Reducing the weight of the 2016 Malibu

Chevrolet’s new 2016 Malibu, engineered to offer more efficiency, connectivity and advanced safety features, and featuring the option of a new full-hybrid powertrain, is also nearly 300 pounds (136 kg) lighter than the current model.

The 3,100 lb (1,406 kg) Malibu has the mid-size segment’s lightest base curb weight, and also offers an estimated 37 mpg (6.35 l/100 km) highway for the 1.5L turbo base engine. (The hybrid model offers an estimated 48 mpg (4.9 l/100 km) in city driving.) The lighter curb weight also improves ride and handling.

Imagine you’ve got a 300-pound lineman riding on the roof of your car and he decides to jump off—you’re going to notice a change in performance immediately. That’s what we’ve done with the 2016 Malibu, with the mass savings spread throughout the vehicle, providing greater overall balance, a more responsive and agile driving experience and lower fuel consumption. The Malibu team was challenged to look for weight savings in every area of the vehicle, no matter how small, because every gram adds up. The aim was to make Malibu the most mass-efficient car in its class.

—Jesse Ortega, chief engineer

Curb weights compared
Model	Curb weight	EPA Highway Fuel Economy
2016 Chevrolet Malibu 1LT (1.5L Turbo)	3,100 lbs (est.)	37 mpg (GM est.)
2015 Ford Fusion SE (2.5L)	3,461 lbs	34 mpg
2015 Toyota Camry LE (2.5L)	3,240 lbs	35 mpg
2015 Hyundai Sonata SE (2.4L)	3,252 lbs	37 mpg
2015 Honda Accord LX (2.4L)	3,192 lbs (MT)	34 mpg (MT)
2015 Nissan Altima SV (2.5L)	3,206 lbs	38 mpg
2015 Kia Optima EX (2.4L)	3,272 lbs	34 mpg

The five most noteworthy mass-saving achievements, according to Chevrolet, are:

Leaner, stronger body structure. More than a third of the 2016 Malibu’s mass savings—approximately 120 pounds (54 kg)—comes from its all-new body structure, which features greater use of high-strength steels, enabling the use of thinner components in some areas, while delivering comparable or better crash performance.

The stronger-yet-lighter structure is also stiffer than the current model, which allowed suspension components to be tuned more precisely. Engineers had less body flex for which to account, contributing to the new Malibu’s sharper ride-and-handling reflexes.

Development of the Malibu’s structure is the result of extensive computational analysis, which employed sophisticated modeling programs to simulate dozens of design iterations that indicated the most strategic placement for high-strength steel elements such as the pillars and rockers, all while maintaining higher targets for strength, stiffness and crashworthiness.

The analysis took the guesswork out of the Malibu’s development, allowing the chassis to be developed with the just-right level of structural components. After the structure was determined, we started looking at all the components that are attached to it, evaluating where they could be optimized for lower weight.

—Amir Sewani, structural engineer

Greater use of aluminum. The incorporation of more aluminum in the 2016 Malibu contributes significantly to its lower weight. Examples include an aluminum hood that is 6.6 pounds (3 kg) lighter than current model’s steel hood, and aluminum suspension knuckles and chassis components, as well as lighter mounts.

An additional benefit of the aluminum suspension components is reduced un-sprung mass, which contributes to the Malibu’s responsiveness.

Streamlined instrument panel assembly and lighter power accessories. New power window regulators collectively save 4.2 pounds (1.9 kg)—a 34% reduction over the current model, while another 2.2 pounds (1 kg) was saved by reducing the complexity of components within the instrument panel. That included simplified construction with more integrated parts—and fewer components in the assembly.

Even the center console has a streamlined, one-piece structural shell that is 1.75 pounds (0.8 kg) lighter than the current model.

Lighter leather seats and other soft materials. The Malibu’s available leather seats are collectively 40.6 pounds (18.4 kg) lighter than the current model. Additionally, about 1.5 pounds (0.7 kg) was saved with new trunk liner material and another 1.1 pounds (0.5 kg) was shaved with new, proprietary interior carpet material that also is more durable than the current model.

A lighter engine. The 2016 Malibu’s all-new, standard 1.5L turbo engine is 86 pounds (39 kg) lighter than the current model’s standard 2.5L engine, while delivering comparable performance. Its lighter weight also enhances the Malibu’s front-to-rear weight balance—another contributor of the car’s more responsive driving experience.

The 2016 Malibu goes on sale in the fourth quarter of 2015. It will be offered in L, LS, LT and Premier trims, as well as a Hybrid model, which leverages Chevrolet Volt technology to offer segment-best estimated efficiency of 48 mpg city, 45 mpg highway and 47 mpg combined.

