Faults:

There are no issues to report with this car so far. I would have liked a little bit more torque out of the engine, but what do you expect out of just a four-cylinder?

General Comments:

I am used to driving big cars. I used to have a Buick Lucerne, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Lincoln Town Car, Cadillac deVille, and the like. I also currently own a 2003 Silverado with 210,000 miles on her. I wanted to trade my Lucerne in for more of a "city car". I also felt that with having my Silverado, I didn't need the big Buick anymore. So in September, 2012, I went to a friend who works at a Chevy dealership and he pulled out a 2013 Malibu for me. Obviously, I ended up buying the car.

I must say that I am thoroughly impressed! I opted for the 1LT model with the backup camera, MyLink system with Pioneer speakers, remote start, and power driver's seat. Being that I don't drive many passengers in my car except my girlfriend (if we aren't driving her car), I wanted a car that was designed with the driver in mind. The Malibu is just that! Driving it in the city, on the highway, or just for a quick run around the block, the Malibu is a pleasure to drive. It is responsive, handles great, and is quick for being just a four cylinder. From 0-60, my 197 horsepower Malibu was only a 1/2 a second slower than my 2006 Lucerne with the 293 horsepower Northstar V8! The car is quick, solid, and feels safe. And for being 6'1, 230 pounds, I am very comfortable in the driver's seat.

But the biggest thing I like the most about this car is the gas tank/miles per gallon ratio. Right now, I average about 30 MPG between city driving and on the highway. Straight city driving, I get about 24 MPG, and about 36 MPG with straight highway driving. But with a 18.5 gallon tank, trips to the gas station are very infrequent! With this kind of gas tank/miles per gallon ratio, why would you want a hybrid?

Chevy did a really great job with this car. And being that I only have a little over 10,500 miles on it after a year and a half of driving it, I'm sure this car will last a very long time!

Faults:

Power lumbar failed at 1,000 miles.

MyLink infotainment system has minor glitches.

General Comments:

We bought this car new from the dealer. Since then we have put over 10,000 miles on it. So far, we have done two oil changes from the dealer because they were free, however we will start doing our own oil changes.

The car has been very reliable, however the MyLink infotainment does have minor glitches with Pandora.

The car itself is very easy to drive, however it is slower to accelerate than our 2006 Altima 3.5 that we had. This was expected.

The seats could have been softer, but the ride is very good.

We mostly drive this car in the city. Even though it is rated 25 in the city, we get 28.

So overall, this car is a very good choice in the mid-sizer market.

Faults:

No problems.

General Comments:

This is a review of a new vehicle purchase. We've had the car for 3 weeks and are very impressed. I've been a long time Toyota and Honda fan, but decided to shop around a bit before choosing one again.

The Malibu's styling is what originally caught our eye. Chevrolet has designed a beautiful and sporty looking sedan. The second was the availability of its Eco trim with the mild hybrid eAssist engine.

So far we have found the car to be VERY quiet with an excellent ride. The interior is very well put together with a solid feel, beautiful styling and a great touchscreen stereo/climate control system. It works nicely with my iPad through a USB port.

Although the battery is in the trunk space, there is pass-through access via a fold down rear seat, and the 13 sq foot remaining trunk is well shaped and functional.

The engine has plenty of power for normal driving, and we averaged 32 MPG on our third tank. This was after giving it a few hundred miles to break in.

We cross-shopped a VW Passat TDI, a Honda Accord LX, a Toyota Camry Hybrid, and a Ford Fusion. Some of those cars posted better mileage, but none were less expensive with the same options as this Malibu. In fact it was several thousand dollars cheaper.

This is my first new Chevrolet, so I'll follow-up with reliability, but so far we are VERY impressed.