Malibu 2LT<\/a>\u00a0I drove is more expensive than a similarly equipped $28,000 Camry SE.<\/p>\n\u201cMalibu is right there at this point,\u201d Fisher adds. \u201cThere are just a couple of things holding them back.\u201d Those couple of things are significant for the much-improved Chevy \u2014 after all, you have to knock out the champion to get noticed, not just extend him to the 15th round.<\/p>\n
Exterior<\/h3>\n
Beauty has never been a strong suit in the Chevy family, but in a segment where average looks have been the norm that never seemed important. Times have changed.<\/p>\n
Cars such as the Ford Fusion, Mazda6 and Hyundai Sonata have raised the bar, and the homely Camry and Malibu look dated. When you\u2019re blessed with the Camry\u2019s quality reputation, you can afford to be complacent. Not so the Malibu.<\/p>\n
No. 2 must try harder. Give Chevy credit for the 2014 model\u2019s Extreme Makeover. But the Chevy SS-esque face is hardly a head turner. I blame the brand\u2019s split-grille theme which looks bold on big pickups and aggressive on wee Sparks. But on well-proportioned four-doors like Cruze and Malibu sedans it looks odd. Two grille openings is one too many \u2014 like your six-year-old put too many mouths on Mr. Potatohead.<\/p>\n
Why should the Chevy Impala get all the good looks in the family? Give \u2019Bu big brother\u2019s handsome smile to match its new, family-themed tail lamps (courtesy of sexy siblings Camaro and \u2019Vette).<\/p>\n
Then buyers might slip inside where Chevy has the details right.<\/p>\n
Interior<\/h3>\n
Open the Camry and Malibu doors, and it\u2019s hard to distinguish between the two. Both are handsomely wrapped in dark plastic with premium trim, and the interiors are comfortably equipped. Everything is market tested: Comfy seats, good backseat legroom, clear instrumentation, cup holders, and USB ports where you need them. Feels like home.<\/p>\n
Get comfortable, however, and Chevy\u2019s details win you over. Begin with the center console, one of the best in the business. Organized on one sloped plane, the flush buttons and large knobs are intuitive, complementing the MyLink touch screen. \u201cKnobs still matter,\u201d says Mark Meyer, Malibu group leader. That\u2019s a telling comment from an engineer whose colleagues at Cadillac have ditched knobs in their CUE system much to the confusion of customers.<\/p>\n
The Malibu\u2019s shifter beats McCamry\u2019s clunky gates and its interior is library quiet, the product of body panel insulation and double-laminated windows. In an age when federal mpg nannies are forcing manufacturers to adopt inherently rougher 4-cylinder engines, such measures are welcome.<\/p>\n
But my favorite Malibu detail is the windshield washers.<\/p>\n
In most cars, including McCamry, nozzles dump their fluid in puddles in the middle of the screen and then expect the wipers to distribute the cleaner via multiple sweeps. Not the Malibu. Toggle the steering stalk (did I mention the stalks are crisp as an Audi? Another nice detail) and the washer team spits a fine mist across the entire windshield, necessitating just one wipe (maybe two) from the blades to finish the job. That\u2019s teamwork. And much appreciated in a Detroit winter in which I\u2019ve gone through gallons of fluid to stave off a muck assault from platoons of interstate-plying semis.<\/p>\n
Performance<\/h3>\n
Malibu handling \u2014 though shy of the Mazda-Ford segment leaders \u2014 bests the Camry. Give particular credit to the Chevy\u2019s mature stability control in icy conditions. Both vehicles come with peppy, fuel-efficient 2.5 liter engines. This is where the Malibu\u2019s attention to detail again pays dividends. With engine stop-start technology standard, the heavier and more powerful Malibu still bested the Camry in EPA mpg rating, 29 to 28.<\/p>\n
Safety systems in both cars are superb. Example: Leaving downtown on a hazy, darkened Lodge one night, a tail-lightless car limped along in the center lane. Without the Malibu\u2019s collision alert system \u2013 FWEEEE! went the flashing red light on my dash \u2013 I might have rammed it.<\/p>\n
In sum, objects in Toyota\u2019s rear view mirror are closer than they appear. Chevy has caught up. Score some outright wins in the looks and quality \u2014 best-in-class windshield wipers aren\u2019t enough \u2014 and McMalibu can be the new standard.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
2014 Chevy Malibu<\/h3>\n
Vehicle type:<\/b>\u00a0Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger sedan
\nPrice:<\/b>\u00a0$25,215 base ($29,900 as tested)
\nPower plant:<\/b>\u00a0Ecotec 2.5-liter direct-injection four-cylinder engine
\nPower:<\/b>\u00a0196 horsepower, 186 pound-feet of torque
\nTransmission:<\/b>\u00a0Six-speed automatic
\nPerformance:<\/b>\u00a00-60 mpg, 7.9 seconds (Car & Driver); 128 mph top speed
\nWeight:<\/b>\u00a03,532 pounds
\nFuel economy:<\/b>\u00a0EPA 25 mpg city\/36 mpg highway\/29 mpg combined
\nHighs:\u00a0<\/b>Intuitive interior controls; love those wiper jets
\nLows:<\/b>\u00a0Still playing catch-up in quality; Plain Jane styling
\nOverall:<\/b>\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
2014 Toyota Camry<\/h3>\n
Vehicle type:<\/b>\u00a0Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger sedan
\nPrice:<\/b>\u00a0$24,550 base ($28,038 with options)
\nPower plant:<\/b>\u00a02.5-liter twin-cam four-cylinder engine
\nPower:<\/b>\u00a0178 horsepower, 170 pound-feet of torque
\nTransmission:<\/b>\u00a0Six-speed automatic
\nPerformance:\u00a0<\/b>0-60 mpg, 8.1 seconds (Motor Trend); 117 mph top speed
\nWeight:<\/b>\u00a03,275 pounds
\nFuel economy:<\/b>\u00a0EPA 25 mpg city\/35 mpg highway\/28 mpg combined
\nHighs:<\/b>\u00a0Runs like clockwork; spacious interior
\nLows:<\/b>\u00a0Plain Jane styling; Clunky shifter
\nOverall:<\/b>\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Toyota’s midsize Camry is the reigning segment leader but the Chevy Malibu has had an extreme makeover for 2014. (Toyota and GM) When I think midsize sedans, I think fast-food hamburgers. The burger is America\u2019s meal. From state to state, the humble patty is never flashy, always decent. It comes in different styles \u2013 McDonald\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14451"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14451"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14453,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14451\/revisions\/14453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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