Test Drive: 2014 Chevrolet Malibu 2LT

By Kevin Harrison

Donovan Bailey was once known as being the fastest man in the world. His sub-10 second run in the 100 meter sprint made history. Us Canadians were pretty proud.

His achievements on the track spoke for themselves but that didn’t stop Bailey from voicing it as well, most notably against American rival Mike Johnson, whom Bailey called a “chicken” for not wanting to have a one on one race and for accusing him of faking an injury to explain his loss when the one on one race eventually occurred. Like him or hate him, he definitely has character.

The Chevrolet Malibu is a bit like Donovan Bailey. But that’s not necessarily a good thing. Read my impressions to find out why.

The Chevy Malibu is a decent looking car in general. Sure the rear end seems a bit disjointed from the rest of the car but the face is much prettier in person than in pics and overall it’s an agreeable design. The trouble is, with the exception of perhaps the Camry, Chevy’s competition in the segment is coming up with classier, sleeker, more eye catching designs. Now a case could be made that these sorts of swoopy designs may not age well, however you still need to create an attractive looking product from the onset to make sure people actually buy it before it can be labeled as a non-timeless design.

Inside the interior is much improved over a Malibu from ten years ago, but again, we’re not talking about three generations ago we’re talking about immediate competition. And in this regard, the Malibu falls a bit flat. The design isn’t as attractive, the materials aren’t as high quality feeling and the layout isn’t as compelling. But that’s not to say it’s a bad interior. In fact, all the buttons are where you’d expect them to be and the screen info screen on the centre stack is big and clear. And I like that there is a usable bubby hole which hides behind it. I also like the cup holder layout next to the gearshift. Separating them from each other minimizes the “which one is mine?” question that inevitably occurs between the driver and passenger after a trip to Tim Horton’s. Overall this mid-range tester came with lots of goodies.

But it isn’t perfect. The ambient teal lighting is a bit tacky to my eye as is the strange stacked indentation above the glovebox. The leather seats look and feel like they came out of a 10 year old taxi and rear legroom isn’t great considering the overall size of the vehicle. There isn’t much more legroom back there than in a Cruze. On top of that, looking out the rear is difficult due to a high deck lid and while the backup camera is welcomed in this instance, there are no weigh points so you don’t get a sense of any depth perception and while there are sensors to warn you of an approaching vehicle coming from your right or left, oddly there are no sensors behind the vehicle to warn you if you’re going to back into something.

Power comes from a 2.5 litre 4 cylinder engine making 196 horses and 186 pound foor torque. No, no V6 is available which GM has been criticized for, but I’m not one of those critics. Aside from the fact that you get get the ‘Bu with an optional 259 horse turbocharged four, I think we all need to get real here with fuel efficiency and corresponding emissions and also recognize the fact that family sedans are just that – for your family. If you want more power there are plenty of V6’s and V8’s to choose from. A ‘Bu with a rocket under its bonnet would be interesting, but ultimately a money waster for GM. My issue, however, is that the engine isn’t the most refined in the world. I like that the automatic doesn’t neuter any guts to the engine for the sake of fuel efficiency (sometimes you’ll get to 4,000 RPM before it shifts – that said shifts can be harsh) but it’s harsh and buzzy when you’re driving around normally and that of course becomes amplified once you put the throttle to the floor. Speaking of, the Malibu doesn’t feel 200 horses fast to boot. That side, it’s adequate (albeit, just so) for passing on the highway.

While there, the Malibu feels decently solid. There is some slight road noise but I’d attribute that to the Malibu’s winter tires more so than anything else. Otherwise it’s comfortable and solid feeling. Steering actually feels decently tight at highway speeds. Around town, the Malibu will get you around the corner but don’t expect any surprises about how it does it – it rides pretty averagely.

As for fuel efficiency, the non-turbo Malibu is rated at 9.4 L/100 kms and 6.4 L/100 kms city. My real world test garnered a score of 10.2 L/ 100 kms which isn’t bad considering how cold it is, however a two hour trip to Pictou each way may have helped those figures.

All in all it’s completely fair to say the Malibu is a good car. My girlfriend’s friend has a year 200 Malibu and the differences between the two are enormous. In fact, she didn’t even realize she was sitting in a Malibu when we picked her up one night – the changes are so vast. She was flabbergasted, much in the same way you’d be if you met Donavan Bailey. But as good as Donovan Bailey is, you’d likely get a hell of a lot more for your autograph if it came from Usain Bolt these days. And these days it’s the same issue. The Malibu is good, but its competition is better. The Honda Accord, Ford Fusion and Mazda6 are the Usain Bolts of the industry while the Chevy Malibu is Donovan Bailey.