Chevrolet Malibu LTZ 2.0 Turbo

Let us now officially place “turbocharged” alongside “humdinger,” “nifty,” and “bodacious” in the pile of words that once denoted cool but, today, is just stuff old people say. Yes, enthusiasts, welcome to the modern reality of ubiquitous forced induction, where even the Chevy Malibu is offered with a turbo. In fact, it’s the same basic 2.0-liter turbo fitted to the Cadillac ATS, the Buick Verano, and the Buick Regal.

In addition to a 62-hp bump over the base 2.5-liter engine, to 259, turbo Malibus receive specific shock and steering tuning along with front and rear brake rotors that are almost an inch larger than brakes fitted to less potent Malibus.

You will see no "turbo" badges on this uplevel Malibu. It is simply a replacement for a V-6 powered Malibu, not a sporty model.

But these spec changes were made more to retain the placid ride and easy-to-drive nature found in lesser Malibu models than to create a sports sedan. The turbo Malibu possesses the same cozy seats and a similarly silent cabin as the rest of the range, making it ideal for engaging the cruise control and settling into a freeway groove to lay down serious miles. Precious little feedback of any sort penetrates this chamber, and given the direct-injected four’s willingness to spin those front wheels—260 pound-feet of torque is available from just 1700 rpm—it is easy to find yourself traveling at supra-legal speeds.

Or fighting for control, as the turbo Mali­bu’s front end gets light and its tires go darty under full acceleration. And you will be downshifting; one, two, sometimes three ratios at a pop, as the six-speed automatic is always too eager to reach top gear. Forget about picking your own, as manual control comes by way of a chiefly decorative rocker switch on the top of the gearshift lever.

 This automatic, a Hydra-Matic 6T70, is a carry-over from the old V-6 Malibu, right down to identical gear ratios, though GM says the new unit has been updated for greater efficiency and more responsive shifting. We’ll buy into the efficiency claim, as the turbo Malibu earns a combined 24-mpg rating from the EPA. We managed just 1 mpg less. The other issue is not as clear-cut. At times the gearbox can go from sixth to third like a frog on a hot skillet. When you’re trundling along in traffic with the engine lugging well under 2000 rpm and you decide to pull out into an open lane, however, the time it takes for the transmission and twin-scroll turbocharger to respond feels like waiting for Kermit to boil.

From a standing start, the Malibu turbo is quick, hitting 60 mph in 6.3 seconds, matching the acceleration of the VW Passat VR6 that won our most recent hi-po mid-size-sedan comparison test. Thanks in part to its optional 19-inch wheels fitted with 40-series Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires, this $33,820 Malibu LTZ would have trumped that field in braking and roadholding as well. It turned in a 165-foot stop from 70 mph and an impressive 0.87 g on our skidpad. This surrogate for a V-6 Malibu makes good numbers. We just wish GM had made this version a more engaging car to drive for people who still get sweats when they hear the word “turbocharged.”

Chevrolet Malibu 2.5L LTZ

Ikea furniture is really great, right up until it’s not. You buy it because it’s affordable and looks good in most settings and because anyone who’s ever played with a Lego set could put it together. But then you open the box and realize Ikea has misplaced the final dowel needed to assemble your Förhöja, or your coffee table won’t sit level without a stack of coasters under one leg, or your kitchen chair gives way when you sit down on it one day. In a way, that’s what Chevrolet’s nonhybrid 2013 Malibu is like—a decent package with flaws. Flaws you can’t ignore.

 When we drove the new Malibu Eco last year, our reaction was an overwhelming “meh,” and that model subsequently finished sixth of six in a comparison test. The staggered 2013 Malibu introduction schedule now brings us a nonhybrid four-cylinder car—the mainstream model—to drive.

The 2.5-liter inline-four in this Malibu is one of GM’s second-generation Ecotec engines and replaces the previous car’s 2.4-liter as the base mill. It generates 197 hp and 191 lb-ft of torque, putting it near the top of the power rankings and top in torque among mid-sizers with naturally aspirated fours; those numbers represent increases of 28 hp and 31 lb-ft over the outgoing 2.4. Accompanying the output gain is a revised six-speed automatic that Chevy claims cuts shift times compared with the unit in its previous-gen ’Bu. The powertrain duo works pretty well together, pulling around the 3550-ish-pound Malibu well enough.

We expect the 2.5 will get the Malibu to 60 in just under eight seconds, which will put it right on top of its competition and about 0.2 second quicker than the Eco model. Fuel efficiency is improved with the 2.5-liter versus the outgoing 2.4, but only marginally—22 mpg in the city and 34 on the highway with the 2.5 compared with 22/33 in the old car with the 2.4. The mildly hybridized Malibu Eco scores 25/37.

The Eco’s brake pedal, like those of most hybrids, has nonlinear feel and therefore isn’t very easy to modulate; the more conventional setup in this 2.5 fixes those problems, although it still isn’t particularly communicative. As a mainstream family sedan, we wouldn’t expect this to be terribly sporty, but the Malibu seems to resist enthusiastic driving more than most. The steering is numb, conspiring with a suspension setup that keeps the car from changing directions with any fluidity or urgency.

