I received a 2010 Malibu 1LT today as a rental while my car is having some warranty work done. Its actually an enterprise car, but since alamo, national and enterprise are the same company i thought I'd include my thoughts about the car.

I have always wanted to try a malibu since it got many good reviews when the current bodystyle was first introduced. My rental is a 4cyl with the auto 6-spd and steering wheel shift buttons. The car has just about 30k miles so it should be nearing retirement from rental use. The was very disappointed with the 4cyl in this car. I was pulling into traffic and i had to hold the pedal to the floor to avoid being rear-ended. Maybe the gap was smaller than i thought, but i feel the malibu just can't get up and go. Having driven a sonata and fusion within the last 6 months, those are much better cars. The interior is very bland, black and cheap looking. Maybe if the interior was grey or tan it would look better, but it looks terrible and cheap. I'm also not crazy about the blue-green gauge lights. The drivers seat is firm and has an power up/down feature. I'm 6' and needed the seat almost all the way down and i felt like i was sitting in a bathtub. The shoulder belt did not adjust high enough for my liking and the steering wheel felt to low, even in its highest position. I do like the large volume knob and tuner knob for the radio and the a/c is simple and easy to use. Vision to the rear is poor and I don't know what you can fit through the trunk opening. Its a decent sized trunk, but if i had this on a family vacation, there may be a problem trying to fit a suitcase. After being car of the year in 2008 or something, i had much higher expectations for the car. Now i can just walk past it.

I am a GM fan and loyal customer, but cars like the malibu would want my to look elsewhere when its time to update my garage.