What We Like:
The new front end design
There was something that was achingly uninspired in the front looks of the 2013 Malibu that it may just as well been the quintessential reason the sedan took a stumble in the market. Especially when looking at cross-town-rival Ford and its new Fusion, which many would agree is the current class-leader. This new look is different enough in such a way that it looks like an all-new model from the front, and is far more stylish than the old look. At least we like to think so.
The improved fuel economy
At an estimated 23 city / 35 highway, the 2014 Malibu improves city and highway mileage over last year’s model by 1 mpg each. As a result, the 2014 Malibu 2.5L should perform better than the Ford Fusion with its 2.5L Duratec This is thanks to an extensively updated 2.5L Ecotec engine with a new feature called Intake Valve Lift Control technology (iVLC), allowing the valves to open and close by varied amounts and at different times depending on power demand to provide greater fuel efficiency or power, depending on the amount of throttle applied.
The center console redesign
As it turns out, people weren’t fond of the linear forwards/backwards cup holder configuration. They couldn’t identify with which cup holder was the passenger’s and which belonged to the driver. Yes, really. So to ease the confusion of America’s masses — who seem to get smarter and smarter every day — the new center console layout features a staggered cup holder design, and a pair of integrated smart phone bins, as well. Oh, and lest we forget, the return of a manual handbrake!
The 2014 Malibu Turbo is very promising
With the 2014 Malibu also came a significant power bump for the turbocharged model, now at 295 lb-ft of torque. All of which is sent to the front wheels. Sounds border-line crazy, but Ken Kelzer, GM executive chief engineer, global full-size and midsize cars, reassured that the suspension tuning on the 2014 Malibu Turbo is calibrated well enough to keep the boosted middleweight in a straight line from a standstill, and won’t torque steer itself into a ditch. And with a promised sub-six-second 0-60 time, it actually leapfrogs the 323 horsepower Chevy Camaro V6 in acceleration off the line.
The extra rear knee room
One of the biggest complaints about the 2013 Malibu was that rear seat legroom was below the standards of the current midsize sedan segment. So with the refresh, GM made sure to address the issue. With an knee room increase of 1.25-inches, the 2014 Malibu also packages its rear seat more efficiently within the same wheelbase length of the outgoing model. This makes things in the second row far more tolerable, and much more in line with what’s found in the leaders of the segment, such as the Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion.
What We Dislike
No additional powertrain options
Despite the mechanical improvements, just the trio of Malibu powertrain options remain intact for the 2014 model year. This means that we still have the base Malibu with the improved 2.5L Ecotec, the unchanged eAssist powertrain of the Malibu Eco, and the punchier Malibu Turbo. There’s nothing to rival Ford’s 1.6L EcoBoost engine, which both comes with a manual transmission and achieves 37 mpg highway, or a true hybrid or even plug-in hybrid — which the Fusion also offers, and knocks it out of the park with its fuel economy ratings. Something tells us that General Motors is very well aware of this, but we’re going to have to wait a bit longer to see these types of engines offered in the Chevrolet Malibu.
Comments
I would like to see an SS version with a 3.6L V6. That would entertaining.
HSV should have used this grill design for the GTS b/c its quite striking and definitely wouldnt have had trouble getting air in there! lol but really on the looks im not wowed but its not awful..wasnt expecting a lot considering its a refresh but wasnt expecting this..it’ll take some getting used to!
Sub 6… 0-60. 35mpg highway.
Nice
That’s 35mpg highway with the 2.5L OR sub 6sec 0-60 with the 2.0 turbo. You can’t have both.
But you can at least choose.
The Turbo in real world will see 22-24 city and near 30+ MPG highway. Not bad. I get a little better with mine at 3200 pounds and almost 300 HP GM Performance tune. Note I do not hypermile. I drive it for fun.
A manual box option or at least a return to paddle shifters on the turbo version would have made it a triple if not a home run.
I prefer the slapstick Driver shift control over paddles, I have it on my G6’s and love it! On my Malibu I have the weird shift button on top of the shifter which I hate. A 6 speed manual would be fun too! An 8 speed auto would really show those dirty little rats over at Honda!
Awesome front redesign!
As for the SS , manual and paddle shifters. This is not a performance car as GM has something coming for this size class that will do much better.
I have the paddles in two cars and they are a waste unless I need engine braking in the mountains. I thought they would be cool but they are not worth the price or effort.
As for manual. It is hard to hold GM to this to sell to 5% of the buyers. If anything it is a great theft deterrent since so few people know how to drive one.
What was sad is I took my son out in a manual Corvette Convertible the other day and he wondered why I was shifting the shifter so much. He had never been in a manual vehicle in his life.
Wow, how old is your son? That’s sad 🙁
My dad had a manual Ford Probe when I was born (I’m 24 now). When I was a probably five or so, he would let me shift it while he was driving in parking lots lol. I also learned how to drive in his 1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 (that was fun). My family always had at least one manual car on hand because, well, we actually like to drive :D.
Not knowing what a manual transmission is just…doesn’t make sense to me…I guess my family is weird.
I’ve personally owned two automatic vehicles (out of the five I’ve had) and I regretted buying each one. Me and my girlfriend (she has a 2012 Cruze Eco MT and loves it) just won’t own anything but a manual. I know we are that measly 5%…and it sucks sometimes because the bean counters don’t like the fact that we exist. Oh well.
I’m disappointed with the front restyling. Should have looked more like the Impala.
