10-09-2008, 03:20 PM
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.
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.
I Am Mike
4 wheels: '01 RAV4 (Formerly '93 Civic CX, '01 S2000, '10 GTI, '09 A4 Avant)
2 wheels: '12 Surly Cross-Check Custom | '14 Trek Madone 2.1 105 | '17 Norco Threshold SL Force 1 | '17 Norco Revolver 9.2 FS | '18 BMC Roadmachine 02 Two | '19 Norco Search XR Steel (Formerly '97 Honda VFR750F, '05 Giant TCR 2, '15 WeThePeople Atlas 24, '10 Scott Scale 29er XT, '11 Cervelo R3 Rival, '12 Ridley X-Fire Red)
No longer onyachin.
4 wheels: '01 RAV4 (Formerly '93 Civic CX, '01 S2000, '10 GTI, '09 A4 Avant)
2 wheels: '12 Surly Cross-Check Custom | '14 Trek Madone 2.1 105 | '17 Norco Threshold SL Force 1 | '17 Norco Revolver 9.2 FS | '18 BMC Roadmachine 02 Two | '19 Norco Search XR Steel (Formerly '97 Honda VFR750F, '05 Giant TCR 2, '15 WeThePeople Atlas 24, '10 Scott Scale 29er XT, '11 Cervelo R3 Rival, '12 Ridley X-Fire Red)
No longer onyachin.
![[Image: 112_0802_16z+2008_chevrolet_malibu+interior.jpg]](http://images.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/112_0802_16z+2008_chevrolet_malibu+interior.jpg)