065 (Jun 21, 2008 2:08 pm)

Your OLM is set for dino and should do about 7-8K between changes. It's very, very sophisticated, and very conservative. If you change at 3K you're throwing money away.
#173 of 290
Re: Something's up with my 2005 LS [javon7065] by packer3
Jun 25, 2008 (9:30 am)
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Replying to: javon7065 (Jun 17, 2008 5:42 pm)

Is it a four or a six. I had the six and it would get up to 37mpg on a straight highway ride, however in the city 15/16 mpg is what I would gt and I turned in the car with 23,000 on it. The six actually got better gas mileage that the four. Doing all that stuff to your car will not improve the gas mileage.
#174 of 290
Re: Still pleased with the MPG [hcc] by frankcd
Jul 20, 2008 (8:06 am)
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Replying to: hcc (Jun 07, 2008 10:52 am)

I have a 2008 malibu and I am getting the same 17/18 avg mpg. I called the dealership and they told me to make sure I have enough air pressure in the tires. Plus, I was told it will improve with about 10k miles. I am ready to unload the beast.
#175 of 290
Re: Still pleased with the MPG [frankcd] by packer3
Jul 20, 2008 (9:43 am)
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Replying to: frankcd (Jul 20, 2008 8:06 am)

Tell the dealer to you know what, when they sold you the car was that information given to you or did the dealer read some of the blogs. Wait until the winter comes and those number drop to 15/16, do you add more air to your tires.
#176 of 290
Re: Still pleased with the MPG [frankcd] by pao
Jul 21, 2008 (8:18 am)
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Replying to: frankcd (Jul 20, 2008 8:06 am)

4 ior 6 cyl? depends on driving style, region you are in....yes gas varies by region on blend additives etc,...proper tire inflation yes...and break in period..yes will maintain MPG....so what was the EPA rating....remember if you look under that number is show a range of MPG, based on driving styles......
#177 of 290
Re: Still pleased with the MPG [frankcd] by micweb
Jul 21, 2008 (4:00 pm)
Reply

Replying to: frankcd (Jul 20, 2008 8:06 am)

17/18 mpg is pretty normal for any car in that weight category (Accord, Malibu, Camry) in the city. There isn't much difference between the 4 and the 6 in the city. City mileage is terrible on all cars.
 
If you have the 4 cylinder, it should shine on the freeway. Take it on a long freeway drive at reasonable (65-70mph) speeds. Reset your miles per gallon readout in your DIC (digital information center) and read the mpg during your trip. If you reset it while you are driving level, constant speed, you should see about 34 mpg. After you drive for a while it should settle down to 28 mpg for the overall trip. If you have a light and steady foot, you might hit 30 mpg or 32 mpg.
 
You can confirm the numbers by looking online at the Consumer Reports website (subscription required). They do straight city driving and straight highway driving using a metering device they attach to the fuel line. They drive softly. Their numbers don't lie.
 
Your car is fine. Your expectations don't match your driving conditions and driving style. You may not be logging your fillups and miles per tank. This is typical in America where we often jump from one experience to another without investigating very deeply.
 
If you want to really test your driving conditions and style, you need to rent a similar car and see what your mileage looks like on the competition, before you take a loss on a trade in.
 
Also, fwiw, we got the same mileage, in the city, on an Impala with a 6 cylinder as with a PT Cruiser (normal, non turbo 4). It's the driving conditions and driving style, vehicle weight second, and size of engine third.
 
That's when I laugh when I hear people begging for a 1.0 liter Fit over here (that's the small car from Honda). By the time people "work" the 1.0 for acceleration it will have the same, if not worse, mileage than our 1.5 "export only" version. It's all about vehicle weight and that old "lead" foot. I drive my Fit softly and get 38-40 mpg on my freeway commute.
 
The only time vehicle displacement comes into play is (1) gas consumption with a lot of idling and (2) taxes you pay in certain other countries, that tax on the basis of engine displacement instead of vehicle weight. My 1.5 liter Fit is "pumping" almost as much air through the engine at the 4,000 rpm required to hit 80 on the freeway as the 3.5 in our minivan, which only turns over at 2,000 rpm at the same speed. Of course the 3.5 requires a richer mixture to push the larger minivan through the air, and more gas to accelerate it, but within certain limits (cars the same weight) the gas mileage on a larger engine with lower rpm often match the gas mileage of a smaller engine with higher rpm. That's why Consumer reports indicated only a 1 mpg advantage to the 4 over the 6 in the last generation of the Malibu in combined driving (but if you cruise long freeway distances at a steady speed, the 4 is more frugal).
 
Once again, in your situation blame your gas mileage on the timing of traffic lights and the devolution of our auto culture into a "stop light drag race" mentality. The potential mpg you can get from your Malibu is very fine.

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