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Sedans Chevrolet Malibu Chevrolet Malibu MPG-Real World Numbers
288 messages, Last post on Nov 27, 2009 at 5:37 PM
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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.
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Replying to: phil53 (Sep 02, 2008 8:53 pm) On the first tank with a lot of idling to figure out onstar and play with all the functions, we averaged 28.3 with an average speed of 38 mph. Tire pressure is at recommended 30 PSI. My wife is driving the car and has a heavy foot. Her commute is about 2 miles of stop and go followed by 16 miles of highway(65-80mph) and then another 2 miles of stop and go. She uses no fuel saving techniques. So far on the second tank we are averaging 28.8 with an average speed of 39 MPH. On this tank I drove on hilly/curvy country highways for about 90 miles and the readout was at 32.5 mpg and climbing when we got home. I checked instant mpg at 60 mph with the cruise set on a level road and very little wind and it was between 43 and 46 mpg, I think the car will easily get the advertised 32 mpg highway. On the first fill we had 14.4 gallons and 413 miles for an actual average of 28.68, so a little better than the readout calculated. So overall the readout appears pretty accurate so far. We really like the car so far, it is comfortable, rides and drives very nice and is quiet inside. |
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That was very helpful! That's just the sort of information I was looking for and is very encouraging.  I have been vacillating between the Malibu and a small SUV ('09 Forester). The SUV offers more utility and AWD. It doesn't do too badly on mileage (~25 mpg). But it looks like the Malibu will do quite a bit better, plus it offers a few more creature comforts in LTZ guise. Plus, I know the Chevy dealer and they're close-by. |
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Rented a '08 Malibu 1LT with 4 Cylinder and 4-speed auto during a visit to Florida this weekend. I topped off the tank, ran a round trip between Tampa and Naples, and when I refilled the tank I calculated 28 mpg. That's 2 less than the EPA rating. It's puzzling since it was 99% highway driving. I was doing about 75-80 and noticed the RPMs were around 2800 which seems high. Maybe you have to do 65 or less to get 30mpg? If you do 65 on I-75 in Florida you'll get mowed down by pickup trucks.
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Replying to: kam327 (Sep 07, 2008 5:15 pm) First and foremost, your rental has a 4 speed automatic. The 2LT and LTZ are now available with the 6 speed automatic. I'm guessing the addition of 2 more gears makes a significant difference. Second, while I, myself, have a heavy foot and have been known (frequently) to drive those speeds, the EPA test does not. I suspect if you slowed down to 65 - 70, you might gain 1 to 2 mpg. With a 2.4L 4 cyl and a 4 speed automatic, 2800 rpm at those speeds is probably not out of line. Our VW 1.9L diesel with a 5 speed manual churns nearly that hard at those speeds. FWIW, a bigger engine with a couple more gears will do about as well. My 2003 Corvette with the 5.7L V8 and 6 speed manual would have returned 28 mpg on the trip you described. But, of course, it has enough power and is light enough that it is hardly turning at those speeds. Having said that, I once rented a Buick LeSabre with the 3.8L V6 and 4 speed auto. I drove it from Indianapolis to KC at about 75 mph and it returned right about 28 mpg. So smaller doesn't always equal more economical.
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Replying to: phil53 (Sep 07, 2008 5:55 pm)
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My wife has traveled a total 87,123 miles since 2003. She has used 3,120.577 gallon of gas = 27.919 MPG. This is with a 3.5 V-6 Malibu Yes we have synthetic oil 0W-30 with once per year oil changes. Ken |
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Replying to: kam327 (Sep 12, 2008 12:57 pm) |
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What's the MPG everyone is realizing on the 6 cyl/6 speed auto Malibu? And, at what speeds? Thanks
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Replying to: hjr3 (Sep 17, 2008 9:39 am) Now to my numbers- driven in these (nearly ideal? I always thought flat terrain would be better, but..) conditions, I have been getting anywhere from 28 to 32 mpg, with the overall sitting right at 29. The overall includes the initial break-in of 500 miles where I stayed off the interstate as much as possible (more stop'n'go), kept speeds below 55 where I could, etc. I have noticed while driving around strictly in downtown Asheville that the reading varies between 16's and 22, with the lighter traffic usually being higher, but lots of stop'n'go / accelerating against the hills being closer to 17. Speed zones anywhere from 35 to 50 mph, though sometimes barely getting up to speed before stopping again. Those are my observations. Let me know if there is anything more specific you want to know. |
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