Glad I decided not to buy the Malibu last week, I decided to just get a Cruze (which I absolutely love).
Had I bought the Malibu I’d be so mad right now.
Looks really good, except for the handbrake lever, I liked the electronic parking brake.
Alex. Question. Do YOU believe that the CUPHOLDERS had anything at all to do with the failure of the 2013 Malibu? I know you’re just reporting what the “findings” are, but what’s your take? I’ll be the first to say: RUBBISH! That has NOTHING to do with it. The best selling sedan in the United States is the boring-as-watching-white-paint-dry Toyota Camry. The cupholders in that untidy bit of nonsense are to the right of the gear selector (on the passenger side in LHD models) and one behind the other. And they sell over 300,000 of those annually…go figure. I’ve said it time and time again. We must be careful about these “surveys”…
Pardon me, I meant to ask Manoli that question. Alex can answer too…it can only be a better discourse.
These are things I hardly consider when shopping for a car. But if it helps, it helps. I actually like the new look, but if I had to play designer, I would have put the cup holders in front of the shifter, and not where my arm would travel.
I love the new front end, but the 2014 regal got AWD, why didn’t the Malibu get AWD? Also, Alex or Manoli, any idea what the interior choices will be on the LTZ’s? They offer the titanium leather in the 2013 LT, but the 2013 LTZ’s got black, brown, tan, or red. Black’s ok, the tan, brown, and red are terrible, why not also offer the grey/titanium?
I like that the hand lever parking brake is back, and that GM did it right: leather handle (on certain trims) with a leather/leatherette boot (again, depending on trim). Little things like that are what separate a good interior from an excellent one IMO. The only remaining ergonomic bugaboo that I see is the lack of rear seat HVAC vents. The Malibu and the Chrysler twins are the only mid-sizers lacking them (but the Chrysler twins are scheduled for a major update within the year, so I’m not really counting them). Paddle shifters would have been nice as well, but very few people would likely use them.
Also, the reasoning behind the cupholder redesign is both hilarious and sad.
Pretty nice update, especially for one done in so short a time. Manoli, I think you hit the nail on the head with the pluses and minuses.
What this vehicle and the Impala are establishing is a strong Chevy brand identity. The 2013 is still striking when seen on the road and I believe was just beginning to be noticed and purchased. These improvements are going to establish this vehicle as a leader in this segment it may not break sales records but will set up for the next generation to do so. The real competitors here are the Fusion and Accord in my mind and I think Chevy is right to make a statement with this vehicle. Who cares about the bland Camry, Yawn… 5 years from now we will all be talking about what a joke the new Camry was when introduced last year and how its lack of presence destroyed peoples interests and how the consumer moved on to vehicles with stronger presence on the road and more excitement when driving. At the end of the day the Cruze can draw in the people wanting a cleaner looking car, this vehicle and the Impala will drive the Chevy design language and draw in the consumer wanting a more pronounced and refined vehicle. I think we will see the benefits of this vehicle on down the road as its strong road presence will be promoting the brand for years to come.
Why can Ford come out with something fresh and Chevy can not? Everything Chevrolet has come out with lately is bland. They are good products, but bland, and that comes from a guy that owns a 2013 Malibu and 2012 GMC truck. I can’t wait to see how everyone accepts the new trucks. IMO, they did not go far enough in the redesign, with both on the Malibu and the new truck. The new truck looks just too similar to the old design.
My last comment, how many generations does it take to set up for the next generation? I’m guessing two, because the last one, which did sell well, set us up for this bland piece of engineering. Lol. Maybe the next Malibu will hit the mark, or maybe we need to hire some Honda people as the seem to come closer to the mark every time.
Are you telling me that the Impala, SS, Silverado, Colorado, Tahoe, Suburban, Equniox, Traverse, Sonic, Cruze, Camaro, Corvette, Volt are all bland? Wow, Chevrolet has redesigned nearly their whole lineup to the fullest! That comes from a guy who owns
2000 Grand Prix GT
2003 Grand Prix GTP
2005 Bonneville GXP
2006 G6 GTP
2009 G6 GXP
2010 G6 GT
2013 Malibu 2LTZ
John, I tend to think you’re right. IMO the first Malibu ’97-’04? was a looker etc., much like the Infiniti G20 was in its first gen. They share a lot in the design language dept. to me, then came the redesign ’05-’07? design which was no comparison to what followed in the ’08 to’12 version. So much so that in 2011 I had to get one.
I’m pretty much satisfied with this update, save for the unchanged tail lights, which look somewhat awkward and out of place on an otherwise attractive car. I especially love the new front fascia: this makes the car look absolutely menacing! More interior space, a bump in fuel efficiency, more torque and improved driving dynamics are most welcomed.
I think they should have an 8 speed auto with DSC and a 6 speed manual. AWD should be an option. As for engines, possibly:
A 1.1L Twin Turbo I4 with 176HP and 220LBS-FT. TQ. 26 mpg City / 38 mpg Hwy / 31 Combined
A 2.5L I4 eAssist with 202HP and 181LBS-FT. TQ 27 mpg City / 40 mpg Hwy / 33 Combined
A 2.8L Turbo V6 with 300HP and 295LBS-FT. TQ. (SIDI, VVT, DOD, and DOHC) 24 mpg City / 32 mpg Hwy / 27 Combined
A Hybrid Plug In/2-Mode 2.2L Turbo Diesel I4 187 HP/320 TQ. 33 mpg City / 48 mpg Hwy / 39 Combined