Brenda Catches Malibu Testing

[Z-06]

Chevrolet Malibu Spied

Chevrolet's current Malibu was a huge success when the company needed it, winning a place on our 2008 10Best list and proving that the bow-tie brand could build more than monster SUVs and pickup trucks. Now that the compact Cruze, even smaller Aveo, and minute Spark are all on their way, the Malibu is up for a little refresh.

The current car is sleek enough, but the overall design isn't particularly elaborate. The 2012 model will change that with a bit more rake to the beltline, echoed by a faint crease in the body side. The nose and tail will certainly see the most change, but our spies weren't quick enough with their cameras to catch the front of the car. In the tail, we see additional ornamentation around the trunk, which is recessed deeper into the surround sheetmetal and plastic. The top of the decklid appears to taper into a sort of flat, ducktail shape, like the more-controversial BMW designs of the last decade.

While it won't look worlds different, the new Malibu will be comprehensively altered beneath the skin. It will join the Buick Regal and LaCrosse on GM's new Epsilon II platform, an evolution of the current car's Epsilon I bones. It will be slightly wider and a little taller, alleviating our primary concerns about the interior. Materials used inside the car supposedly will be vastly improved, although we hope the money to do so didn't come out of the design budget—the stylish cockpit is one of our favorite things about the current car. Expect to see the HiPer strut system recently unveiled on the 2010 Buick Lacrosse to find its way onto top Malibu trim levels.

No doubt this is just the beginning for spies stalking the Malibu, as the car's introduction probably won't happen until the 2011 Detroit auto show. Stay tuned for more photos—maybe we'll even get one of the nose next time.

[source: Car and Driver]

Link to Images

[Robert Hall]

Looks consistent with the patent drawings posted here last week.

[CSpec]

Short wheelbase.

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Spied: First images of 2012 Chevrolet Malibu

03/26/2010, 6:13 PMBY DREW JOHNSON

A leaky patent office gave us our first look at the revised 2012 Chevrolet Malibu, but our spy photographers have just sent us the first live images of the updated sedan. Riding on a new Epsilon II platform, the 2012 Malibu is expected to make its official debut in late 2010 or early 2011.

Judging from the latest images and the previous drawings, the 2012 Malibu will retain many of the design cues of the current car, albeit with a fresher look. The front headlights appear to have a jeweled look, not unlike the treatment seen on the 2011 Buick Regal. Chevrolet’s signature cross-bar grille, however, remains front and center.

The rear of the Malibu also appears to be in line for an update, with the taillights receiving a Camaro-like treatment.

It’s been reported that the Malibu will shrink a bit in its next iteration, but the extent of that downsizing remains unknown. The current Malibu rides on a 112.3 inch wheelbase, but it remains to be seen if the Malibu will adopt the Buick LaCrosse’s 111.7 inch wheelbase or the Regal’s shorter 107.8 inch wheelbase, although the former seems more likely. Both the LaCrosse and Regal ride on the Epsilon II platform.

With a 2012 model year designation, expect the new Malibu to bow at the beginning of the next auto show season – in either Los Angeles or Detroit – with an on sale date sometime in 2011.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/chevrolet-malibu-2012.html

That car looks shorter. It now looks like it is equal to a Buick Regal in size. Apparently the current one is more LaCrosse in size although it too is shorter than La Crosse. That car has to be between 188-191 inches long. The Chevrolet Celebrity from the 1980's was a 188 inches long. The first W bodies were 188-192 inches long. They were wider.

I think the wheelbase makes it appear shorter, but I bet it is 188-190 inches long. That car is going to be sold in other countries too. That is why those taillamps have amber turn signal indicators.

[Robert Hall]

Dimensions, for what it's worth:

'11 Regal 107.8/190.2/73.1

'10 lacrosse 111.7/196.9/73.1

'10 malibu 112.3/191.8/70.3

I assume the next Malibu will be very similar to the Regal dimensionally.

[balthazar]

Looks a lot smoother than the patent drawing interpretations here looked, but I expected that. Decent evolution, not radical, which is good.

[ocnblu]

Looks good so far. Sportier. Ford's Fusion is the sportiest domestic midsizer since the Pontiac G6 died an untimely death.

