Sign In Join 



Chevrolet Malibu MPG-Real World Numbers

282 messages,  Last post on Oct 24, 2009 at 3:58 AM

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


Messages Page 20 of 29
1
...
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
...
29
Prev
Next
Last
Go To Msg #
Search This Discussion

#186 of 282
Re: Still pleased with the MPG [packer3] by pao
Jul 30, 2008 (4:18 am)
Reply

Replying to: packer3 (Jul 29, 2008 5:06 pm)

have to concur with the V6 in the Malibu, rated at 200 HP....my 04 Malibu Maxx averages 26-28 combined.....and 32-34 on the hwy.......I cant see a reason to get a new car at this point....based on the fuel economy and size of the Maxx, despite it having 130K on it.....the scheduled maintenance is less than most imports and far less expensive as well...
 
running full synthetic....oil changes every 7500 miles, a complete 100K service done... all fluids, plugs, wires, belts replace...two brake jobs (64K and 115K), replaced front rotors on the second, one battery, about to place third set of tires (68K on the current set) and no other repairs required. Insurance is low, property tax is low, and its paid for......
#187 of 282
Re: Still pleased with the MPG [packer3] by malmouza
Jul 30, 2008 (5:40 am)
Reply

Replying to: packer3 (Jul 29, 2008 5:06 pm)

I will have to disagree with you on the aerodynamic. The resistance from the air at high speed is one of the big issue that Car maker and Airplane makers are trying to solve to decrease fuel consumption. An example is the train is designed with less surface resistance so Cd is low, and that is why trains can travel 200 miles on one gallon of diesel, carrying tons of merchandise. If the train travel sideways the air resistance will increase and the train will need hundreds of gallons of diesel to travel 200 miles.
The other thing is the car engine technology did not change that much over the years, except for the switch from carburetors to fuel injection to direct injection; the principle is still the same combustion chamber where the air and fuel are mixed and ignited by spark plugs or by high compression for the diesel case. Not that much changed, we increased a little bit the fuel efficiency by not that much. But one thing we did over the years is adding more weight to our cars, by adding more motors for the seats, motors for the moon roof, motors for the windows, motors for mirrors, motors for trunk, motors for rear seats, motors for rear wipers, motors for rear climate control fan, etc. Every motor weight a pound or two or more, and you are wondering why we are not getting a good fuel mileage, get ride of half of those motors and you’ll see a 25% increase in MPG, not counting that all those motors drain the battery of energy needed for the engine to run the computer (ECU), and other electrical systems. There you have it.
#188 of 282
Re: Still pleased with the MPG [malmouza] by packer3
Jul 30, 2008 (2:16 pm)
Reply

Replying to: malmouza (Jul 30, 2008 5:40 am)

Nice try but I dont think the air theory seems to be working well with the auto makers.
 
Though I'm glad to see that Pao's Max is still rolling strong.
#189 of 282
Re: Still pleased with the MPG [malmouza] by packer3
Jul 31, 2008 (6:36 pm)
Reply

Replying to: malmouza (Jul 30, 2008 5:40 am)

Right, like this wind train theory, if an electric train was going 200 miles per hour which way would the smoke be blowing.
#190 of 282
2009 Malibu by packer3
Aug 03, 2008 (6:38 am)
Reply
What I find amazing or scary is the fact people are buying cars somewhat clue less.
I just read the one review for the 2009 Malibu, I didn't understand if the person got the 4cyl or the 6cyl, I don't even think they know.
The real stopper is that the person just got the car less than a month ago and already there thinking that the gas mileage will get better after it breaks in.
 
Here's a news flash, what ever mpg they are getting today is what they are going to get tomorrow and the next day, etc. The sales rep. should get an Oscar for that sell, also I hope he told them to inflate their tires past the mfg's recomendation so there mileage will increase, but not telling them that their tires will wear out faster.
 
See below article.
 
