2016 Chevy Malibu Hybrid

As pricing has been released ($29,520) as well as electric range (55 miles) it could justify its own thread here on MNL ... overall styling reminds me of an Impala but probably a bit smaller. Very decent gas mileage when not using electric power (combined at 47 MPG) is also in its favor; only negatives could be the compromise of cargo space with battery, etc. But as most in the US prefer sedans over hatchbacks could be fairly successful in its own right vs. Gen 2 Volt --- also like the fact that they've done something with cabin heat which typically gets neglected; and as always what everyone seems to want, more powerful gas/electric powerplant

http://autoweek.com/article/car-news/2016-chevrolet-malibu-hybrid-starts-29520#ixzz3uP7l1QZh

It states 55 mile AER but doesn't say anything about "plug in", just that it's hybrid.

I like the styling and if it really is a plug in with 55 mile range and 47mpg... awesome combo! How would it even have competition with Ford, Kia, and Toyota? They're plug in hybrids have 15-20 AER?

There is NO WAY this vehicle has 55 miles AER. From Car and Driver's article:

When it’s time to hit the whoa pedal on all those ponies, a Volt-derived regenerative braking system recharges the 80-cell, 1.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack stowed beneath the trunk floor.

Click to expand...

The vehicle would need MUCH more than 1.5kWh of batteries to go 55 miles on electric power alone. I think AutoWeek got confused with the Volt.

Reference: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2016-chevrolet-malibu-hybrid-photos-and-info-news

aarond12 said:

There is NO WAY this vehicle has 55 miles AER. From Car and Driver's article:

When it’s time to hit the whoa pedal on all those ponies, a Volt-derived regenerative braking system recharges the 80-cell, 1.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack stowed beneath the trunk floor.

Click to expand...

The vehicle would need MUCH more than 1.5kWh of batteries to go 55 miles on electric power alone. I think AutoWeek got confused with the Volt.

Reference: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2016-chevrolet-malibu-hybrid-photos-and-info-news

Click to expand...

Actually I do think you're right ... there may have been some confusion by the fact that in can drive up to 55 MPH with battery only power ...


The new hybrid Malibu will be able to drive entirely on electric power for a mile or so--up to 55 miles per hour, Chevy says--just like the hybrid versions of the Camry, Fusion, Accord, Sonata, and Optima it competes with.



http://www.greencarreports.com/news...ibling-without-a-plug-may-be-first-of-several

The article also confirms no plug used -- hopefully AW checks their source one more time; don't normally get it wrong; yet an other twist on the GM powerplant although very disappointing if its only 1-mile on electricity

Its not a plug-in hybrid. It has a Prius like 1.5 KWH battery. It uses a slightly modified Volt transmission. Not sure how efficient the Malibu is but the Volt is 106 MPGe so the all electric range can't be more than a few miles, however it can drive up to 50 or so MPH before the ICE kicks in. I think that's where the confusion comes in.

The Malibu has an exhaust gas heat recovery system which warms up the ICE and cabin quickly. Dana Corp says this type of system is good for something around 3% in fuel efficiency. What is very odd is the Malibu Hybrid gets better mileage than the Volt (47 vs 42 combined) despite weighing about the same, having a larger ICE, and a larger body.

I would love to see a plug-in version of the Malibu using the Volt's 18.4 KWH battery. Since it weighs the same and uses the same drivetrain, the AER should be around 50 miles. The Hybrid stickers for $28,645, if GM adds $7,500 to the price tag to cover the cost of the battery, support equipment and engineering, (the Malibu Hybrid already has the other EV stuff like the electric based climate control and regent), that cost would be entirely offset by the Federal tax credit.

That is a bummer. I knew it was too good to be true.

If it drives anything like the Buick LaCrosse "Eco" that I rented a couple of summers ago, I would pass (or save my money and get the conventional Malibu instead). The Buick's mild hybrid system was incredibly intrusive with the way the ICE would kick in. The worst part is that when accelerating from a full stop the engine wouldn't always fire up immediately, so there was a lag in responsiveness, occasionally accompanied by a loud squeal. Very dangerous when trying to make a left turn in traffic. The small battery still used up a considerable amount of trunk room as well.