this is by far the best, most balanced review of this car. not too condescending, not too unbiased, just straight and honest about the pros and cons. this is a handsome vehicle with great exterior and interior styling, along with decent performance, but it does have some huge shortcomings. most notably the interior volume.
Still like the malibu vs the over pushed Korean and Japanese cars. Plenty of room for me as well at 6ft tall. No gripes here, it's a mid size car you can't expect much room! Wife loves hers and fits our family of 4 perfect!
trust me...test drive one...the engine is a beast, and the ride is pretty smooth. but the new Malibu with the turbo is really interesting me...I think I will go for a test drive pretty soon.
Autos Fan they think thet are ganna get a REALLY FAST CAR...its a basic sedan. I think its a good car. I dont care about speed. Just a nice car that looks good and drives good
I want your advise Steve. I'm in the market for a personal sedan, and I'm looking at either the 200 with the V6, or this new Malibu with the turbo engine. I test drove the 200, and I really like the engine. Do you think this Malibu could be in the same league as the 200, and does it feel sportier?
Hyundai/Kia may hav made some boo boos about their MPG rating. In fact the EPA might've knocked out MPGs down a little, but its with their smaller vehicles. The Sonata Turbo is still at 34 mpg highway.
If their products were competitive then it would more than a band-aid solution. Continuing to compete with "Larger, lighter, more powerful, faster, and more fuel efficient" imports says it all.
Not the same engines at all. The old 2.3T was SAAB specific and a very nice piece. The 2.0T is also nice is from the Ecotec engine family. It's the same engine found in the old Cobalt SS, Solstice GXP/Saturn Sky Turbo, and the new Buick Regal Turbo.
Rented a 2012 Malibu LTZ, top of the line! Talk about driving like nothing in its class! The ride and handling was by far more refined than the Camry and Altima.
I feel as though that the Malibu really needs an 8 speed transmission in order to fix the fuel economy gap, which would also improve performance as well. The 2.5 Malibu is some 4MPG short of the best car in this class when it comes to highway fuel economy. If I were Chevy I would go as far as to scrap the Eassist system in the Malibu eco in favor of the new 1.6T and 8 speed combination. If they can push 38-40MPG highway for the Malibu Eco and for $23,000 then they would have a clear winner.
I like the part at the end about the Sonata. Although I would have used the Kia as comparison simply because it is way more awesome looking than the Sonata :P But gees oh man this car is expensive. Might as well step up to a Regal turbo.
Reason for the lack of room in the back? The Malibu shares the same GM platform as the Buick Regal, a smaller upscale sports sedan. That could be the biggest demerit.
The Malibu still is better built than the Sonata and its a great over all car. My problem with the Malibu isnt the mpg or smaller rear seat leg room, im not sitting back there anyway. Its the price. Way too expensive compared to other car models.
they're repaying it , so it's not like the bandaid was free . Though i'll agree that the Malibu disappoint me , I find the cruze to be a great car and great competitor to its class . hopefully the sale reflect to steer GM away from the old mindset .
Its a step up from the last Malibu for sure, but still two steps behind everyone else. That manual shift button is really stupid btw... Two words: Paddle Shift...
actually, gm cleaned up its act, and their cars are selling. just saying. hyundai sonata turbo goes from 0-60 in 6.5 secs, the 2013 malibu does it in 6.3. in short, no real difference anyone can feel, but if it's important, the malibu is faster. the sonata gets 22/34 the malibu gets 21/30. significant difference in highway, but to me no big deal. there is a $1500-2000 difference in favor of the sonata, but you can bet there will be discounting. in short, both are good cars, malibu sells.
I dont think comparing this car to the Sonata made sense, because the Malibu has a more muscular and agressive design while the Sonata has an upscale and conservative look. I think the Kia Optima Turbo wich is basically a Sonata would be a better comparison. Well the Optima is definetly better than the Malibu inside/out.
I will never understand why Chevy didn't launch the Malibu with this car....ugghhh...makes no sense to me, it almost seemed like they made a huge mistake launching the ho-hum Eco first
Did you know that the engineers who designed the 2013 Chevy Malibu were all women? I'm not being sexist here, but they did not redesign it to be better than other best-selling midsize sedans. The interior mateials, feaures, and style was nice, but the engine choices, fuel economy, and passenger volume is a letdown. Hopefully a 2014 Impala would solve these problems for most people, but I would say that the Malibu is for couples with small kids. It's better to lease it rather than owning one.
It is a horrible decision for ford and chevy taking the plung to 4cyl. The engine will be much noisier than its 6cyl rivals. They will eventually go back the v6 with the next refresh. 4 cyl turbo are ment for compacts not mid sized sedans.
The front end looks great. Rear looks cheap like a toy r us child's toy. The fact u can see the ugly square mufflers doesn't help. Good effort but GM products are not reliable and are overpriced!
