1.5 liters and 117 mph. Don’t ask me how I know.
And at that speed, the Malibu rode on rails. Flat. Smooth. Planted. Well behaved. One with the road, in perfect harmony with the universe. It was a glorious ride.
Color me impressed. I rented Chevy Malibus on the last two secret missions and I loved the car. I’m no James Bond and the Malibu is no Aston Martin, but as secret mission motor vehicles go, this is a cool car. It would cruise easily at 85 mph, and jumping up to that big number listed above (117 mph) was effortless.
At first, I could only wonder what was powering the thing…a Z06 engine?
My preliminary Internet research showed the Malibu has two engine options: The base model 1.5L four, and an upgraded 2.0L four. Mine must have had the 2.0-liter four banger, I thought, because it was just flat quick. There was nothing posted on the Malibu’s exterior to tell us how many hamsters were hiding under the hood, so Big John and I took a look. Every secret agent needs a wing man. Big John was mine.
1.5L.
Well, I’ll be.
How the hell did Chevy get that kind of giddyup out of a measly 1500 cubic centimeters?
Turbocharging. That’s how. But you could have fooled me. The car has no markings to indicate it hides a turbo, there’s no discernable turbo lag, and it just feels good.
I think it looks good, too.
Chevy’s Malibu MSRP is around $23K, and that ain’t bad. The car is roomy and comfortable. There are no machine guns or passenger ejection seats, but the Malibu clocked around 40 miles per gallon. In the real world, this thing checks all the boxes.
So what did I dislike? Nothing, really. Well, maybe that automatic engine shutoff at stop signs that all new cars seem to have these days, but I’m getting used to that. I’m not in the market for a new car, but if I was, the Malibu would be at the top of my list.
Here’s another shocker. It seems Chevy is going to discontinue the Malibu in the next year or two. Discontinuing the Chevy Malibu. We are living in a world gone mad. I guess they are not selling, but I can’t see why.
Chevy, your marketing weenies are flat on their overpaid butts. There should be lines around your dealerships waiting to buy these cars. They are that good. You should advertise with us.
Stay ahead of the curve. Subscribe here for free!