Chevrolet Malibu

	Chevrolet Malibu
	Debut: 2012 Maker: General Motors Predecessor: Malibu (2007)

Published on 15 Apr 2012

In the past 15 years, Chevrolet Malibu has been Detroit's answer to Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. In good years, it could sell 200,000 cars a year in the US market, or half the number of the class leader. That sounds not bad, but when the car got old its sales could drop to only 120,000 units – despite of heavy discounts – which was far from acceptable. When Bob Lutz became the Vice Chairman of GM, overseeing product development, he pointed out its problems quickly – it looked dull, it drove badly and its quality sucked! Worse still, the problems were not one-off. They were caused by the bureaucratic decision making process of the company. Most head-turning designs and edge-cutting engineering solutions were likely to get filtered by bean-counter managers in the name of "too risky" or "too costly". Over time, designers and engineers lost the sense of creativity and the motivation to pursue excellence. Lutz rolled over the old practices, questioned his people, challenged their preconceptions and asked them to refocus on what customers really desired – the looks, quality interior, refinement and performance. The result was a much acclaimed duo, the 2006 Saturn Aura and 2007 Chevrolet Malibu. Both won the North American Car of the Year award.

I admired the outgoing Malibu very much. Not only it established a new design language for modern Chevrolets, but it was very well engineered. When it was new, it achieved a refinement beyond the level of its Japanese rivals. Its ride and handling was one of the best in the class, unexpectedly. It also got a modern Holden Alloytec V6 and 6-speed automatic tranny. No wonder it was well received by the market. Although domestic sales were initially hit by the global credit crunch and the bankruptcy of GM, it recovered quickly and eventually peaked at 200,000 units in its final year (2011), showing a strength rarely seen on GM cars. The car-buying public rewarded its vast improvement.

Considering its robust sales, the outgoing Malibu could easily carry on for two more years. However, GM CEO Dan Ankerson had a more ambitious plan for the next generation Malibu: it will be upgraded from a domestic product to a global product, feeding nearly 100 countries on 6 continents, in particular China, South Korea (where it will replace Daewoo Tosca) and Australia (where it will be sold with Holden badge). He could not wait any longer to realize the plan, so he pushed forward its development. In October 2011, the first new Malibu was built at the ex-Daewoo plant in Korea. By the year end, production kicked off in China at the GM-SAIC joint-venture plant. US production and sales joined in spring 2012, allowing it to beat the next generation Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima to the market. On the flipside, the aggressive launch schedule caused some sacrifices in the development program. The original plan was to launch the car with a range of new engines, including a 2.5-liter DI and 2.0 DI turbo, so that it will be competitive against the new Toyota Camry from the outset. However, as these engines are still under development at the powertrain division, early production cars have to carry over the old car's 2.4-liter mild-hybrid (eAssist) engine, which is obviously not the best engine of the class.

Another change showing its global vision is the underpinning. The outgoing Malibu was built on the long-wheelbase (2852 mm) version of Epsilon platform in order to please American families. The new car moves to the standard wheelbase (2737 mm) Epsilon II platform of Opel Insignia / Buick Regal in order to boost economy of scale, as the Buick is already being produced in China and the US. It goes without saying that the reduced wheelbase has an adverse effect on rear seat legroom, as we shall see later. Nevertheless, the shrinkage should free up space for the forthcoming Chevrolet Impala. On the outside, the new Malibu is actually no smaller than the old car. Its overall length is reduced by merely 12 mm, while width and height are increased by 70 mm and 15 mm respectively. Its front and rear track have been stretched by 64 and 50 mm respectively. It also gets slightly heavier than the car it replaces, thanks to a 20 percent boost in chassis rigidity, more NVH suppression and relatively lack of lightweight engineering concern. Compare with the equivalent Toyota Camry, a 2.4-liter eAssist Malibu carries 200 kg more! That's why it takes as long as 8.7 seconds to go from rest to 60 mph, a full second longer than its rival.

