AutoblogGreen

What a joke hybrid. insert rolling eyed smiley face. Actually on second though...a 2 mpg increase in all vehicles would probably put us under the tipping point, good for you Chevy! Not! I still stand with my original comment, what a joke this hybrid is, and it's just like the other hybrids that Chevy has produced.

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2mpg a gal more! Thats i! Wow, Thats got to be wrong!

http://www.chevymalibuforum.com/

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What a joke. Yet another hybrid that gets worse mileage than my non-hybrid 2007 civic. Take a look at Edmunds.. all the interior dimensions are maybe an inch or two more than a civic; we're not talking a Geo vs. an SUV here. Who in the world would fork over the extra cash to get the hybrid version of this? Just buy a smaller car.

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Damon, this vehicle is far larger than your Civic.

No, the mpg boost by the hybrid isn't super impressive. It'd take about 300,000 miles to pay back. So you better be in it for the reduction in fuel use more than the reduction in running costs.

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It is close.
The wheelbase is 6" longer, but 3" of that is eaten up by the 60 degree V6, and larger wheels/wheelwells. So those extra 3" are reflected in the rear seat legroom 37.6" vs 34.6"
The trunk of the malibu 'hybrid' is still 4 cubic feet larger, but you don't get a mini-spare, and honda deletes the folding seats.
Total passenger volume is 97.7 vs 90.9 cubic feet.
Shoulder and hip room is still greater, and that might make all the difference whether another couple would ride in the back of your car, or they would drive themselves.
and the gas tank of the civic hybrid is smaller than regular civics by about a gallon (12.3 vs 16.4 in the malibu)

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Damon, I sure as hell would fork over another $500 bucks. The hybrid is $1800 more, then factor in a $1300 tax credit.

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Still, why would you pay $500 for a slower car, which doesn't have a spare wheel.
Just wait a short time for the 6 speed auto or another year for the dual mode version.

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If you can get a $1800 tax credit for a 2mpg gain then that system of incentives should be revisited. Looks like GM is designing for the test again which just makes all of their environmental boasts of late look so insincere.

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I've actually driven one of these and can tell you that the sticker mpg is nowhere close to real life. Around town (I live in a rural town) I get mid 30's and with the cruise set on the highway I get mid 40's. People need to actually own/drive one of these before they criticize.

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