2012 Chevy Malibu Interior Shots - Inside Line

[cavalier36]

It's amazing how the new Sonata became #3 in such a short period of time. The then-new AURA never caught on even after 2 years, and the current Malibu is still outsold by the dated Impala. Amazing how well the 2010 Fusion is doing, too, especially considering it's just an update of an old car. Could be because Ford's marketing, branding, and advertising is exponentially better than Chevy, I mean, Chevrolet's.

The Impala is sold alot to fleets and its used as a police car so those sales are included. I think why the current Malibu doesnt sell more is because they only have one plant building them, the same plant also builds the Lacrosse. the next generation Malibu will be built at two plants though, at Fairfax and Detroit Hamtramck when the DTS/Lucerne goes out of production. I think if they had more capacity to build more malibu's they would sell more.

[Blake Noble]

worked up into a tizzy i see....

Ah, not really. I just like arguing. I sometimes wonder if I shouldn't be a lawyer, but I look like crap in a suit and tie. Plus, I'd rather not dress like it's the day after I died everyday.

i thought the Aura had a pretty decent interior, which is why its so tough to see GM downgrade the interior on this new Malibu.

The Aura was simple and purposeful.

Here's where we ... mostly agree.

I caught that last bit there about the Malibu and I won't completely beat a dead horse.

The only real quips I have about the Aura's interior are:

• The door pull handles. The pull handles are painted with a vinyl coating that has begun to wear off from normal use. It's sort of like some of the late '90s to early '00 model GM pickups you get into and see splotches of black on the steering wheel and dashboard where the same exact material has begun to peel due to temperature and poor adhesion.
  
• The fact that the rear interior door handle scallops are not backlit to match the front ones and the rear passenger window controls aren't lit.
  

And that's it.

The interior is in fact pretty handsome and has always had a certain German undertone to it that makes me think of VW a little. It isn't what I would call undeniably Teutonic, but you can really tell it's a product of a German-American relationship. I've also always liked how GM applied a nice, woven cloth to the A and D-pillar trim to make each piece match the headliner.

I wouldn't mind redoing the Camaro's headliner in the same material in the future (I've always hated rat fur).

Edited September 26, 2010 by whiteknight

[Blake Noble]

One more thing about the Camry's interior: hooded one-piece instrument clusters are so 1999.

Edited September 26, 2010 by whiteknight

[Cory Wolfe]

It's amazing how the new Sonata became #3 in such a short period of time. The then-new AURA never caught on even after 2 years, and the current Malibu is still outsold by the dated Impala. Amazing how well the 2010 Fusion is doing, too, especially considering it's just an update of an old car. Could be because Ford's marketing, branding, and advertising is exponentially better than Chevy, I mean, Chevrolet's.

Just to make a correction, the Malibu is ahead of the Impala and the Fusion and the Sonata YTD so far. The Sonata was only 3rd for the single month of August.

Top 10 Mid-size Sales:

1. Toyota Camry - 220k
2. Honda Accord - 211k
3. Nissan Altima - 148k
4. Chevrolet Malibu - 147k
5. Ford Fusion - 145k
6. Hyundai Sonata - 128k
7. Dodge Avenger - 36k
8. Chrysler Sebring - 29k
9. Subaru Legacy - 25k
10. Mazda 6 - 24k

[hyperv6]

