'05 Envoy and '04 Malibu thoughts and insight

[DuSpinnst]

Well, I'd figure I'd try this out. Recently I have been driving my fathers Envoy in the evenings to School to cut down the mileage on my car and I'd thought I share a few thoughts about it. But I was thinking I really don't have enough so I'll talk about my Malibu as well. So without further adieu here are my two mini write-ups.


2005 GMC Envoy SLT “4SB” is overall a nice car but has a few glaring problems. I've had the pleasure of driving it in the snow now, in addition to previously driving it in the rain and under normal conditions.

My biggest complaint is the engine; the Vortec 4.2L I6 doesn’t have the get-up and go that I would like it to have. When I am at a light and I really stop it the car moves, but my MPG also drops like a rock. It just seems that this SUV is too big for this engine. The car seems to lurch along the road. The SUV ride quality is fine with no jumping or jarring. I have found the Auto 4WD mode to be a bit particular about what qualifies as it switching over from 2WD to 4WD. For example today turning out of the subdivision, it took a little bit of a delay for the car to realize the back tires where spinning on ice/slush. In this SUV the 4-speed is also not cutting it, I just do not like the way it shifts. For example when I take off from a light unless I baby the gas the car jumps up to over 5000 RPM before shifting down and by no means am I flooring it. I would expect a shift in the 3500-4000 range unless flooring it. The average mileage in this car when I drive it is about 14 MPG

Driver Train Score 6/10

My father has a well equipped model interior wise, with practically all the gizmos. The inside of the Envoy surprised me as it is very luxurious for an SUV. The dash while covered with plastic “wood” looks nice and doesn’t feel cheap, automatic climate control system and 6-disc CD changer with XM radio, as well as three 12-volt DC power adapters round out the center stack. The shifter is comfortable to use and I love the fact it’s not on the column. The power and heated leather seats are comfortable and the memory function for the driver is a neat option (no more messing with the seats). If I had to complain about anything in the front area of the interior it would be the steering wheel. I just don’t like the way all the Driver Information Center buttons are spread around the wheels lower “spokes”. I do however like the audio and radio controls on each of the “main” spokes. The cluster with its chrome accented gauges is also a nice touch. The exterior of the car is also quite eye catching, with interesting features like washers for the headlamps, and curb tilt down adjusting mirrors.

Interior/Exterior Score 9.5/10

One of the main reasons we leased this SUV was to help us with our move last year. During our previous move we had leased a 1998 Chevy S-10 with the sport flair sides. I was quite surprised at the lack of interior cargo room for things like bookshelves and small cabinets. The tailgates slope in the back sometimes prevented items from fitting inside the SUV. My biggest complaint about cargo is how the rear seats fold down. You CANNOT remove the head rests, the instead fold up and remove about 6 inches of cargo space from the floor area. This caused a lot of headaches when I tried to move furniture. Also the back seat when folded down sloped upward, making it hard to stack things front to back like boxes, because the boxes in the front of the cargo area are on an angle sloping backward. The useful functionality difference between the cargo area of this car and my Malibu where much smaller than I thought that disappointed me. Overall I think that the Envoy uses its space poorly for caring cargo

Cargo Score 4/10

The luxurious interior with all of its amenities cannot make up for the lack of more power in the drive train and the horrid use of cargo volume. While the Envoy is nice to sit in and to look at, it’s a bear to drive. I wouldn’t recommend it to friends, at least not one with these options, the price you pay is not worth the SUV you get in return

Overall Score 6/10

2004 Chevrolet Malibu LS “1SB” is the first year of the latest Malibu redesign, it’s a nice upgrade over previous Malibu’s but there are shortcomings.

The Malibu comes with the 3500 (without VVT) V6 mated to a 4-speed transmission. The engine surprisingly beats the EPA MPG sticker, even when driven hard. But the drive train is not perfect; the 3500 makes an interesting whining noise at about 4500 RPM. While the 4 speed transmission usually keeps you fewer than 4000 RPM, if you stomp on the gas at a light you will hear the wine before you hit second gear. The car does not suffer from a lack of power, passing and accelerating take little to no effort and the car responds when you push on the gas.

Drive Train Score 9/10

The interior of the Malibu is cold and bland. The materials are not cheap looking but they don’t look luxurious either. The “aluminum bar” that runs across the middle of the dash is a nice touch. The seats are a little hard, and the cloth is a little rough. The center console has a bad habit of feeling kinda squishy in the summer when the sun has been beating on it all day. The interior amenities are acceptable with a manual climate control and a standard CD player. The Driver Information Center, which is part of the radio in the Malibu, is laid out well. The Malibu has one very interesting interior feature that I enjoy and would like to see on all cars, a 12-volt DC power adapter in the center console, with small slits on the top of the console so you can dangle cords out (great way to hide chargers). The backseat is uneventful, lacking a center arm rest; the seats also feel hard and are somewhat uncomfortable. The exterior of the Malibu is bland, and uneventful. My friends regularly call it a grandma car.

Interior/Exterior Score 6/10

Surprisingly the Malibu has lots of cargo space. Not as much as the Envoy above, but much more than you would expect from a sedan. The Passenger seat folds down, as well as the entire rear seat (in a 60/40 fashion) making it easy to get long boards in the car and even lots of boxes. The trunk is large and roomy, and it is easily accessible. I have used this car to pick up unassembled office furniture something I never thought I could do in a sedan. The design is not perfect as the middle seat belt does get in the way when the seats are folded down, but for a sedan, the Malibu has amazing cargo room.

