First and foremost, we really like the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. It seems like the best apology possible after wronging the mid-size segment with the current Malibu, which never captured the magic the generation before it produced.
Though, there are a few things we think could be better, and we’ve decided to detail them below for your discussion.
1. Power Is Lacking From The Base Engine
Understandably, the new 1.5-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine is introduced for the superb fuel economy found in this latest model. The engine utilizes stop/start technology and produces 160 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. While the turbo helps boost the torque number passed its main competitors, its horsepower rating lags behind many of the other mid-size vehicles in the segment. The 2.0-liter, as great of an engine it may be, will also never replace a true V6 option for the Malibu. That’s not to say the 2.0-turbo will perform poorly, but a little more grunt wouldn’t hurt.
2. The Malibu Badge Alongside The Door
Alright, so this is picking nits, but it irks us nonetheless. Why interrupt the flowing lines of this new design with a sprawled out badge proclaiming the car’s nameplate? Even the placement of the name “Malibu” seems off to our eyes, as it sits square in the middle passed the door seam. Internally, we’re torn on whether it’s a bold statement, or could be left off altogether.
3. The Eight-Speed Automatic Is Only Offered On the 2.0-Liter
Why, oh why, can’t we have the eight-speed in the 1.5-liter turbo, Chevrolet? The only logical reasoning we can pair together is the 1.5-liter will sit out the eight-speed out for the upcoming nine-speed automatic being codeveloped with Ford. General Motors has been reported to have taken the lead on the nine-speed unit, which will be used in upcoming front-wheel drive applications.
4. Evolutionary Design
In our “Five Things We Like About” piece regarding the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu, we named design as a heavy hitter on why we like this new car. It seems less pieced together, and more sewn together lovingly. That said, though, some of our fellow staff here are a tad disappointed in the evolutionary look. It looks good, but maybe not as new as some are looking for.
5. Navigation Is Only Available With The Eight-Inch Touchscreen
We were excited to see every 2016 Chevrolet Malibu now comes standard with a touchscreen to operate infotainment and external devices. That said, a seven-inch unit is standard on every trim minus the Premiere, which received a standard eight-inch. Said eight-inch unit is the only unit where customers can acquire navigation, something we really feel should trickle down to the seven-inch unit as well.
Comments
Navigation? How about Android Auto. Then any Android phone could do navigation for free… along with thousands of Android Auto apps in development today.
Just like adding MyLink to a 2010-2012 Camaro… folks are going to have to pay $1,500+ to hack it in later… not cool.
THIS!! Its’a about time the automakers stopped delaying the inevitable and make the “info-tainmet” center a mere screen that relays data from the phone to a bigger screen. There is NOTHING they have to offer which is superior to what most smart phones, tablets, or the internet and apps in general can provide.
Give it up, let the true digital/social/techno interactive freedom reign. You guys [ALL automakers] do cars pretty well…world wide linked, social/info interfaces? No not really…
They probably should put the 2.5 back into the lineup. And also maybe they should offer the 1.6 from the Cascada.
The real game changer would be a plug-in hybrid model – with it’s Volt technology,
it’s a no-brainer. Kiss Fusion Energi goodbye.
I also don’t find the Malibu badge one door to be annoying since it’s also on the Impala and honestly no one complained about it on that car. So I don’t see why they can’t put it on the Malibu.
This car hits all the marks and makes for a sure segment leading car. It has styling. The interior quality is at the top. MPG is good and according to GM it will handle as well or better than the present Regal. That should be a great car for the segment. Add in the safety equipment it should be pleasing to most.
The only two keys we still need to know is price and how well GM will market this. I expect both to be competitive at this point.
This is one of the first examples of a GM car that was fully funded and finished completely on a new platform, This is a view of what we should expect in the future the future.
As for the name if I had one of these I would just remove it. I like a clean de badge car when it has flowing lines.
An Impala mid size clone. CHevy cruze mini-impala clown. Just choose your size. Small/Medium/Large.
The base engine is seriously lacking power, to the point where it’s a problem to anyone that isn’t concerned about mpg above all. I had a 3100 V6 back in the ’90s that had 160 horsepower and the same torque as the new 1.5 turbo, and it struggled under acceleration.
However, the turbo 2.0 is also more of a problem now with less hp and torque than the outgoing model. Might make for a fine mid line engine, but even more reason to let the 3.6 V6 be a top dog option. The 2.0 makes less torque than the 3.6 now with 55 less horsepower too.