I am sure they are going to try something with the lighting, but that probably won't be on the base cars, and whatever trim they use to fill the gap may just look cheesy. I wish Chevy would stop trying to get silly here, the 08 Mali interior is pretty decent. All that would be needed to improve that is better plastic (especially the doors), and modern stereo and CC. But it looks like here they are going for complex and busy. Chevy doesn't have the Honda exemption i.e. the zealots who buy Honda despite its cheap interiors. I am not sure Chevy has the ability to claim affordability anymore. A new 010 Malibu that still does not have leather can reach close to 27 grand on the sticker, and it requires several thousand in rebates to close the gap. The Asian competition is undercutting chevy at many turns on pricing these days, at worst its pretty much the same. Chevy can make zero claims on price king for all but the cheapest of Malibu's currently. As far as offering things other cars don't i can't imagine what that would be, Malibu doesn't even have NAV yet. Lots of cars can get factory accessory remote start, that is about the only thing GM can lay claim to having equipped in more of its cars. One last thing, if the Cruze is having a hard time matching up to Hyundai Sonata feature for feature pricewise it's probably likely the Malibu will be even more challenged in that area. GM is still dependent on too much padding of the MSRP to have the backup of incentives. Kind of makes it tough out of the chute when early adopters can spread the word whether a car has sticker shock or not.

Put just a little ice in that GM koolaid, the competition is fierce and out for blood, GM can't afford to swing and miss here.

Note I did not give this car yet a home run label nor did I say it was a epic fail. Lets see the finished product and see what we end up with. Sorry I find it difficult to fail a car that is not complete and has wires, stickers and computer strapped to the dash with trim and other details still missing.

It is kind of like a husband telling wife he was going to be a loser by ths shape of her stomach. LOL!

The point is it is too early to draw any final conclutions on any car at the state this one is in. Once they finish it and you still hate it swing away.

At this point it is no worse than most and I expect it will look better in final trim. Lets see what we have before we kill it.

Besides the public has been embracing some really different interiors of late. This may well just be another.

Edited September 26, 2010 by hyperv6

[Z-06]

It is kind of like a husband telling wife he was going to be a loser by ths shape of her stomach. LOL!

What is that?

[Z-06]

It's amazing how the new Sonata became #3 in such a short period of time. The then-new AURA never caught on even after 2 years, and the current Malibu is still outsold by the dated Impala. Amazing how well the 2010 Fusion is doing, too, especially considering it's just an update of an old car. Could be because Ford's marketing, branding, and advertising is exponentially better than Chevy, I mean, Chevrolet's.

That is where GM is failing. Hopefully the current blitz of hiring marketing personnel should solve the problem. GM in late past (since 90's) always seemed to have problems letting people know about its products.

[Drew Dowdell]

Just to make a correction, the Malibu is ahead of the Impala and the Fusion and the Sonata YTD so far. The Sonata was only 3rd for the single month of August.

Top 10 Mid-size Sales:

1. Toyota Camry - 220k
2. Honda Accord - 211k
3. Nissan Altima - 148k
4. Chevrolet Malibu - 147k
5. Ford Fusion - 145k
6. Hyundai Sonata - 128k
7. Dodge Avenger - 36k
8. Chrysler Sebring - 29k
9. Subaru Legacy - 25k
10. Mazda 6 - 24k

And the award for "Looking up the facts and not rambling off incoherently and uninformed" goes to.....

If you look closely, you see who Hyundai is siphoning customers off of mostly....

[hyperv6]

What is that?

Sorry part of it got lost in the edit. It originally stated.

It is kind of like a husband telling his pregnant wife the baby was going to be a loser by ths shape of her stomach. LOL!

But then again looking around the other statment could apply to some.

[Drew Dowdell]

The problem with the Aura is that no one knew anything about it.... it could only survive on former SL and SC buyers for so long.

I don't see anything inherently wrong with the interior in this spyshot, but I'll let you all know my opinon when I see it at the autoshows.

[hyperv6]

And the award for "Looking up the facts and not rambling off incoherently and uninformed" goes to.....

If you look closely, you see who Hyundai is siphoning customers off of mostly....

The Malibu has always done well since the last redesign. The key it to cut the fleet sales to rentals fleets.

I also wonder if the price will drop or maintain with the new car. It is based on the same Regal platform and I would expect the prices to be below the Buick. So even if it keeps with the same price the added options would make it a better value.

Plus no one really ever paid $27K unless they were stupid. Dealer prices have always been competitive in some cases a really good deal if you do it right.

