2014 Chevrolet Malibu Refresh Brings Better City MPGs
Chevrolet is trickling its fuel saving technology down to the 2.5-liter Malibu sedan by adding engine start-stop technology.
Starting with the 2014 model year, the mid-size sedan will shut off its engine rather than idling for an improved city fuel economy by 14 percent to 25 in the city. The system will be included as standard equipment on the base 2.5-liter engine. Combined fuel economy is now rated at 29 mpg.
The fuel economy increase is enough to put the Malibu ahead of base four-cylinder versions of the Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata and Ford Fusion among others.
SEE ALSO: 2014 Chevy Malibu Refresh Made Possible by 3D Printing
That isn’t the only new feature for the 2014 model year, which marks an early refresh. Chevrolet also revise the front fascia styling, added 1.25 inches of rear seat legroom and added optional blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert systems. The center console has also been redesigned. Chevrolet said earlier this year that it was able to design the revisions quickly because of a 3D printing process that makes developing prototype parts much faster.
Finally, the car features an enhanced suspension and a mild increase in torque for the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that now makes 295 lb-ft.
The base price, which includes the 2.5-liter engine and six-speed automatic transmission, rises $160 to $22,965 including delivery. Refreshed models are expected to begin arriving in dealers this fall.
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Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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