A Closer Look at the 2013 Toyota Camry Hybrid

"Vanilla." Taken in modern context, that's not a compliment, but it should be. Vanilla actually has exotic origins, and as spices go, only saffron is more costly. Despite the realities, calling something "vanilla" is not whistling in admiration. The Toyota Camry has been called "vanilla" countless times since its debut, but both the car and the bean have something up their sleeves.

Scoff all you want, but vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavor, and there is no mainstream sedan that outsells the Camry. Apparently, vanilla has an underlying tinge of filthy lucre. We didn't feel rich, exactly, wheeling around in the Camry Hybrid, but we came away impressed, nonetheless.

"When I go to an ice cream parlor for the first time, I always order their vanilla," says Ralph Hannabury. Why vanilla? "When you're making ice cream, everything builds off vanilla. If they have that right, you know they know what they're doing," Ralph explained. Who is Ralph Hannabury? For more than two decades, he made ice cream for Russo's Candy House in Saugus, Massachusetts. Ralph knows vanilla, and good vanilla is hard.

It's the same thing with cars. Supercars are easy compared to a good, bland sedan that starts faithfully every day for hundreds of thousands of miles and exhibits none of the bad habits that are "features" when you're talking exclusive machinery. The Camry is a riot of dispassion to car people, and the Hybrid only moreso with its Hybrid Synergy Drive sopping up whatever visceral treats you can find in the standard Camry.

The Camry Hybrid is understated about its fuel efficiency.

Keeping the recipe metaphor going, even the best ingredients can't stand up to a poor chef. If the seasoning is overbearing or cooking technique flawed, you'll ruin expensive raw materials. With the Camry Hybrid, Toyota proves its skill at making the tricky Hybrid Midsize Sedan Souflee.

The Camry Hybrid is understated about its fuel efficiency. Look once, it's a Camry, just like the thousands of other Camrys that Toyota sells every couple of days. Look twice, it's still just like every other Camry and it's got extra little badges on its front quarter panels. Look a third time and you might notice the Hybrid-specific 17-inch tire and wheel package, but probably not.

Just like every Camry audio system, this one had an unpleasant trebly edge.

The Camry Hybrid interior is more distinctive, with its own gauge cluster, different plastic trim replacing the fake-wood-patterned standard trim, and Hybrid-specific seat fabric in quick-to-dinge ivory or light gray. The Camry Hybrid shares its acoustic glass windshield with the V6 model to keep noise out, and our car had the JBL GreenEdge audio system for making it. Just like every Camry audio system, this one had an unpleasant trebly edge that was only somewhat mitigated by selecting analog-only radio reception instead of the HD Radio default.

Our test car was also equipped with navigation and the Entune multimedia system. Entune is Toyota's answer to SYNC and MyFord Touch from Ford, with app support (apparently using Bing, making restaurant reservations with OpenTable and using movietickets.com to secure access to a matinee) plus weather, traffic, stocks and sports. With all those distractions pumping at you from the 6.1 inch LCD, it's a good thing the Camry Hybrid also has 10 airbags, high strength steel in the B-pillar and rocker panels, electronic nannies like stability control, radar-based Blind Spot Monitor and Safety Connect to call for help when you do wreck.

The dynamic compromises Toyota made for the Camry Hybrid were the right ones.

The tech isn't quite as easy to use as systems like Chrysler UConnect or even the half-reviled MyFord Touch, but it becomes an innocuous part of the experience quickly. Except for that horrible-sounding audio system. It's like they designed in tinnitus from the start. The rest of the interior impressions are the same as other Camrys. The seats are comfortable and decently supportive, the dashboard is topped with stitching in an attempt to class up the joint, though the panel doesn't blend into the doors gracefully and there are a lot of hard plastics around. It's roomy, comfortable, and the trunk doesn't even take much of a hit with the addition of the 244-volt hybrid battery pack, and it's in fact up 2.1 cubic feet over the last-gen Camry Hybrid.

Driving the Camry Hybrid is not going to light any enthusiasts' hair on fire, though it'll put electrons and molecules to work when you mash the throttle all the way to the carpet for a 7.6-second run to 60 miles per hour, slotting neatly between the more-than-fine four-cylinder model and bonkers-rocketship V6. Low-rolling-resistance tires are also low capability tires, so there's little point in trying to achieve thrilling cornering speeds. Driven like a normal person, of course, the dynamic compromises Toyota made for the Camry Hybrid were the right ones.

Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive system is flat-out the best implementation of such a setup we've yet to sample.