[Drew Dowdell]

Remember when Camry could sell 400k in a year? Here it is with August numbers and they're at 220k?

[Robert Hall]

Remember when Camry could sell 400k in a year? Here it is with August numbers and they're at 220k?

Yeah...but sales have been down the last 3 years across the board...not 2005 numbers..

[regfootball]

Note I did not give this car yet a home run label nor did I say it was a epic fail. Lets see the finished product and see what we end up with. Sorry I find it difficult to fail a car that is not complete and has wires, stickers and computer strapped to the dash with trim and other details still missing.

It is kind of like a husband telling wife he was going to be a loser by ths shape of her stomach. LOL!

The point is it is too early to draw any final conclutions on any car at the state this one is in. Once they finish it and you still hate it swing away.

At this point it is no worse than most and I expect it will look better in final trim. Lets see what we have before we kill it.

Besides the public has been embracing some really different interiors of late. This may well just be another.

you coulda just said all those same things about the camaro.

ff to now, chevy is readying a quick redo of the camaro interior to address complaints.

on the source page of this thread if you read the user comments the best way I can sum it up is to agree with what a lot of them said, no common theme, just random and pointless. and in no way does it seem to go with the exterior, at least that's what I feel.

It's amazing how the new Sonata became #3 in such a short period of time. The then-new AURA never caught on even after 2 years, and the current Malibu is still outsold by the dated Impala. Amazing how well the 2010 Fusion is doing, too, especially considering it's just an update of an old car. Could be because Ford's marketing, branding, and advertising is exponentially better than Chevy, I mean, Chevrolet's.

if that alone doesn't raise red flags on the Malibu's pricing structure NOW I don't know what does.

One more thing about the Camry's interior: hooded one-piece instrument clusters are so 1999.

the main reason i would never drive a current camry is because its IP reminds me too much of the IP in my diamantes. not exact copies, but sort of the same vanilla vibe.

Edited September 26, 2010 by regfootball

[regfootball]

Remember when Camry could sell 400k in a year? Here it is with August numbers and they're at 220k?

it's 2010, post crash, it's not 2006 or 2007 anymore.

[Drew Dowdell]

it's 2010, post crash, it's not 2006 or 2007 anymore.

And there's a new Sonata...

My point is that the primary looser in the mid-size segment since the Sonata's re-design has been the Camry. Some of that is the fault of Toyota and their Toyotaton of Death!!! earlier this year, but the new Sonata was simply at the right place at the right time when any Camry owners decided to defect.

[regfootball]

yes, truth. i sure hope the public catches note that toyota is trying like hell to weasel out of as many of their lawsuits as possible, yet people still continue to buy them. WHY?

[Paolino]

yes, truth. i sure hope the public catches note that toyota is trying like hell to weasel out of as many of their lawsuits as possible, yet people still continue to buy them. WHY?

This. It's driving me CRAZY. I have some friends who've said that Toyota has slipped way on their list and they'd probably never buy one again. I also have friends who have had Toyotas. Have had problems with them. And stand by them and say, "Nothing like these claims have ever happened to us... Toyota has been good to us. GM probably has their own skeletons in the closet and they just haven't been found out yet. I'd buy another Toyota in a second."

My brain was fried at that point and had to change topics.

[hyperv6]

yes, truth. i sure hope the public catches note that toyota is trying like hell to weasel out of as many of their lawsuits as possible, yet people still continue to buy them. WHY?

Toyota will not fail in a year or two. It will take this kind of action over a period of time. If they continue this kind of action they will pay the price. Right now this thing is snow balling and it may hurt them in time.

Lets face it just look at how the American public forgive failed and crooked elected officials. If the price and car is right people will also forgive Toyota too.

Everyone hates Walmart but they keep growing.

And yes the Camaro failed in the end but to condem anything before you see the final package is wrong. This is not unlike failing the new Cadillac Ultra Sedan right now with out ever seeing it just because Cadillac did the Cimarron.

