Once again, the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu has been spied wearing plenty of heavy camouflage.
However, all of that camo may be more deceiving than necessary. Despite the upcoming mid-cycle refresh, the 2019 Malibu is likely to only receive minor tweaks to the exterior design.
Expect the 2019 Malibu to potentially don updated lights, bumpers and other subtle tweaks. We expect the interior design to remain relatively unchanged. The same can be said for the powertrains as well. GM most recently added its latest nine-speed automatic to the Chevrolet Malibu, which leads us to believe significant changes won’t be found with the refresh.
If anything, additional technology and other active safety features may be the 2019 Malibu’s calling card.
The current Malibu, while competitive, has gone somewhat unloved as consumers flock to crossovers and other SUVs. Still, GM is holdings its ground and the Chevrolet brand remains one of the only names to offer a vehicle among every single segment in the business.
Spy shots: SEMA
Comments
I have a feeling when the new 2018 Camry and Accord hit the road the Malibu will be in serious trouble. It’s already 43-46 hp short to the new Toyota with the base engine and 51 horses short on the optional power upgrade when comparing the V6 to the turbo 2.0. It also uses a newer 8 speed automatic and is rated for 4 better MPG on the highway. I’m sure the new Accord will be similar. Once again the Malibu will be left well behind because GM refuses to upgraded powertrains until a complete new model comes out these days. The 2018 XTS is a perfect example of this along with the Equinox/Terrain refreshes several years back.
Im big GM fan but can’t understand why they have to wait until a complete end of model cycle to do upgrade, other makers are sometimes doing upgrades every year with engines and trannies
I would wait and see. Actually since the 9 Speed addition, the Malibu has gotten quicker and the MPG and the MPG on the 2018 Camry do match. But systemically. Perceptions will always keep Malibu at the bottom. And now a newer aggressively styled Camry that is more refined (lower trim Camry get more hard touch plastic) and an obviously more styled up accord will still eat away at the Malibu. Always has and will continue the trend. I do hope that the 1.5t gets the power upgrades. It would do good. A Cruze LT is faster than a Malibu LT. Depending on how well upgraded the Malibu and Cruze are, I may change my mind on buying a VW.
Malibu in its current iteration is fine and has gotten a fair share of positive feedback.
It boils down to market perception and everyone jocking the tailpipes of Camry and Accord. People in this segment seem to buy out of need for a reliable appliance that will get them from point A to B without fuss. If driving dynamics, design and style were priorities, the Mazda 6 would be the run away sales leader; not a dowdy Camry or staid Accord. Basically you buy a Camry, keep it for a few years and then trade it in for an updated model. Rinse and Repeat.
The camry is a UGLY piece of $HIT toyota
Too the current Toyota Camry is dull, boring, limited features, and does not have great fuel efficiency. Hence why I see them at rental lots…Oh, and they seem to be a taxi car too.
If you are going to talk about a future vehicle, then talk about the other manufacturer’s future cars and possibilities. Nothing is confirmed, so you are only speculating. But even you do not want to say anything about the current Camry because their really isn’t much to say about it…
The reality is the market has shifted away from mid-sized cars so the real emphasis is on more functionality and SUVS. Dont look for massive investments from any manufacturer in mid-sized cars in the future. Reality.
The camry is a UGLY piece of GARBAGE just like everything else toyota makes
The top part of every Chevrolet instrument panel is cheap hard plastics. I know a bunch of people that didn’t purchase due to that reason alone.They felt the car was built cheaply.
I could be wrong but I believe Chevrolet is the only automaker left that doesn’t have soft touch dash all throughout. I seriously do not understand their thinking because everything else about their cars are truly segment leading or pretty darn close.
This. Whoever down voted you doesn’t understand these impressions matter to the Malibu’s market. I did the same thing in an Equinox and saw swarms of hard and cheap plastic throughout. All it did was mess with my value proposition and make me question GM’s decisions. I’m sure the car is built well, but I’m sick of these cheap decisions.
That and I find the new Malibu’s interior quite ugly, especially the plasti-chrome around the interior and the front fascia. But that’s just my opinion on the design.
Honestly I feel it’s sad that perceiving that the “cheap” plastic is bad. It still looks great and high quality when properly grained and holds up to wear and tear these days. When I clean the the interior of my 11 Cruze, it still looks high quality with the hard touch plastic. At this rate I no longer care between plastic and vinyl as long as it is high quality in look and feel
I like the new wheels, but if they don’t add an over ride button for the start-stop I don’t even want another one as a rental.
I don’t understand the hate for stop start…. I mean the thing doesn’t even come on all the time when you come to a stop lol… it only comes on when it feels like it. If it comes on just put it on manual mode lol
I’m lazy… shifting isn’t something that I want to think about.
Also, the one I rented felt like coming on a lot, because it was every time that I had to stop, and it’s annoying as hell.
“The current Malibu, while competitive, has gone somewhat unloved..” Not entirely true. I have seen many new Malibu sedans since last year. Most were bought after trading in an import sedan. The Chevy Malibi competes very well against other top sedans from Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai.
GM has always cut corners building their small cars because they don’t make much money on them .
A few years ago cars like the Cavalier were so poorly built ,but the cars were considered throw-away-cars , meaning the segment that were buying them looked at them as basic transportation . And GM needed to sell them to abide by CAFE rules .
Now the customer for small cars is much more savvy and the competition is brutal with options you usually only saw in higher priced automobiles .
GM could do what Ford plans to do and build all of their small cars in Mexico to help increase profits .
One would love to see Chevrolet Malibu Chief Engineer Jesse Ortega to ask Chevy Camaro Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser for suggestions on how to bring a ILE suspension package to the Malibu because while it’s not possible to get more horsepower, a better suspension set up will make any drive a lot more fun.
There’s little that can be changed on the outside of the Chevrolet Malibu’s appearance; although, it might be interesting on something under the sheetmetal like a Camaro 1LE inspired suspension.
It will be interesting to see what ends up of the nose and tail of this car.
I think the latest round of Chev redesigns (Cruze, Malibu, Equinox) all look similar, and are bland and lack personality. Probably pretty aerodynamic, but not so much dynamic. The back of the Cruze and Equinox remind me of Hyundai’s from 15 years ago. Really, no LED tail lights in 2017?
I don’t get all the love fir soft touch surfaces. What the hell are you people doing, getting in the car and massaging the dashboard? Come on, if it saves me some money load it up with plastic. What I want to spend money on is higher performance engines and suspensions.
the camry is a piece of GARBAGE every year it gets UGLIER and UGLIER I would rather drive the Malibu than to drive any GARBAGE JUNK and TRASH made by toyota
Camry only looks good in the 2 top end trims. Other than that it’s still vanilla. It’s also kinda noteworthy that the Malibu with the 2.0 t and 9 speed combo can keep up with the V6 Camry XSE as both do run about 5.6-5.7 seconds. But do kinda wish Chevy would stop putting hard plastics on the upper dash and door trims. Even the last gen don’t have any hard touch plastics on the upper dash and doors