Drive the Malibu straight down the road, however, and things are fairly pleasant. The ride is smooth, and the car seems to prefer highway work. In that recent six-way comparo, the Malibu Eco’s interior was the quietest at a 70-mph cruise, and that doesn’t seem to have changed here. The 2.5-liter is remarkably hushed under normal circumstances, using disturbance-minimizing components such as a low-noise timing chain and direct-mounted accessories. And it all works, right up until you push the long pedal to the floor and watch the tach pass 4000 rpm. At that point, the drone of every four-cylinder you’ve ever flogged washes over you.

The interior of the Malibu—like those of other new GM products—shows a conscious effort to deliver style and improved materials quality. There’s a certain similarity to an Ikea showroom—shapes, sizes, and colors that are unique and unexpected. But unlike most Ikea furniture, the driver’s seat in the Malibu is actually comfortable.

Other aspects of the interior let the Malibu down, however. Chevy’s dual-cockpit approach can make front occupants feel isolated and restricted. A reduction in wheelbase from the last generation sees rear legroom decrease by 0.8 inch; knee- and shoulder room see notable gains, but a lack of space for your stems makes the back seat feel cramped on anything longer than a quick jaunt.

In certain aspects, and for undiscerning buyers, the Malibu 2.5 can satisfy. It’s quiet in everyday use and offers decent power, but its handling doesn’t inspire driver confidence, and the interior packaging is disappointing. Substituting a different engine does not address most of the issues that pushed the Malibu Eco down the scorecard in its comparison test. Unfortunately, fixing the Malibu’s shortcomings would take more than a stack of coasters.

Chevrolet Corvette 427 convertible

Whatever you do, don’t call the Chevrolet Corvette 427 convertible a Z06 convertible. Never mind that beneath its carbon-fiber Z06 hood and between what look like the Z06’s carbon-fiber fenders sits the Z06’s dry-sump 7.0-liter V-8 spinning the Z06’s six-speed manual—the only transmission available, just as in the Z06—and directing power to the Z06’s rear axle, which is equipped with the Z06’s available magnetorheological shock absorbers. Chevy refuses to call the 427 droptop a Z06 for a much simpler reason: Supporting its carbon-fiber and balsa-wood sandwich floor panels—same as the Z06’s—is the hydroformed steel frame from the base Corvette rather than the aluminum structural core of the Z06 and ZR1. Also, engineers insist that the Z06 was designed from the ground up to be a coupe and that it wouldn’t take kindly to having its magnesium-reinforced roof panel simply removed.
But if ?you consider the 427 to be in every other way a Z06, you’re correct. With the exception of the frame and the roof, most of the stuff that makes a Z06 is here.

Not surprisingly, all that Z06 equipment makes the 427 drive a lot like the Z06. First of all, it has the same steering. Calling it “immediate” doesn’t do it justice. It’s almost twitchy and demands absolute attention—as do the car’s tremendous limits. We recorded 1.03 g on the skidpad, enough lateral acceleration to make you wish you did more core-strength conditioning. With the Z06’s brakes also aboard, the 427 stops as if ?it were grabbing an arresting cable. The 427 screeched from 70 mph to a standstill in 144 feet, two shorter than the last Z06 we tested.

Much of the 427 convertible’s equipment is available on the mid-level Grand Sport roadster, but the one thing that defines the Z06—its 428-cubic-inch LS7 V-8—is the 427’s main draw. (Chevy fudges the displacement as an homage to the old big-block engine—feel free to call it, more accurately, the 428.) It’s a nearly faultless mill, brutal and ferocious, with a yawp that will make anyone pine for a big-inch V-8 of his own. The LS7’s 505 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque seem to manifest at every point in the rev range, and the LS7 slings the 427 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and through the quarter in 12.2. A quarter-mile that quick places any car in elite company, but it puts the 427 on an even shorter list of convertibles. As does its 182-mph top speed.

Chevy quotes a base price of $76,900—that’s $325 more than a Z06. As typical convertible premiums go, Chevy might as well be paying customers to take the 427 instead of the Z06.


All Corvette convertibles have their faults—seats that, although improved for 2012, still aren’t up to the performance of the car; a structure that isn’t quite as rigid as the coupe’s; a power top you have to manually unlatch; scary breakaway behavior—but one thing you’ll never hear us complain about is the LS7. It’s a great engine, and we’re still surprised it has taken Chevrolet this long to install it in the convertible body. The next-generation C7 Corvette is just around the corner; hopefully, droptop customers won’t have to wait as long to get a monster-engine version of an open C7.

Chevrolet Sonic

Replacing the Aveo, the 2012 Sonic is a zippy subcompact with sharp handling that sips on regular-grade gasoline. This sporty car is offered as a sedan or hatchback. The top Sonic model, the LTZ, comes with 17-inch aluminum wheels and a three-spoke steering wheel design.

The Sonic fits its name when it comes to power and speed. The standard engine is a 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder that cranks out 138 horsepower. But for better fuel economy, you'll want the available turbocharged 1.4-liter engine with the same amount of horses. It gets 29 mpg city, 40 mpg highway and 33 mpg combined when paired with a six-speed manual transmission. The six-speed, turbocharged automatic will get you 27 mpg city, 37 mpg highway and 31 mpg combined. With the manual, you'll go from a standstill to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds, according to Chevrolet.

This sports car is no slouch when it comes to safety. Standard features include stability control, traction control, antilock brakes and 10 air bags.