Let them finish it and then fail it fully informed if it is still not to your liking. Right now all you can honestly say it it may not end up to your liking.

[z28luvr01]

I actually like it because it's not another attempt to copy the Asian competition. It's a Chevy inside, love it or hate it. Reminds me quite a bit of this:

Hey, as long as the build quality is good and everything lines up nice, I don't see how the '12 Malibu's interior will kill the car.

[Robert Hall]

I like the design of the current Malibu dash w/ the two pods...if this is how the '12 is going to look, well, it's very generic...

[hyperv6]

I see something old

1968 Chevelle SS for the gauge panel.

The right side of the dash from a 1960 Impala.

Something borrowed

2011 Nox

And some thing new.

The Chevelle touch is there as well as the new big selling Nox. I would be interested to see the two tone coloring they will use in this interior. That really sets the dash off in the new GM cars. It gives them that more expensive look like you see in a higher priced car.

Lets face it they have to do something as if they just copied the other makes the peanut gallery here would crush them for not doing enough.

Edited September 27, 2010 by hyperv6

[regfootball]

the thing with the equinox is that it is not overstyled, and the theme is consistent.

i just hope the end result is much cleaner.

[hyperv6]

the thing with the equinox is that it is not overstyled, and the theme is consistent.

i just hope the end result is much cleaner.

Are you sure you don't want to complain about the wires and computer infront of the dash?

Once you see it in person and hate it then that will be acceptable. Till then lets let them finish first. Hey I may hate too but I can't hate what I have not seen in full production trim yet. Lets face it a bad picture of a unfinished car is not a good standard to judge a car by.

Trust me I am in no way saying this is the best dash I have ever seen. So I may agree with you once they are done. Till then I will give them a chance to finish it.

By the way the Nox dash is a pain till you learn the buttons. There are so many and the first time drivers can be confused by them. So in a way the car is over styled in a ergonomically functional way. Also the center vents suck for directing air. It is not something one can not master just a turn off on a first test drive for some. Sales are still doing well.

That is one thing the present Malibu dash has. The controls are simple and easy to use as soon as you get in the car. That is one thing I note many older people do like on that car.

Edited September 27, 2010 by hyperv6

[Paolino]

I'm still holding off on final judgement until I see the finished product. I am wondering if the "ribbed" area is incomplete... perhaps a piece of plood or brushed aluminum slides in there--there's plood around the driver's side window controls and I don't see it elsewhere in the car so I'm assuming it'll appear somewhere else. If plood fit in the ribbed area it'd be a reinterpretation of the "dual cockpit" thing the current Malibu has (which also has plood trim).

[Nick]

I am trying to withhold judgment until I see it in final production form, but I truly hate the look of "tombstone-like" center stacks. It looks awful in the es350, and I'm not liking it here.

[ocnblu]

Thanks, z and hyper, for putting the 2012 Malibu interior in proper context alongside her ancestors.

The only thing that bugs me about most new vehicle interiors, though, and which you've also illustrated above is... the dash and integral console are right up in your face. Room to maneuver has been replaced with a cocoon-like experience. The new Taurus is especially guilty of this, among others.

[hyperv6]

Thanks, z and hyper, for putting the 2012 Malibu interior in proper context alongside her ancestors.

The only thing that bugs me about most new vehicle interiors, though, and which you've also illustrated above is... the dash and integral console are right up in your face. Room to maneuver has been replaced with a cocoon-like experience. The new Taurus is especially guilty of this, among others.

I don't mind the wrap feel at all as long as they give me leg room. The Taurus to me has knee issues.

The gauges will be similar to the Nox and they work fine the center digital speedo is like a poormans HUD. The radio and center stack looks to be similar to the Nox. With the Screen option gone in the lower models I suspect we will see more buttons. It works fine when you learn it but the first few miles you have to really look at it if you get into a rental. Nothing falls to hand in a glance as it does in the present car. It is not a deal breaker but could confuse some on intial test drives and many not leave a positive impression.

