2016 Chevrolet Malibu
This stalwart mid-size sedan most definitely is back in the hunt.
Dec 2015 By TONY QUIROGA
The three-box Chevy sedan arrived with the new-for-1949 Chevrolets, which grew proper trunks that were flattened and pulled out from the old bustle-back Fleetlines and Master Deluxes of the streamliner era. How many of us saw Dad off to work in a Biscayne or a Bel Air, or remember the mall lots clogged with Novas and Caprices? The Chevy sedan was everyman’s car, the car you drove if you cared more about value than flash.
Malibus were once everywhere, even in Malibu, but the Japanese long ago moved the bull’s-eye for high-value *conformity, and Chevrolet has struggled to hit it. Too big, too small, too boring, too unreliable; the mid-size Chevy sedan devolved into a car you would rent but never buy. Well, here is GM’s latest attempt to reverse the Malibu’s typecasting.
As with the new Chrysler 200, the 2016 Malibu attempts to strum the heartstrings with modern, swept styling. Look at its new shoulders and those tendon lines on the body sides. Muscle and sinew emerge as the light plays in interesting ways. The headlights squint menacingly, like a thug, or like a Camaro. Also like a Camaro (and all the new Cadillacs and Buicks), the Malibu’s beltline is hiked way up to make the roof seem low, leaving narrow daggers for side glass. GM never tires of that bunker-top styling, no matter what it costs in visibility.
What it costs in dollars is $22,500 for a base Malibu and $34,285 for this absolutely loaded Premier. Those prices shadow mid-size majors such as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, though Chevy has followed the Hyundai Sonata’s lead in making the Malibu four-cylinder only. This may save some weight and cost, but as with the turbo Mustang, we don’t see any great benefit to owners. While the base 1.5-liter turbo four gives appropriate power and economy, at least on paper, the 250-hp 2.0-liter turbo in our test car delivered only V-6 fuel economy with not-quite-V-6 acceleration.
The Malibu 2.0T’s 60-mph run is fleet enough at 6.1 seconds, but significantly slower than a comparable V-6 Camry or Accord. Meanwhile, the Malibu’s mpg *ratings, 22 city/32 highway, roughly match those of the Honda and Toyota V-6s. Our test average of 20 mpg proves the rule that a small turbo in a big car burns gas fast. Noted: A hybrid Malibu is coming with more Prius-like economy.
The Malibu's interior styling isn't nearly as well resolved as its exterior.
The mid-size segment is as much about dimensions as it is about price or power. Chevy used to bracket the Japanese leaders with two cars—one too small (Malibu) and one too big (Impala). Old Malibu was rightly savaged for its tight back seat as well as its dull styling, so New Malibu stretches its pizazz over a 111.4-inch wheelbase, more than two inches longer than the Accord, the Camry, and the Nissan Altima, all of which have identical 109.3-inch wheelbases. The Malibu is a *little longer overall than the rest, too, though our car’s 3307-pound test weight is a true triumph for the engineers, making the Malibu one of the lighter cars in its class.
The back-seat passengers benefit the most from the extra inches, with ample real estate to sit comfortably. Up front, the dash is a complicated sculpture built up from a multitude of pieces with different textures and colors, including a kind of futuristic faux wood with pinstriping. The cabin isn’t ugly or cheap, but it is busy, with panel part-lines everywhere.
The optional eight-inch center touch screen—standard on the Premier (seven-inchers get fitted to lesser models)—looks like an iPad slid neatly into a docking port, and its large icons and many functions, including Apple CarPlay, will be familiar to anyone who has driven a late-model GM car. No, you still don’t get a multifunction knob to work it with, as you do in a Mazda 6, so your fingers do the walking. Or you can bark commands at it.
In back, the tyranny of plain black plastic takes over, though the fancier versions give rear-seat riders their own USB ports and 12- and 120-volt outlets. Other practical conveniences include trunk releases for the rear folding seats, but thanks to the sexy, hiked-up styling, the Malibu’s bumper is a high hurdle to clear when loading the trunk itself.
The 19-inch rims and aluminum gas pedal of our Premier didn’t fool anybody. Oh, the Malibu steers precisely and brakes earnestly, but it simply doesn’t have the Accord’s or Mazda 6’s tactile feel or liveliness of spirit. The eight-speed automatic shifts without bump or bluster, and the engine makes particularly quiet power up to its 6500-rpm redline, adding to the *Malibu’s overall sense of solidity. The Premier model only comes on 19s, which make an otherwise disciplined suspension clomp over the rough stuff. A smoother ride is surely available on lesser models with their 16-, 17-, or 18-inch wheels.
