2016 Malibu Hybrid Review

Surprise Surprise

My perception of the Malibu has always been picking one up from the rental counter and having it get me to my hotel and meetings, while at the same time desperately wanting to give it back. Well that’s all changed now with a pretty new body and an interior that makes it a nice place to be. Even better is you can now get a gas motor with electric assist………no more rental fleets for this sedan. Now the 2016 Malibu Hybrid may be late to the party, but it’s not sitting in the corner sipping on a non alcoholic beer either.  Our tester arrived in silver ice metallic and the only add on was a Driver Confidence Package, which includes Collision Alert, Cross Traffic Alert, Park Assist, Lane Keep Assist, Pedestrian Detection and auto high beam control. The lane keep assist is fairly aggressive and if you don’t use turn signals it tries to drag you back into your lane. We turned it off.

New for 2016 is a 300 lb weight reduction and a 4 inch longer wheelbase for improved ride comfort. The hybrid technology leverages components from the Volt, however unlike the Volt, you can’t plug it in. Other parts include the blended braking system, A/C compressor, the auxiliary power module, and most of the hybrid transaxle as well as a high-power and more efficient 80-cell, 1.5 kWh lithium-ion battery, which weighs significantly less  than batteries used in other large volume hybrids sedans.

So How Does It Go?

The Electric mode can kick in at speeds up to 55 mph and works for short stretches if you’re pretty careful with the throttle, although there’s no full electric mode or any mode that the driver can choose instead the Malibu’s electronic brain makes those decisions for you. Floor it and  the gas engine is required to accelerate in most situations; move slowly away from a stop light and it’s beautifully smooth, with electric only power.  The transition between electric and gas is the smoothest I have tried and except for the engine noise, there is no way to tell it is even shifting gears.

I liked the blended braking system, there’s is very little of that deadness you get in some hybrids and it doesn’t feel artificial as you push through the regenerative portion of its travel. From the inside it very quiet and serene and most of the time you can’t hear the engine starting up or shutting down. As I mentioned earlier 2016 Malibu is larger yet lighter.  You don’t notice the extra weight, but there is some space eaten out of the trunk by the battery. Ride and handling is pretty good. Turn is good and understeer is pretty well controlled helped by decent steering which is not too light and gives some feedback. The suspension is very compliant but doesn’t float over uneven pavement, making for well a generally controlled attitude.

We launched the Hybrid from 0-60 mph in 7.4 seconds, which is pretty good for a midsize car in this class, and generally quicker than most of it’s competition.

Having a fairly heavy right foot I didn’t match the EPA numbers but came away with a respectable 32 mpg for the week and returned it with a half a tank left, a first.

Every Teen’s Worst Nightmare

The all-new 2016 Chevrolet Malibu will debut Teen Driver, a system that provides parents with a tool to help encourage safe driving habits for their kids, even when they are not in the car with them. Teen Driver supports safe driving habits by muting the audio of the radio or any device paired with the vehicle when front seat occupants aren’t wearing their safety belts, and it gives audible and visual warnings when the vehicle is traveling faster than preset speeds.

This feature is the first in the industry with a built-in system that lets parents view on a display how their teenager drove the vehicle. Maximum speed reached, distance driven and number of times active safety features were engaged all can be confirmed.

The Malibu can keep track of the following:

• Distance driven
• Maximum speed traveled
• Over-speed warnings issued
• Stability control events
• Antilock brake events
• Forward Collision Alerts, if equipped
• Forward Collision Braking events, if equipped

Gone are the days of picking up your mates and doing handbrakes turns in the parking lot.

Inside

The first thing you notice, if you open the trunk is that it’s slightly smaller than the gasoline models, in fact you lose 4.2 cubic feet of space, but it’s not too bad.  The rest of the interior looks pretty good, supportive seats, although I would have preferred leather, which is an option, but wasn’t fitted on the test car. The dash and facia  has quite attractive fabric insets, whjich reminded me of dark Spiderman, but it did contract well with the rest of the interior. materials quality has taken a leap and for the most part are soft feel. A hint of scratchy plastic resides if you reach down to the depths between the seat and arm rest but I am nitpicking here. The overall perception is very good.

GM’s touch screen is very easy to use and we were able to connect an IPhone to Bluetooth in about 15 seconds. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for smartphones are standard but we didn’t try it but know it works well having used it on other GM vehicles.

Verdict

The problem that Chevy has had to counter is apathy, in the past people haven’t cared too much about their mainstream sedans and have flocked to buy Trucks and Sports cars instead. You have to think again now because Chevy has built a very good product here in the Malibu Hybrid. The Malibu has gone from the bottom of the class to nearly the top. Go drive it, it’s impressive.

2016 Malibu Hybrid Specifications