2.4 or 3.6 in new Malibu?

It's winter our here, and close to year end. Likely a good time to replace my 99 Malibu. What are your thoughts of the 2.4 flex fuel engine compared with a 3.6L? Would the car still have a good time in the mountains? Is towing capacity substantially reduced. Seems I have to go to one of the top models to get the 3.6. It sure would be nice to be able to get that 3.6L in the base model. I'd appreciate insight, thanks.

Personally, I've decided to wait until I see the upcoming all-new 2012 Malibu before I consider replacing my '04 Maxx. It should be appearing at a major auto show (Detroit, Chicago or NY) in the first half of '11 and goes on sale next fall. The problem with the current-gen Malibu, IMO, aside from a severely limited trunk opening, is that the 2.4 is underpowered for this car, because it weighs substantially more than the competition, and the 3.6 is a gas pig (and with gas here in NC already past $3, again, yikes). No good choices. I'd bet the '12 Malibu only offers 4-cylinder choices, following Hyundai's lead. Not necessarily just the 2.4 though and I have no clue what the uplevel engine choice might be.

I'd nurse the '99 along until spring.

I personally am seriously considering the '11 Sonata, and, gasp, the '11 Camry. You can get a new Camry for a STEAL now. And not a worry about the stupid acceleration problems that I personally think are driver error, blown WAY out of proportion.

I recently bought two new Malibus, a 2010 LS with the 2.4 and the 4 speed auto in August, and a 2011 LS with the 2.4 and the 6 speed auto in November. The 2.4 is a really good engine with plenty of power for everyday driving, but not enough for towing in my opinion -- especially in the mountains. Also, the 2010 with the 4 speed auto is noticably better than the the 2011 with the 6 speed. The 6 speed has a noticeable lag when passing or suddenly accellerating from a low speed as it "searches" for a proper gear. It's noticable enough to be somewhat annoying. The 2010 4 speed auto does not have this problem. I was disappointed that the 4 speed auto is no longer available in 2011 models. The 6 speed is better however at sustained highway speeds, as the 4 speed feels like it could use just one more gear when cruising at 65 mph. I guess that's why the 2011 gets better highway mileage. That said, they are really nice cars with a smooth quiet ride and a very solid feel -- and Chevy is practically giving them away. I used the AAA buying service (WELL worth the $60 bucks or so I paid to join) and I could not believe the price quotes I received for these cars. There is simply no way you could negotiate a better price because it totally cuts out the salesman. I just went in and dealt directly with the paperwork person to ink the deals.

Spy shots and some info about the '12 Malibu hit the 'Net this past week (see website GM Inside News); while a GM exec mistakenly (GMI thinks) said the next Mali would be a '13, going on sale in Fall '12, the spy shots indicate what I said about timing in the post above.

Car looks much less stylish (IMO) than the '11. Engine choices WILL be all 4 cylinder - the '11 Regal is its sister car, and should give clues as to engine choices. The Regal has been knocked for too little power; hopefully GM will remedy that on the '12 Mali.

Many diehard GM fans seem unhappy with the planned course of action for the next Malibu. Glad I'm also considering choices from other mfrs.....

I'm also worried about pricing. The new GM is the old GM. Evidence that a maxxed out Cruze clears $27K. You've got to be kidding. Priced like a $4000 cash back deal is expected. And resale value tanks accordingly.