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It gets lots of good reviews. Higher trim levels get all the latest safety technology. But I believe the adaptive cruise control is just the basic one, not the full-range type that will stop and start the vehicle in stop and go traffic. My Hyundai Sonata has full-range adaptive cruise control, which is absolutely incredible when driving in LA's notorious stop and go traffic. But other than that, the Malibu is a decent car.
Just drove one over 200 miles as a vacation rental (free upgrade). When it shut off the first time I was .... WTF?? Then again... and then, ahh... cool. I'm thinking that a rental fleet car isn't the highest trim level available (or is it?) so the engine management thing may be available in base level cars. Certainly the usual trim level opted for by most buyers.
P.S. I didn't use the cruise control feature during the week I had the Malibu. I rarely do on rentals. To me 'cruise control' is a specific thing. The engine management is another. I never engaged anything to activate the 'stop/start' engine management feature. It was always operational without the cruise control being engaged.
GM is big on stop-start and that's why they are correspondingly low on my credibility list. The Malibu and Impala are otherwise nice cars, by today's standards, but both have stop-start standard and included with certain engines. I think last time I checked, Impalas with the V-6 did not have it.
Anyway, it's the dumbest standard feature in American automotive history to date. An annoyance today and a maintenance/reliability nightmare tomorrow.
Ironically, it is the government that has forced nonsense like this upon a largely unknowing and unsuspecting public. When it should be the government protecting it's constituents from it.
I think last time I checked, Impalas with the V-6 did not have it.
Fortunately most Impalas are V6's.
Quote:
Anyway, it's the dumbest standard feature in American automotive history to date. An annoyance today and a maintenance/reliability nightmare tomorrow.
Ironically, it is the government that has forced nonsense like this upon a largely unknowing and unsuspecting public. When it should be the government protecting it's constituents from it.
I see that you edited your initial incorrect statement. Impala's standard 2.5L 4s have it.
Didn't say it was just American cars. In fact, this disease of a "feature" began in Europe, from what I've read. My comment simply reflected my greater familiarity with American car history. For all I know, they may well have had something dumber at some point overseas.
God help me, I will regret asking this... in fascinated horror I can't stop myself... my fingers are typing ... "why is this feature... 'dumb', Vic? Do you not see the thinking behind it? I mean... I had no idea that such a thing was practical or possible, but the nanosecond... the nanosecond I saw it in operation I got it. So did my wife. So did my Mother in Law in the car with us. She is 83! She got it. Right away. Like... no, it won't save the world. But... it is something. There are more cars in just one state in the U.S. than in the entire Continent of Europe and THEY are trying. 20 Million barrels of oil a DAY used in the U.S. and half of it wasted by cars IDLING on American highways in stop and go traffic and you think a feature that kills the engine when you haven't moved for several seconds and relights it before your foot has even fully come up off the brake is DUMB? OMG. It could get ugly up in here...
My son and his wife rented one for a week and pt on close to 3K miles. Not sure of the trim level but it did have leather seats. They were impressed with it.
Just to point out something. When I talk about adaptive cruise control with stop and start, it's totally different from engine stop and start at traffic lights. Adaptive cruise control with stop/start functionality, or full range cruise control, as it's sometimes called just means the car will brake itself to a complete stop when the car in front stops and it will start to move forward on its own when the car in front starts to move. This means you don't have to touch the brake or gas pedal in stop and go traffic. The Malibu does not have this type of adaptive cruise control. I do have it on my Hyundai Sonata.
These stop-start systems are very common in Europe because it increases gas mileage and reduces pollution. I think the jury is still out on whether it causes your starter or battery to wear out faster. I personally don't like this feature because I have previously owned older cars where the engine conking out was always a concern in the back of my mind so having the engine turn off would cause me to worry that it wouldn't restart.
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