The Car Exam Quick Quiz # 19: The 2010 Chevrolet Malibu (2LT) Four Cylinder

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Good Grades: Solid acceleration from the 2.4 Liter, 169 hp four-cylinder engine, comfortable ride, acceptable brakes.

Bad Grades: Poor rear-end styling, smallish trunk with narrow opening—which is inexcusable in this class of vehicle, various interior materials don’t seem to mix well, odd-rear door opening and low roof leads to difficult entry/exit to the rear seats (and a feeling of claustrophobia) and the rear seats also feel uncomfortable.

Final Grade: I was disappointed with the Malibu—I thought I would like it more than I did—but I didn’t. It doesn’t stack up as well to some of its direct competitors I’ve driven. I’ve seen photos of a 2012 Malibu prototype, and Chevrolet seems to have at least addressed the issues with rear end of the car. If you just have to have a Malibu, I would wait at least until 2011—when the new 2012 models should arrive.

The Car Exam Grade: C

Base MSRP: $22,545

The Car Exam Quick Quiz #18: The 2010 Chevrolet Traverse LS FWD

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Good Grades: Nice Exterior Styling, comfortable front seats, decent front and rear visibility, good instrumentation on the dash, lots of cargo room, sliding second row seats, fuel economy okay for a large, heavy crossover (17 mpg city, 24 mpg highway), the steering feel is a bit over-boosted but acceptable.


Bad grades: The six-speed automatic transmission seems to hunt at times, body roll, this is a very heavy crossover—its base curb weight is 5066 pounds—Yikes!—and the brakes work hard to stop it. The 281 horsepower, 3.6 liter V6 pulls adequately, but feels taxed pulling 2 ½ tons-plus around. Interior plastics on the dash are satisfactory, but could be better on the doors. I didn’t like the cloth materials on the seat—a bit on the rough side. While the second row seats do slide forward, access to the third-row rear seats still feels awkward. Also, the third-row rear seats are too tight and uncomfortable for adults.


Final Grade: This crossover has its shortcomings, but it still comes off as a likable vehicle. Put it on a diet, give it some more horsepower, get rid of the hapless third-row seats, and give it some better interior materials (the seats, especially), and it will be much improved.

The Car Exam Grade: B/B-


Base MSRP: $29,999 (with $775 Destination Charges included)

The Car Exam Quick Quiz # 17: The 2010 Chevrolet Equinox (1LT)

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Good Grades: Attractive styling, good low end acceleration from the 2.4 liter, 182 hp four-cylinder engine, good braking, solid ergonomics, comfortable seats (and roomy rear seats), reasonable cargo space, and good fuel economy for a small CUV (22 mpg city, 32 mpg highway).

Bad Grades: Strange seat materials, numb steering feel, odd dash textures.

Final Grade: The Equinox is one of the better looking small CUV’s on the market today.
Plus, you can buy it in four-cylinder or six-cylinder form. GM has produced a worthy vehicle that should be competitive in its market segment—if its reliability is solid.

The Car Exam Grade: B+

Base MSRP: $23,360 (including destination charge)