Let me continue to beat the Malibu Coupe drum.

[hyperv6]

Like I said it is foolish to judge the car just on the line drawings.

Even with these photos we get a little better idea but we should still wait till it is near final trim. We know much less about GM cars now till late in the developmen so we need to watch or rush to judgment anymore. No more 5 year sneek peeks like the Camaro anymore.

I think most will be happy with the final result. I see a lot of Camaro in the rear. Nice to see Chevy getting back to a family theme.

[regfootball]

Looks consistent with the patent drawings posted here last week.

this

Short wheelbase.

this.

i would say its a reasonable evolution of the current one, at the same time it breaks no new ground. this is anonymous where the current one is iconic and unique.

it won't stand out and it does nothing daring. it won't be a lasting design on the market, it'll already be a bit dated when it hits.

for me, if it solves the malibu's functional issues (small trunk, cramped in spots inside, cheap interior, additional refinement), then we may be ok.

its almost like they are trying to breed a cross between the current malibu, the current jetta, and the current accord.

problem is the market moves fast. if the 012 malibu has a four year run even, that means this design will be through 2015 and i really think this will be stale long before that.

give them credit for committing to keeping current, i guess. this looks better than the patent drawings for sure.

that Brendy Priddy sure must be like a hawk to get these shots. Of course, they might have been staged........for the publicity....

if chevy thinks a 169hp four will be adequate for the engine for this in 2012, then i think they are mistaken.

I'd really like to see something a little more ground breaking in this segment pretty soon. Its pretty bad when Hyundai is taking the most risks in the segment.

Edited March 27, 2010 by regfootball

[Satty]

Wait, the G6 was sporty?

[regfootball]

Dimensions, for what it's worth:

'11 Regal 107.8/190.2/73.1

'10 lacrosse 111.7/196.9/73.1

'10 malibu 112.3/191.8/70.3

I assume the next Malibu will be very similar to the Regal dimensionally.

ah, the numbers prove that the current bu indeed is too narrow, like it looks.

a good size for a car in this class is 6 x 16 feet. i.e. 72x192. 110 inches is a good wheelbase. 58 inch height is good.

Edited March 27, 2010 by regfootball

[Drew Dowdell]

stop looking at peak HP numbers anymore, they are going to become irrelevant here real soon.

[regfootball]

Not sure how you can suggest that when the hyundai has the most hp AND the best mpg.

And. Sleeker styling. (better warranty and cheaper price too)

Edited March 27, 2010 by regfootball

[Z-06]

Looks a lot smoother than the patent drawing interpretations here looked, but I expected that. Decent evolution, not radical, which is good.

+1

Not sure how you can suggest that when the hyundai has the most hp AND the best mpg.

And. Sleeker styling. (better warranty and cheaper price too)

Infiniti G35/7 always boasts the most hp in its class but seldom has straight line performance which is top in the litter.

[hyperv6]

Wait, the G6 was sporty?

I think that means it had a spoiler?

HP will ve less a factor as we gain more gears and with the new Turbo DI VVT engines making torque in such a flat curve the number are a bit misleading to the real performance.

[Lamar]

Infiniti G35/7 always boasts the most hp in its class but seldom has straight line performance which is top in the litter.

It's also the second-heaviest car in its class too, behind the C350 by 10 lbs.

[Drew Dowdell]

Not sure how you can suggest that when the hyundai has the most hp AND the best mpg.

And. Sleeker styling. (better warranty and cheaper price too)

Because peak horsepower numbers only tell the story at one point in time.

For example, the 2.4 in the Lacrosse has it's peak horsepower right at redline, but the torque curve is almost flat. This is what direct injection gets you, very even low end torque.

The Hyundai gets its best MPG from the cars very light weight and the same torque advantages that direct injection gets.....the number that makes the Hyundai more compelling is the 186ft/lbs at 4200rpm such a light package. 200hp at 6300rpm isn't all that impressive.

[Paolino]

if chevy thinks a 169hp four will be adequate for the engine for this in 2012, then i think they are mistaken.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess they won't be using the current 2.4L--and will probably use the DI version instead, which by then hopefully will see a slight boost in power (which by the way currently puts out more power than the 2.5L engines in the Altima, Fusion, Camry and Accord LX.)