The big thing is I want to see the multi color dash of say a LTZ and I would too like to see what if anything is missing ont he ribs. Also the ribs may look better sitting in the car vs from out side the car.

As it is I like the present BU interiro but I will give this one a chance till I see it in LTZ trim and finished. THe present Bu interior was not much to me till they added multi colors.

[regfootball]

Thanks, z and hyper, for putting the 2012 Malibu interior in proper context alongside her ancestors.

The only thing that bugs me about most new vehicle interiors, though, and which you've also illustrated above is... the dash and integral console are right up in your face. Room to maneuver has been replaced with a cocoon-like experience. The new Taurus is especially guilty of this, among others.

In this regard I think the lacrosse shines. The front IP falls away from you and doesn't crowd, it feels open and spacious. Yet the buttons and screen are still up high for you to see. It's one of the best cabins out there for not constricting the driver.

[dwightlooi]

The new corporate standard issue steering wheel is a great improvement over the overtly crude one in the current Malibu. The dash and the rest of the interior isn't as clean as I like them to be -- too many unnecessary lines, too many curves that don't flow together.

The biggest flaw of the Malibu however is the lack of headroom. If the new car gains an inch of cabin height, or life they drop the seat cushions lower by an inch it'll help sway a lot of buyers.

Power train wise, the 182hp 2.4 liter DI 4-potter is OK. Not best in class, but for the kind of buyers it is targeting it is good enough. Only two types of people buy the 4-pot cars -- people who don't really care about the engine and people who care more about fuel economy than performance.

I am split on whether the up level cars should be a V6 or a Turbo-4. A 312hp DI VVT V6 is actually class leading and it will appeal to both the performance crowd and the smooth motor crowd. With the turbo four, you get better economy numbers. But if it is the 220hp/258lb-ft version, that is sort of a step backwards compared to today's 252hp six. If its the 255hp/295lb-ft version, on the same perch as the Regal GS. Plus, the turbo fours drink Premium.

Personally, I'll go with a I4 + V6 lineup. If not anything because that is different from Buick's options.

[Paolino]

The new corporate standard issue steering wheel is a great improvement over the overtly crude one in the current Malibu. The dash and the rest of the interior isn't as clean as I like them to be -- too many unnecessary lines, too many curves that don't flow together.

The biggest flaw of the Malibu however is the lack of headroom. If the new car gains an inch of cabin height, or life they drop the seat cushions lower by an inch it'll help sway a lot of buyers.

Power train wise, the 182hp 2.4 liter DI 4-potter is OK. Not best in class, but for the kind of buyers it is targeting it is good enough. Only two types of people buy the 4-pot cars -- people who don't really care about the engine and people who care more about fuel economy than performance.

I am split on whether the up level cars should be a V6 or a Turbo-4. A 312hp DI VVT V6 is actually class leading and it will appeal to both the performance crowd and the smooth motor crowd. With the turbo four, you get better economy numbers. But if it is the 220hp/258lb-ft version, that is sort of a step backwards compared to today's 252hp six. If its the 255hp/295lb-ft version, on the same perch as the Regal GS. Plus, the turbo fours drink Premium.

Personally, I'll go with a I4 + V6 lineup. If not anything because that is different from Buick's options.

I absolutely want to see a V6 option in the Malibu.

[frogger]

I would rather have a turbo 4 but mostly to save weight and allow for better handling. Either way, atleast the Regal has the option.

[regfootball]

The new corporate standard issue steering wheel is a great improvement over the overtly crude one in the current Malibu. The dash and the rest of the interior isn't as clean as I like them to be -- too many unnecessary lines, too many curves that don't flow together.

The biggest flaw of the Malibu however is the lack of headroom. If the new car gains an inch of cabin height, or life they drop the seat cushions lower by an inch it'll help sway a lot of buyers.

Power train wise, the 182hp 2.4 liter DI 4-potter is OK. Not best in class, but for the kind of buyers it is targeting it is good enough. Only two types of people buy the 4-pot cars -- people who don't really care about the engine and people who care more about fuel economy than performance.

