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2016 Chevrolet Malibu Rated Top Safety Pick+ by the IIHS

What started life as a trim level for the Chevelle became a standalone model in 1978. In 1997, the Chevrolet Malibu morphed into a FWD sedan for the masses. Now at its ninth generation, the Chevy Malibu soldiers on as the family car of many.
2016 Chevrolet Malibu crash test 6 photos
Photo: IIHS
2016 Chevrolet Malibu crash test by IIHS2016 Chevrolet Malibu crash test by IIHS2016 Chevrolet Malibu crash test by IIHS2016 Chevrolet Malibu crash test by IIHS2016 Chevrolet Malibu crash test by IIHS
Through May 2016, the Malibu sold 104,187 units, making it the seventh most popular car in the United States after the Camry, Civic, Corolla, Altima, Accord, and Fusion. In hybrid form, the Malibu offers a segment-leading 46 miles per gallon (5.1 liters/100 km) combined fuel economy rating. The styling isn’t bad either, nor is the sedan’s crashworthiness.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu to the test and, unsurprisingly, the model passed with flying colors. With ‘good’ ratings across the board, including impressive protection in the small overlap front crash test, the Malibu is as safe as a car this size can be. Roof strength is another plus point because the Malibu can withstand a peak force of 16,665 pounds (7,559 kg). Not bad at all for a car that weighs 3,117 pounds (1,413 kg).

When equipped with Front Automatic Braking and City-Speed Front Automatic Braking, the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu is even safer. In the 12 mph (20 km/h) track test, the sedan avoided an imminent collision. In the 25 mph (40 km/h) track test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety was pleased to find out that the Malibu can automatically slow down by an average of 24 mph (38 km/h), thus minimizing the force of impact. If, however, the car is equipped only with City-Speed Front Automatic Braking, the mid-sized Malibu sedan slows itself by 9 mph (14 km/h) in the 25 mph test, thus earning an ‘advanced’ rating.

On the downside, the Malibu could use better headlights and child seat anchors. According to the IIHS, the halogen projector headlights offer inadequate penetration at night in curves. Alas, the nonprofit organization gave the Malibu’s headlights an overall rating of ‘poor’. As for child seat anchors, the lower anchors are located too deep in the seat. In turn, lots of brute force is needed to attach a child’s seat.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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