When Chevrolet redesigned the midsize Malibu sedan for 2016, one question remained: what to do about the prior-generation Malibu, which had long been a familiar contender in its class. Rather than drop the previous version, as most automakers do, Chevrolet chose to keep it in the lineup for a while, now dubbed the Malibu Limited. GM has taken this path before, tacking a “Limited” suffix onto still-available cars from the prior generation. Both the new Malibu and its predecessor slot between two popular Chevrolet siblings: the compact Cruze and the full-size Impala sedan.
What's New for 2016
The regular 2016 Malibu has been totally redesigned, but the Malibu Limited is a little-changed carryover from the previous generation.
Choosing Your Chevrolet Malibu Limited
Only one engine is available in the Malibu Limited: a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that makes 197 horsepower and 191 pound-feet of torque. Teamed with a six-speed automatic transmission, it's rated for an impressive 36 mpg highway. The turbocharged engine available in 2015 has been discontinued.
The carryover Malibu Limited comes in three trim levels:
Only a handful of individual options and option packages are available for Malibu Limited models. Navigation is offered only for LTZ trim, and a sunroof for LT or LTZ.
As a rule, we advise passing on Chevrolets in base-level LS trim, recommending a midlevel model instead. That’s not quite true anymore. Best values are the base LS and top LTZ, even though the latter costs almost $6,000 more. The LT isn’t much more costly than an LS, but it doesn’t add much in the way of equipment.