Cargo Score 8/10

With a bland exterior and interior the Malibu proves that you don’t need style to be functional. The Malibu is fun to drive, useful for moving things, and it gets good gas mileage, and it even has some nifty features like the center console 12-volt DC power plug. I’d have no problem recommending the Malibu, provided that person doesn’t care too much about style.

Overall Score 8/10

[Mr. Burns]

With a bland exterior and interior the Malibu proves that you don’t need style to be functional.


didnt the camry prove that along time ago?
dont you guys all bash the camry for doing that?
aint i being a troll right now?

[AdmiralViscen]

Either provide a quote and citation of DuSpinnst specifically criticizing the Camry in a hypocritical way, or shut your trap.

By the way, he says the Malibu is peppy and fun to drive. You don't hear that about the Camry. He's also getting better than the EPA's rated mileage, and the Malibu has better EPA mileage than the Camry does.

[Arizona Slim]

That's good to know about the rear seats not folding flat. I'm planning on checking out an Envoy this weekend now that I got the GM Card "topoff". Seat folding is a big issue to me in an SUV, so it seems unlikely now that the Envoy will beat out the Explorer and Pathfinder, even at the reduced price.

[goblue]

I drove an Envoy for 10 days with that engine (4200) and loved it. Its not underpowered in the slightest for what it is. Now if you want to be pushed into the seat like a Vette, wrong engine (and vehicle for that matter) Also, the engine is smooth and composed, no resonances, great NVH.

Midsize SUVs have never been great on cargo. Thats one area where minivans excel. You pay a penalty for high ground clearance, sloping back ends, and sometimes even spare tires (GC).

Malibu needs the VVT based 3500 - can't say enough positives about that engine. GM finally figured out how to get rid of resonances. Couple that to a 6 speed auto, and suddenly 35 highway isn't out of the question.

[Arizona Slim]

Originally Posted by goblue

Midsize SUVs have never been great on cargo. Thats one area where minivans excel. You pay a penalty for high ground clearance, sloping back ends, and sometimes even spare tires (GC).

The new Explorer and Pathfinder have 2nd and 3rd rows that fold completely flat and give pretty good cargo hauling options. The Pathfinder even has a fold flat passenger seat. Granted, when the Envoy came out this was not a common feature, but now that its available on other mid-size BOF SUVs it makes the TB/Envoy a tougher sell.

[goblue]

Originally Posted by Arizona Slim

The new Explorer and Pathfinder have 2nd and 3rd rows that fold completely flat and give pretty good cargo hauling options. The Pathfinder even has a fold flat passenger seat. Granted, when the Envoy came out this was not a common feature, but now that its available on other mid-size BOF SUVs it makes the TB/Envoy a tougher sell.

Its the height thats the issue. Big, bulky items just don't fit. I helped a friend move in a widescreen direct view (tube) TV, 34 inches Sony, we had to take it out of the box to fit it in an Explorer, an 06 Explorer. He wasn't happy. The box was too tall.

[Arizona Slim]

True, the floor gets pushed up on BOF trucks. I'm surprised a 34" TV wouldn't fit, it doesn't seem like it would be that big, even in the box. I bet the Pathfinder is even worse, it seems like the roof is lower.

[Envoy Fan]

If you need more power in the '05 or newer Envoy, get the 5.3L engine. Also, performance depends on which rear axle ratio the truck has.

[DuSpinnst]

Originally Posted by goblue

I drove an Envoy for 10 days with that engine (4200) and loved it. Its not underpowered in the slightest for what it is. Now if you want to be pushed into the seat like a Vette, wrong engine (and vehicle for that matter) Also, the engine is smooth and composed, no resonances, great NVH.

I agree, the NVH is great on the Envoy. I just don't like the way the 4200 responds. It never seems to want to "go" when I step on the gas. I've driven my friends Silverado with the 5300 and that thing has some pick up when you stomp the gas.

[Mr. Burns]

Originally Posted by AdmiralViscen

Either provide a quote and citation of DuSpinnst specifically criticizing the Camry in a hypocritical way, or shut your trap.

By the way, he says the Malibu is peppy and fun to drive. You don't hear that about the Camry. He's also getting better than the EPA's rated mileage, and the Malibu has better EPA mileage than the Camry does.

i dont mean duspinnst specifically, i meant people on this board generally.

[AdmiralViscen]

Then don't bring it up in his review topic.

[Vintalage]

It just seems that this SUV is too big for this engine.

Didn't I say this about the Envoy last year and someone (either you or nsap) were quick to argue with me? I knew exactly what I was talking about. It became quite evident when I drove a Rainier with the V8. It was a night and day difference. My cousin has a 2004 Envoy XL and before you throw out the extra length card, i've driven a 2005 Envoy (short wheelbase model) loaded and it was just as slow to get moving. Now that the Envoy is offered in Denali trim with a V8, that should take care of the power issue.

[DuSpinnst]

Originally Posted by Vintalage

Didn't I say this about the Envoy last year and someone (either you or nsap) were quick to argue with me? I knew exactly what I was talking about. It became quite evident when I drove a Rainier with the V8. It was a night and day difference. My cousin has a 2004 Envoy XL and before you throw out the extra length card, i've driven a 2005 Envoy (short wheelbase model) loaded and it was just as slow to get moving. Now that the Envoy is offered in Denali trim with a V8, that should take care of the power issue.

I've never defended the Envoy, as I've never really liked the car (except for the interior goodness). So it probably wasn't me.

[Vintalage]

Originally Posted by DuSpinnst

I've never defended the Envoy, as I've never really liked the car (except for the interior goodness). So it probably wasn't me.

My apologies then.