Chevrolet Malibu is a front-wheel drive mid-size sedan (although its dimensions can certainly be attributed to the business class), with an expressive design, high-quality interior, modern technology and a rich level of equipment ... It is addressed primarily to family people leading an active image lives who want to get "a lot of cars for reasonable money" ...
In early April 2015, at the international exhibition in New York, GM, on behalf of Chevrolet, presented the next, already ninth, generation of the Malibu midsize sedan. The car changed dramatically: it became "sportier" in appearance, got a new interior, added in size, dropped more than a hundred kilograms and got a hybrid power plant.
The overseas public was able to appreciate all the delights of the novelty in the fourth quarter of the same year, but, alas, it did not make it to Russia (for reasons "not clear to marketers" - Russian motorists dislike mid-size American sedans, a good example is the previous generation Malibu, and before him Epica).
Exactly three years after its debut, the car underwent a small, but complex restyling. The four-door "refreshed" externally - by replacing the radiator grille, lighting equipment "in a circle" and the bumper (thereby slightly adding to the solidity); acquired a new multimedia system with an uncontested 8-inch screen, "armed" with new modern equipment and received a new transmission for the base engine (a continuously variable variator "replaced" a 6-band "automatic") ... But the changes did not end there either - the sedan for the first time in its history there was a version of "RS", which differs from other performances in "sports" design.
By the way, the "ninth" Chevrolet Malibu, as a result of a change of generations, also experienced a serious change of style, turning into a fastback - a sedan with a dynamic compartment roof, original stampings on the sidewalls, a strongly tilted rear window and a small "tail" of the trunk.
The strict front of the car is made in the corporate direction of the brand with a predatory cut optics, a two-piece radiator grille and a powerful bumper. The stern looks no less stylish, with beautiful lights with LED sections and a raised bumper, into which two hexagonal exhaust pipes are implanted.
The pseudo-sports performance is easily distinguished from other trim levels due to the black radiator grille and Chevrolet emblems, a small spoiler on the trunk lid, redrawn exhaust pipes, original 18-inch wheel rims and RS nameplates.
The length of the car is 4922 mm, of which 2829 mm falls on the wheelbase (an increase in comparison with its predecessor - 58 mm and 91 mm, respectively), width - 1854 mm, height - 1463 mm. The ground clearance of the four-door is 155 mm, and its "travel" weight varies from 1400 to 1568 kg (depending on the modification).
The ninth generation Malibu is no less impressively decorated inside: a branded multifunctional steering wheel, a modern dashboard with a color board computer display and an interesting front panel architecture with an ergonomic console in the center. The latter is crowned with an 8-inch monitor of the Chevrolet Infotainment 3 multimedia complex, below which the original microclimate control unit in the cabin is located.
The decoration of the car implies the presence of high-quality finishing materials, in particular soft plastics, inserts for metal and genuine leather.
As for the "sports" (exactly in quotes) version of the three-volume, it can additionally boast of black fabric in the trim of the seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob, as well as the "RS" logos.
In front of the "Malibu" there are comfortable-looking chairs with a sufficiently developed lateral support, and the rear sofa can easily accommodate three passengers - the benefit of legroom and width is more than enough. But the sloping roof will obviously put pressure on the tops of too tall passengers.
In the normal state, the trunk of a four-door car is able to "absorb" up to 447 liters of luggage. The second row of seats folds in a couple of sections, freeing up the opening for transporting long loads. The car has a spare wheel and tools in a recess under the raised floor.
For the 9th generation Chevrolet Malibu, two Ecotec petrol fours with turbocharging and direct injection are available:
- The basic versions of the car are equipped with a 1.5-liter engine with a start-stop system, generating 160 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 250 Nm of torque at 2000-4000 rpm and combined with a continuously variable variator (before the modernization of 2018 - from 6 -speed "automatic").
- Under the hood of more productive options, a 2.0-liter unit is based, the output of which is 250 hp. at 5300 rpm and 350 Nm of peak thrust at 1700 rpm. The 9-band automatic machine acts as a "partner" for him.
Available for the classic American sedan and a modern hybrid power plant, which includes a 1.8-liter gasoline engine, a pair of electric motors and a set of lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of 1.5 kilowatt-hours. Its total potential is 182 horsepower. On pure electric traction, the "hybrid Malibu" is capable of driving 70-80 km, accelerating to a maximum of 88 km / h.
The car rushes to conquer the second "hundred" after 6.7-8.6 seconds, and the maximum conquers 215-250 km / h.
Gasoline modifications "digest" 7.6-8.7 liters of fuel for every 100 km of run in the combined cycle, while the hybrid version "digests" no more than 5 liters.
The 9th generation Chevrolet Malibu triple box is based on the new front-wheel drive platform "E2XX", which implies a transverse power plant and extensive use of high-strength steel in the structure. "In a circle" the sedan is equipped with independent suspensions - McPherson struts on the front and a multi-link arrangement on the rear axle (in both cases - with passive shock absorbers and lateral stabilizers).
The steering system of the car "flaunts" an electric booster, and the brake package - disc brakes on all wheels (ventilated at the front), ABS, EBD and other "gadgets".
Sales of the restyled "Malibu" of the ninth generation will begin in the United States in the fall of 2018, but the "pre-reform" sedan is offered at home in trim levels "L", "LS", "LT", "Premier" and "Hybrid" at a price of 21 680 dollars (~ 1.33 million rubles).
Already in the "base" the car has: ten airbags, a dual-zone "climate", a media center with a 7-inch screen, ABS, ESP, 16-inch steel wheels with caps, an audio system with six speakers, power windows for all doors, "cruise", external mirrors with electric drive and heating, tire pressure monitoring system and other equipment.
