Best Car Models & All About Cars: 2012 Chevrolet Malibu

2012 Chevrolet Malibu

Chevrolet has revamped its bread-and-butter Malibu mid-size sedan for the most recent model year, giving it a recent look inside and out while also giving an economical new Malibu Eco delicate hybrid model. Though slightly shorter than its predecessor, the new Malibu hardly provides up any house inside and gains additional responsive handling thanks in half to its smaller size.

What’s under the hood?

A noteworthy amendment comes from Chevrolet currently that we tend to have confirmed the Bow Tie brand will drop the low-volume V6 currently offered within the Malibu in favor of a Hyundai Sonata -impressed four-cylinder-solely lineup.

The new entry-level a pair of.five-liter four-cylinder engine comes sporting a dual overhead cam setup with direct injection. This engine is nice for a healthy 197 horsepower and 191 lb-ft of torque. The V6 replacing-motor may be a turbocharged two.zero-liter inline-four that produces 259 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. Both mills will come back with a normal six-speed automatic transmission.

The EPA has nevertheless to test either of these new four-pots, and Chevy is remaining mum and not even providing estimated fuel economy at this point. Despite the apparent moves towards potency, Chevy promises that the all-new Malibu can deliver “precise ride and handling,” which it says has been designed to be best-in-category – even going as so much as to recommend that it will match additional expensive sports sedans.

What’s inside?

One of the robust points of GM’s newest sedan could be a compelling interior, complete with a mix of metallic, chrome and wood surfaces throughout the cabin. The stylization accents vary from bits on the shifter, center stack, instrument cluster, steering wheel and also the doors. The automobile’s party piece arrives in the form of a trick fold-out screen, a initial of this type in an exceedingly GM product, and first in any U.S. midsize automotive.

That same folding seven-inch screen will come back with Chevy’s new infotainment system, MyLink, that permits for Pandora streaming radio and Stitcher SmartRadio, with Bluetooth and other technologies.

Interior lighting is something however scarce, and Ice Blue is that the order of the day – starting from gauge cluster displays to accent lighting that stretches throughout and across the cabin.

Safety counts in family sedans

GM is aware of that safety is paramount in any vehicle, notably one that can probably be used to haul families around city and across country, and as such, the Malibu comes packed with an array of technology geared toward keeping its occupants safe. Both the driver and front passenger, within the event of an accident, will realize themselves cocooned in twin-stage air baggage, pelvic/thorax facet-impact airbags and even knee airbags.

There also are roof air bags that supply rollover protection, and Chevy will supply obtainable second-row pelvic/thorax aspect-impact airbags, a lane departure warning system with forward collision alert and an available rearview camera system. Of course, OnStar with Automatic Crash Response is also included, and now boasts improved voice recognition technology, as well as a myriad of enhancements aimed at ease of use rather than safety concerns.

Size matters

Among the in depth list of changes is a 4.five-in. shorter wheelbase, and a sixty two-inch track width that's just over a pair of inches wider than the outgoing model. The end result's a additional sporting platform that aims to deliver on Chevy’s promise for a sporty driving dynamic.

2012 Chevrolet Malibu Front View