2015 Chevrolet Malibu Turbo

With well-defined shoulder lines, clean 19-inch wheels, and Impala-like front styling, the 2015 Chevrolet Malibu Turbo is one good-looking four-door. As a midsize sedan, though, the volume model is less than convincing. Chevrolet tried to remedy this for 2014 by adding a little more rear-seat knee room, updated sheetmetal, and standard engine stop-start technology, but in our most recent Big Test comparison, the car placed sixth out of six cars. That review covered the Malibu with the 2.5-liter I-4, so when a loaded 2015 Malibu Turbo arrived in the Motor Trend Garage, we track-tested the car to see how well its enhanced performance matches up to the competition. Slam the Malibu Turbo's throttle to the floor, and you'll either be highly entertained or slightly nauseated, or both. Turbocharged four-cylinder four-doors can be lots of fun when you're not interested in the more linear feel of a six-cylinder midsize sedan. In the Malibu Turbo, a bit of turbo lag is followed by a sudden burst of acceleration. At wide-open throttle from a stop, on the right surface, you can even burn a little rubber. The Malibu's turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 is good for 259 hp at 5300 rpm and 295 lb-ft from 3000-4000 rpm, and it's mated to a six-speed automatic with manual controls on the gear stalk. Those basic stats sound somewhat impressive on paper, but let's head to the test track.

From 0-60 mph, the 2015 Malibu Turbo is a mid-pack performer. It's quicker than a couple turbo-four-powered midsizers, but behind a pair of six-cylinder four-doors. The Chevrolet's 6.3-second time was, as you'd expect, quicker than an all-wheel-drive 2013 Ford Fusion with a turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 (6.8 seconds). Our long-term 2013 Kia Optima SX-L made more power but less torque than the Malibu Turbo from its turbocharged four-cylinder, and turned in a 0-60 mph time of 7.2 seconds. The V-6 midsize sedans still lead the class in this benchmark sprint, with a 2012 Toyota Camry SE V-6 clocking in at 5.8 seconds and a 2013 Nissan Altima V-6 at 5.9 seconds. In 45-65 mph passing, the turbocharged four-cylinder cars yield to the traditional V-6 cars, with the Malibu's 3.5-second time beating the Optima (3.9 seconds) and all-wheel-drive Fusion (3.7 seconds), but not the Camry (2.8 seconds) and Altima (2.6 seconds).

Turbo-four or V-6, fuel economy for those for midsizers is essentially a tie, with the 2015 Malibu Turbo at an EPA-rated 21/30 mpg city/highway; the 2015 Optima Turbo at 20/31 mpg; the 2014 Camry V-6 at 21/31 mpg; and the 2015 Altima V-6 at 22/32 mpg. We haven't yet tested a Honda Accord sedan with a V-6, which is EPA-rated at 21/32-34 mpg. If you're frequently making the most of the Malibu Turbo's 2.1-second 0-60 mph advantage over the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter I-4 model, though, forget about 30 mpg on the highway. Seamless engine stop-start technology is standard on that Malibu but not offered on the performance-oriented turbocharged model.