Vehicle
 
2009 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
 
Review
 
Our Malibu has V6 option. Very good feel with power and handling. Looking forward to after break-in to see true gas mileage. Beautiful auto.
#191 of 282
Re: 2009 Malibu [packer3] by csandste
Aug 03, 2008 (11:11 pm)
Reply

Replying to: packer3 (Aug 03, 2008 6:38 am)

Although I haven't noticed much improvement in mileage after break in with GM engines, HyunKia engines are very tight when new and improve steadily in MPG for at least 10-15000 miles.
 
36 lb. gives better gas mileage than 32 in most cars with no problems with increased tire wear.
#192 of 282
Re: 2009 Malibu [csandste] by packer3
Aug 04, 2008 (1:12 pm)
Reply

Replying to: csandste (Aug 03, 2008 11:11 pm)

keep in mind 36 lbs goes higher in the heat, one thing you never want to do is to push the tires limitations
#193 of 282
MPG After Break-in by hickoryc
Aug 20, 2008 (11:16 am)
Reply

Replying to: packer3 (Aug 03, 2008 6:38 am)

My '04 Maxx did not get over 30 MPG on highway until 50,000 miles. Now at 60,000, it has averaged 33 on the highway and 28 mixed. Wife's '08 Civic has been inching up in the MPG category each fillup from 32 to 37. I fully expect it to increase even more. To qualify the statement regarding the Maxx, I previously posted that I added STP (Red can) for the first time at 50,000. On a side note, in June we fully loaded the Maxx for vacation and it still got 33 highway miles out of every gallon, about the same as my solo daily commute.
#194 of 282
37.37 by malexbu
Aug 30, 2008 (4:34 pm)
Reply
Two long trips this year (a college parent's duties), in the 2005 Malibu Base Sedan (MPG computed as distance/fuel, the distance one way about 1150 miles):
 
+----------+------- +--------+
| Where | Whn | MPG |
+----------+-------+---------+
| MA-TN | May | 36.64 |
| TN-MA | May | 36.78 |
+----------+-------+---------+
| MA-TN | Aug | 36.55 |
| TN-MA | Aug | 37.37 |
+----------+-------+---------+
#195 of 282
'08 or '09 LTZ 4 cyl 6AT? by phil53
Sep 02, 2008 (8:53 pm)
Reply
I'm looking for some information on a specific model. I'm seriously considering the 09 LTZ with the 4 cyl and 6 speed automatic. It's rated at 22 city and 33 highway, but I'd like to get some real world input. I've gone back through several pages and seen only one post on this particular car. The 08 similarly equipped or a 2LT with the same drivetrain would be OK too, since it is the same car.
My driving style is somewhat aggressive. I drive 5- 10 over. I don't over-inflate my tires (whatever it recommends in the manual is what I go with). I get away from stop lights quickly (I hate people who dawdle when there's a string of traffic trying to get through a short green light). I come up to speed quickly when entering the freeway. My commute starts in suburban traffic (2 - 3 miles with lots of lights), then about 25 miles of freeway (65 -75 mph) followed by another 5 miles or so of suburban traffic with several lights (40-45 mph, when it's moving).
I really like this car, but I'm also considering a small CUV (Subaru Forester Limited) for the AWD and utility it offers. I've been following that thread pretty closely and it appears that I could reasonably expect to average about 23 - 25 mpg. I'd like to know that I can do significantly better with the Bu, if I'm giving up the AWD and utility.
So any input would be appreciated.

Messages Page 20 of 29
1
...
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
...
29
Prev
Next
Last
Go To Msg #
Search This Discussion
To POST a message, please Sign In.

New? Join Now!

Forum Tools

Please sign in.
Email Address:

Password:

Forgot Password?

Search Forums

Enter Keyword(s)

Advanced Search

Browse by Vehicle



View All Vehicles
Advertisement
Ask the Community
See What People Are Asking

Browse by Board

Browse by Topic


View All Topics

Today's Chats

Advertisement