2008 Chevrolet Malibu consumer reviews

This car looks good,,, it rides excellent... it has every bell and whistle anyone could ever want. Except for one thing....Its a gas hog. I cant get over 19.5 miles on a gallon. I had a 2004 that got 27 MPG over the same area. Yes I have 50 more HP but oh what a price....I should have purchased the 4 cyl.....

I have put 5500 miles on the car including one long trip from Fl. to Pa. The car is quiet, comfortable, handles well and generally I am pleased with the car. With gas prices being what they are and in no need for fast 0-60 performance, I opted for the 170 hp 4 cyl engine which at the time came with only a 4 speed auto. trans. On my trip from Florida on Interstate 95 at 70-75 MPH I was able to get over the 30 EPA estimate MPG (somewhere between 30-32) so the trip mileage is ok. However, when driving around home, to bank, groceries, golf course, breakfast, dinner etc. it is very difficult to squeeze 20 MPG out of the car without taking a 40 or 50 mile trip on a particular tankful. I'm wondering now if I might have done better with the 6 cyl and 6 speed auto trans. I think the car is just too big and heavy and the 4 cyl has to work too hard when accelerating as it has to do very often with normal driving around home. I plan on reviewing this problem with the dealer when it goes in for it's first scheduled service but I doubt seriously if there is anything that can be done to correct it. One thing I think GM should do that might help is to discontinue the 4 speed auto. trans and offer a 5 speed auto trans as standard and a 6 speed as an option. If GM gets as many fuel economy complaints on the 4 cyl as I believe they will, maybe they should consider offering the car in only a 6 cyl like the Saturn Aura does.

I just purchaced it a week ago and I already drove it 1000 miles. This car drives so solid and gets great gas milage for its roomy size. This car far exceeded my expectations. This is not the chevy of the 80's and 90's. Everybody compliments on the way it looks. After driving mine my neighbor bought one for his wife. Way to go GM.

i purchased my 08 malibu about 4 months ago. i got my ls in gold with the brown and gold interior. 4cyl auto. no sunroof. standard audio. personally i wasnt taking a colbolt. im 6 foot 2 and have a decent amount of room. car doesnt accelerate very quickly off the line but takes off after second gear (only 4 gears, weird?) i get 23 mpg hw. ride is very smooth but the suspension is far from sporty. could use bigger brakes. standard audio tuned correctly has a great sound. interior scratchs easy but cleans up nicly with a wet rag. climate control woulda been nice, ac is either cold or warm. trunk is big. it is a really nice car. my only complaints are the brakes and power. if you care about fuel econemy get the hybrid, cause the 4cyl is slow for the mpg. i do believe you get bigger brakes on the lt. unless u cant spare the extra loot get the lt1

We have had this car for a year with no problems. It might have a noisier engine than some (4 banger) but only when pushed hard. Stay at 60mph and you will marvel at your gas mileage. A very adequate car unless you are trying to make a status statement. Get the V6 if you drive the mountains regularly or don't mind buying more gas. I love it; the wife doesn't like hearing the downshifts.

This car isn't as good as the 2008 Honda Accord I test drove. The Honda has WAY better interior, better resale, a better reputation for hardly breaking down and running forever, and Honda has a better ride. Plus, people have figured out ways to disconnect OnStar if someone were to steal the car. It has been back to the shop a couple of times for the alternator acting funny, and the Check Engine light keeps coming on and GM said there is nothing wrong with that...LOL So I really think GM didn't make the best car... My car is fully loaded w/the V6. Should've bought the Accord...

I just bought the new Malibu 1LT with the 2.4 engine yesterday. 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 in mostly freeway driving-- far below the 22-30 range on the Federal sticker. I hope it get's better when the engine is broken in. 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.

I test drove the V4 Malibu recently as one of my family members is in the market for a sedan. I really liked this car. It is amazingly quiet and even with V4 had a nice zip to the ride. The suspension appears to be quite good. The interior is good quality. Right after this test drive, we test drove a V6 Accord. Granted the ride is more powerful and interior space may be tad-bit more, the overall feel (IMHO) was blah. The interior quality is rather average and the road noise is noticeably higher. I don't think the Accord V6 deserves the price premium. With this positive experience with V4 Malibu, I am interested in driving a V6 Malibu. The dealer said it has been hard to keep V6s on the lot. Even the V4, he had only one model. The car appears to be selling well (...this was the second dealer to give us that impression...). If I were looking for a car for myself, I am 95% certain I will buy this car (...which is great change for me after owning imports for 20 years).

I have tested both the 4 and 6 cyl versions of the Malibu several times with an eye to purchasing it. While I like the car a lot, I am not rushing to get it, and will test out all the options first. The style (inside and out) is excellent. I love the way the dark gray version with the brick/black interior looks on the LTZ, and the dash lights are spectacular! A couple of things are not great, however, first, the gas mileage on the V-6 looks poor at around 18 mpg. The four cyl is pretty good, but missing something in umph and not as nice as the LTZ. I understand they are upgrading in the spring with a LTZ trim on the smaller engined cars, which would be a good thing. Additionally, the access to the trunk is not good (too high a lip and too small an opening); no universal garage opener; no compass for the rear view mirror; and the outward looking visual is hampered by the thick pillars. And finally, as with so many cars today, you can't see the back end from the rear window when backing up to save your life! My 97 Maxima is great this way! You have a perfect view of the rear of the car for parking. I just don't get why car makers are insisting on making it impossible to see where you are going when backing up. Anyway. I was very excited with the Malibu for the way it looks, but for my lifestyle, it's just a few cents short of a dollar overall. I will look at the Accord....I am going to have to do that for the reasons stated above, and for the fact that frankly, we really have no idea what kind of reliability this car is going to have.

I can't say enough about this car, all is just great so far! I have had a malibu before but this is such an improvement and I like it better than my wifes Camery. i think they finally got it right.