While it's not a high performance car in the hot rod sense, the Camry Hybrid is a high performer in its own right. Toyota's continued development of its Hybrid Synergy Drive system is flat-out the best implementation of such a setup we've yet to sample in a midsize sedan. The new Ford Fusion is looking to challenge that, but other comers like the Hyundai and Kia twins can't touch the Camry Hybrid's level of refinement, seamless handoff between electric propulsion and gas engine, and isolation from the judders of engine stops and starts.

The gas engine is a larger 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder with more torque than before. It's been tweaked with a water-cooled EGR system that reduces the temperature of exhaust gas that gets re-routed to the intake to control emissions, a move that was previously accomplished by enriching the mixture. The new way saves more fuel, and the Hybrid Synergy drive system has been tweaked to increase efficiency by reducing transaxle losses, improving motor control, and an EV Drive mode has been added this time around, too. Toyota rates the net power from the electric and internal-combustion sources at 200 horsepower, which is more than plenty when you consider the surprisingly svelte 3,190 sub-3,500 pound curb weight and slick 0.27 drag coefficient.

The Camry Hybrid is exceptional for its normality.

That EV Drive mode only lasts for 1.6 miles, and if there's a hill in the way, forget it, you're not getting far without firing the motor. There's still the ECO mode you can select if you want to really be infuriated by unresponsive controls, too. When you just treat the Camry Hybrid like a normal car, i.e. stick it in Drive and go, only the brakes give away the hybrid-ness. Even at that, Toyota's got the regen-to-friction braking switchover very well managed.

The regular Camry isn't a standout in any category, while the Camry Hybrid is exceptional for its normality while returning EPA fuel economy estimates of 43 miles per gallon city, 39 mpg highway in LE trim, which drops to 40/38 in XLE guise. Our highway-heavy drive cycle returned us 38 mpg, bang on the estimates. Or, you could get a diesel Passat. There is only one car that offers the Camry nameplate and this kind of fuel economy, and that's the Camry Hybrid, and it's perhaps the most outstanding Camry of all.

Source: Autoblog

A Closer Look at the 2013 Toyota Camry

The 2013 Toyota Camry carries on a long-standing tradition of giving buyers exactly what they want, with no surprises, at a price that’s affordable for consumers across multiple demographics. Yes, there are more stylish and more entertaining family sedans on the market, but few rival the Camry’s long-standing reputation for value and bulletproof reliability.

That’s not to say that the 2013 Toyota Camry is a compromise filled with mediocrity. Redesigned for the 2012 model year, the latest Camry variant offers up an impressive array of amenities, luxury touches and even a degree of driving enjoyment that seemed to be absent from earlier models. While exterior updates are best described as “evolutionary,” the interior of the latest Camry is a significant improvement over the previous model. There’s more attention to detail inside, coupled with higher-quality  materials and a stylish double-tiered instrument panel. Interior corners are pushed outwards, too, giving the 2013 Camry a spacious and airy feel within the cabin. Thinner front seats further add to rear seat passenger leg room, making the new Camry a better choice for those who regularly haul second-row passengers.

While Toyota builds the Camry with a range of engines (including a 2.5-liter four cylinder and a 3.5-liter V-6), those focused on fuel economy will want to opt for the Camry Hybrid, as it delivers both impressive fuel economy and reasonable performance. The Camry Hybrid blends a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with an electric motor and a continuously variable transmission to deliver 41 mpg combined (39 mpg city and 43 mpg highway) in LE trim. Opt for the range-topping Camry Hybrid XLE, and the fuel economy dips slightly to 40 mpg combined (38 mpg city and 40 mpg highway) due to the car’s larger wheels and tires. With a combined output of 200horsepower, acceleration is more than sufficient no matter which Camry Hybrid version you choose.

Opt for the four-cylinder 2013 Toyota Camry, and the fuel economy drops to 28 mpg combined (25 mpg city, 35 mpg highway), while the more powerful V-6 version returns just 25 mpg combined (21 mpg city, 30 mpg highway). Of these two, our preference is for the four-cylinder version, which feels a bit livelier than four-cylinder Camry models past. Still, if your budget allows, we’d encourage you to shop the Camry Hybrid over the other available drivetrains.

Ride comfort has been improved across all models, and the list of available and standard features has been upped as well. All trim levels now get Bluetooth phone connectivity, as well as a touchscreen audio system, Bluetooth audio streaming, an iPod interface and a USB port. Available options include a voice command-based navigation system, JBL audio and Toyota’s Entune connectivity system, which allows users to take advantage of apps like Pandora.

If safety is a concern, the 2013 Toyota Camry scores well in most tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gives the car its Top Safety Pick status, but in the agency’s latest test (the small frontal-overlap crash test) the 2013 Toyota Camry received a rating of “poor.” The NHTSA gives the latest Camry five stars overall, with only the frontal-impact crash test returning a four-star result instead of a perfect score.



Source: Green Car Reports