Capsule Review 2015 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ

Capsule Review: 2015 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ -

The Malibu was quite good. It looked good. He drove pretty well. It sold in decent number

But that was between 08 and 2012.

---

• US Market Price tested :. $ 33,380

• Power: 196 @ 6300 rpm

• torque: 191 lb-ft at 4400 rpm

• observed fuel economy: 23.5 mpg

---

The 2013 Malibu was not so great. It does not look good. He was not driving so well. It was not very nice inside. It did not sell so well.

But with the speed of a cat lover favouriting furiously tweets bath cats, GM refreshed Malibu for model year 2014. Verdict :. The update was inadequate

GM deserves credit, and Im not even kidding, to understand that the 2013 Malibu was not good enough, and even more brownie point to realize that the 2014/2015 Malibu update is unsatisfactory, too. GM is going to introduce a new Malibu for the 2016 model year, fast forward to the next generation a matter of urgency in a market that sees Honda Accord and Toyota Camry persist for at least five years.

Ill be honest, I do not think that 2015 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ lent me a week GM Canada was a bad car at all. I say this not because, as some suggest, "There is no such thing as a bad car in 2015," but rather because a midsize sedan $ 35,810 CAD is probably somewhere half decent to spend time in 2015. Its not a Mitsubishi Mirage. It is not a Chevrolet Malibu 07.

But there are big questions. Overall, the questions led me to believe that most midsize cars in 2015 are better than the Malibu in most ways.

The 2016 Malibu is not to suffer the same fate.

In order to make the cu rrent Malibu more fuel efficient - the base 2012 Malibu was rated at 22/33 mpg, this car is 25/36 - a stop-start system was set up to stop all greedy idle. Okay, or it would be, but the stop-start system in Malibu is the worst Ive encountered. Stop-Start systems are supposed to restart the engine mellifluously even surreptitiously. 2015 Malibu, to snatch at an intersection when the light turns green, the car cranks as if it is the first time on a winter morning in Winnipeg. This must be set for MY2016.

The 196-horsepower 2.5L four cylinder is not a big power plant outside its stop-start system sick. Coarse above 4000 rpm, also known as 2300 rpm shy of the peak power of the 2.5L, the 2.5L causes Malibu to feel slower than it actually is because you do not want rev and it does not rev.

Oh, but of course you can upgrade the powertrain 2.0L GM turbocharged four-cylinder (63 extra horses and a big 295 lb-ft of torque), and this price, why don t you? Give up some of the features of the LTZ for a LT with the engine itself and the Malibu erases one of its major flaws.

Another engine does not significantly alter the ride and handling, and this is not the end of the world. Malibu does not hurt rises, but there is a certain rigidity that is missing a proportional performance in the agility and handling precision. Honda Accord and Mazda 6 also transmit impacts in the cabin, but they pay dividends on a road. When pushed, the biggest expense Malibu to drive it really is. However, in the mundane, the steering light and surprisingly flexible and progressive brakes cause no offense.

Offense could be taken by people behind the driver, however, not only inside the Malibu, but the vehicle behind. Subjectively, the front end of the Malibu is beautiful, but the back is a caricature and heavy, causing the driver of the car behind you to avoid his eyes. As for the rear occupants, scalloped front seats introduced in 2014 offered little significant improvement for the rear passengers. A massive central bulge severely restricted three in comfort. There can be no demerit Malibu more egregious than the rear cabin of car-like compact.

At the front, the interior is laid out efficiently, but we had some boring moments with Chevrolet MyLink, an experience that did not take place during the week before with a Buick LaCrosse . Turn the knob to scroll through the satellite periodically accomplished nothing radio stations, but a look back at the screen for a moment or two later revealed an intense scroll, likely caused by what I perceived to be my unsuccessful attempt scan the list of channels. Overall, the system continues to be intuitive enough but was constantly laggy in this car.

It all adds to an undesirable machine a transport device that is unlikely to cause undue hardship, but is struggling to do its job as effectively as its competitors. Yet, I would say that a dedicated GM buyer does not need to look outside of the Chevy showroom. Cruze, particularly a charge that will still cost thousands less than what Malibu test specimen, made a faithful impersonation of a large car in dynamic terms. The interior of the Cruze is only 5% smaller. And if large car space is really needed a V6 engine Impala is only slightly more expensive than this specific Malibu. Forget the characteristics of Malibu LTZ :. Space is a luxury

Or you can just wait. As we have learned, there is always a new Malibu around the corner.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net , which obsesses on free and frequent publication of US and Canadian sales figures of automobiles.