2010 Chevy Malibu Review

The Chevy Malibu is a car that, in name, has been around for a long while. After a downsizing in the late 1970s and a quiet death in the early '80s, the Malibu was reincarnated as a smaller, anonymous, front-wheel-drive favorite of rental fleets. The 2010 Malibu drives into the new model year with excellent refinement and overall competence. It is a sedan that is on par with other top midsize family sedans, and that is no easy task. The Malibu has an estimated MPG of 22 City / 30 Hwy, and a starting MSRP of $21,825 - $26,955. The 2010 Malibu comes in four trims: base LS, midlevel 1LT and 2LT and luxury LTZ. The award winning Chevrolet Malibu emphasizes civilized road manners, quality construction and practicality, with clean, contemporary styling. New for 2010, driver power lumbar is standard on all trims, the 2.4-liter four-cylinder is now a flex-fuel engine and the 3.5-liter V-6 engine is dropped for 2010; otherwise, the distinctive and classy Chevrolet Malibu carries over from 2009.

Chevy Malibu Power

The Malibu, which is front wheel drive, offers a choice of a 169-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine or a 3.6-liter 252-hp V6. The inline-4 comes paired to a four-speed automatic on the two lower trims, while the upper trims boast a six-speed automatic. The V6 is paired with the six-speed automatic. The 2010 Malibu comes standard with the 169-hp, 2.4-liter E85-compatible four-cylinder engine as standard equipment. On the LT and LTZ a 252-hp, 3.6-liter V6 is optional. Buyers get a significant horsepower gain by stepping up to the optional V-6, which always drives a six-speed automatic. With the V6, the six-speed automatic is quick to shift, up and down, smooth, lurch-free and quiet. The engine, which has nine different sound attenuators in the air intake system, never sounds anything but powerful and smooth.

Design of the 2010 Malibu

With its crisp, tailored lines, the current Chevrolet Malibu looks more like a luxury sedan than a fleet car. A glass sunroof is optional. At 70.3 inches wide and 57.1 inches tall, the Malibu is the narrowest and shortest of all its competition. At 191.8 inches, however, it's longer than the Fusion, Altima, Camry but shorter than the Accord. The Malibu looks masculine, brawny, yet clean and crisp. The body design is bold, long and sleek, with an especially appealing roofline that looks like it belongs on a luxury car. The bodysides are completely clean and uncluttered, and the twin round taillamps pay homage to the Corvette. The dual-port grille is a contemporary Chevrolet design cue.

Malibu Cabin

 The Malibu offers a handsome cabin in terms of materials and build quality. Two-tone interior schemes, even on base models, further the effect. The cabin is nicely designed, attractive, and everything is easy to operate, though there are some hard plastics that detract from an otherwise first-rate interior. The seats are comfortable, with plenty of front seat room and a generous rear seat. A variety of two-tone interior themes are available as a means of accenting the dash, center stack, door trim and seats. The instruments have blue backlighting, and a 110-volt power outlet is available for LT and LTZ Malibus. The most noticeable interior feature of the Chevrolet Malibu, other than the roominess front and rear, is the dual-cowl dashboard and instrument panel layout inspired by vintage Corvettes.This design is brought into the 21st century with wood and metallic trim and a very pleasing blue-on-white instrumentation graphic treatment that's flooded with blue light at night. Cloth, faux-suede and leather interior options are available. The standard interiors are monotone, but several two-tone interior combinations are available, including a dramatic black-and-saddle leather combination that's very attractive. Overall, the Malibu interior is attractive and comfortable. The quality of the interior materials is good.

2010 Malibu Trim and Options

The Malibu LS comes with electric power steering, to save drag on the engine, while the V6-powered models come with hydraulic power steering. Standard features in the LS include air conditioning, cloth upholstery, power height-adjustable driver's seat with lumbar adjustment, cruise control, 60/40 split-folding rear seat, power windows, power mirrors, power locks, remote keyless entry, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, AM/FM/CD stereo with XM satellite radio and auxiliary input jack, outside temperature display, automatic headlights, one year of OnStar assistance with Turn-by-Turn navigation, and P215/55R17 tires on steel wheels with hub caps.

The 1LT model adds steering wheel audio controls and floor mats, while the 2LT gets the new six-speed automatic transmission with manual shift capability, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, faux suede upholstery, heated front seats, six-way power adjustable driver's seat, universal garage door opener, auto-dimming rearview mirror, compass, Bluetooth connectivity and alloy wheels.

The LTZ adds automatic climate control, leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather upholstery, eight-way power driver's seat, six-way power passenger seat, heated power mirrors, auto-dimming driver's side exterior mirror, iPod adapter, eight-speaker 210-watt stereo system, remote engine starting, fog lights, clear-lens LED taillamps and P225/50R18 tires on alloy wheels.

Conclusions

Traits such as a comfortable and quiet ride, a roomy cabin, satisfying performance, handsome styling and value pricing make Chevrolet's latest Malibu a strong choice. For more research, visit the official 2010 Chevy Malibu site. The Malibu comes with standard safety features such as seat-mounted thorax airbags, side-curtain airbags, stability control, traction control, and anti-lock brakes. Bluetooth is standard on the LTZ, optional on the LT. The Malibu benefits from a completely re-engineered platform introduced for 2008 that resulted in smooth ride, quiet cabin, responsive handling, and effective crash performance.