Chevrolet's 2013 Malibu -- when all models are finally on sale this year -- will follow the pattern of other redone mid-size sedan in dropping a V-6 option to go all four-cylinder all the time -- with a turbo four as the performance option and a hybrid four as the green machine.
So it has gone with the redone 2012 Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima and will be for the coming 2013 Ford Fusion.
Out this summer, the standard Malibu will be come with a new 197-horsepower 2.5-liter, direct-injection four -- compared with the 169 hp. 2.4 in the 2012 model -- and 191 pounds-feet of torque -- up a healthy 31 lbs.ft. Chevy boasts that both numbers will beat the standard fours in the archrival Toyota Camry and coming new Fusion.
But coming in the fall will be the fun one -- the turbo model with a turbocharged 2.0-liter direct-injection four that puts out 259 hp. -- seven more than the current 3.6-liter V-6 -- and 260 pounds-feet of torque -- up 8 lbs.ft. from the V-6. Chevy says the turbo four will be able to muster an 0-60 time of 6.3 seconds.
The one 2013 Malibu model on sale now is upmarket Malibu Eco e-assist mild hybrid with a 2.4-liter, 182 hp. direct injection four. It's in showrooms alongside the previous-generation models being sold as 2012s. The Eco stickers for $25,235 plus shipping, while the regular 2013 Malibu should be closer to the 2012's base of $22,110 plus shipping.
Chevy says the 2013 Malibu is its first global mid-size and that it's already on sale in South Korea and China, with sales coming this year in more than 70 additional countries.
No comments:
Post a Comment