Poor design, giving up passenger space for more trunk room, stupid designers and engineers, then you wonder why it lacks behind the others in the class. Only reason to buy this segment is for roominess and spaciousness, GM: stop with the "hunkered down" motif in your vehicles, it don't work!
this is by far the best, most balanced review of this car. not too condescending, not too unbiased, just straight and honest about the pros and cons.
this is a handsome vehicle with great exterior and interior styling, along with decent performance, but it does have some huge shortcomings. most notably the interior volume.
Still like the malibu vs the over pushed Korean and Japanese cars. Plenty of room for me as well at 6ft tall. No gripes here, it's a mid size car you can't expect much room! Wife loves hers and fits our family of 4 perfect!
Great review. I'd rather just get the V6 Accord.
Got to be careful though becasue the Eco and the Turbo are 2 different cars...I felt the same way about the Eco - pretty bad.
trust me...test drive one...the engine is a beast, and the ride is pretty smooth.
but the new Malibu with the turbo is really interesting me...I think I will go for a test drive pretty soon.
I just got a 2015 LTZ
I actually like this car! Why do so many hate it? It looks pretty good, even though I suppose it could do better.
Autos Fan they think thet are ganna get a REALLY FAST CAR...its a basic sedan. I think its a good car. I dont care about speed. Just a nice car that looks good and drives good
Excelente vehículo!! Definitivamente es el mejor de su categoría.
Ima get this car
I want your advise Steve.
I'm in the market for a personal sedan, and I'm looking at either the 200 with the V6, or this new Malibu with the turbo engine. I test drove the 200, and I really like the engine.
Do you think this Malibu could be in the same league as the 200, and does it feel sportier?
Yep, on the comparo test with their naturally aspirated I-4, it finished dead last in their comparison test.
I think this new Malibu is the best of the bunch!
The Malibu feels fresher overall but the 200 is a pretty darn good little car.
If is possible, in your videos, to mention things like if the vehicle you're reviewing has good(or bad) low and high beam visibility?
Also, the Hyundai Sonata doesn't offer lane-departure warning or adaptive cruise control.
Hyundai/Kia may hav made some boo boos about their MPG rating. In fact the EPA might've knocked out MPGs down a little, but its with their smaller vehicles. The Sonata Turbo is still at 34 mpg highway.
If their products were competitive then it would more than a band-aid solution. Continuing to compete with "Larger, lighter, more powerful, faster, and more fuel efficient" imports says it all.
Not the same engines at all. The old 2.3T was SAAB specific and a very nice piece. The 2.0T is also nice is from the Ecotec engine family. It's the same engine found in the old Cobalt SS, Solstice GXP/Saturn Sky Turbo, and the new Buick Regal Turbo.
Its still a nicer version of the Sebring. They are decent cars. I'd wait for the next gen though
the sonata turbo is faster? i thought they said it had similar 0-60 times as the camry hybrid
It might not be as well built as a Sonata...but at least it doesn't look as freakin gay. Great video...I'd still buy the Malibu.
I've driven both and the Malibu is FAR more comfortable, plush seats!!! The seats in the Sonata are horribly thin and kill your butt!
Do you think the Malibu is a good car for big guys to drive? Easy to get in/out of?
plenty2say
I'm a big guy, and I fit in no problem. I'm 6ft. 235lb muscular.
I should be fine then...5'11 fat slob...by choice LOL. Thanks for letting me know.
Rented a 2012 Malibu LTZ, top of the line! Talk about driving like nothing in its class! The ride and handling was by far more refined than the Camry and Altima.
You can get a very nice Malibu, well equipped, no leather or roof, for around $25k
Steve, you're right about the room though okay; it's not like what you've said about the Accord and the VW Pasaat.
really good bargain for v6 power back when they had 3k cashback incentives. id prefer an avenger though
I feel as though that the Malibu really needs an 8 speed transmission in order to fix the fuel economy gap, which would also improve performance as well. The 2.5 Malibu is some 4MPG short of the best car in this class when it comes to highway fuel economy.
If I were Chevy I would go as far as to scrap the Eassist system in the Malibu eco in favor of the new 1.6T and 8 speed combination. If they can push 38-40MPG highway for the Malibu Eco and for $23,000 then they would have a clear winner.
I like the part at the end about the Sonata. Although I would have used the Kia as comparison simply because it is way more awesome looking than the Sonata :P But gees oh man this car is expensive. Might as well step up to a Regal turbo.
they should make a turbo charged v6 then I would buy it
I don't like the Fusion interior but the Malibu's looks so old fashioned.
The matrials afeel of the Chevy are leaps ahead of Sonata but 30MPG highway for a forced induction I4 is HOREENDOUS, the 270HP Sonata turbo gets 34MPG
Reason for the lack of room in the back? The Malibu shares the same GM platform as the Buick Regal, a smaller upscale sports sedan. That could be the biggest demerit.
