This car is a hot seller.

DETROIT — We may not be at "peak oil" quite yet, but anyone that's been to a gas pump in the past few months could build a strong case to the contrary. Fuel prices have already hit $4 in sunny Southern California; here in Michigan, gas can run north of $3.50 a gallon. And those high prices are affecting every segment of the automotive landscape, from SUVs to luxury cars.

But when it comes to moving five passengers in comfort, you don't necessarily have to jump into a subcompact to get respectable fuel economy. We decided to find out if Chevrolet's four-cylinder Malibu, combined with the new six-speed automatic, has the eco chops to take on much smaller sedans. Chevy has introduced a segment-exclusive combination with this new model. None of the others (Accord, Camry, Fusion) offer the fuel-sipping potential of a four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic. What's equally unusual is that this is not some stripper with 16-in. tires, dog-dish hubcaps and cloth seats, but a top-of-the-line LTZ that comes with almost everything—standard—for $26,545. For comparison, a Malibu LTZ V6 is priced at $27,745—that's $1200 more, and the four-cylinder Hybrid version, rated at 24 mpg city and the same 32 mpg highway, sells for $24,290. The new combination, the folks at GM said, would amount to 22 mpg in city driving and 32 mpg on the highway for the Malibu's EPA mileage test.

We grabbed the keys to an LTZ four-cylinder, six-speed automatic for some real-world riding—and came away with some rather impressive stats. On a 500-mile, one-day trip across historic U.S. 12 from Woodward Avenue here to Gary, Ind., and back, we hit nearly 30 mpg. Driving conditions were everyday fashion, with lights, air conditioning and the sound system on the whole time—no coasting, no shutting off at stoplights, none of those old Mobilgas Economy Run tricks. We passed other cars every chance we got, and ran at speeds above posted limits on the open stretches—no paddle shifters or Manual mode either, so the the transmission figure could figure out the shifting for itself.

With the six-speed automatic's 4.58:1 First gear and only 169 hp to work with, acceleration was decent. The kickdowns from the transmission were very quick and passing power was good. Overall, the car was quiet and well-behaved. With an effective overall gear ratio of only 2.16:1 in overdrive Sixth gear, the engine whispered along at 2100 rpm at up to 75 mph.

The trip computer showed a potential tank range of 471 miles at continuous highway cruising speeds. Our instantaneous mileage figures rose as high as 34 mpg on flat, straight highways. When we finally had to fill up the tank after the warning light came on, we did the math and came up with 29.89 miles per gallon. And when the gas station signs read between $3.55 and $3.75 per gallon along our route to and from Gary, that was very good news.

Remember, our Malibu was a fully loaded 3700-pound, five-passenger sedan with OnStar, satellite radio, all the normal power accessories, heated seats, tilt-and-telescope steering wheel, leather seating and remote starting. And it returned nearly 30 mpg on a bran






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Pretty sweet. I drove one at work, a very nice car. I keep thinking about a sedan, but I need the utility of a truck.

I am considering it as the next car for my wife.

I would too. The only concern I have is quality after 3-4 yrs. Every malibu i have seen looks cheap and poorly assembled after that period, whether it has 30k or 100k on the clock.

The malibu is nice but you can't go wrong with a honda, nissan, or toyota.