2014 Chevy Malibu eAssist Hybrid Canceled; Regular Version Equals It In MPG

I duno .... what IS the difference between utter failure & not quite an utter failure ...
back of the napkin - the mpg difference is what .... about 5% ? The statistics folks tend to say that if the difference (between 2 numbers) is that small - then statistically, it's pretty much the same. So ... you pay more for e-assist for almost the same mpg. Ok - I'll give you that ... it's not quite an utter failure. Hey! I know how GM could of made this into a win ... maybe a new marketing campaign:
"The Malibu hybrid; Not Quite an Uttter Failure"


Then again, as of late - GM has been trying to escape their own skeletons - so maybe not.

 

eAssist did provide an improvement. The new ICE with auto start/stop just provides the same level of improvement. Would we call the gen1 and 2 Prii failures because they did not match the gen3 in mpg?

For BAS and eAssist to have an impact on the nation's fleet fuel consumption, they needed to be standard on more models. Old GM didn't want to do this. If New GM had a change of mind, they didn't have the resources to do so considering the eAssist would have had have been sold at a lost at first.

The question is how these systems do over time. Oversea members have reported that the systems soon stop working as often as when new, and batteries need to be replaced sooner. Ford and Kai started offering such systems last year. So we should be getting some data soon.

As to the trunk issue. As long as there are fold down seats, you have trunk access. Our 2001 Sable, with electric release, and a friend's 2000 BMW also have a manual release in the trunk. You know, in case a kidnapper throws you in there, or you are a vampire.

 

Yes I can crawl through my car and take of a panel in the hatch to get the hatch open, I'm sure you could drop the seats in the chevy and pull the emergency truck release to open it to. The other person said it's stupid to only be able to open the trunk with battery power. The prius is the same.

And turning around a forward facing headrest is not safe to do. They are pointed forward for safety/ to prevent whiplash and other damage to the head and neck. You disagree, maybe you should let, Toyota, GM, Ford, and every other auto maker know that they don't know how to make a safe headrest and explain to them it makes no difference how the headrest is shaped or put in.

 

I know, I've heard this explanation before. Glad to hear it works for you. But because of the shape of my head, I find the one-size-fits-all forward-leaning head rest very uncomfortable to the point where stresses my neck and upper back, and this distracts my attention from where it should be--the road.

 

Not to be nit-picky, but is it adjusted right? Just glancing in cars at a parking lot, it doesn't to me that many people bother to adjust it.
That said, glancing through foreign manuals for my car has shown that the head rest can be tilted some in those markets. Not just up and down range of motion. So are we getting less adjustable head rests because the manufacturer is cheap, or is it due to regulations or fear of legal action?
Aside, I'd rather wish the Sonic got the low profile headrests for the rear like the Aveo in the UK does. I don't think I'm the only one tired of rear headrests blocking the view.