Used 2015 Chevrolet Malibu Sedan Consumer Reviews
Enjoyable car, but not best of the best
I've had the car for a year now. I've never owned a car that had an MSRP of over 25k, so I only have so much to compare it to. Overall I have greatly enjoyed owning this car. For the bad: In that time, I have had it in the dealership for issues three times. The first was the airbag module gave up the ghost (it just popped the warning light, nothing bad occurred). Second time was for an OnStar module recall. Third time was for the hands-free calling not working. Turned out the hands-free calling not working was because they put in the wrong OnStar module during the recall appointment. All of the work of course was done for free as it was under warranty. Each time they arranged a loaner car that was in impeccable condition. Each time the dealership was friendly and polite. For the good: I have found this car to be quite comfortable. It is by no means a luxary sedan, but six hour drives in it didn't overly fatigue me or expose uncomfortable parts of the seats. It handles quite competently under all the weather conditions I've had it in (hot, cold, rain, and wintery mix) and has always made me feel safe. It has plenty of power to get up to highway speed by the end of the on ramps. I was originally skeptical of the electric power steering but have come to enjoy how precise it seems to be. I personally like the stop-start tech, and it does seem to legitimately boost MGP. Of course, it remains to be seen what the extra starts does in terms of engine wear. I like the styling in general, and I like the accent lighting and size of the buttons on the various dash controls (for when wearing gloves). I especially like that it has power seat high adjustment on the base model. Annoyances: in the base model, bluetooth does phone calls but doesn't support music streaming from your phone. This seems to be purely a software roadblock put in place to try to sell the higher trim levels. The times the start-stop does NOT kick in seem to be a bit random sometimes. I know it is based on battery levels and accessories in use and whatnot, but I see no reason why after driving 20+ minutes highway time in mild weather, with minimal accessory and HVAC use, why it would not stop the engine when you pull up to a stoplight at the bottom off your off-ramp, when you are not doing stop-and-go traffic. Also, while the transmission is largely competent, it does not seem as smooth or as intelligent as comparable Mazda models that my friends have.
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Still going strong!
I’ve had this car for 2.5 years now and it’s still pretty amazing. This is truly a quality car made for extensive highway travel as the seats are fairly comfortable and you won’t hear much noise coming from the outside.
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- LT Sedan w/1LTMSRP: $13,59012 mi away
- LS SedanMSRP: $12,99017 mi away
- LS SedanMSRP: $14,59923 mi away
2LTZ Pride
I love this car. There is a lot of technology built into this and I feel comfortable with all the safety features. I have the 19" wheels and all the options offered. The turbo engine pulls hard, even at highway speeds. My wife and I take this LTZ on trips, transported our 65in flat screen perfectly, hauled groceries, kept teenagers happy with the wifi, and yet the neighbors think it looks like a BMW. Love the car, but I've learned the resale is poor.
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2.0 Turbo... oh yeah!
My previous car was an old '01 Chevy Impala V6 that I ran until the electrical failed and it became too expensive to maintain. So, I initially went in leasing the car, not knowing if I would even like it. Well, at the end of my two-year lease, I want to buy. Although the car was titled as a 2LT, the 2.0 Turbo engine actually makes it a 3LT. Strange. The engine is the same you'll find in the 4-cylinder Camaro... only, the Malibu is lighter. So, torque to weight ratio has the Camaro beat... putting this guy in a sort of unsuspecting "sleeper" category. If getting ahead of the pack after the light is your thing, then this certainly will do the trick against most anything with more mass (speaking family car/truck here). IDK how confident I would be purchasing a 2.0 turbo used, however. If you're not putting mid-grade or above in the tank, you'll not only loose out on the 259hp, you'll eventually ruin your engine. Yes, the engine will sense the lower grade and compensate for knock, but after about two years of running economy, the engine will never be able to recover from it. The car looks sharp from the outside, and is even sharper inside. I really like the contours of the trunk (might be funny, but true). That, along with the appearance of front tapered/rear lifted angle adds a good touch of "aggressive sport" to what I'd consider an otherwise family sedan. This one came pretty much fully loaded, so comfort wise it's a joy to drive in the city or for long stretches of highway. 360 degree collision detect is nice... works well to notify me of upcoming obstacles (like people walking behind me or braking cars ahead). Self-dimming rearview mirror is a nice touch. Was sort of put off by it at first... during near-dusk it didn't seem to darken enough in my opinion. Was great at night though. The only real complaint I have is the control interface. Some of the settings didn't actually do anything (such as what the temp controls do if remotely started, etc.). And, additional customization and/or updates would be freaking great! You know, like independent adjustments to touchscreen intensity, ambient lighting, and indicator panel. Or, allowing customized photos to be displayed instead of menu or default "splash screen" when powered off. These are obviously just nit-picky complaints though. Overall I couldn't be happier with the car.
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Great value, Best pick for Big 3 offerings
I have owned this car since new for the last 3 years. There have only been two problems I have run into. The stitching on the driver seat has started to fail in one section but that could be due to my size or sidearm. The other is I found out there was an update to the HVAC system that would keep the blower running after the car was shut off to help dry out the evaporator to help prevent a musty smell during the summer. This car has plenty of power for a 4 cylinder and transmission shifts smoothly. The most important thing you can do to keep this car going is use a premium full synthetic oil and change every 5000 miles. Change you trans fluid @60k and the coolant @100K. GM does not recommend changing these fluids this early and suggest you use the oil life monitor. I keep my cars to 300k-400k miles and GM just wants you to get past 100k. Use a premium tire for best ride as well. I have run Bridgestone Driveguard tires since day 1 and they are great. Low road noise and improved handling. They are not cheap though. At 75000 miles the brakes are still 7-8mm thick. Overall this has been the best new car I have bought in years. Maintain your car properly and it will last.
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