The car will have performance numbers similar of not better than the past model with 300 pounds less to drag around and the 8 speed transmission.
I own a 3.6 Malibu and a 2.0 Turbo. The fact is the 2.0 will eat the 3.6 lunch and give me 5 more MPG on the same drive.
This segment is about MPG as being one of the most important things and this car will be best in class and perform right with the others.
Loss of mass is something the others have a big issue with here and it really makes a big difference in going, stopping, turning and MPG>
The 252hp 3.6 in your Malibu is also not the same as the 300+hp 3.6 currently used in the new Impala. The older 3.6 didn’t get great fuel economy compared to the newer ones either. I couldn’t settle for anything less than the 300hp V6 just knowing that it’s out there. It already gets better mpg than the V6 I’m currently driving (MY only mpg concern), I’d imagine that the lighter Malibu and 8-speed could bump it up even higher.
Chris it still can’t touch my 2.0 with 290 HP 315 FT LBS from 1800 RPM to 5300 RPM in performance or MPG.
The engines in this car are going to provide the best MPG and performance for this size car for the needs it has to fit. This is a family car not a sports sedan or performance car.
People buy these to go to work and to take the kids to ball practice not run the Ring. They want reliable, adequate power and MPG and it will deliver all of these.
I too used to have a Cylinder count fettish but I learned it is the over all performance and not the number of cylinders that make the difference. My 2.0 will out run any of my stock Big Block and Small Block V8 cars I have owned and will top the MPG of any V6 I have owned.
The key here is how light this car will be. I expect it to come in around 3200 to just over 3400 depending on how it is optioned. the loss of 300 pounds is massive and will do more for this car than any 300 HP V6.
I learned a long time ago while racing that losing mass is the greatest thing you can do for all around performance. It is the hardest thing to do as often you can lose chassis stiffness and other important things but you gain so much if done right.
The weight loss here is something that really should get the attention of the other MFG in this segment as it is a tough thing to do just to pick up 100 pounds.
Most buyers aren’t going to tune their 2.0t I4 engine. It only has 250HP and 258LB-FT which is quite weak. Not to mention that it only gets 22 City and 32 Highway. The new LGX 3.6L V6 could easily make 300HP and 270LB-FT in the Malibu and get as much as 24 City and 34 Highway. Even though we’re stuck with a slightly underpowered 2.0t I4, I hope that the Malibu will get a performance variant soon. I’d like to see a 3.6L LGX V6 with 325HP and 280LB-FT (0-60 in just under 5.5 seconds).
As I stated earlier, the 2.5 should of remain, or use that 1.6 SIDI turbo, to produce that 195 bhp and 200 lb-ft. Hence, these figures from a base engine in this segment with 25-26 mpg city and 36-37mpg highway would have been pure dynamite.
In my opinion GM, should have left the 2.5 as the base engine. Seriously, 160 bhp is absolutely inadequate for this segment. Not to gain 2mpg city and 1 mpg highway.
6. No manual transmission
7. Built by Union parasites = unreliable POS, recall notice comes standard
Actually this will be a competitive sedan – but only in JD Power reality, which is a parallel universe, a world without Accord, Altima, Camry, Legacy, Outback, Sonata, and Passat.
What do all those sedans have in common other than beating Malibu in every OBJECTIVE comparison? They are all built in the USA without union involvement and sans an undeserved multi billion dollar shot in the arm that’ll never be repaid.
Nothing wrong with that. When GM runs out of idiots to sell their garbage to again, some Democrat will gladly give them some of your money to get elected.
Passat is under UAW.
By the amount of readers who don’t agree with you, you must realize your talking out your ass. Don’t like unions, great, don’t like GM great, but don’t tell me what I have to like. There are plenty of good people working for GM and I hope everyday you see a new GM car you get more and more upset. All your so called parallel universe car companies enjoyed huge tax breaks to assemble cars here. Didn’t see any of them turning down the money. The 9,924,880 GM cars sold last year certainly proves to me the real idiots are the people like you who are just jealous. The people who are running GM have turned the company around and have started to build great cars. Enjoy your Camry and your AARP membership because you think like a senile old fart.
Let’s not forget that the new model dropped 300 lbs, thats a huge weight loss. And I wouldn’t call 1.5T “absolutely inadequate for the segment”, the Subaru legacy only makes 15 more horsepower and the sonata makes 18 more. I do agree that the 1.6 turbo should have been included, is it possible that the North American 1.6 wasn’t ready yet and will be added for the 2017 model year? If that happens maybe they’ll bump the horsepower of the 2.0 back up to 274
But the 6th thing they dislike about the 2016 Malibu ARE THE NUMBER OF HATERS!!!!!!!!!