[Z-06]

It's also the second-heaviest car in its class too, behind the C350 by 10 lbs.

The numbers are not in favor now, than they were with the first G35, yet the lower pw/wt ratioed TL and 3er consistently handed G its rear.

[Croc]

Wait, the G6 was sporty?

I think that means it had a spoiler?

FTW

[Satty]

Not sure how you can suggest that when the hyundai has the most hp AND the best mpg.

The HP number is the only thing that makes an engine, right? So thats why you love Hondas so much.

[regfootball]

I think that means it had a spoiler?

HP will ve less a factor as we gain more gears and with the new Turbo DI VVT engines making torque in such a flat curve the number are a bit misleading to the real performance.

chevy family sedans sold in volume to value conscious customers won't have the expensive turbos.

GM is so f@#king cheap they can't even put aluminum wheels on an LT Malibu right now. Or a base LaCrosse. Or rubbermaid plastic on the door panels inside.

Something that Ed should fix right away.

Edited March 27, 2010 by regfootball

[regfootball]

Because peak horsepower numbers only tell the story at one point in time.

For example, the 2.4 in the Lacrosse has it's peak horsepower right at redline, but the torque curve is almost flat. This is what direct injection gets you, very even low end torque.

The Hyundai gets its best MPG from the cars very light weight and the same torque advantages that direct injection gets.....the number that makes the Hyundai more compelling is the 186ft/lbs at 4200rpm such a light package. 200hp at 6300rpm isn't all that impressive.

98% of the buyers won't take the time to look at or understand the chart. they will compare the numbers in the brochures and see the deficit of hp and torque in real numbers.

then they will see the cheaper price, longer warranty, and sleeker styling, more spacious and nicer interior of the hyundai. the chevy is nice, but.......

the hyundai may not be a smooth engine, because i think its a long stroke design, but in that case GM needs to get butts in the seats of each car, something they usually couldn't do vs. camry and accord.

Edited March 28, 2010 by regfootball

[regfootball]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess they won't be using the current 2.4L--and will probably use the DI version instead, which by then hopefully will see a slight boost in power (which by the way currently puts out more power than the 2.5L engines in the Altima, Fusion, Camry and Accord LX.)

and even so the malibu will be 2-300 pounds heavier. another strike. just sayin, the malibu has its work cut out for it. this new wrapper ain't gonna help its cause much.

the toyota bangers are moving over to the hyundai showroom.....

Edited March 28, 2010 by regfootball

[Lamar]

and even so the malibu will be 2-300 pounds heavier. another strike. just sayin, the malibu has its work cut out for it. this new wrapper ain't gonna help its cause much.

the toyota bangers are moving over to the hyundai showroom.....

Hard to argue that.

Assuming that the Malibu will be more or less the same size as the Regal, the Sonata will undercut it by 400 lbs. If they can shave weight somewhere...

Malibu's gonna have to win on other points such as refinement and driving dynamics (as far as can be had in a family sedan), as well as design and available equipment.

Edited March 28, 2010 by Lamar

[hyperv6]

chevy family sedans sold in volume to value conscious customers won't have the expensive turbos.

GM is so f@#king cheap they can't even put aluminum wheels on an LT Malibu right now. Or a base LaCrosse. Or rubbermaid plastic on the door panels inside.

Something that Ed should fix right away.

So that is not a turbo on the coming Cruze and Aveo? So I guess it is just a bump in the exhaust system?

The last time we took a big jump in CAFE we got fuel injection standard on every car. This time we will see smaller engines with Turbo industry wide or at least a turbo option on each model. Drastic CAFE times bring drastic technology changes.

I feel safe to say the 225 HP Turbo 4 from the Regal or a variation of it will show up as a option on the LT2 and LTZ. It will not make it a race car but it will be very drivable and give great mileage.

That my friend is value as Chevy used to do it. If I recall Chevy is the one who made the OHV V8 affordable for the average family sedan When most others were working with old flathead V8's and straight 6 and 8 engines.

Edited March 28, 2010 by hyperv6

[hyperv6]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess they won't be using the current 2.4L--and will probably use the DI version instead, which by then hopefully will see a slight boost in power (which by the way currently puts out more power than the 2.5L engines in the Altima, Fusion, Camry and Accord LX.)

