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Getting 23 Miles a Gallon: The 2009 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid

The 2009 Malibu is an important vehicle to Chevrolet for the sedan market segment. The Hybrid is a member of a series of four trim levels for the Malibu which include Hybrid, LTZ, and LS. The four-door car with its front-wheel drive is positioned to aggressively fill this niche for Chevrolet. There is strong competition from vehicles from Kia.

Stop and Go

The Malibu Hybrid is equipped with a General Motors 2.4 liter four-cylinder engine that utilizes 16 valves. The Ecotec engine is mated to a General Motors 4-speed Transaxle. This configuration has proven to be a successful design for Chevrolet.

Steering control is handled through a power-steering rack-style configuration. The Malibu comes equipped with power-assisted brakes, with 4-Wheel ABS support. The front brakes are disc while the rear brakes are disc. The car uses coil front springs and coil in the rear.

Statistics

The Malibu is inches long, inches wide, and inches high. It has a wheelbase of inches. It is able to seat several adults comfortably.

The listed retail price in 2009 (MSRP) was an industry-high price, with a dealer invoice cost of an industry-high price. This price is in line with the industry average price for a four-door Sedan.

Fuel Efficiency

The fuel system for the 2009 Malibu is a SFI system, running on ELECTRIC/GAS . The fuel is regulated by an electronic system and is a fuel-injected MFI design.

The 2009 Malibu gets 23 miles/gallon on the highway and only 17 in the city. This is below average for a sedan car.

Parting Shots

The 2008 model began the promise of the Chevrolet Malibu. The 2009 expanded on this success and has proven to be a strong seller in most markets. Even with strong competition from other manufacturers Chevrolet hopes that the Malibu Hybrid will continue to be a profitable vehicle.