You also forgot:
– Looks like a Hyundai i45
– Will be as poorly made as the current one
– Won’t sell well in Australia, much like the current one
– Is too much like a Daewoo like the Craptiva, current Malibu, Spark, Cruze and Barina/Aveo
– Drives like a thirty year old Camry (read: WHITEGOOD)
– Is too slow for city driving, let alone on a highway
– Won’t be able to tow anything more than a little red wagon with a grain of sand in it
Aaron so you already have driven this car and sat in it in NYC?
You are so full of crap your eyes have to be brown.
This design , from the side view looks hot , kind of mirrors the poor selling new Impala and shares the same poor rear visibility . The fashion fad angling up the beltline cuts into rear passenger vision or interior openness , and the front grill is not a match for the hot Fusion design . I suspect it also won’t match the Ford’s ” fun to drive ” attitude in engines and drivetrains . Will it be more successful that the 2015 model , yes , but it isn’t a home run , in my opinion ! Simply , to be the best you have to beat the current best in the marketplace , the Camry and Accord , Nissan Altima and Fusion . This will take years for the new Malibu reputation , customer satisfaction and brand awareness to rise to the top . As this mid size car market is declining in the face of the hot CUV marketplace , it will take a strong focus to refine and make the Malibu the best the marketplace has to offer !!
Honestly, I think the new Malibu looks beautiful. I think Chevrolet will have no problems selling their new mini Impala. To there credit, team Chevy is not sitting down on their collective butts milking a model that is seemingly not to the general public’s liking. I feel that they are listening for the most part.
Things that I don’t like:
Although the design is beautiful and graceful. The one thing I love about my wife’s 2013 Malibu, is it’s design. For better or worse, you know a Malibu from its tail lights. It is a characteristic and gives the car an identity. Yes, it is influenced a touch by the Camaro. However the new ‘Bu looks like a cross between an Impala (ok) and a Ford Fusion (not ok). Now I feel as though the 2016 looks like every other car in the market.
The front grill has been a sore spot over the last few years. Really, who cares? The 2013 was nicer than the 2008-2012 models (IMO). The 2014-2015 gave the model a meaner, more masculine look. The new 2016 is just more of a revision of the previous year. If I were in the market for a new ‘Bu, this would not be a deal breaker.
Things I would have like to have seen:
Panorama sun roof (a pleasant luxury) and AWD. Why do they allow for this in the Buick (same platform), but not Chevrolet. It’s mind boggling.
The Bangled butt:
This one makes me laugh hard. Not because I don’t see it. Seriously, it’s because I do see it. Not in just the Malibu, But in the Cadillac CTS ,Buick Regal, Toyota Camry and Honda Accord just to name a few. They are just more subtle in implementation. So now the rear of the new 2016 Malibu is more in line with the Impala, Fusion, Kia Optima, Hyundai Sonata and Mazda 6.
Now for the Elephant in the room:
Rear room and wheel base (more positive than negative). This has never been an issue for our family. I being the tallest at 5’9″ and both of my kids are 18 & 13. Neither of them is cramped in the back. Heck, even my best bud stands over 6’ and didn’t have an issue. I never need to move me seat up. 2013, just seems to work for us.
I’m glad that Chevrolet extended the wheelbase back up to 4″ thus allowing for a better, more spacious passenger space. Honestly, I grew sick and tired of the term “Unusable rear seats”. Its was simply not true. Though admittedly smaller as compared to the competitors in the market.
So while we are not just quite ready to turn in our keys in order to get into Chevrolet’s latest and greatest Malibu. I’m ok with the fact that we own a one year car in the 2013 2.5 lt. It is distinct, rides smooth, has a really big trunk, is very comfortable and looks good in my eyes. What more could we want? Oh yeah, RWD and a back up camera DOH!
I feel that the new 2016 will appeal to a more mainstream consumer and most important, The “Pro” auto reviewers. Who for years have been unfairly blasting the Malibu line. Yeah, I’m talking about you Alex Le Friec (formerly of Everyman Driver). His review of the 2013 pissed me off.
Bottom line:
GM and Chevrolet have had an uphill battle and have many haters. I for one am not one of them. I want them to succeed and they will have my support for as long as they keep making great automobiles. Over the last 30+ years. I’ve owned VW, Audi, Ford and Chevys. In the words of a great Time Lord “Bow Ties are Cool”.
