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+--- Thread: Rental Car Reviews: Prius and Malibu (/showthread.php?tid=7721)
Rental Car Reviews: Prius and Malibu - Mike - 10-09-2008
Prius - I was expecting to really enjoy this thing, and I did... somewhat. It is not the perfect hybrid...
Cons: The seats are awful, and the transition from battery to gas isn't nearly as seamless as I would hope for. Often you'll be crawling away from a stoplight at a constant throttle using on battery and then feel a little jerk as the gas engine kicks on and your constant throttle is now giving a lot more power than before. The brakes also feel very different than anything else I've ever felt... they're very grabby and strong feeling. Again, it felt like there was some sort of transition here as well... I'd be coming to a stop and then the car would do a tiny lunge. I dunno, weird. The nifty little graphs and such turn driving in to a game... this was a distraction. I didn't really care for the gas stuff, climate, and radio all being integrated in to a single screen.
Pros: I drove it 80 miles. I picked it up with a full tank and returned it with a full tank. I did not put a dime in it. The nifty little graphs and such turn driving in to a game...
Overall, it's slightly nicer than a corolla and gets awesome gas mileage.
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Malibu - Being an American product, I really wanted to hate this... and... I didn't.
Cons: Suspension was a bit soft compared to the rigidity of the low profile tires. Handling was crisp, but the car seemed to float a little on the highway. Sitting at a stoplight, I noticed that the plastics around the shifter look like shit. I pull on a tiny seam and BOOM the entire fucking 2ft piece comes off. It snaps back on, but come on... I'm sure I'm not the only person to have done this. I ended up putting $15 in to it for 70 miles of mostly highway driving.
Pros: The little 2.4 was smooth, the car looks pretty decent, the stereo bumped, and I'm sure the MSRP was pretty low.
- Kaan - 10-09-2008
i swear the prius graphs are why people randomly tap the brakes on those damn things! and they are constantly paying attention to it... thats why they dont see people on motorcycles.
- HAULN-SS - 10-09-2008
Sooo - I drive a malibu every day, and I'm trying to picture what 2 foot piece you're talking about that popped off? And I do agree, the shifter does look like shit.
- Mike - 10-09-2008
the piece (cream in the below image) that surrounds the shifter... upon investigation, it's smaller than i original thought. still, it pulled completely off with little effort... it actually has some space on the back edge that leads you to believe you it may come up for a reason, but no, it's a trim piece.
![[Image: 112_0802_16z+2008_chevrolet_malibu+interior.jpg]](http://images.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/112_0802_16z+2008_chevrolet_malibu+interior.jpg)
- Mike - 10-09-2008
Kaan Wrote:i swear the prius graphs are why people randomly tap the brakes on those damn things! and they are constantly paying attention to it... thats why they dont see people on motorcycles.
can't be crusin' on an empty battery!
- HAULN-SS - 10-09-2008
oh, yeah. I think that's where the little finger-hold for the cupholder cover slides into.
- Feersty - 10-09-2008
Yeah I was about to say if it was the new Malibu, but that interior shot you posted confirmed it. I know you didn't hate, but did you like the new Malibu? It sure has been getting some rave reviews.
- Mike - 10-09-2008
Feersty Wrote:Yeah I was about to say if it was the new Malibu, but that interior shot you posted confirmed it. I know you didn't hate, but did you like the new Malibu? It sure has been getting some rave reviews.
Like it? I don't like any vanilla-ish sedans. Did it surprise me? Yes. Did Chevy make something that can compete worldwide? Yes.
- Feersty - 10-09-2008
Fair enough. I had the previous model LS V6 for a rental car on a trip to Dallas, and that thing had some giddy up. I chirped the tires on accident when the light turned green. Interior of it was God awful though.
- Mike - 10-09-2008
my dad has one of those. complete boring turd, but yeah, they have a tiny bit of power.