Faults:

Dealer serviced some wiring in the driver's side door for a recall. While at the dealer having the oil changed, they opened the hood while the windshield wipers were sticking up and out. This dented the hood, and they needed to keep it for a day to replace it. Poor engineering of the position of the wiper arms.

A lot of small squeaks and rattles when driving.

Nothing major to report.

General Comments:

It's an average car, nice looking, and fairly cheap. Huge rebates swayed me from a "better" Accord or Camry into the Malibu.

My average fuel economy is 33 MPG, with the highway window sticker saying 30. Aside from the irritating rattles, the car has been excellent.

Faults:

Motor oil pump at 12,000km.

ABS and air bag lights came on at 16,000km (then disappeared on their own).

General Comments:

The car was very comfortable, spacious and good looking.

The car was very fast in a straight line, and from a standstill. If already driving, and you wish to accelerate, it might take longer than other cars to down shift and pick up speed.

On the downside, this car was a fuel eater, and that is the reason why I sold it.

Faults:

Problem free.

General Comments:

This is our 4th Malibu. We had a 1998 Malibu LS, a 2002 Malibu LS, a 2006 Malibu LS, and now our Malibu LTZ. All 3 of our previous versions had alloy wheels and leather seats. And all 3 of the previous versions were silver with grey leather interior. So is our 2010.

When we saw the newest version, we knew in our mind that we had to own one in the worst way. The 2010 is absolutely gorgeous!! The exterior looks way better than the previous Malibu's that we owned. It is bigger, and it has a European like flavor to it, but is a Chevrolet Malibu.

The interior is just stunning!! It is roomier, and the controls have that nice feel to them. Safety wise, it has all the safety features that you could want. The seats are so comfortable that they are sitting on your favorite lounge chair. The trunk is nicely sized, too.

The 2010 rides way, way better than the previous versions that we owned. Plus, it is much quicker, thanks to the more powerful engine.

We strongly recommend this car to anyone looking for a nice family sedan. It has Onstar, something that no other midsize car offers. No wonder why it has been a hot seller from Chevrolet. Take one out for a test drive.

Believe us, we plan on keeping it for a good long while. We absolutely love it.

Faults:

Nothing as this was a 4 day rental.

General Comments:

I rented this car on a recent trip to Southern California. We drove it for 4 days in total. To be honest, I've been keenly interested in the newer Malibus for a few years now. So I was somewhat excited when the car rental company rented us a moderately loaded 3.6L V6 version.

In the end I was a little disappointed with my experience. I'll start with the good first. The fit and finish were by far leaps and bounds above the previous Malibu model I rented on a trip in 2007. Where the old Malibu felt like driving a tin can with a rubbery interior, the new one felt solid and assured. The design of the interior, choice of materials were better, and chock-full of nice little features. The indicator needles on the dials were very nice. The sound system was very good. No rattles. Overall the seats were comfortable and supportive.

Now for the bad. Even though the interior was a lot better than the previous model, there was still this overarching cheapness to it. There was a lot of use of the same rubbery, textured material GM has been using for years. It was like the texture of a basketball. The steering wheel was cheap too. It felt "sticky" in my hands and looked like something that will deteriorate rapidly in the sun. The car had awful fuel economy. Even though this was a V6, we managed to get at most 21 MPG freeway. It was totally flat and warm where we were at and we drove it modestly. Still, my Dad's V8 Tundra gets about the same economy as this car with a V6. The accelerator was not responsive. A hard press on the pedal meant a delay before anything happened. The rear window was impossible to see out of. I had to really pay attention to what was behind me by looking out the driver's side window. It was like looking out of a bunker window. Simply put, the rear window was positioned way too high above the rear seats.

Even though the car was a lot better than before, certain areas like the trunk still felt like a tin can. So too was the fuel door.

Basically, the car was just OK. Not bad, but not fantastic either. I'd say that if the car had gotten better fuel economy and there was just a bit more attention paid to the interior it would be a good deal.

Faults:

Nothing yet. I don't care, 6 year warranty owner here!

General Comments:

Comfy powerful, full of cool features.

Love those LEDs in the car that light up the console and the door handles, great idea, I love that.

Big trunk, great gas mileage.

I traded in my lemon 2006 Nissan Sentra SE-R. I don't need a lil boy racer econobucket. I don't need dumb young kids coming up to me revving their Mustang's engine, or their lil CRX. I am a grown man, I have places to be, errands to run, go back to your high school parking lot LOL.

I drive a lot now due to my job; this car is perfect for me.

Oh yeah, rebates help, over $5 thousand of them LOL. That's great, Toyota and the rest of Japanese land don't have nothing on those rebates.

Fit in finish looks awesome, very pleased. Will report back later with a long term review.

SrA. Lemus-Navarro (22 years old)

USAF Active Duty

Electrical Systems Journeyman

3EOX51