Revealed! 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid: They’re Critical This Time

The final-generation Chevy Malibu hybrid was sort of an also-ran amongst H-labeled sedans: Greatest characterized as a “mild” hybrid method, the getup netted EPA ratings of just 26 mpg city and 34 highway. Not specifically a Prius fighter. But for 2016, as component of a complete Malibu redesign, Chevrolet ultimately saw fit to give the hybrid variant a gas-electric drivetrain to be taken seriously.

The new Malibu Hybrid draws on the lessons that Chevy discovered in generating the upcoming second-generation Volt plug-in hybrid. The new ’Bu can whisper along on electric-only power—something the final-generation automobile was incapable of—at speeds up to 55 mph. At time of writing, Chevrolet was not capable to provide exact estimates for electric-only variety or EPA-verified fuel economy, but the organization says it expects a combined fuel-economy rating exceeding 45 mpg.

Component of that newfound thriftiness comes from the new hybrid drivetrain. The petrol-powered half is an all-new 1.8-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder, a direct-injected unit that is larger and far more muscular than the 1.5-liter discovered in the 2016 Chevy Volt. The 1.8-liter is teamed with a 2-motor electric drivetrain that is largely related to the new Volt’s.

With both the gasoline engine and the electric motors working in concert, the drivetrain puts out a total of 182 horsepower. When it’s time to hit the whoa pedal on all these ponies, a Volt-derived regenerative braking system recharges the 80-cell, 1.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack stowed beneath the trunk floor.

The Malibu hybrid also functions a nifty Exhaust Gas Heat Recovery technique, scavenging thermal energy from the gas engine’s exhaust system to heat the cabin and speed engine warm-up in cold weather. Active grille shutters (which are also found on LS and LT nonhybrid models) and a slightly lowered ride height additional help fuel efficiency.

So, too, does the new car’s weight loss. Chevy says the 2016 Malibu is much more than 300 pounds lighter than the outgoing model. This is in spite of increasing in length, which sees the Malibu add some much-necessary rear legroom.

With the Volt-derived drivetrain, Chevy hopes to ideal the hybrid variants of the Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry, and Hyundai Sonata. The bogey to beat, nonetheless, is the Honda Accord hybrid, which tops the segment with an EPA combined rating of 47 mpg. We’ll have to wait on official word from the EPA—as properly as our own driving experience—before we take Chevy at its word on the “combined rating north of 45 mpg” claim. When the car goes on sale in the 4th quarter of this year, the challenge then for Chevrolet will be to get people to believe “Malibu” when they’re pondering “hybrid.”

Revealed! 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid: They’re Critical This Time