Video: 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

Eco is actually a mild hybrid type system. Why is this the first one? Well, essentially because it was available. It was developed for the Buick Regal eAssist. So it's the first one out. We'll take a look. For the exterior restyling, Chevy evolved the front end, didn't do anything too dramatic. The car's about an inch shorter from bumper to bumper, three inches wider. The biggest change is to the rear end, which was influenced by the Camaro. You can see it in the C pillar here and in the taillights. Now, in terms of features and quality, Malibu's a bit of a mixed bag. We really would expect any car in this class to have a folding side mirror. It does not. But then on the other side, you get stuff like this upscale feature, you got the push button to adjust your head restraint up high, where you can reach it instead of down low. That's the kind of thing that VW popularized, and you don't see it in every car. So a lot we like about the interior here, a lot of soft surfaces, wherever you might put your arms in such. Woven headliner is a higher-class way to do things. But on the other hand, this particular trim level, the Eco, which is the only one available now, no one's particularly fine of the way the imitation wood looks or this gray plastic stuff. And then there's these veins here on the dashboard. It's an extension of the air conditioning fence. Here's something about me, when I look for a compelling element inside a car to expand upon, I'm not going with the vent. Now, a lot of cars these days, including the mid-sized class, the control systems have become cumbersome. Chevy did a pretty good job with this one, more so than the Cruze and the Volt. The buttons are more logically laid out, which is nice. Some of them are incorporated into a touchscreen, which is standard in the Eco. It also has the MyLink system. MyLink is actually a good approach because what it does is it incorporates some of the features you might have on your cellular phone, instead of trying to duplicate them here. For example, you go to your homepage here and you can actually configure what you want to show up on the homepage and included are things like Pandora internet radio. And if you have a compatible phone with the app on it, it reproduces some of the main features on the screen, real easy to use. And if you have a Blackberry and so one of those popular iPhones, you can do it through Bluetooth without plugging it in. One other thing I noted, you can flip the screen up and there's a storage space in here. I'm a little bit leery of having something as sensitive as a touchscreen flopping around on a cover like that, but for what it's worth. On the other hand, the center storage console is pretty far back and deep, but not very wide. So I guess it's good to have another option. Just like some other new cars and redesigns from Chevrolet, this is a very quiet, comfortable car. They've done a nice job. The ride quality is a little bit firm, I think most people wouldn't have a problem with it. The wheelbase has actually come down four and a half inches. There is a bit of a trade-off though, and I think it has come out of the back seat. With the driver's seat in my driving position, my knees are cleared, but they're also raised a bit. The center floor hump is a little bit high. It's not terrible by any means, but as small cars and mid-sized cars get larger and larger backseats, including some competitors, this might be a bit of a disadvantage for people who are out shopping. Being the Eco, I suspect that this version of the Malibu will be its lowest seller. There are some downsides. And they include a decrease in the volume of the trunk, 14.3 cubic feet instead of 16.3 , and what the normal Malibu's will have. And the thing that bothers me more is you lose the folding back seat. You still have a bit of a pass through there. It's a little bit bigger than the average armrests pass through, but it's raised and it's horizontal. It's a little bit odd. Overall, the 2013 Malibu looks very promising, but I'm already questioning the Eco version. The EPA rating is 25 miles per gallon city, 37 highway. And if you compare that with something like a Camry, it has 25 miles per gallon city, 35 highway. Only two miles per gallon difference. And it's more than $3,000 cheaper. But overall, the Malibu looks promising. We look forward to driving the 2.5 liter and the two liter turbo. (high energy music) <v Narrator>For more car related news, go to cars.com, or our blog, KickingTires.net.