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66 | FireFlyz
Car
Review
ZacharyHo
seeks out some sunshine in theChevroletMalibu.
I
f
you look at the D, or midsize
sedan, segment and you’ll find
many choices. This segment can
be considered a picky one given
its intended demographics. But it
looks like Chevrolet is confident of
its contender – theMalibu (available
only in LTZ trim here) to chisel away at
some of the more established marques.
LOOKS
TheMalibu sits onGeneral Motor’s Epsilon
II platformwhich is shared with the Buick
Regal, Cadillac XTS and Opel Insignia.
Its distinctive rear is most noticeable
-- dressed with bold four-squared tail
lamps inspired by the well-known Camaro
muscle car as well as dual exhaust outlets.
At the sides, the Malibu’s lines are
clean and uncomplicated, not hiding the
car’s mass. Inching forward, the fascia
looks comparatively tame. Granted that it
looks grown-up, as a midsized executive
sedan should be but the corporate grille
and gentle headlamps are a contrast to the
sculpted muscular rear.
The grille is equipped with hidden
passive blockers to reduce wind resistance
and the deep channels on either side of
the bonnet look to guide airflow between
the wing mirrors and windows for better
aerodynamics.
POWER
Power comes from a 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
ECOTEC (Emission Control Optimisation
Technology) engine with 165hp and
225Nm of torque. The engine, whose
moniker is kept fromOpel’s engine range,
features double continuous variable cam
phasing to improve power delivery.
Official 0-100kph timing is 9.6 seconds
which is on par with most in its class
and quite alright for a vehicle weighing
1.5 tonnes.
DRIVE
The ECOTEC engine, while admittedly not
Tagline – Life’s A Beach
feeling the most powerful or smoothest in
its class, is coupled to a 6-speed automatic
transmission that cancels out any of
the engine’s shortcomings with its silky
smooth shifts that are barely noticeable.
Only upon the need for a sudden gear
kick-down is there a slight lag but this
could probably be negated by getting used
to how throttle pressure is applied.
And while you’re at it, you could try to
get used to the Driver Shift Control manual
shifting function of the transmissionwhich
features the +/- buttons on the gearshift
knob as opposed to the conventional
pushing and pulling of the gearshift.
It’s an unconventional location for
the manual shift buttons and I might
have used it more if I were given time to
acclimatise to it. But for the duration of
the test drive I realised that the powertrain
combination and response made me
subconsciously ‘shift’ gears with my
fingers, while I was holding the wheel.
Perhaps Chevrolet should consider