Used 2012 Chevrolet Malibu Sedan Consumer Reviews
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Chevrolet should be ashamed of these cars
shadizar, 08/23/2015
updated 02/24/2017
2012 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ 4dr Sedan w/1LZ (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
15 of 21 people found this review helpful
The 2012 Malibu with the 2.4 engine is severely underpowered. It goes fairly well on a flat highway, until you need to pass or accelerate, and then the engine roars and the car doesn't go much faster. With four people inside and a trunk of suitcases, it is absolutely pathetic trying to climb a hill. The engine just will not pull the car up the hill! You will have better luck using the manual downshift because the transmission is never in the right gear and it has to be floored to downshift. Chevrolet should be ashamed of this cars "performance," or lack thereof. It's embarrassing when trying to climb a hill. I know these aren't performance cars but my 97 cavalier would zip right by this thing on any kind of incline. Dealership service team checked it over and reported engine was working properly and there were no repairs they could do to make it any better. Bad points: No power. Fuel economy is about 28 mpg at best. Brakes needed replacement at 30k. Wheel bearing failed at 30k. Tires worn down to nothing at 38k. Many recalls. Paint scratches very easily. Stereo sounds good but doesn't go very loud. Trunk opening small. Good points: Fairly quiet ride. Comfortable front seats. Warms up quick in winter. Goes well in snow. This car would be ok for a single driver with no passengers (as the more weight in the car the slower it goes... seriously its that underpowered.) And only then if most driving was on a flat road with few hills and small ones at that. I would not purchase it again. Very pricey and poor performance. My 2012 Cruze is twice the car this Malibu is! Update: 2/24/17 The fuel economy on the Malibu has dropped to 24 MPG. The car has 56,000 well cared for miles, all service performed by dealer. It's nearly paid off and as soon as it is im getting rid of it. Very disappointed in this car. 24 MPG!?! Mostly highway driving as well.
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Will Be Going Back To Hondas
KW, 02/15/2017
updated 08/22/2017
2012 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ 4dr Sedan w/1LZ (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
11 of 15 people found this review helpful
I bought this car used with 13k mileage on it in 2013 when it was less than a year old. Up until this car I have purchased predominantly Honda's. I have not bought an American car since a Saturn in 1993 which died at 80,000 miles. After owning this car for almost 5 years now, I can say that I will not be buying Chevy again. At least not a Malibu. This car came with a dual Standard/Automatic transmission. I did not want or look for this feature, it just came with it. I rarely used the standard option, but I noticed that a result of having it was that the transmission, no matter what mode it was in, would hesitate for a second or 2 when you first give it gas from a dead stop. This is NOT good. When you are in a situation where you need to get out of someone's way immediately, you cannot be waiting a full second or more for the the gas to kick in. The second biggest problem I had with this car is that due (I think) to the low profile tires, it didn't matter what tires I had for this car, the tires do not track well at all. They follow every line or detail in the road whether you want it to or not, making it almost impossible for the vehicle to drive straight on its own, unless you are driving on a brand new road that was just fully repaved recently. The vehicle came with Goodyear Eagle tires which were complete garbage. They slid in wet, snowy and even dry conditions. I replaced them immediately with good Continentals and while that helped the traction problem slightly (now it only slides in rain and snow; dry pavement is usually OK), the tires still track poorly and the car still does not drive in a straight line on its own. As far as the styling and look of the car, it is very nice. Very impressive for a Chevy in my opinion. But that's about all I can say for it: it looks nice. One last thing I just thought of: I am 5' 9" and I repeatedly bumped my head on the top of the door frame getting into the car. The car is very low to the ground. Visibility is not the best either, even when looking over your shoulder. I was disappointed with the mileage too. It was advertised as 36 highway, 26 city. I drive primarily on the interstate to work and it only gets 24.
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SaigonPaulie75
saigonpaul75, 07/09/2013
2012 Chevrolet Malibu LT 4dr Sedan w/2LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
9 of 13 people found this review helpful
I introduced to my wife 2011 Malibu(Summit white) LT1 model when it was new and she bought it and loves it..So this may 2013 I went and bought my 2012(former lease) with 14000 miles for a great price(same color) but it's LT2 model and loaded with heated seats. We laugh about it. It's like driving an expensive car that we only paid $17000 each. Oh yeah! There are cars that cost $50k+ and it's all about name brand and status symbol. We can't afford those and so in our own way, this is our Mercedes or Audi lol..But less fortunate people than us only wish they could own this Malibu. So we are very happy and proud to own 2 cars with the same color and park in our driveway at our cozy home lol..
Nicest car I've ever hated
rom225, 06/21/2014
2012 Chevrolet Malibu LT 4dr Sedan w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
19 of 31 people found this review helpful
I bought my 2012 Malibu LT1 4cyl new to replace my 1998 Malibu base 6cyl. I have a 66 mile one-way trip into work which includes 50 miles of open interstate driving with the last bit a drive through town on a divided 4-lane stop-and-stop traffic hwy. I went with the 4cyl because it was 19K and the 6cyl started at 30k. Convincing myself that the 34mpg would make me feel better. 6cyl I avg 26mpg, the 4cyl I avg 28mpg. second year at 60K miles the map sensor failed and needed to be replaced, not a warranted part.
Great Ride!
Matt, 04/30/2019
updated 10/26/2021
2012 Chevrolet Malibu LS 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
This is known to be a reliable ride that doesn't have severe maintenance issues. I've had mine for just over 4 months and so far so good. I have few issues with it. However, as someone who is over 6' I have issue with the overhead room. I find my head brushes the roof at times and I have to duck it down to avoid hitting the side of the car. The steering wheel also rides a little close to my knees. These are minor comfort issues in the grand scheme of the car. The turn signal makes an annoying sound, but otherwise it's a quiet ride. The acceleration is natural and it brakes quickly and smoothly. I'm very satisfied with my driving experience whether short or long distance. One issue I had was replacing the headlight. It's not easy and can be costly to have a mechanic do the job. I was not happy about this and I'm thankful this has been my lone, major complaint with this car.
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