Space and weight efficiency aside, the new packaging is excellent. No matter exterior or interior, the car looks stylish and well put together. Its exterior design is less conservative than its Japanese rivals but without going to the extreme like Hyundai Sonata, so it should please the majority of families. The smartest features are the quad-rectangular taillights, which have some traces of Camaro, though the outer two's ice block effect is by all means original. They add sparkles to the otherwise predictable design. In the cabin, the dashboard employs twin-cockpit theme to enhance style and sense of space. The twin-cowl instrument is again inspired by Camaro. The center console is dominated by a standard-fit 7-inch touch screen, which gives access to an infotainment and wireless connectivity system called MyLink. The screen can be flipped up to reveal a storage bin. All controls are positioned logically thus are easy to operate. Materials are generally good. Soft-touch plastics are extensively used. While you are unlikely to confuse the wood trim with real wood or the bezel of center console with real metal, they don't look too disgraceful. The only quality issue is the mismatched grain on door panels, which could have been avoided if the development schedule was not so tight.

The driver enjoys much the same headroom and legroom as in the old car, while the wider body contributes to 40 mm extra shoulder room. At the back, shoulder room is increased by 80 mm, headroom gains 10 mm, but the shorter wheelbase leads to a reduction of legroom by 18 mm. That might sound not too bad, but one has to note that the old Malibu was not a good example for space efficiency either. Compare with the more remarkable Toyota Camry, the new Chevy offers 50 mm less rear legroom and 13 mm less rear headroom. Those figures make a big difference when a six-footer sits at the back. In short, rear accommodation is the weak link of Malibu.

As aforementioned, powered by the existing 2.4-liter engine, the Malibu is slow. This engine looks state of the art on paper, with dual-variable valve timing and direct fuel injection, but it produces a disappointing 182 hp and 172 lbft of torque. The mild-hybrid (eAssist) system offers 15 hp and 79 lbft from a boot-mounted small lithium battery, but it mainly functions as an on-demand starter-alternator, i.e. to implement automatic stop-start and regenerative braking. It does provide extra juice under full-throttle acceleration, but that is limited to low rpm for a short duration so that the peak output still comes solely from the gasoline engine. The Malibu equipped with this engine also gets energy-saving tires and an active front grille shutter to reduce drag at highway speed. Speaking of drag, GM said it spent hundreds of hours in wind tunnel to shape the car, but actually the drag coefficient is nothing special at 0.30. Taking into account the immense weight, the mild-hybrid car is not particularly greener than the 4-cylinder Camry or Sonata, and trails the full-hybrid Camry by a long way. After all, the 2.4 engine was based on an aging design. It does not have low-friction internals and on-demand lubrication/cooling pumps like the forthcoming 2.5-liter engine. The latter will offer a more competitive 197 horses and 191 lbft of torque when it goes on sale this summer. By the year end, a 2.0-liter Ecotec DI turbo with 260 hp and 290 lbft will complete the range and take the vacancy left by the outgoing 3.6 V6. GM said it will be capable to do 0-60 in 6.3 seconds. Maybe it is not the right time to buy the Malibu yet.

On the road, the new Malibu impresses most with its high level of refinement. Thanks to the solid structure and generous use of NVH suppressing materials such as laminating windscreen and windows, the cabin is remarkably quiet. The only annoying noise comes from the cooling fan of the boot-mounted battery, which draws air from the cabin, but you can avoid it by opting for other engines in the future. The ride is also quiet and composed. Its suspension tuning is softer than Buick Regal (which is softer than the European Opel Insignia again) but slightly firmer than Toyota Camry with standard suspension. This mean while the ride is still highly comfortable, it controls its body movement a bit better than its arch-rival. Its ZF power steering, assisted with a rack-mounted electric motor, delivers better weighting, accuracy and linearity than most rivaling systems. That said, the Malibu does not corner as crisped as the sportier Mazda 6, VW Passat or Ford Fusion. It rolls more and understeer earlier, feeling heavier and more nose-led. After all, it is still very much a comfortable family car in the first place.

