AutoWeek reports that General Motors is adding a four-cylinder engine as an option to its top Chevy Malibu model and is advertising the combination's fuel economy: "The Malibu LTZ now can be equipped with a 2.4-liter Ecotec rated at 169 hp, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission; GM says this powertrain combination gets 22 mpg in city driving and 32 on the highway." Those numbers approach the 24/32 that the hybrid model achieves.

This is something I'd like to see more of. For the longest time, if you wanted to get the loaded version of a car with all the interior tech gadgets, you'd also have to take the top engine choice. That made sense 10 or 15 years ago, when a four-cylinder sedan would have 120 hp and a V6 would have, say, 160 hp. Today, four-cylinder mid-size cars like the Nissan Altima and Honda Accord offer from 175 to 190 hp, which is plenty for a 0-60 in the high-7-second to mid-8-second range (depending on transmission) along with better fuel economy. They're also lighter than the six-cylinder versions and less nose-heavy, which makes for more entertaining handling.