The Malibu hybrid is an affordable step in the right direction
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The 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid shuts off the gas engine when idling at a stoplight and offers a modest boost when needed to pass. (MCT / February 14, 2008) |
The 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid shuts off the gas engine when idling at a stoplight and offers a modest boost when needed to pass. With oil topping $100 a barrel, tell me if this doesn't seem like the right car at the right time: A gas-electric hybrid version of the 2008 North American Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Malibu!
Right? Right, but without exclamation marks.
Viewed as what it is -- a nicely-executed step in the right direction -- the Malibu hybrid is an appealing, attractively priced family sedan that does boost fuel mileage. But if you're thinking this is a Toyota Prius-fighter in the fuel-economy wars, well, it isn't.
The Malibu Hybrid differs from some other hybrids in that the Malibu, unlike the Prius or the Ford Escape Hybrid, can't move along under electric power alone. The Prius and the Escape have stronger, heavier, more-sophisticated hybrid systems that allow them to work like an electric vehicle at low speeds. The gasoline engine doesn't start until the electric motor can no longer supply the power needed -- it can creep along in rush-hour traffic on electricity alone, but once you need to accelerate, the onboard computer cranks up the gasoline engine.
The Malibu Hybrid's comparatively modest system turns the gas engine off when you come to a stop, and there's ample electrical power to maintain steering and power brakes and your stereo. But when you take your foot off the brake, the gasoline engine has to start every time, as the Malibu Hybrid can't move on electricity alone.
The downside is that the Malibu Hybrid's fuel mileage isn't on par with, say, the Prius: The Malibu Hybrid is EPA-rated at 24 mpg city driving, 32 mpg highway. The Prius is rated at 48 mpg city, 45 mpg highway.
In fact, the Malibu Hybrid's numbers are not significantly better than the base-model, four-cylinder Malibu, which is EPA-rated at 22 mpg city, 30 mpg highway.
But with gasoline over $3 a gallon and climbing, small increases are suddenly a lot more important than they used to be.
The advantage of the Malibu Hybrid system over the Prius system is that Chevy's more modest engineering doesn't cost all that much, doesn't weigh that much, and isn't particularly complex. That's why our test Malibu Hybrid, with an out-the-door price of just $22,140, is awfully attractive.
While Toyota set out to build the Prius as a hybrid, Chevrolet took a regular Malibu and massaged it into a hybrid. Power comes from a 2.4-liter, 164-horsepower four-cylinder, mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. The car's smallish 36-volt battery pack for hybrid operation is encased in black plastic in the trunk, just behind the rear seats. The Malibu's trunk is large enough that there's still plenty of room back there.
Under the hood, if there wasn't a big black plastic cover that said "hybrid" to the right of the engine, you'd never know. The cover hides the electric motor, which is charged not only by the engine when it's running, but by regenerative brakes that turn each brake into a tiny generator. To save weight and room, the spare tire has been replaced by an electric inflator kit and a can of sealant.
Inside, there's little to tell you that this isn't a regular Malibu. That's fine, because one of the attractions of the new Malibu -- any Malibu -- is the interior. The Hybrid has cloth seats and a lot of plastic, but it's all no nicely done that you might not notice that this is, indeed, a very basic package until you realize that, say, there are no interior grab handles, or that the vanity mirrors aren't lit. The two-tone brown-and-tan seats are comfortable, and rear seat room is excellent -- you can very happily fit four 6-footers in a Malibu, which you can't do in a Prius. Well, you can make them fit but not happily.
Even the base model has quite a few features, including side and side-curtain air bags, anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, traction control, a year of OnStar service, a good stereo with XM satellite service free for three months and steering-wheel-mounted cruise and audio controls.
On the road, the Malibu Hybrid rides and handles much like a regular four-cylinder nonhybrid, though the electric power steering on the Hybrid has a rubbery, video-game feel. Acceleration from the four-cylinder is aided a bit by electrical power, so it isn't bad, but Chevy needs to ditch its four-speed automatic transmission, and, we're told, will pretty soon.
So how did we do mileage-wise? Good, but not great. The first 100 miles or so were mostly highway, and we averaged 29.6 mpg. But as we added some city driving, overall mileage dropped to 27.1 mpg. Good? Yes.
Great? No. But you give up so little -- pretty much nothing, in fact -- to get the Hybrid's extra boost in mileage, and then there's that extended eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty on hybrid components, on top of the regular five-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty.
All of which makes the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid a very appealing vehicle, even if it isn't a game-changer.
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