Fortune Magazine senior editor-at-large Alex Taylor III generated publicity this month when he called the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco "the most disliked car of the year (so far)".

Taylor praises the idea of a hybrid mid-size sedan from GM, pointing out, "Technological innovation and improved fuel economy are at the top of every automaker's to-do list, and even competitors would like to see GM return to its former standing in the industry."

But then Taylor points out - without relish, it should be said - the negative reviews of the Malibu Eco by The Truth About Cars, Car and Driver, Autoblog, and The New York Times.

The car's reviewers point to cramped interiors, lumbering handling, so-so gas mileage for a hybrid (25mpg city/37 highway), and a price tag that buys less than other comparably priced cars have to offer.

Taylor seems to rely especially heavily on the Times's reviewer Ezra Dyer to put into words what he thinks makes the Malibu Eco so frustrating: "In the end, Dyer concluded that GM has committed a familiar mistake: trying to find one solution to two different problems. It brings back memories of the merger of minivan convenience with sport utility appeal that resulted in -- dare I say it -- the Pontiac Aztek. In trying to combine the benefits of a full hybrid and a conventional gasoline-powered engine, the automaker came up with neither. The car lacks the fuel economy of the former and the efficiency and value of the latter."

Taylor mentions a hope that the ordinary Malibu, with few expectations to disappoint, will be better liked.

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