37mpg MalibuEco

theaveng · 12-11-2012, 04:05 PM

While Honda is screwing around, other manufacturers are surpassing them in the midsize car category. Toyota has the Camary that gets close to 40mpg, Ford has a midsize hybrid, and now Chevy has the MalibuEco with 37mpg. No hybridization; just economic lightweight design plus a small engine. Wow.

They also have the 44mpg CruzeEco and the Volt EV with extended range. The almost-bankrupt company is doing some impressive stuff lately.

Honda? Not so much. They should stick the insight's 3 cylinder engine into the CRZ and impress everybody with a 60+ mpg car.

samwichse · 12-11-2012, 04:28 PM

Riiiiight... 37mpg is HIGHWAY. Not what you'll actually get. Also: called the Malibu eAssist.

It's really rated at combined 29mpg (people around here usually break that number, but "real world" idiot drivers get worse). The average of the recorded vehicles is only 23.6mpg.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find....e Side-by-Side

For comparison, the 2012 Accord is rated at 23/34, 27 mpg combined, and the real world averages put it at 26 mpg.

That's a complete non-hybrid vs a stop-start hybrid... I'd say Honda's doing just fine.

**MN Driver** · 12-11-2012, 04:36 PM

I really doubt that the CRZ could possibly get 60mpg with the 3 cylinder engine inside.

Weight is 900 pounds heavier than the Insight and the cD is 0.30 and a 6% larger frontal area. Lean-burn wouldn't happen at highway speeds and acceleration would be a real drag. 50mpg, maybe but 5th gear driving with the Insight gearing would feel limited like you were in lean-burn when you weren't. With a CVT that engine would be running high revs much of the time. The CRZ is an anchor compared to the Insight.

samwichse · 12-11-2012, 04:36 PM

Also: I don't know where you get 44mpg for the cruze eco, but it is HIGHWAY rated at 42mpg, and that's only with the manual... the auto is only rated at 39 mpg highway.

So the manual transmission Cruze Eco is combined 33mpg (not yet real world rated) vs the 32mpg Civic automatic. Make the Cruze Eco an auto and it drops to 31mpg, not even as good as a standard, non-eco auto Civic.

Sam

element6 · 12-11-2012, 10:37 PM

I'm also going to assume you didn't go to the LA car show or read up on what Honda exhibited. Might want to check that out. They have been hard at work on a lot of great things.

**freezin4** · 12-12-2012, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theaveng

While Honda is screwing around, other manufacturers are surpassing them in the midsize car category.

Would you really take a Malibu over an Accord?

Cobb · 12-12-2012, 11:32 AM

Ill give it to the Camry. I rented a 2010 model and doggged it like a rental car. I still managed 30+ mpg. It didnt have traction control and ended up sideways a few times.

We use to tell people in the gen2 forum is price was a factor to look at the KIA crap as they were boastering 40+mpg. Turns out that wasnt the real world case.

theaveng · 12-12-2012, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samwichse

Riiiiight... 37mpg is HIGHWAY. Not what you'll actually get.

You sound like the Insight and Civic Hybrid naysayers. "It says 61mpg highway, but nobody ever gets that." Congratulations.

Except we insight drivers do get that rating, and so too do the Chevy cars. I've spoken online to multiple CruzeEco drivers and they are getting 50mpg..... several points higher than the official ratings.

samwichse · 12-12-2012, 01:25 PM

2013 Chevrolet Malibu MPG Reports | Fuelly
2013 Honda Accord MPG Reports | Fuelly

timny1984 · 12-13-2012, 12:26 PM

A 2005 civic hybrid weighs as much as the CRZ? wow. i'll take a 5 seater with lean burn that's able to get 70+mpg over a 2 seater that has to work hard to break 50mpg. let me know if i'm wrong. I'm not sure what type of numbers an insight driver can do in a crz.

Tim