Reader Review of the Week: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu

“I just bought the new Malibu 1LT with the 2.4 engine. I love the car except for several things.

“The poor on-center of the electric-assisted steering means it is not possible to hold the wheel and go straight down the freeway—it requires constant correction to stay in the middle of the lane. This makes long trips very tiring. Mileage so far is averaging 23.5 mpg with mostly freeway driving—far below the 22-30 range on the Federal sticker. I hope it gets better when the engine is broken in. Also, the paint on all of the Malibus I looked at has some slight orange peel. GM needs to fix that.

“This is a great try, but GM really needs to get the last few details worked out, and make sure the reliability is there. That is how the Camry and Accord got their repeat customers.”