1998 Chevrolet Malibu LS review from North America
"One of the best family cars in its class"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The alternator bearing became noisy (faulty part) at about 5000 miles. The dealer replaced the whole alternator the same day and gave me a rental car for the repair time.
Recently the CD player started skipping on some disks. I used the lense cleaner disk, and it fixed the problem.
General comments?
As an engineer, and having over 25 years of driving record, I evaluate any car primarily from the mechanical point of view.
I am sure, the most important units in a vehicle are the engine, the transmission and the chassis. And it is my strong opinion, which is confirmed by the Consumer Review's statistics, that Malibu LS has one of the industry's best engines, transmission and suspension. Though the pushrod is not the latest technical breakthrough, it has proved its reliability, low fuel consumption, abd high torque starting at low rpm.
The car accelerates beautifully for a family sedan: 8.5 sec 0-60. As an engineer (sorry to appear un-modest) I think, the two-valve per cylinder engine is more suitable for a family sedan, than a four-valve one. The former has a better torque curve at low rpm which is important for city driving. And at highway speeds Malibu's engine makes only 2000 rpm, hence a long potential trouble-free life.
And it has an excellent fuel economy: on my recent trip for 600 miles with an average speed 55 mph (taking into account stops at gas stations and cafes, with long city rides) I made 33.75 mpg.
The fully independent suspension provides responsive and accurate handling, the seats are really comfortable even for a whole day trip.
The trunk is big enough.
Recommended reviews
| Junk.. Money pit |
|
| It's been a good car for me |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1998 |
| First year of ownership | 1998 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.1 6 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 9 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 40000 miles |
| Previous car | Oldsmobile Cutlass |
| Date of Entry | 13th October, 2001 |