Photo: Chevrolet
Many people think Chevrolet Malibu lives on borrowed time, and reports say that GM will drop the car after the 2023 model year. Despite that, the Americans seem to love the sedan, as the sales are strong, and Chevrolet had to accept new orders for the 2022 model year. That’s a wonderful time for Consumer Reports to recommend avoiding the Malibu.
Consumer Reports (CR) recently published the article “Popular Midsized Sedans to Avoid and What to Buy Instead.” CR recognizes that its good ratings don’t always translate into better sales, and some popular models are bestsellers despite lower rates. The Chevrolet Malibu is in the latter category, and CR wants to convince us all to stop buying it and opt for an alternative instead.
CR article identified many problems that consumers should be aware of, including poor outward visibility, passenger comfort, build quality, reliability, and the lack of standard active safety features. In the “plus” category, CR admits that the Malibu has attractive styling, good road manners, and a very quiet cabin. According to the article, consumers would be better served by a Toyota Camry instead. It’s not like the Toyota is less popular, being the segment leader, but the Malibu is no slouch either.
Despite the many flaws mentioned in the CR article, Chevy Malibu lives the American dream. Chevrolet announced it stopped taking orders for the sedan in February but had to walk back the decision due to the high demand for the sedan. An additional 20,000 orders for the Malibu were taken in May to compensate for the fact that the production was idled for the most part of last year.
As always, the reason for the nine months production hiatus was the ongoing global microchip shortage. According to GM, Chevrolet lost close to 120,000 Malibu sedans as a result. Despite that, the midsize sedan sold well in the first quarter of the year, outperforming the segment. The sales volume was just 5% down to 25,682 units in the quarter, placing the Chevy in the fourth spot, behind Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Nissan Altima.
CR article identified many problems that consumers should be aware of, including poor outward visibility, passenger comfort, build quality, reliability, and the lack of standard active safety features. In the “plus” category, CR admits that the Malibu has attractive styling, good road manners, and a very quiet cabin. According to the article, consumers would be better served by a Toyota Camry instead. It’s not like the Toyota is less popular, being the segment leader, but the Malibu is no slouch either.
Despite the many flaws mentioned in the CR article, Chevy Malibu lives the American dream. Chevrolet announced it stopped taking orders for the sedan in February but had to walk back the decision due to the high demand for the sedan. An additional 20,000 orders for the Malibu were taken in May to compensate for the fact that the production was idled for the most part of last year.
As always, the reason for the nine months production hiatus was the ongoing global microchip shortage. According to GM, Chevrolet lost close to 120,000 Malibu sedans as a result. Despite that, the midsize sedan sold well in the first quarter of the year, outperforming the segment. The sales volume was just 5% down to 25,682 units in the quarter, placing the Chevy in the fourth spot, behind Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Nissan Altima.
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