If you recall GM anounced the large amount of money they were investing into the Ecotech to update it. Much of this will go to making it a smaller package and I am sure the effciency and performance will also see gains. I do not know the time line but they are working on it now.

I have to agree the torque curve on these engines with DI and VVT is amazing. Mine kicks to full Ft-lbs just over 2,000 RPM and hold it to over 5,000 RPM. The only thing I have ever driven with torque that flat was an electric car.

Edited March 28, 2010 by hyperv6

[regfootball]

Hard to argue that.

Assuming that the Malibu will be more or less the same size as the Regal, the Sonata will undercut it by 400 lbs. If they can shave weight somewhere...

Malibu's gonna have to win on other points such as refinement and driving dynamics (as far as can be had in a family sedan), as well as design and available equipment.

i think the malibu has a chance to be a better driver. but by then, toyotathon will be hyundaiday, perception is reality, the malibu will need to be cheaper, prettier, have more warranty, nicer interior, more trunk and passenger space, all that. but if they can't even make a case on the spec sheet, then they may be DOA.

I just think it would be a real advantage if this new one was stunning, and i know its just spy photos, but I cannot say from them there is a high probability of it being anything besides another anonymous 2012 midsize sedan. the interior had better be bangup.

what was scary to me, when i was at the autoshow and saw the cruze in person, it is one sharp looking car. so at least we can hold hope that the malibu has some of that going for it as well....that is something that doesn't show the best in photos but looks a lot better in person.

Edited March 28, 2010 by regfootball

[daves87rs]

So that is not a turbo on the coming Cruze and Aveo? So I guess it is just a bump in the exhaust system?

The last time we took a big jump in CAFE we got fuel injection standard on every car. This time we will see smaller engines with Turbo industry wide or at least a turbo option on each model. Drastic CAFE times bring drastic technology changes.

I feel safe to say the 225 HP Turbo 4 from the Regal or a variation of it will show up as a option on the LT2 and LTZ. It will not make it a race car but it will be very drivable and give great mileage.

That my friend is value as Chevy used to do it. If I recall Chevy is the one who made the OHV V8 affordable for the average family sedan When most others were working with old flathead V8's and straight 6 and 8 engines.

He just said what I was thinking.....

[regfootball]

So that is not a turbo on the coming Cruze and Aveo? So I guess it is just a bump in the exhaust system?

The last time we took a big jump in CAFE we got fuel injection standard on every car. This time we will see smaller engines with Turbo industry wide or at least a turbo option on each model. Drastic CAFE times bring drastic technology changes.

I feel safe to say the 225 HP Turbo 4 from the Regal or a variation of it will show up as a option on the LT2 and LTZ. It will not make it a race car but it will be very drivable and give great mileage.

That my friend is value as Chevy used to do it. If I recall Chevy is the one who made the OHV V8 affordable for the average family sedan When most others were working with old flathead V8's and straight 6 and 8 engines.

i hope you're right, but to be honest that turbo Aveo will be 21k, that turbo cruze will be 24k, and the turbo regal we already know will be 30k. Any Malibu with a turbo will be a higher trim level and will probably also hit 30k. Hyundai's turbo is coming soon for the Sonata, it will be of great interest to see how they package and sell that. The Volkswagen CC is a tish under 30k but GM likes to over MSRP their cars to leave slush room for incentives.

The best actual guess one can make is the Malibu LTZ is 29-30k and if the turbo is a sub for the v6 in concept then any turbo Malibu will be minimum high twenties. Most Malibus these days go out the door closer to 20 than 30 so there will be very few Malibu turbos. Even the CObalt turbo was 25-26....with a stick.

Pretty tough sell for a car that lots of dealers like to loss leader advertise at 16-17k after all 6 rebates now.......

Edited March 28, 2010 by regfootball

[daves87rs]

If you recall GM anounced the large amount of money they were investing into the Ecotech to update it. Much of this will go to making it a smaller package and I am sure the effciency and performance will also see gains. I do not know the time line but they are working on it now.