Sonata Turbo is about 3/10ths of a second faster by my numbers.
I really hope the new SS doesn't sport these style tail lights. I don't even like them on the Camaro! I like the front and the interior is nice too.
if this is the same engine as the 2.3 Turbo that was in the SAAB 95, I want one today! else it is a risk i would not be willing to take.
I actually like the design, It's the only mid-size sedan that doesn't look girly; Unlike the Fusion, Accord, Sonata, Altima or Camry!
The Malibu still is better built than the Sonata and its a great over all car. My problem with the Malibu isnt the mpg or smaller rear seat leg room, im not sitting back there anyway. Its the price. Way too expensive compared to other car models.
they're repaying it , so it's not like the bandaid was free . Though i'll agree that the Malibu disappoint me , I find the cruze to be a great car and great competitor to its class . hopefully the sale reflect to steer GM away from the old mindset .
There's no reason to get this over the Accord. Passenger volume, mpg, resale, true cost to own and power?
Is this car made in usa or korea? could someone answer me please
J - Martin USA
You may want to double check the Sonata Turbo's mpg figures, because you know.
As always!
I think we all know that someone can ride in the trunk, as long as they are going swimming with the fishes afterwards.
Don't know why, Steve, but apparently your camera transitioned three times in the beginning of this video.
No comparison. This is a Chevy. Middle America doesn't want a Hyundai.
"Camaro's father"?
That's a new one.
Anyway, the Malibu will always be one of the best family cars to own! When it comes the Chevy brand.
I ratherbenjoy the looks of this car. Love the wheels. Just not my cpm of tea. I don't want to blend in, and I would with this.
According to motortrend, this thing is not even a car, it's a collection of everything one doesn't want from the rentals! Lol
Its a step up from the last Malibu for sure, but still two steps behind everyone else. That manual shift button is really stupid btw... Two words: Paddle Shift...
For this price I am gonna have to go with the Charger RT
The trunk space is not really "class leading". 16 cubic feet. That's the same space that the Passat and Accord has give or take 0.1 cubic feet.
actually, gm cleaned up its act, and their cars are selling. just saying.
hyundai sonata turbo goes from 0-60 in 6.5 secs, the 2013 malibu does it in 6.3. in short, no real difference anyone can feel, but if it's important, the malibu is faster.
the sonata gets 22/34 the malibu gets 21/30. significant difference in highway, but to me no big deal.
there is a $1500-2000 difference in favor of the sonata, but you can bet there will be discounting.
in short, both are good cars, malibu sells.
My malibu 2015 has a 3.0 v6
it's a great steering wheel, why shouldn't they spread it around?
I like 2012 than 2013 malibu because of the face of the car and its more bigger
I dont think comparing this car to the Sonata made sense, because the Malibu has a more muscular and agressive design while the Sonata has an upscale and conservative look. I think the Kia Optima Turbo wich is basically a Sonata would be a better comparison. Well the Optima is definetly better than the Malibu inside/out.
Why did the US bail out GM for them to produce cars like this?
Id bet this gets better MPG than the Hyundai (and their 775 million dollar lawsuit for lying about false MPG claims)
outside, Chevy
inside, Cadalliac
the 200 is far behind the midsize sedan pack
$34k for a Malibu? You can buy so man other cars with a luxury badge for that. Funny how Acura had this styling 5 years ago.
or make an "ss" version of it and put a v8 in it then it would be cool
I will never understand why Chevy didn't launch the Malibu with this car....ugghhh...makes no sense to me, it almost seemed like they made a huge mistake launching the ho-hum Eco first
sales are so low!!!
Camry killer
I hate those small mirrors!!!!
Did you know that the engineers who designed the 2013 Chevy Malibu were all women? I'm not being sexist here, but they did not redesign it to be better than other best-selling midsize sedans. The interior mateials, feaures, and style was nice, but the engine choices, fuel economy, and passenger volume is a letdown. Hopefully a 2014 Impala would solve these problems for most people, but I would say that the Malibu is for couples with small kids. It's better to lease it rather than owning one.
$70,000 in Brazil....... =\
It is a horrible decision for ford and chevy taking the plung to 4cyl. The engine will be much noisier than its 6cyl rivals. They will eventually go back the v6 with the next refresh. 4 cyl turbo are ment for compacts not mid sized sedans.
The front end looks great. Rear looks cheap like a toy r us child's toy. The fact u can see the ugly square mufflers doesn't help. Good effort but GM products are not reliable and are overpriced!
Beautiful, but of course overpriced like mostly all of GM's vehicles... :-/
Poor design, giving up passenger space for more trunk room, stupid designers and engineers, then you wonder why it lacks behind the others in the class. Only reason to buy this segment is for roominess and spaciousness, GM: stop with the "hunkered down" motif in your vehicles, it don't work!
Annoying yet informative.
Funny. That's what I always say about you.
Is this car made in usa or korea? could someone answer me please