Buyers are shifting from sedans to crossovers, a move that has dropped the market’s car share from 50 to 43 percent within only three years. If the cost of standard gasoline increases to more than $3.60 per gallon, these defectors may again settle for a family sedan that is more fuel-efficient. General Motors used its sharpest engineering tools and brightest minds to slice off close to three hundred pounds from its Malibu. This car falls in the mid-sized category with respect to space for cargo and passengers. For the hybrid model, four cubic feet of trunk space is sacrificed to create room for the battery pack and an intact interior compartment.

The Malibu hybrid will have a retail price of $28,645, with its interior having diamond-pattern upholstery. To add to modern assists and safety alerts, there is a Driver Confidence package worth $1195 as well as Technology and Convenience package costing $895. There’s a center display screen of 7.0-inch and some electric frills like 110-volt current outlet and wireless charging pad. Chipping in a red paint job of $395 dollars coupled with the sticker raises to the retail price to a reasonable $31,130.

Learning from lessons acquired, Malibu hybrid has some components similar to those of the Chevrolet Volt. General Motors incorporates a Voltec drive, a nut combining two electric generators, two clutches, a power inverter, hydraulic control system, planetary gearsets, and hydraulic control system. All these components are confined within aluminum housing. The horsepower of this hybrid car has a capacity of 1.8 liters. Although it is primarily composed of cast iron, there are modern features like variable valve timing, direct injection, as well as roller cam followers to increase the engine’s efficiency.

Driving the Malibu hybrid is a great experience. It shifts through four different hybrid modes and doesn’t use a drone or ruckus. Its execution is exemplary, giving it a feel of a third or even fourth generation drivetrain. It is quite difficult to figure out whether it is the electric motors or engine giving a large portion of propulsion torque. The fully electric range doesn’t exceed five miles using a Hitachi battery pack of 1.5-kWh. Regenerative braking can be increased by changing the transmission lever to L2 from L1 though the difference is hardly noticeable. During the shift to friction-based deceleration from electric braking, the change is insignificant. Basically, the key mission of the Malibu hybrid is fuel efficiency. Its 35 mpg still outcompeted most of the mid-sized hybrids tested.