I have to agree the torque curve on these engines with DI and VVT is amazing. Mine kicks to full Ft-lbs just over 2,000 RPM and hold it to over 5,000 RPM. The only thing I have ever driven with torque that flat was an electric car.

You and I are on the same wavelink toady or something.....

For those Doubters, you only have to surf the net to see what kind of crazy stuff is being done to th Tec'....

These engines can take a crazy amount of abuse....and I can talk first hand of that one....

i hope you're right, but to be honest that turbo Aveo will be 21k, that turbo cruze will be 24k, and the turbo regal we already know will be 30k. Any Malibu with a turbo will be a higher trim level and will probably also hit 30k. Hyundai's turbo is coming soon for the Sonata, it will be of great interest to see how they package and sell that. The Volkswagen CC is a tish under 30k but GM likes to over MSRP their cars to leave slush room for incentives.

The best actual guess one can make is the Malibu LTZ is 29-30k and if the turbo is a sub for the v6 in concept then any turbo Malibu will be minimum high twenties. Most Malibus these days go out the door closer to 20 than 30 so there will be very few Malibu turbos. Even the CObalt turbo was 25-26....with a stick.

Depends om how cheap the new Tech on these cars will become...

Though I doubt the Aveo would hit 21k......

[regfootball]

some G3's had MSRP's north of 19 or dang close. No turbo.

[trinacriabob]

More attractive than the current one. I like it. Several things I noted: the greenhouse has a more pleasing outline, the roof rails aren't as thick, and the rear light assembly is varied and interesting. I'd buy one. Since GM puts together nicer dashes and interiors than Ford, this sort of car could tip me out of the Fusion/Milan which would currently be my choice for a vehicle purchase.

[Drew Dowdell]

98% of the buyers won't take the time to look at or understand the chart. they will compare the numbers in the brochures and see the deficit of hp and torque in real numbers.

then they will see the cheaper price, longer warranty, and sleeker styling, more spacious and nicer interior of the hyundai. the chevy is nice, but.......

the hyundai may not be a smooth engine, because i think its a long stroke design, but in that case GM needs to get butts in the seats of each car, something they usually couldn't do vs. camry and accord.

an article I'm working on is how the auto manufacturers.... all of them, not just GM and Ford, need to change the narrative away from the peek horsepower number. VW actually made a minuscule effort to do that years ago (I think it was around 2001 or 2002) with the TDIs. "Horsepower sells cars, Torque moves them", but stopped when they realized they sold every TDI they were allowed to sell in the US, so why bother to advertise them.

[daves87rs]

some G3's had MSRP's north of 19 or dang close. No turbo.

Different price point there.

[Satty]

Anyone who payed MSRP for a G3 was an absolute moron who deserves to drive such a $h!box. I know I've been critical of incentives, but if GM marketed one vehicle that needed to have 40% taken off of sticker, it was that abomination.

[hyperv6]

i hope you're right, but to be honest that turbo Aveo will be 21k, that turbo cruze will be 24k, and the turbo regal we already know will be 30k. Any Malibu with a turbo will be a higher trim level and will probably also hit 30k. Hyundai's turbo is coming soon for the Sonata, it will be of great interest to see how they package and sell that. The Volkswagen CC is a tish under 30k but GM likes to over MSRP their cars to leave slush room for incentives.

The best actual guess one can make is the Malibu LTZ is 29-30k and if the turbo is a sub for the v6 in concept then any turbo Malibu will be minimum high twenties. Most Malibus these days go out the door closer to 20 than 30 so there will be very few Malibu turbos. Even the CObalt turbo was 25-26....with a stick.

Pretty tough sell for a car that lots of dealers like to loss leader advertise at 16-17k after all 6 rebates now.......

I guess you have not priced a LTZ? Fully loaded they are stickered at $31K. Note I have yet to see a CC worth buying for less than $30K since we have been looking at them.

The bu I have now went for a little over $27 and we got it for $19K. What the cars are stickered at and what they sell for will be different. While GM is trying not to come down as much as they have in the past most of these cars will sell for low to mid 20's fully loaded.

But since we have no prices now weights on any of this there is no need to panic yet since it is hard to get worked up on guesses.

Note the Cobalt SS and HHR SS both were turbo's that stickered for mid $20's and could be had for low 20's with no issues. I got a little over $6K off mine with no major incentive running.

