Good grief, I need to spell check
Any way I think with the weight to power ratio being better than a late model ( ) MGB and almost a "rental car like" Malibu we should be fine. Also have to trust that there are "car people" involved that will not let this be a "miserable little thing". Also Powertrain is designed for the application, no compromize.
0 to 60 in 9.6 sec. is faster than my '14 Civic. Add to that
an adj. ECU allowing for an increase from 55 HP to 60HP+
& a std. speed rating of 104mph, faster if tweaked.
If the 84mpg isn't that important to you, tweak her up, & off you go!