Seeing is believing. I had read stories from owners of LX9-powered Malibus from 2004-06, who claimed better than 35 mpg highway.
I was skeptical---then came last weekend, when the boss and I took a long road trip in her '04 Malibu LS. It was roughly 800 miles overall, in three legs: 300 miles all highway going out and coming home, with 200 miles of mixed driving around our destination area in between.
I pumped up the tires by 2-3 psi, set the cruise control at 60-62 and shoved off. When we filled up after the first leg I was pleasantly shocked to see 36 mpg. The middle leg of mixed driving was about 31 mpg....and just to prove the first leg was no fluke, the third leg coming home was also 36 mpg. Total average mpg for the trip was 34.9. Would have made 35 had we not got stopped for an hour coming home behind a bad accident.
Think I like this engine. Fairly smooth, fairly powerful, great mpg....
I was skeptical---then came last weekend, when the boss and I took a long road trip in her '04 Malibu LS. It was roughly 800 miles overall, in three legs: 300 miles all highway going out and coming home, with 200 miles of mixed driving around our destination area in between.
I pumped up the tires by 2-3 psi, set the cruise control at 60-62 and shoved off. When we filled up after the first leg I was pleasantly shocked to see 36 mpg. The middle leg of mixed driving was about 31 mpg....and just to prove the first leg was no fluke, the third leg coming home was also 36 mpg. Total average mpg for the trip was 34.9. Would have made 35 had we not got stopped for an hour coming home behind a bad accident.
Think I like this engine. Fairly smooth, fairly powerful, great mpg....