2009 Malibu six speed vs. hybrid

[sirhc]

Hi! I've searched but haven't found much. I'm on the hunt for an affordable non-compact daily driver. My 1964 daily driver non-efficient corvair has been acting up so I've been driving my 8.1 liter Silverado pickup to work... not an ideal commuter. I understand most people on this site are anxious and concerned about my commuting habits.

That being said - Chevy Malibus seem to have depreciated nicely, so I'm currently thinking about an 08' or 09'. I like American cars, and Malibus are cheap and big and seem to get decent mileage. I love manual transmissions but I think I'm old enough to be ready for a nice couch on wheels for my boring eight mile straight-line commute. I enjoy mild hypermiling techniques but it's hard/annoying to effectively FAS with a cup of coffee in your hand.

Questions / options:

1) 2.4 liter four cylinder with the six speed tranny. Rated 22/33 mpg.

2) 2.4 liter "hybrid" BAS with the four speed tranny, rated 26/34 mpg.
I understand it's a mild "hybrid," mostly capitalizing on engine-off at stop and restart capability.

Questions - I've heard of folks returning better than EPA ratings when driving them nicely. Would I benefit from the hybrid for my short flat commute with seven stop lights? What is the expected life of the BAS battery and associated components? Cost to repair/replace? Conversely, would I appreciate the potential smoother shifting and the lack of automated start/stop of the hybrid?

I've seen these cars in either flavors in the 5-7k range... seems acceptable for a decent looking mid size commuter with good mileage. I know there are other cars offering better mileage, but I'm good with the math I think:

10k miles/year divided by 12mpg at $2.50 a gallon = $2,083 (truck)
10k miles/year divided by 35mpg at $2.50 a gallon = $714 (Malibu)
10k miles/year divided by 45mpg at $2.50 a gallon = $555 (compact)
10k miles/year divided by 60mpg at $2.50 a gallon = $416 (civic / insight)

For the couple hundred bucks a year I'll take with the larger, quieter, more comfortable, and arguable safer large car. I'll keep the truck to pull our camper and do truck stuff, but it makes me happy to think about it sitting there paid off and ready to do truck stuff while realizing additional savings by way of tires/maintenance/etc.

Love to hear any input or recommendations!

Thanks.

[Ecky]

Does your commute have much highway driving, or is it all city?

Generally, manual transmissions have shorter gearing than their auto counterparts, with the exception of "eco" trims like the Civic HX/hybrid 5MT's. Autos have more drag/loss in power, but the taller gearing can sometimes more than make up for that on the highway.

Frankly I don't know much about the Malibu's hybrid system, but I'd be inclined to go with the MT model myself. Hybrids only make sense to me if they're also downsizing the engine, which is not the case here. I wouldn't worry too much about the battery though; northern hybrid batteries last a lot longer and they'll generally last more than a decade anyway.

[sirhc]

My commute is mostly city - I would estimate the car would see 70% of 35-45mpg rural "city" driving and 30% freeway.

The Malibu is only offered with automatic transmissions... both the four and six speed.

Thanks.

[yesthatsteve]

If your commute is mostly city, you're probably better off with the manual. A month ago, I bought a '13 Buick LaCrosse with the mild hybrid system and the 6T40 6-speed automatic. My average fuel economy is WAY better when I take the mostly-highway route to work instead of suburban boulevards (about 29 miles each way). That car is an absolute gem on the highway when the electric motor kicks in to keep you in top gear and torque converter lockup under mild acceleration.

My previous car was a '05 Scion xB with a manual, and it was the exact opposite. It was at its best under 50 mph. Aero drag had something to do with that, I'm sure, but the MT helped most at lower speeds, as well.

eta: And I'm in absolute agreement about paying a little extra for comfort (why I bought the Buick instead of something else). The xB was loud, buzzy, and unrefined, but I was able to average over 37 mpg in it (revised EPA 27/31, 28 combined) over the roughly 95,000 miles I drove it.

[M_a_t_t]

Manual transmission is not offered. A 4 speed automatic and a 6 speed automatic are his options.

From my knowledge usually the more gears the better fuel economy, because of being able to keep the engine in more optimal rpm range.

It looks like the hybrid is only offered with the 4 spd while the gas has both as options. Something you should make sure to check for if you choose the non-hybrid.

[oldtamiyaphile]

Originally Posted by M_a_t_t

From my knowledge usually the more gears the better fuel economy, because of being able to keep the engine in more optimal rpm range.

For NA engines at least, skip shifting (1,3,5) is a thing. It gives you a higher average engine load which works well for oversize engines or low geared cars. I recorded my best ever tank when I started skip shifting my Renault Kangoo (1.6 NA, low geared). Some v8's have shift interlocks that force you to shift 1,4,5,6 for economy reasons.

More gears are more relevant to small turbos (petrol or diesel) where keeping load lighter than 80% is advantageous to avoiding excessive fueling. More gears also means more drive train friction in every gear (even if it's slight).

[me and my metro]

How complicated do you want your life? The hybrid system is a belt drive motor/ generator in place of the alternator. I don't think Autozone is going to have one on Friday night. Just saying KISS.

[yesthatsteve]

Originally Posted by M_a_t_t

Manual transmission is not offered. A 4 speed automatic and a 6 speed automatic are his options.

From my knowledge usually the more gears the better fuel economy, because of being able to keep the engine in more optimal rpm range.

It looks like the hybrid is only offered with the 4 spd while the gas has both as options. Something you should make sure to check for if you choose the non-hybrid.

If that's the case, then the six speed FE will largely depend on the final drive ratio - looks like they had several possibilities. In my LaCrosse eAssist, it's 2.64, the lowest available; not sure what it is in the 'bu.

[spdfrk]

If you're not scared to do things once you're off warranty, you can do much better with an auto than you might think. My 05 Malibu LS exceeds most mild hybrids. Just put a belly pan and use synthetics and don't add junk to impair the aerodynamics. Don't use ethanol blended fuel. Totally agree with final drive ratio - mine's 3:05:1 on a four speed 4t45e with v6. Some of the big old Buicks had that tall 2.68:1 for highway cruising too.

[yesthatsteve]

I've still got 2.5 years and 50k miles on the Buick powertrain warranty (and 4.5 years/80k on the eAssist components), but I'll be open to more things as those warranty periods draw to a close. It's already got belly pans from the factory, and I live in a state that mandates E10 for everything below 91 octane. For easy gains in the short term, I'm considering a lower front air dam and taller, narrower tires (stock size is 235/50 on a 17" rim). It's been over 10 years since I had an automatic as a daily driver, so I'm sure I've still got plenty to learn.

For the OP, I did a little more digging on the '09 Malibu. According to thecarconnection.com, the 4-cyl six speed comes with a sixth gear ratio of 0.75 and a 2.77 final drive, while the hybrid has a fourth gear ratio of 0.68 with a 3.05 final drive. That puts them within a whisker of each other on the highway, with the electric assist likely accounting for the slight difference in EPA hwy rating.

My LaCrosse weighs over 400 lbs more than the '09 Malibu, so the electric assist may have greater impact at lower speeds than it does for me.