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| The 2016 Chevy Malibu |
In 2015 Chevrolet began airing television commercials featuring an unidentified vehicle, asking potential consumers in a serene setting to identify this mystery vehicle. I was personally stumped by the refreshing design language. After guessing that Acura and Toyota had created a love child, it was revealed that the vehicle was none other than the 2016 Chevy Malibu. Here's what's new with the most drastically redesigned car of the year.
The 2016 Chevy Malibu is a beautiful car, but it's also a sign that General Motors is finally listening to it's customers. This is arguably the first globally competitive vehicle that the company released in a while, which is heard to say about the maker of The Cadillac Escalade and The Chevrolet Corvette. However, there are a few key changes that support that.
Design Language
Chevy's 2016 redesign of the Malibu's exterior is sleek and curvy with sharp lines that mislead the eye, eventually dropping off behind the vehicle. The styling isn't European though, or Japanese, or even Korean. It's American. Chevy have actually been able to refresh the concept of actual design in the American auto industry and they did it with a Malibu. They almost trick you into believing they own a wind tunnel, and results from the next section show that they just might.
Economy
More sales equals more brand recognition. Mercedes realized that and released the CLA, BMW introduced the 1 & 2 series, and Chevrolet has begun pricing fairly. Before you spec you Malibu well over the $30,000 mark, it's an economy vehicle. At just over $21,000($1,000 less than last year), you get the same styling, 32 MPG combined(One more that last year.), and 160 Horsepower(36 less than last year's model.). While this may not be leading the field, it's nice to see General Motor play by the rules of the rest of the market and provide fair value.
Comfort
In the adverts for the 2016 Chevy Malibu, you clearly hear participants praising the vehicle's "luxurious" interior over other auto makers such as Audi and BMW. Truth be told, if you spec for all of the high end interior options, you'll likely get the standard GM tech package, and decent leather. However, you can't compare GM's access to quality hides with the same guys who make Rolls Royce, Bentley, and Lamborghini. Thankfully, though, you will get a lot more quality than you did in the overly plastic filled cabin of last year's model. There is no clear hierarchy in the GM ecosystem that would place this vehicle higher than the redesigned Chevy Impala, however, I'd say they'e nearly equal in terms of total comfort and quality.
Overall the 2016 Chevy Malibu is the biggest show of improvement from General Motors thus far in it's stake to reclaim some share in the now crowded luxury/mid-size market. However, only time will tell just how great the new Malibu really is.
