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If green is the new black, then the hybrid version of the Chevrolet Malibu is light gray. While the remodeled Malibu may richly deserve its status as the Car of the Year due to its great looks and performance for a reasonable price, that honor doesn’t extend to the anemic hybrid model.
I had much higher hopes for this vehicle after driving the powerful dual-electric motors GM has installed in its hybrid SUVs. Evidently GM decided that keeping a low sticker price on its best-selling car was more important than low numbers on fuel economy and performance. The hybrid’s base price is $22,140 vs. the standard four-cylinder at $19,345. The fuel economy achieved by the hybrid, however, is not enough of an improvement to justify the extra cost: 24 to 32 vs. 20 to 32 mpg for the standard car.
Like most hybrids, the Malibu saves fuel by shutting off the gas engine while idling at a stop light and starting the car forward with an electric motor. The battery-powered motor in this car is so small it hardly propels the car at all, with a very non-electric lag. Its electric motor provides 10 times less power than the ones installed in most competitors: 3 KW vs. 30 KW—or a 3-mph nudge off the line compared to a 30-mph kick before the gas-powered 4-cylinder engine takes over. To be a really effective green machine, a car needs to operate solely on electric power at speeds below 30 mph. Since that is the speed limit in most urban areas, it follows that while the gas-powered engine is shut down by keeping a light touch on the accelerator pedal, no expensive fuel is being burned to foul the city air most people breathe. The exception is when the engine needs to run to recharge the batteries, but the batteries also store energy used during braking.
So, while the Malibu does sell for $3,000 less than a hybrid Toyota Camry or Nissan Altima, it is also $1,000 more than the Toyota Prius, which gets twice the mileage from a gallon of gas: The Malibu gets 24 to 32 mpg while the Prius gets 40 to 45 mpg (lower on the highway due to the greater use of the gas engine at higher speeds). The Malibu does have a bigger 4-cylinder engine than the Prius: 2.4 liter, 164 hp at 6400 RPM vs 1.5 liter 110 hp at 5000 RPM, but the Prius more than compensates with a much more powerful electric motor that kicks in another 295 horsepower from 0 to 1200 RPM.
This car has a clone, called the Saturn Aura, which sells for the same price. The Pontiac G6 also shares the same platform.
If you want to buy this American beauty in a fuel-efficient mode, I recommend saving your money and getting the standard 4-cylinder model. You can trade it in for the hybrid model when they upgrade the electric-drive system in the future.