*Side note, My opinions are based on real consumer use. Not silly fanboyism. I don’t care what make or models people like. It’s all good. I’m just sharing my opinions to help contribute to a wonderful site.
I agree because the biggest thing they dislike about the 2016 Malibu ARE THE NUMBER OF HATERS!!!!!!!!! And also, the 2016 Malibu is so cool that the styling, the technology and the performance, not to mention the increased wheelbase and rear seat room, will scream “TELL ALL THE HATERS WHO BEEN TAKING POT-SHOTS AT ME, YOU GOTTA TARGET WHAT YOU FIRE, BUT THERE’S LOTS OF ME!!!!!!!!!”
I for one like it . For the fist time it actually has some styling tto the sheetmetal . The lack of navigation for only the top of the line is a bit confusing . But I dont see it as a deal breaker for the market they are after . With all the smartphones out there that have navigation they will just save themselves some money . And all the uninformed haters of a car that for one have not even seen in person or having parked their ass in the drivers seat of one is amazing . Sometimes you can tell just how ignorant people are when they open their mouths . Its like saying I hate pizza , when you have never even had a slice . SERIOUSLY !!
I wish it had the option of a body side molding, like the 2015. That bare, flat side is begging for parking lot rashes. I also wish it still had the 100K powertrain warranty standard, like the ’15.
I was driving last friday in a dark new Malibu and …….. woooow such a poor lighting ! no fog lights, just halogens with big gaps. Chevy sorry car is great, great features but lighting in this car in even premium falling behind Fiat 500
Yes, I really DISLIKED this Malibu but is the poorest spectification and design and I really love to Chevrolet cars, Alright. Let’s choose the other car of this manufacturer.
Why does my horn beep on the 2016 malibu premier when I shut the ignition off
That’s not normal behavior. It might indicate a key fob pairing issue. Take it to the dealer and ask them to investigate.
I bought a 2016 Malibu 2.0L as the Dingy Guide 2016 said you could dingy tow a 2016 Malibu. Took it to have a baseplate installed on the Malibu and was told there was none that matched. Sure enough, the User Manual says the 2.0L Malibu cannot be towed!!!
So now I’m stuck with a car that cannot be dingy towed behind a Motor Home.
What is unique about the 2.0L Malibu that prevents it from being dingy towed while the 1.5L Malibu can be dingy towed? If it is transmission circulation, then if I bought a Remco Lube Pump to circulate transmission fluid, could I then dingy tow my 2016 2.0L Malibu?
just bought my “dude you got Screwed” from the stealership… a 2016 premier.
what do I have to say positive about the car…. well the heated seats / steering wheel are nice, not sure I like the thought of having a fan in the seat especially after I visit chipotle……
its more accommodating on long trips over the Passat and Mazda 6 as far as driver room.
the 4 banger will seat you and rocket the car… not like a V8 but close enough.
it handles well in the turns, I haven’t really been able to get the backend loose but, I can smoke a tire.
now for the Grips
well its a let down already.
first few things to note…
you only get 2 oil changes free… while VW gives you 6 and so does some other comparable cars.
you have lane assist but no auto wipers. and at 70MPH the wipers struggle to stay on the window and return…
MPG listings on the window are for City driving of avg 18 to 30 mph for highway of 50 to 60 go above that and watch the MPG’s fall off. where I live the HWY is 70MPH… that = 29MPG… 9 better than my 5.3L Pickup
also requires 91 octane or better.
dismal head lights, while other MFG’s have their HIDS turn with the steering wheel… I go POS halogen not so intelligent beam throw back to the 1974 Caddy.
Rolling road noise is akin to the steel roller skates of the 70’s
rear speakers buzz and well why the hell did blows even lend its name to that system.
its imbalanced and lacking any controls that really matter. yes you get volume bass mid and highs adjustments but my Sony Walkman tape player had those on it too.
so I am stuck with a car that can steer back in to its lane yet isn’t technology savvy enough to turn its 80 focal bmw reminiscent headlights around the corner.
Over all if your going to dump some 30K+ on a car, don’t be dumb like me and waist it on this over hyped let down … go find a used BMW, or Merc, it will be money better spent even with the repair costs.
buy a Honda or a Kia… what ever you spend your money on, if its not this car you will be happier.
By the way I have owned a BMW, Hyundai, VW, Nissan, Chrysler, etc. and have spent over a Million miles driving.