Benefited by a stylish look, a modern interior and impressive running refinement, the new Malibu should be more appealing to buyers than ever. Nevertheless, it is still a slight disappointment considering how accomplished the old car was. Its lack of performance and rear seat accommodation are shortcomings that we have not expected. It might be competitive in the segment now, but can it beat the next generation Ford Fusion and Mazda 6 in a few months' time? I doubt.

Verdict:

Published on 5 Oct 2012

Malibu 2.0 Turbo

Following the industrial trend, Chevrolet Malibu has abandoned V6 power for a turbocharged four-cylinder engine to cut fuel consumption. The all-alloy 2.0-liter Ecotec features direct injection and a twin-scroll turbocharger. The latter boosts at most 1.4 bar and enables the engine to pump out a respectable 259 horsepower – that is 13 hp short of the version employed by Cadillac ATS, whose longitudinal mounting allows better breathing, but it is already more than the new Ford Fusion 2.0T (240hp) as well as the old Malibu V6 (252hp). The engine also produces 260 pound-foot of torque across a wide band, i.e. from 1700 to 5500 rpm. GM claims 0-60 mph can be achieved in 6.3 seconds, while top speed is a European-style 155 mph.

Enough figures. How does the engine perform in the real world? For sure, it is a lot stronger than the existing 2.4 and 2.5-liter engines. Given that thick torque, flexibility is not lacking. Twin-balancer shafts keep vibration under check at most time, whereas the twin-scroll turbo displays little lag except at very low rpm. BMW's N20 turbo is more refined and responsive still, but as far as a mainstream brand is concerned, the Ecotec turbo is hard to fault. The only let down is the power tails off quickly beyond 5500 rpm, so don't expect the Malibu Turbo to be a performance sedan. Its strength lies in flexibility rather than outright punch. The lack of paddle shift on the automatic tranny also discourages spirited drive.

Thanks to the Malibu's vast insulation, engine noise is low in the cabin. The same goes for road noise. GM has barely retuned its suspension and weighed up its steering a little, so the refined ride remains intact. In corners, the car is composed and tidy, if not very agile and engaging to drive. The turbo conversion has not changed the character of Malibu. It remains a comfort-first family car. No wonder from outside you can't spot any differences from lesser models – not even a tiny spoiler or a turbo badge!

Verdict:

Published on 14 Feb 2014

Malibu facelift 2013

General Motors seems to be totally refreshed since it emerged from bankruptcy protection. However, it still made some bad mistakes. Chevrolet Malibu is one example. Debuted in early 2012, the company's core mid-size sedan received a lot of criticisms about its lack of rear seat space and mediocre four-cylinder engines. This reflected in its sales figures, which trailed class rivals Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima and Ford Fusion by a long way. That's why GM responded immediately and gave it an emergency facelift by the late 2013.

The 2014 model year Malibu has a slightly revised front grille and tail. It is not necessarily any better looking, but it does provide the necessary differences to distinguish from the old car. More important is the revision inside the cabin and under the bonnet. The rear seat is given 32 mm more legroom by sculpting the front seat backs and rear seat cushion. The extra space is welcomed, but it doesn't change the fact that the Malibu's interior is still cramped by class standard. Unfortunately, this problem is not going to be solved until the car is eventually replaced.

On the mechanical side, the 2.5-liter DI engine gets GM's first variable valve lift mechanism, iVLC. It uses special roller rockers to switch between high and low-lift cam profiles. Theoretically, it should offer a wider power band and improved low-rev torque. Somehow, its rated output is reduced by 1 horsepower to 196 hp, and max. torque drops by 5 pound-foot to 186. This reflects on the performance numbers tested by Car and Driver, which are marginally slower than the old car's. Nevertheless, it does improve EPA fuel economy from 22 to 25 mpg in city and 34 to 36 mpg on highway, although part of the saving actually comes from the new automatic stop-start function. Meanwhile, the range-topping 2.0 turbo engine has its peak torque increased from 260 to 295 lbft.

At the chassis, the suspension dampers now feature rebound springs to improve control. The electrical power steering has been recalibrated to be weightier and more engaging. The brake pedal has also been recalibrated. All revisions contribute to a slightly better drive. However, overall speaking the car is still rather average.

Verdict: