byThe 2016 Chevrolet Malibu is a much-needed reset of the Bowtie brand’s midsize sedan offering. We already knew that Chevrolet wanted to come out guns ‘a blazing with the 2016 Malibu, and the pricing strategy reflects that ideal, as the 2016 Malibu will start at $22,500 for the base L trim. That base price undercuts key rivals such as the Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima.
For the money, the standard equipment found on the base Malibu L includes the new 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with stop/start technology, ten airbags, cruise control and push-button start with passive entry.
Climbing into the LS trim makes the case to drop the extra $1,495. Starting at $23,995, the 2016 Malibu LS adds a standard seven-inch MyLink infotainment system, complete with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability and a rear-view camera.
Moving right along to the LT trim, buyers will get daytime running lights and a choice of either the base 1.5-liter turbo four for $25,895, or the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, which will bump the price up accordingly to $29,495. The 2.0-liter turbo is also paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
As you may have already heard, LTZ is out, and Premier is in for the top-of-line Malibu. The Premier trim will be sold exclusively with the 2.0-liter turbo, and at a starting price of $31,795. Of course, a host of new technology can be found on the range-topping trim level, with some being firsts for Malibu, including Lane Keep Assist, Front Pedestrian Braking, Low Speed Front Automatic Braking and the brand’s new Teen Driver System.
GM still estimates the base 1.5-liter turbo to return a respectable 27 mpg city and 37 mpg highway, while the more potent 2.0-liter turbo knocks GM estimated mpg ratings down to 22 city and 32 highway.
Chevrolet says that it will price the 2016 Malibu Hybrid at a later date, most likely once its unsurpassed 48 mpg city and 45 mpg highway estimations are verified by the EPA.
The 2016 Malibu delivers an all-new vehicle that boldly steps in the future with improvements in comfort, fuel economy, connectivity, safety, and overall refinement, while also decreasing weight by 300 pounds thanks to GM’s new E2XX platform.
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Comments
Looks like Chevrolet is serious about making the Malibu competitive not only mechanically but from a pricing standpoint as well.
That starting price undercuts almost all of the midsized competition.
Let’s see if the potential customers will give it a fair chance.
Also almost all compact and midsized sedans and coupes are taking a little shit kicking these days as more and more customers gravitate to crossovers.
So the Malibu and Cruze are going to be in tough.
The new generation Malibu looks good. Though I cannot understand why if GM is throwing the 2.0 turbo in it that there cannot be a SS edition? couldn’t GM apply a sport tuned suspension and a few other things on it?
Scott3 I have posted first, but do you have any insight into this?
Joe
Any word on when they will start arriving in dealerships?
I personally think that Chevy needs to stop playing and give the loyal customers and enthusiasts what they want. I understand that they went through the whole bail out thing and tryna do what works but, they have too many unnecessary cars on their roster. Be more like Dodge and focus on 7 cars. There’s no need to have 23 cars (literally 23 i counted) and half of them are the same itsy bitsy entry level cars for high schoolers . Bring back that power and muscle that chevy was known for back in the day. Get rid of that damn no name blatantly plain Chevy SS and bring back the impala SS RWD with the 5.3v8 or the 6.2v8 from the chevy SS. I know times are changing and everyone is starting to be all about fuel efficiency and global warming and crap. Yea there are 4 and 6 bangers that are way faster than a car with a v8 but im old school, i like that muscle i like that power, i like that rumbling sound of a clean chevy v8 engine. Chevy and other brands known for power and muscle is letting dodge run the show. Chevy is turning into brands like Honda, Toyota, and kia. The only reason i haven’t gotten a dodge charger with the rt hemi is because im too tall for the car. The new impala is super roomy and would look and sound good with the SS badges and American muscle under the hood. The 4 banger in the impala is an insult. Really you ditched the SS versions on the majority of your cars and came up with this new top of the line version called premier? Save it.
Chevrolet must hit every age and price point, like Ford and Honda, of it wants to survive and not become Dodge–a broke brand riding on 15 year old platforms that not too long ago was thisclose to being shut down.
Chevy can not survive off a pool of aging baby boomers. GM cannot afford endless fines. Toyota and Honda became successful because they understood that a majority of Americans aren’t auto enthusiasts but instead interested in reliability and fuel economy. Now both Ford and GM get this and have higher sales to prove it.
GM is subject to the CAFE fleet MPG standards, just like anyone else. They cannot just put the V6 in everything and expect to hit their CAFE number. That is why you have the I4 in the base Impala and other undesirable situations. Mazda doesn’t even bother to offer an optional engine in the 6 and they do just fine. Consumers pick the base engine 6 to 1 over the V6/turbo 4 Sonata/Accord/Camry. It barely pays to offer the upgraded engine unless you have it in multiple offerings.
Diddy the most popular cars sold today are 4 cylinder smaller FWD sedans that make up 85% of the market. You can not live on performance models alone at this price point as you need volume.
Chevy really has this for cars.
Spark
Sonic
Cruze
Malibu
Impala
Camaro
Corvette
SS
Now if you want to split hairs over the LS, LT and LTZ or Premium yes you can get more cars but that is getting silly as it is only options you are speaking about at this point.
The SS is going away and the Impala is in for a replacement soon. I would love to see them merge these two as they will. I expect an AWD Impala SS [my own speculation] I would love an Alpha based model but that does not appear in the cards.
As for V8 models enjoy what you have as coming CAFE is only going to drive models to smaller engines and Turbochargers. You will retain a V8 in the Camaro and Corvette but the prices will continue to climb on them and will limit their sales. Other options are being looked at for both.
we the enthusiast here would make all these cars SS models with the largest engine possible but we play in the real world.
Dodge is in a hell of a fix right now as they only have two small cars and neither one is close to market segment leading. Their larger V8 cars are old and with discounts are selling ok will never meet future regulations. I know Sergio has promised new models but they are now delayed to 2019 because he can not afford to pay attention to Dodge with all the money he is dumping into Alfa thinking it is going to save him.
One only has to look at Ford to see they are now going to offer a Raptor and a Supercar GT with no V8 option. Both will be TTV6 and only the Mustang will be offered with the V8. Like it or not the companies can only cut so much weight and gain so many cylinders. I would recommend what we have now if you love a V8 as while we may still have a few they will be very expensive and hard to buy in many vehicles.
Trust me I do not say this with happiness.
With that said I expect the Malibu to be a near home run car. It has the compelling looks and it also has many class leading features. Pricing will be key and it appears to be shaping up well there.
This and the Cruze will provide more profits to Chevy than they have had from cars in years. GM has proven they can build small cars and it will only continue to enhance their image with the consumer.
Scott,
perhaps GM has an edge with the Chevy division that if they offered either a Cruze SS or a Malibu SS they could pull off a decent amount of sales as Previously Pontiac sold quite a bit of cars and many came in the GT & GXP trim.
my point being is that the Chevy division can grab sales from previous Pontiac customers, Dodge customers and even Mazda customers with a compact or midsize SS version.
I do agree that most car buyers are not enthusiasts , but again I believe this is where Chevy can play to their strengths and pull it off.
Joe this is a tricky walk here.
Now keep in mind I am a past SSEI and GTP Comp G owner a present SS owner so you can see where my heart lies.
Here is what you have now. The LT Malibu is really all the GT GP ever was. It really was no more a performance car than the LT version of most of Chevys products. It really was just a trim package.
As for the GTP Pontiac did offer some things that Chevy did not for a little higher price. But we can see that the new Malibu will still offer a FWD Turbo 2.0 that has more power than the GTP had in the 3800 SC with less weight.
Now should they so an SS Malibu and SS Cruze? In my heart I say yes! In my head I ask question like how much would it cost to do it right and how many will you really sell? This is where the real issues come into play.
The HHR SS and Cobalt SS were real FWD cars that really did earn the SS name. These were not just trim packages like the last Malibu SS we were offered. My HHR SS will out run, out handle and out stop most of the SS models from the 60’s.
But here is where the problem lies. Once you add the parts to make it right it gets expensive. My HHR SS is an 08 and stickered at $28K. Now I did not pay close to that even new but GM did not make much money off of the deal either.
Add to this they did not sell many SS models because of the price outside the SS Cobalt Coupe. Even the SS Cobalt sedan sold in the hundreds the last year it was offered. Now there may be a future collector car.
Now I do not think GM is done with the idea of a smaller coupe possibly a RWD at some point but it needs to leverage a platform like this out. They can not just do it with one Chevy model only. Could this be a basis for a Cadillac, Holden or Opel? Could be but it would take time to put this plan in action and that is why it is no here yet.
If GM would just take the Malibu dress it up with special trim and wheels add the RS name and make the engine 300 HP buy just going Premium Required on the fuel so they could add some extra power they may have a possibility but if you make a Performance model and add AWD and the other proper features it will push the price to over $40K and there just are not many buyers at this point.
We have the Regal AWD GS that is a great car but how many are they really selling and now they are discounting them.
You get over $40K most performance buyers will just go all in for a Camaro. Granted 4 door but for the money a much better performance value at the same price. Better resale too.
The days of making an SS of just about every model is not easy to do anymore and still make money. Years ago some wheels and a solid 327 then pop on some badges you can bump the price a grand or two and sell a lot of cars. Today you can not just get away with just bumping the engine and not touching anything else. People expect the whole package and it adds up. Also many are hesitant of the 4 Cylinder for performance because they have driven one recently.
I love my Turbo and never thought the day would come where I would say that. I hated FWD, Turbo 4 engines and HHR’s but I have loved every minute of mine just based on performance. Still not a fan of FWD though. It just has a hard time hooking up even at 50 MPH+ on dry pavement I can turn on the traction control light.
So as my heart says yes with you my head still ask of much and how many can they be sold for. How much different than what the LTZ trim is now would it be too. You really have to make sure it is not just another badge car like a 2006 Malibu. That was a disaster.
No doubt, the Cobalt SS and HHR SS were the real deal.
Perhaps just a Cruze SS would contend, but the General is not stupid these cars are getting harder to sell.
the markets have even changed since the mid 2000s.
But Joe I do definitely see your point is that the Pontiac, Dodge & Mazda sales are there to be taken and Chevy is a division that those past buyers would have no problem gravitating towards.
Maybe a SS when we get a hatch Cruze?
GM engineers have gone through every aspect of the Malibu design and has made an effort to making the new car not just bigger and more comfortable as the new Malibu is also lighter which is reason for four cylinder engines instead of a V6 because it wasn’t necessary and will be surprising if the new Malibu isn’t a big hit.
Omeg you are correct on that they looked at every aspect. The reason they could is this is the first fully funded Malibu that has been offered in years and may have been the best funded ever.
For once GM had the time, planning and funding to do this right. They also have empowered their staff to do what is right and not wait to be told what to do.
I like the new Malibu. I just question if a 1.5T is really enough to move around a car that large. The Sonata has a 1.6T offering that seems to be working out. I also hope that GM has better luck with turbo engine reliability than recent Ford Ecoboosts, which got pathetic reliability scores last I checked. I have a turbo Sonata, it is a great car, but these turbos are more complicated and there is a lot more to go wrong. In Hyundai’s case, the waste gate gets stuck closed and it happens to most owners at least once. It happened to me and I couldn’t go over 45mph until the dealer adjusted it. Plus they need synthetic oil, etc. etc.
The 2016 Malibu weighs 3300 pounds. Knowing this, and adding your body weight, you can do some calculations using GM HP and torque numbers for estimated 0 to 60 MPH times. I prefer the Hybrid as I am not into “stop light acceleration racing” but I want to save money on gas for at least the next ten years.
For those worried about the 1.5 Turbo it will be fine for the type of driver it is intended to please. It will not be a M series killer but it’s not meant to be. But with that said it is not going to be over burdened either.
Like pointed out Weight is going to be down 300 Pounds. That in a class like this is major. Removing weight is not easy but to do it to this scale and still make the cars stiffer is just flat amazing. That is one of the most over looked points of this car and one that will mean the most.
As for the 2.0 it will deliver performance better than my 08 3.6 and better MPG. Note I own a 2.0 Turbo now in an HHR and even with the add HP from the upgrade I see a constant 25 city and 32 highways. No I do not hypermile it. I see 23 PSI of boost daily and it is a blast. The Bu will be down a little HP but it will remain a enjoyable drive.
Reliability has been great with the GM turbo engines. They have been around longer than the Ecoboost and most others and GM did it right with the help of Saab and Lotus. Yes Lotus engineering did a lot of the work to redesign the Eco to be a turbo engine. GM did not just slap on a turbo and expect these to hold up. The stock heads can take over 1000 HP and the block the same. They are over built and additional oil cooling and other details have added to their longevity.
They do take synthetic oil but that is not a big deal anymore. Mobil One has come down in price and with the longer oil life around 7,000 miles the over all cost is about the same. I have gone Mobil One in even my NA engines.
This car I have no fear of it not doing well. I hope the Cruze does as well as the past model and this one.
This car has been in the works for 5-7 years and it will do much. Now you know why GM was buying time with the left over design we have had the last couple years. It was not exactly what they wanted either but this one was just not ready yet.
The devil is in the details of this car. It is much more than just a styling job but a it is a well engineered car and many of these details will be out soon. Phone coolers and the 300 pound weight loss is only the start.
I expect this to make the top 3 in sales in segment and with the right marketing, good pricing and luck #1 and #2 are a possibility. Anyone can build a stylish car but the details are what retain customers. This is where Hyundai will lose, price is where Honda and Toyota will lose and Ford well they will remain in there matching detail for detail.
It may take a few years but Honda and Toyota strangle hold of the segment is weakening. Hyundai broke onto their ground with lower prices. GM may be aggressive here but with a better car. People in this segment are tired of paying the higher prices and if GM can give a better car than Hyundai and a better price than the others that could be a winning strategy. Lets face it the Honda and Toyota are stale in style and way over prices. If people are going to pay that much most will defect to a CUV that Chevy and GMC already own a large segment of that market.
Yes the decrease in weight and the car being tighter/stiffer is huge.
Scott I also agree with your last 2 paragraphs…GM has gradually been making significant strides in quality. This is not the mid-80s and GM is now a serious contender in workmanship. The Cruze, & Malibu should fair strongly in their segments.
Hyundai, Toyota, Honda & Ford all know GM is making great cars and they also know that once many more consumers catch on to this, that is going to mean trouble for GM’s competition.
I liked seeing that push button start is standard on Malibu, that’s pretty sweet to see that, hopeful it reaches the new Chevys as standard in the future. After reading the order guide for the 2016 Malibu some of the way the packages are set up are just stupid and disappointing. Like every trim up to and including 2LT gets single zone manual climate, not even the option for dual zone automatic, that’s only for Premier. Plus the 2.0T is standard on Premier, you can’t get the 1.5T. Finally what I’m most confused on is that on the L trim you can’t get a backup camera or touch screen. But in the New 2016 Spark which costs like 12K it gets those features. Why Malibu? Who are they marketing the L at that wouldn’t want that? A car that costs half the price gets it so why not Malibu? It confuses me. Anybody know?? But nevertheless its a fantastic car all around I’m impressed.
I have high hopes for this Malibu, being a current ’14 owner and a salesperson, who upgraded from an ’11, with State Farm’s help (hail storm demolished the ’11)
I’m with you on the dual zone climate control not on the 2LT; it is a big bone of contention in my 1LT that listed for over 27K. However, I do see a market for the L trim in my area as a number of my Malibu sales are retirees 70 plus years old that cannot handle the technology in the LT, especially when you add in the start stop, which really confounds them. In fact, I think the L trim will be a great seller on all cars in this demographic, who feel intimidated by the tech offerings. Can’t wait to see the new “Bu”!