With a slow market and so many dealers it is the art of the deal and not so much sticker price.

[Drew Dowdell]

and even so the malibu will be 2-300 pounds heavier. another strike. just sayin, the malibu has its work cut out for it. this new wrapper ain't gonna help its cause much.

the toyota bangers are moving over to the hyundai showroom.....

After seeing the new Sonata on the roads instead of just on the auto show floor, I hate it even more. It's styling an overwrought wreck.

[vonVeezelsnider]

After seeing the new Sonata on the roads instead of just on the auto show floor, I hate it even more. It's styling an overwrought wreck.

This.

[hyperv6]

After seeing the new Sonata on the roads instead of just on the auto show floor, I hate it even more. It's styling an overwrought wreck.

That is one car they should have put the pen down a few days before they did. It is just over done as Korean cars of the past often were.

[regfootball]

an article I'm working on is how the auto manufacturers.... all of them, not just GM and Ford, need to change the narrative away from the peek horsepower number. VW actually made a minuscule effort to do that years ago (I think it was around 2001 or 2002) with the TDIs. "Horsepower sells cars, Torque moves them", but stopped when they realized they sold every TDI they were allowed to sell in the US, so why bother to advertise them.

There is complete and total merit to that. But cars are like real estate and homes. They only want to go by the information they can quantify and obtain quickly without brain damage. Hp is to cars jus like square footage is the easiest metric to classify a house. We all k ow you can have a 4000 sf house and it can not be as nice as a 3000 sF one. But if you are looking homes on the net and don't have time to search in detail he nuances of each home, then you are going to want a metric by which to judge it numerically and quickly. Like sf. Or hp. Or mpg. Or 7/100 instead of 3/36 or 5/60.

Hey I am already tired of the hyundais shape too. But thing is that most buyers don't look at cars as much as we do. So they see something rakish that mocks a Lexus and it just happens to be a hot item right now. I was at he Hyundai dealer yesterday in fact becuase I wanted to test drive one and also a Tucson but the place was packed I could t even get anyone to help me. And I can tell you, they were all people who probably would shop Japanese brands by nature.

[regfootball]

Anyone who payed MSRP for a G3 was an absolute moron who deserves to drive such a $h!box. I know I've been critical of incentives, but if GM marketed one vehicle that needed to have 40% taken off of sticker, it was that abomination.

I know but I wAs merely using it as an example that gm usually has too high msrps on all their stuff. If a g3 was 19k, a turbo Malibu would never msrp less than very high twenties.

[regfootball]

I guess you have not priced a LTZ? Fully loaded they are stickered at $31K. Note I have yet to see a CC worth buying for less than $30K since we have been looking at them.

The bu I have now went for a little over $27 and we got it for $19K. What the cars are stickered at and what they sell for will be different. While GM is trying not to come down as much as they have in the past most of these cars will sell for low to mid 20's fully loaded.

But since we have no prices now weights on any of this there is no need to panic yet since it is hard to get worked up on guesses.

Note the Cobalt SS and HHR SS both were turbo's that stickered for mid $20's and could be had for low 20's with no issues. I got a little over $6K off mine with no major incentive running.

With a slow market and so many dealers it is the art of the deal and not so much sticker price.

that is the point though. Why sticker it at 31 if 7 grand in discounts is needed? Don't get me wrong, that is how I like to buy cars to save money. But again folks don't have the time to process incentives. They see a sonata limited for like 25. And wonder why an LTZ mal with less power and warranty is 5k more on the sticker.

[ocnblu]

I like to think a Chevrolet Malibu will have a much more permanent presence on the road than a Hyundai. Think 20 years down the road...

I still see Corsicas, old Cavaliers, Berettas... more than I see Asian brands of that age.

[Drew Dowdell]

OCN, we also live in the salt belt. The Japanese couldn't make a car that wouldn't return to the earth in 3 years till the 1992 Camry

[cavalier36]

Looks good so far. Sportier. Ford's Fusion is the sportiest domestic midsizer since the Pontiac G6 died an untimely death.

Let me continue to beat the Malibu Coupe drum.

Id like to see this. maybe even badge it as a Monte Carlo