I am split on whether the up level cars should be a V6 or a Turbo-4. A 312hp DI VVT V6 is actually class leading and it will appeal to both the performance crowd and the smooth motor crowd. With the turbo four, you get better economy numbers. But if it is the 220hp/258lb-ft version, that is sort of a step backwards compared to today's 252hp six. If its the 255hp/295lb-ft version, on the same perch as the Regal GS. Plus, the turbo fours drink Premium.

Personally, I'll go with a I4 + V6 lineup. If not anything because that is different from Buick's options.

but the funny thing is Hyundai's turbo is not supposed to have much of an mpg penalty vs. the non turbo

[Blake Noble]

Can we add this to the list of emoticons, please?

Plundered from CamaroZ28.com.

Edited September 28, 2010 by whiteknight

[dwightlooi]

but the funny thing is Hyundai's turbo is not supposed to have much of an mpg penalty vs. the non turbo

A turbocharged engine's main source of fuel economy penalty comes from the reduction in compression ratio. If the compression ratio is no lower than the NA engine or is insignificantly lower the fuel economy impact is minimal. Whatever disadvantage remains comes from having a relatively restrictive exhaust and short, fat, intake runners without resonance tuning.

If you really want to build the most fuel efficient turbocharged engine, you stick to a compression of about 10.2~10.7:1 and run rather mild boost levels of 10.3~13.2 psi. You'll make a decent 100~110 lb-ft/liter. The power output will depend largely on how you skew the torque plateau. If you want something that comes on strong at 1600~1800 rpm, it'll probably be about 100~105hp/liter. If you push the plateau to the right by about 1000 rpm (using a bigger turbo with the same low boost levels) you can hit about 120~130 hp/liter. Such an engine will reach maximum torque at about 2600~2800 rpm and hold it to about 6600 rpm. It won't be a Lancer Evo ad it might be a little soft off the line, but it'll be perfectly competitive with a 3 liter class V6.

Having said that, I'll wait for official EPA numbers before passing judgment on the Sonata's turbo four. As the Cruze's EPA numbers show, the manufacturer's estimates can sometimes be a little "optimistic".

[smk4565]

I think GM should just save time, and not even make a new Malibu and forfeit the segment to the Sonata, king of all mid-sizers. The Sonata is on pace to make up 50% of all new car sales by 2020, and studies suggest that driving a Sonata may cure cancer.

[Blake Noble]

I think GM should just save time, and not even make a new Malibu and forfeit the segment to the Sonata, king of all mid-sizers. The Sonata is on pace to make up 50% of all new car sales by 2020, and studies suggest that driving a Sonata may cure cancer.

I can't tell if you're being serious or sarcastic here. I hope its the latter.

[hyperv6]

I can't tell if you're being serious or sarcastic here. I hope its the latter.

You left out one....Insane.

[Paolino]

Okay, just saw the renderings of the exterior for the first time and gagged a little bit. I surely hope they're off. They seem to at least be slightly off with the taillamps as in the camo'd pics it shows amber directionals but in the rendering they're solid red.

I love the exterior of the current Malibu--easily one of the best-looking midsizers out there. I just hope they don't Mazda3 it (i.e. ruin it).

[hyperv6]

Okay, just saw the renderings of the exterior for the first time and gagged a little bit. I surely hope they're off. They seem to at least be slightly off with the taillamps as in the camo'd pics it shows amber directionals but in the rendering they're solid red.

I love the exterior of the current Malibu--easily one of the best-looking midsizers out there. I just hope they don't Mazda3 it (i.e. ruin it).

The renderings so far have not been really close. As they uncover the car the parts that are seen have been better than rendered.

I think the rear end is where the most work was needed and they are addressing it. The real mystery is the center of the trunk lid. It is yet to be uncovered ans show it true lines.

[WCCPSGM]

I assume there is a screen between those pods ala Cruze?