Test Drive: 2014 Chevrolet Malibu
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Honda went through that with the redesigned 2012 Civic, remarkably improved for 2013 in response to complaints.
Now, Chevy's Malibu midsize sedan gets a fast turnaround.
The current-generation Malibu was launched as a 2013 in January 2012 with only the more expensive Eco eAssist mild hybrid model available. GM's do-it-yesterday CEO Dan Akerson wanted the car on sale fast in the highly competitive midsize category, and the eAssist was the only drivetrain ready.
Not until August that year did a high-volume, lower-price version with the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine go on sale. More shoppers considered it, so its shortcomings were amplified. Mainly, Chevy says, people disliked the visual hodgepodge of colors, textures and trims inside. Not dreadful, but underachieving.
Hoping to stay on more shopping lists, Chevy moved fast. Fewer pieces and colors and textures now battle for attention inside.
Know this about Malibu: It's a lover, not a fighter. Sporty-car fans will go elsewhere. The handling's not sloppy, but the body leans some in challenging corners, and the front bobs and bounds a bit over wrinkled asphalt.
The automatic transmission has a manual mode, but it's awkward. The control is a rocker switch atop the console-mounted gearshift. But the gearshift lever sits farther back in the console than in some cars, and the reach back to manually shift is not natural or pleasing.
And the test car's automatic intermittently dithered on shifts when the throttle was pushed a ! little or let off, unsure whether to go up, down or hold the current gear.
Brakes and steering, a big part of how well a car drives, seem fine.
Here's what else Chevy did to update the 2014 Malibu, a year into the car's life:
An attractive new nose so skillfully executed that it appears the car has an entirely new hood, which it doesn't.
The optional high-performance 2-liter turbo four-cylinder gets a big power boost with no loss of mpg. The base, 2.5-liter engine (the one most buyers get) got tuning and transmission changes that boosted mileage ratings — enough that Chevy's dropped the costlier Eco eAssist model, which had limited cargo space because of the hybrid battery pack.
"We save customers $1,000 and give them more trunk space," says chief engineer Todd Pawlik.
Test Drive has reservations. The 2.5-liter test car couldn't get close to the ratings, even driven gently. Around 21 mpg in the 'burbs. And driving it like we stole it, our normal approach, sliced it to mid-teens.
The new one's rated 25 in the city, 35 highway, 29 combined. Based on years of doing this, we'd have expected real-life results for the 2014 closer to the 25 mpg city rating than we got in our suburban flog.
Our test last year of a 2013 Malibu with 2.5 engine, in Michigan on mainly flat roads, wasn't impressive, either: highway consumption of about 29 mpg in a vehicle rated 34 mpg.
An additional 1.25 inches of rear-seat knee room is achieved by re-sculpting and reupholstering the back of the front seats.
Useful and welcome. But back seat's still tight — even more than some new-design compact sedans, which are a size smaller.
And Malibu's a toe-tangler to enter and exit because of the narrow opening between the middle pillar and the front edge of the back seat.
Some compacts also have low center floor humps, so the middle rear seat actually is usable. Malibu's hump is big, wiping out room for the middle rider's feet.
Standard automatic stop/start fu! el-saving! mechanism on the base 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine (not the 2-liter, high-performance turbo four) shuts off the engine at long lights. But no override switch to shut it off, which will be a sore point for folks who find it annoying.
"The only ones who put on a switch are the ones who don't do stop/start right," Pawlik says.
Test Drive, among those who think auto stop/start is an offense against smooth-running, driver-controlled vehicles, found Malibu minimizes the intrusion but it's not "seamless," as Pawlik says. But there is little enough shake and commotion when the engine restarts that it almost seems as if it would be more bother to switch it off than just to deal with it.
A switch still would be nice, though. Drivers ought to have control.
Undiluted successes:
Trunk lid pops fully open when you hit the trunk button on the remote. Terrific when you have two armfuls of stuff. It's a very generous trunk, too, shaming many midsizers.
Phone pairing and infotainment systems, in general, are first-rate and mostly simple. GM cars are like that, consistently. (So are Chrysler Group vehicles.)
Classy, premium interior trim and lighting, at least in the up-level 2LT test car.
Malibu still has enough gripes to give pause, but it rises above them. The 2014 Malibu comes off as a very appealing, easy-going, even charming car.
ABOUT THE 2014 MALIBU
What? Update of recently redesigned midsize sedan to boost sales.
When? On sale since September.
Where? Made at Fairfax, Kan., and Detroit-Hamtramck, Mich.
How much? Starts at $22,965 with $825 shipping. Nicely equipped 2LT test car with non-turbocharged engine, $30,125.
What makes it go? Standard is 2.5-liter gasoline four-cylinder rated 196 horsepower at 6,300 rpm, 186 pounds-feet of torque at 4,400. Optional: 2-liter four-cylinder turbo rated 259 hp at 5,300, 295 lbs.-ft. at 3,000. Both mated to six-speed automatic with manual mode.
How bi! g? Malibu! is2.3 in. longer, 1.5 in. wider than Toyota Camry, the best-selling midsize sedan. Despite a larger footprint, Malibu has slightly less overall interior space than Camry, notably less rear leg room. Passenger space, 100.3 cubic feet. Trunk space a generous 16.3 cu. ft.
Weighs 3,393 to 3,660 lbs. Turning circle diameter, 37.4 ft.
How thirsty? 2.5-liter rated 25 mpg city, 35 highway, 29 in combined city/highway driving. 2-liter turbo: 21/30/24.
2.5-liter test car recorded 20.7 mpg (4.83 gallons per 100 miles) in ordinary suburban driving.
2.5-liter burns regular; 2-liter turbo prefers premium, but regular's OK, Chevy says.
Overall: Smooth, pleasant, comfy charmer, with tight back seat and disappointing real-world mpg.
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