If not an overtly sporty sedan, this *spacious Malibu feels like a quality car, not at all like its many banged-together and shoved-out predecessors. That alone may propel a few through the barrier separating the rental lot from the private garage.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO34aaomWKs[/video]
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNLDnjQxp4E[/video]
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7mP1qyBQiw[/video]
2016 Chevrolet Malibu 2.0T Test – Review – Car and Driver
Malibus were once everywhere, even in Malibu, but the Japanese long ago moved the bull’s-eye for high-value *conformity, and Chevrolet has struggled to hit it. Too big, too small, too boring, too unreliable; the mid-size Chevy sedan devolved into a car you would rent but never buy. Well, here is GM’s latest attempt to reverse the Malibu’s typecasting.
As with the new Chrysler 200, the 2016 Malibu attempts to strum the heartstrings with modern, swept styling. Look at its new shoulders and those tendon lines on the body sides. Muscle and sinew emerge as the light plays in interesting ways. The headlights squint menacingly, like a thug, or like a Camaro. Also like a Camaro (and all the new Cadillacs and Buicks), the Malibu’s beltline is hiked way up to make the roof seem low, leaving narrow daggers for side glass. GM never tires of that bunker-top styling, no matter what it costs in visibility.
What it costs in dollars is $22,500 for a base Malibu and $34,285 for this absolutely loaded Premier. Those prices shadow mid-size majors such as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, though Chevy has followed the Hyundai Sonata’s lead in making the Malibu four-cylinder only. This may save some weight and cost, but as with the turbo Mustang, we don’t see any great benefit to owners. While the base 1.5-liter turbo four gives appropriate power and economy, at least on paper, the 250-hp 2.0-liter turbo in our test car delivered only V-6 fuel economy with not-quite-V-6 acceleration.
The Malibu 2.0T’s 60-mph run is fleet enough at 6.1 seconds, but significantly slower than a comparable V-6 Camry or Accord. Meanwhile, the Malibu’s mpg *ratings, 22 city/32 highway, roughly match those of the Honda and Toyota V-6s. Our test average of 20 mpg proves the rule that a small turbo in a big car burns gas fast. Noted: A hybrid Malibu is coming with more Prius-like economy.
The Malibu's interior styling isn't nearly as well resolved as its exterior.
The mid-size segment is as much about dimensions as it is about price or power. Chevy used to bracket the Japanese leaders with two cars—one too small (Malibu) and one too big (Impala). Old Malibu was rightly savaged for its tight back seat as well as its dull styling, so New Malibu stretches its pizazz over a 111.4-inch wheelbase, more than two inches longer than the Accord, the Camry, and the Nissan Altima, all of which have identical 109.3-inch wheelbases. The Malibu is a *little longer overall than the rest, too, though our car’s 3307-pound test weight is a true triumph for the engineers, making the Malibu one of the lighter cars in its class.
The back-seat passengers benefit the most from the extra inches, with ample real estate to sit comfortably. Up front, the dash is a complicated sculpture built up from a multitude of pieces with different textures and colors, including a kind of futuristic faux wood with pinstriping. The cabin isn’t ugly or cheap, but it is busy, with panel part-lines everywhere.
The optional eight-inch center touch screen—standard on the Premier (seven-inchers get fitted to lesser models)—looks like an iPad slid neatly into a docking port, and its large icons and many functions, including Apple CarPlay, will be familiar to anyone who has driven a late-model GM car. No, you still don’t get a multifunction knob to work it with, as you do in a Mazda 6, so your fingers do the walking. Or you can bark commands at it.
In back, the tyranny of plain black plastic takes over, though the fancier versions give rear-seat riders their own USB ports and 12- and 120-volt outlets. Other practical conveniences include trunk releases for the rear folding seats, but thanks to the sexy, hiked-up styling, the Malibu’s bumper is a high hurdle to clear when loading the trunk itself.
The 19-inch rims and aluminum gas pedal of our Premier didn’t fool anybody. Oh, the Malibu steers precisely and brakes earnestly, but it simply doesn’t have the Accord’s or Mazda 6’s tactile feel or liveliness of spirit. The eight-speed automatic shifts without bump or bluster, and the engine makes particularly quiet power up to its 6500-rpm redline, adding to the *Malibu’s overall sense of solidity. The Premier model only comes on 19s, which make an otherwise disciplined suspension clomp over the rough stuff. A smoother ride is surely available on lesser models with their 16-, 17-, or 18-inch wheels.
If not an overtly sporty sedan, this *spacious Malibu feels like a quality car, not at all like its many banged-together and shoved-out predecessors. That alone may propel a few through the barrier separating the rental lot from the private garage.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO34aaomWKs[/video]
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNLDnjQxp4E[/video]
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7mP1qyBQiw[/video]
2016 Chevrolet Malibu 2.0T Test – Review – Car and Driver
