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Sedans Chevrolet Malibu 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
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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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Bought my new Malibu 2008 2LT, 4 cyl engine, last week from CarMax. It is almost brand new and has only 1600 miles on it. The DIC currently shows 21.6 mpg for my last 400 miles driving. I drive about 25 miles one way to work, which has about 60 % City/40% Highway. I have been scared to notice the fuel gauge moving down quickly while driving it on highway. I never experienced something like that. I own a honda Civic 96 and Sienna 04, and have never seen the fuel gauge noticeably moving while driving these cars. My Sienna Van has 6 cyls with 54K miles on it and still average 20.5 mpg. I researched this car for the last 4 months and saw many praises on its fuel economy. But I did not expect it this bad. I was hoping for 26-27 mpg average. When I bought the Malibu, I wondered why the last owner would resell the car after just couple of weeks driving it. I remembered to see 16.7mpg when resetting the DIC. I guess that might be the reason he dumped the car to carmax. Now I am wondering I would do the same. I will start measuring the gas manually tomorrow to see exactly what mpg I got. |
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Replying to: bibo2 (Sep 23, 2008 6:48 pm) 1. Roll to Stop's and Red Lights. Anticipate and judge beforehand and let off the gas pedal and roll to stop. 2. Use as much cruise control as you can. For example whenever you have long strecthes of a certain speed limit cruise control it. 3. Find the speed where you engine hits its last gear. In other words if you have a 4 speed automatic, try to feel at what MPH its goes into 4th and engine enters smooth rpm. What I am getting at is try to get to your highest gear as soon as possible. Obviously obey speed limit as all times. High RPM's kill the MPG of a car. Hope this helps. The Malibu is a nice car and you should achieve good MPG. |
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Replying to: bibo2 (Sep 23, 2008 6:48 pm) Good luck and keep us posted as you too rack up more miles. |
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Replying to: bibo2 (Sep 23, 2008 6:48 pm) The end result is, my first tank was under 24 mpg (23.7 or 23.9, depending on whether you believe the DIC or the calculator). My second tank was just under 26 mpg. My current tank is under 25 mpg. I too have been alarmed at the rate the needle on the fuel gauge drops. I truly expected better. Had I known this was what I could expect, I'd have purchased the Forester for the additional utility and AWD the mini-SUV provides. It's fuel mileage is about that good. I have a list of niggling complaints about the Malibu, but this is the biggest. |
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