In less than twelve hours from now, I will drag my half-asleep self to the airport, where I hopefully won’t have to go through a cavity search. I will be boarding a plane to Austin, Texas, where I will meet up with Chevrolet upon my arrival to the Lone Star State. I’ve never been to Texas, and all I have in my head are stereotypes of 10-gallon hats, pickup trucks with gun racks, cows, and leather chaps. Texans that have never been to Michigan probably think that the Mitten State is nothing but poor people, lakes and empty cities, though, so I guess it evens out.
During my stay, I will finally be able to drive the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco — the brand’s next generation breadwinner that oozes promise with an estimated 37 mpg highway rating, loads of safety features, and touted as the “quietest Chevrolet in history”. You’re probably as curious as I am about the car. So, if there are any questions you have about the car, there will be plenty of officials around to answer them. Annnnd, go.
Comments
Which version of the Turbo are they going to offer?
Manoli, what is acceleration like compared to other hybrids
How does the engine feel when it stops and starts at red lights. Is it jerky at all?
Is the interior a relic of hard plastic GM interiors, or has GM done good on this? (A.k.a soft dashboard? A, B, and C pillars?
Howcome they decided to not go with projector fog lights like the ones found in the current Malibu LTZ?
What are the projected fuel economy numbers for the non-eco trims?
Is the Chevrolet MyLink system standard on all trims, if not, then which trims will it be standard on?
Is there still no possibility of an optional V6?
On which trims will the LED tail lights be standard on?
Will Chevy reconsider offering a 2 door coupe since Honda will be showing one at the Detroit Auto Show?
Will a manual transmission be offered with the 2.0L turbo?
How do they plan on outselling the Camry? Will there ever be a crossover off the Malibu like the Venza or Highlander off the Camry?
is there going to be a rear cross traffic alert for this vehicle?
Did they honestly have to reserve the LED’s on the rear for the LTZ? Isn’t it enough we have to suffer from the lack of a V6? Do we get HID’s and a panoramic roof this time on uplevel Malibu’s like found on the Optima competition? I mention the Optima and NOT the Camry on purpose. While I understand that the Camry is the sales leader in this category, that isn’t what is important. The type of buyer of this new Malibu (I feel) is the same type of buyer of the Optima and even Altima. We want to connect with our cars. #My2cents How come we get no panoramic roof this time? Is it possible to outfit this Malibu with the AWD system found on the Lacrosse? Throw in a turbo or the updated 3.6l V6 and slap the SS badge on it? Nevermind, forget everything after the panoramic roof question. Like that will ever happen…
My most important question of all!!! WILL THERE EVER BE A HYBRID MALIBU POWERTRAIN ON THE SAME LEVEL AS A FUSION, CAMRY, OR OPTIMA/SONATA HYBRID?!?!
Question:
Why couldn’t GM eek out another 2 or 3 mpg to AT LEAST equal Ford’s Fusion Hybrid? Will price alone be able to outweigh the PR boost 40 mpg HWY gives a model?
Question: Why did e-Assist gen II fall short of the halo’d 40 mpg?
Question: Please find out if MyLink really works well – is intuitive, uncomplex ( like Sync ) and will bode well for GM, and not be a liability like Sync was for Ford ( customer complaints re: problems, complexities using Sync – not it’s sales success, which was substantial ).
Question: What is the Malilbu Eco’s tire size ( and type ) compared to other Malibu models?
Thanks! James
Would be really nice to offer the Malibu w/the Haldex AWD as optional, especially with the upcoming 2.0T.
*high fives Mike* That’s what I said!
Where will the Malibu built in Detroit and fairfax be sold besides USA and CANADA?